Juniper Springs Run (aka Juniper Creek)

Juniper Run Gator

Today paid a visit to a place I once said was never going to visit again. Never say never. Had a pleasant paddle, in terms of nature and relaxation, at the waters of the Juniper Springs Run, or Juniper Creek. Wildlife was absent, humans were by the dozen, but this place has some magic and it is beautiful so did not come out disappointed.

Juniper Springs Run

Put In / Take Out: This was one of the rare times when the Put In is different from the Take Out. The Juniper Springs Run is 7 miles and change, pretty fast too, so paddling against the current and coming back with it on the return is a bit of a stretch. I tried it once and did not make it. Wifey demanded for us to turn around. This time put in at the Juniper Springs Recreation area and made the arrangements for them to bring me back from the Juniper Wayside, an area just past SR 19 bridge over the creek. For fees and other information please contact them. It was just me and my kayak and  paid around 20 dollars for them to shuttle me and the Perception Sport Conduit (that is my kayak) back, and a deposit of 20 more that they did refund to me at the end of the trip.

Juniper Springs Millhouse

Saw no more than 6 different forms of wildlife in the 3 plus hours I was in the run. At any other place I would have been disappointed. Not here. It was a lot of fun. This paddling location is not the easiest one you will find in Florida. Is fast, narrow for most of the way, twisty, and with hundreds of submerged and overhead obstacles. I cannot remember hitting so many stumps at any other place. Also came with a few scratches from low vegetation I was not able to dodge due to the speed. Regardless, heck of a time!!!!! Did even paddle some RAPIDS!!!!! Here are the pics of what I saw at the Juniper Springs Run...

Juniper Springs Run

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Gator

Muddy gator

Paradise like view

Obstacles over and under the run

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Beauty all over the place

Turtle

Turtle

SR 19 bridge over the creek. Juniper Wayside, the take out point, is just across the bridge.

Let me make a parenthesis. After the first time I did paddle here was determined not to come back again. A concessionary employee told me I was going to be arrested if went paddling upstream. Then, when we visited the recreation area after the paddle it was not the best experience neither. This time I gave an A plus to everybody. From the lady at the gate, to the folks at the store, to the guys picking us up at the take out, and the various employees doing rounds around, everybody was great. If any of you read this...THANKS for a great job!!!!!!! Since the family was waiting for me at the recreation area took some of them to see Fern Hammock Springs. It was sad to see how one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen has deteriorated since our most recent visit. The algae has overtaken the springs and green, instead of white sand and blue, dominates the scene. It is still beautiful but not as it used to be.

Green Anole...my niece saw this one.

Boils at Fern Hammock Springs

Alligator Snapping Turtle swims between the green sludge created by the algae at Fern Hammock Springs

Nature Trail

And this is it for this one. Hope you like the few pics we were able to post. Check the Facebook page as already posted a video featuring Fern Hammock Springs and will post another of the trip, with views of the run, later. Thanks for coming and hope to see you soon to share more Views From Our Kayak.

Fern Hammock Springs

Lower Wekiva River - Great Time With Friends!!!!!!!!!

Osprey

Had a great time with friends at the Lower Wekiva River. After two weeks without kayaking it was time to go back and back I went. Silver River, Haulover Canal, and Lower Wekiva River are my favorite places. Last year took Lisa and Jeff, friends from Michigan, to Silver River. This year wanted to take them to Haulover Canal and almost did. Had to call an audible because the conditions there were just terrible. Went to Katie's Landings to kayak the Lower Wekiva River instead. Also had the chance to say hello to Dave, from Dave's Yak Tales.

Al, Lisa, and Jeff

Put In / Take Out: Katie's Landings. Please check previous posts for information. I have the case of Saturday nights

Lower Wekiva River Turtle

Today was not the usual day in the Lower Wekiva River. It was a bit higher than usual. Heavy motor boat traffic and not the display the Wekiva always offers. Did not come home with many pics. We kayaked past the high grounds, popular illegal camping spot as we confirmed today, came back near the Hwy 46 bridge over the Wekiva River, and back to Katie's Landings. Here are the pics for this trip...

