A few friends and I decided to paddle down Old River to the Cut-Off and then paddle in that. We were too lazy to do a shuttle so just did an out and back..
Our paddle started at highway 1490 under the Old River Bridge. A colony of cliff swallows were busy finishing their nests and incubating eggs. Natalie and I paddled upstream and took each other's pictures while we waited for Dave who was unsure of our start time and was late.
The day was beautiful but windy. Early into the paddle, a barred owl flew over the river. We often heard prothonotary warblers and saw one foraging. Great egrets, little blue herons, and tri-colored herons shared the river with us. A pair of beautiful tiger swallowtails flew together. Fresh monarch butterflies were all around. I got a faint heady scent of lizardtail that was almost through blooming. The willows and cypress trees were beautiful in the morning light and the swamps off the river and cut-off held mystery.
We shared the river with a trio of fishermen in a john boat who put in while we were waiting for Dave and took out just before we did. But they were out of sight and sound most of the day, letting us hear the wind through the trees and the bird calls.
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| Getting Underway |
Our paddle started at highway 1490 under the Old River Bridge. A colony of cliff swallows were busy finishing their nests and incubating eggs. Natalie and I paddled upstream and took each other's pictures while we waited for Dave who was unsure of our start time and was late.
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| Cliff Swallows |
The day was beautiful but windy. Early into the paddle, a barred owl flew over the river. We often heard prothonotary warblers and saw one foraging. Great egrets, little blue herons, and tri-colored herons shared the river with us. A pair of beautiful tiger swallowtails flew together. Fresh monarch butterflies were all around. I got a faint heady scent of lizardtail that was almost through blooming. The willows and cypress trees were beautiful in the morning light and the swamps off the river and cut-off held mystery.
We shared the river with a trio of fishermen in a john boat who put in while we were waiting for Dave and took out just before we did. But they were out of sight and sound most of the day, letting us hear the wind through the trees and the bird calls.
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| Paddlers |
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| Lubber grasshoppers feeding on willow leaves |
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| Me in one of my favorite places |
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| Cypress cones were developing |
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| Pals - the calf was trying to reach leaves |
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| Swamp scene |
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| Boarders catching a ride |
It's nice to see some pictures of Texas--right?--that don't look like a dust bowl. In fact, looks a little bit like heaven.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite places. I love swamps and curvy bayous and creeks. But it's getting harder to find wet places, even on the normally wet Texas coastal plain.
ReplyDelete