Northwest River trip, 5.31.2009

MORE PICTURES, YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Larry Hatch had a great idea to paddle south down the Northwest River and explore the area just above the VA/NC state line which is a black bear sanctuary.  He has paddled this area before but I had not.  It sounded like a lot of fun.  Larry planned the day based on the weather and did a superb job as the wind was out of the south which made for a nice paddle both ways and the wind at our back coming home.

We both had cameras so you will see a lot of pics on this trip.  Picture credits are not noted but I guess whoever is in the picture is not the one taking the picture.....YA THINK?????????????

We launched at the Indian Creek Road ramp area on Indian Creek (an offshoot of the Northwest River).  We got on the water about 7:30 AM and headed for the main river.  We might have gotten away earlier but I always seem to have enough crap for a week long paddle instead of a half day paddle.

Larry waits patiently for me to launch (what the hell is taking that moron so long?)

And he continues to wait on me.  Nothing like launching at the picturesque side of the roadway! 

During my last paddle I was passed in a john boat by a Army Corps of Engineer employee on his way out to the Lake Drummond spillway.  He asked if I planned to wear my paddle out.  I puzzled on that question until he pointed out that I had three paddles including the one in my hand!  A feeder ditch comedian......well it was pretty funny.  Anyway,  I guess I should "splain" that I take three paddles (one of the front deck, one on the back and the one I paddle with) because they are just carved up 2 x 4s from Lowes and well, you know the old saying.....I ain't getting caught up the creek without one!

The main river as it heads south towards the VA/NC line.

Larry on the main river, cutting a wake with no paddle, what a trick!

We saw this area on the way down, a huge Osprey nest and the mother was there feeding some chicks. Very cool! (Sheesh, is that moron going to weasel his way into every shot???)

Larry snapped this after crawling down from the nest.......JUST JOKING, REALLY, he used his zoom feature!  We gave the birds plenty of room.

Here I am........daydreaming I guess.

We arrive at the area just above the state line where there are a few offshoots heading into the black bear sanctuary area.

This is what it is all about, nature, nature, nature.........and uh, camera phones and digital cameras.  So this is the moment on the trip we choose to talk about water moccasins and paddling.

"Look, if you don't keep up with me, I'm leaving your ass behind, got it?  Don't make me come back there!"

A picture taken of a picture being taken in the bear sanctuary.  Paddling, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere, what could be cooler?

Larry trailblazes and I follow as this offshoot gets narrower and narrower and narrower.

"I'll just hang back here Larry while you flush out all the bears, snakes and other creatures up in there."  This little offshoot was cool and came to an abrupt end after a bit.

Larry sitting at the dead end of this offshoot and in "paddle ready" position. Now if some idiot with a camera phone would get outta the way, we could go!

"Hey Tony, wait, I was joking, there was no snake behind you....really....."

Heading back....or was it heading in?  Does it really matter? We knew where we were at the time.

So we made it out of the black bear sanctuary and back to the tip of the peninsula that is the Northwest River park grounds.  This shot of our kayaks at the pier is looking southwest.  Indian Creek, our launch and takeout site, is around to the right from here.  We sat at the picnic table, rested and talked for a bit.  Larry headed back and I stayed a bit longer as I wanted to do some birdwatching.

Two women showed up shortly after Larry departed (he probably passed them on the way back to the launch) in these beautiful strip built kayaks.  They own the Woodcraft store at Janaf Shopping Center and they had built these during classes they give every year to build wooden kayaks.  One of the women had her dog with her right in the front of the cockpit and the dog seemed to be content being paddled around.

Heading back up Indian Creek.

So back towards the launch, up Indian River Creek.  I stopped along the way to see if any areas like this led anywhere interesting.  They did not although they were very scenic.

Calm, cool water.

As I explored Indian Creek on the way back I kept running across these nesting boxes.  I have seen similar ones throughout the Northwest river area and indeed earlier there were some larger ones in the black bear sanctuary area.  Because of the size of those boxes I assumed they were for wood ducks.  These little boxes, as I found out quickly upon spotting them, held the nest of a Prothonotary Warbler.  I heard the young birds raising Cain until the father showed up with some food for them.  I hid behind these overreaching branches hoping to catch a good picture of the father at the hole of the box.  He was spooked and so I had to move further away so he would come to the box unhindered.  The father quickly resumed his flights between the woods and the box with food.  Even so one of the young birds was either extremely hungry or ready to go solo (or both) because not only did it poke it's head out the hole but soon had left the hole, flying for what had to be the first time to the shore and woods.  I was there at the perfect moment.  The father then presumably then divided his time between the nest box and the juvenile warbler in the woods.  That was pretty much my extent of birdwatching on this day.  But it was quality birdwatching, not quantity birdwatching.

All in all a great day and paddle.  I enjoyed paddling with Larry, we had not paddled together in almost 5 years....or right at 5 years.  Anyway,  we are likely to get together again for some paddling.

Until next time.....