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Red Shouldered Hawk

Red Shouldered Hawk

Limpkin

Limpkin

Turtle

Turtle

Ibis

Little Blue Heron

Green Heron

Red Shouldered Hawk

Green Heron

Green Heron

Great Heron gets a fish

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Lisa and Jeff in the Pelican tandem followed by Al in the green Perception Tribe

And this is it for this one. Will post a few more pics on the Facebook page so you are more than welcome to take a look. I hope to be back next weekend from another location and share will you more Views From Our Kayak.

Lower Wekiva River from the bow of my Perception Sport Conduit

Turkey Creek

Turkey Creek manatee

Decided to pay another visit to Turkey Creek in Palm Bay. Have only been here once, a little more than a year ago, and came out a manatee short from a Florida Trifecta: dolphin, gator, and manatee. This time got it. The manatee in the opening pic, a calf, gave me the coveted Florida Tri.

Osprey

Put In / Take Out: Goode Park, located at 1300 Bianca Dr in Palm Bay, FL. There is no fee, lots of parking spots, and restrooms are available. It is in reality a boat ramp but putting a kayak there is not complicated as the concrete does not go too deep. It is a bit slippery so you have been warned. I ended on my six my first time here. There are other entry points along the creek. I may try one of those next time, or maybe you can do it and let me know how it works.

Turkey Creek Turtle

Was on my way at 8:30. If you follow my trip on a map, left Goode Park and headed to the Indian River, paddling under the railroad tracks first and then under the Hwy 1 bridge to the Palm Bay. It was a bit windy and the tide was coming in. That combination was not good for the pics as I deleted 75% of them. The bay is Osprey Kingdom and they were very active flying high in the sky. It was at the confluence of the bay and the Indian River where saw a dolphin, giving me the first member of the Florida Trifecta (greetings Yak Dave). Here are the pics of what I saw on that leg of the trip...

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Osprey

Osprey

Anhinga

Green Heron

Green Heron

Indian River Dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphin (This would have been the opening but manatee trumped dolphin this time)

Osprey

Started the paddle up creek with a strong cross wind. It was really bumpy, even on the Palm Bay. I was told the manatees like to hang out near a dam at the end, or the beginning depending how you look at it, of the creek. The plan was to paddle up, take a break at the Turkey Creek Sanctuary, maybe take a walk on their boardwalk, and then come back to Goode Park. Almost everything came through but had an issue with a raccoon at the sanctuary. Regardless, here are the pics for that part of the trip...

Duck

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

TBD

Gator... a little one. At the moment just needed a manatee for the Florida Trifecta

Turkey Creek scene

Turtle

End of the paddling trail...

There were not manatees in the dam, which made me feel a little bit down. So decided to turn around and stop at the sanctuary as planned. Let me explain something. Turkey Creek offers a diverse variety of habitats. We have the bay area, the near the Goode Park we have marshes, also residential zones with beautiful houses, and the more covered zone up the creek. That provides a really good shelter from the Sun in days like the one we had yesterday.Back to the trip, pictures of what I saw from the dam to the Turkey Creek Sanctuary...

Turtle

Cardinal

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Turtle at the creek (From the Turkey Creek Sanctuary boardwalk)

Catfish  (From the Turkey Creek Sanctuary boardwalk) 

Parenthesis here. When you read signs that say DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE!!! it includes everything. At the sanctuary I tried to have a snack but then, out of the blue, a raccoon was 5 feet from me and coming. I tried to scare it with no avail. So did use a spray I have to scare dogs away. The little rascal walked away 10 ft and came back a minute after. When saw it did the same thing: yelled at (did  not work) and then sprayed it again. The raccoon walked away and almost immediately came back running. This time I grabbed the paddle and chased it away. The raccoon just hide behind a palm tree while I packed my stuff back to the kayak. I thought it learned a lesson and turned my back just to feel it running towards me. Another spray did the trick for a minute, giving me a chance to launch the yak and leave the place. Ate my snack in the kayak, away from the little monster so we can say I was chased away by a raccoon. It won.

Raccoon at Turkey Creek Sanctuary

Here are the pics from the last leg of the trip, including manatees I saw on the creek like a 100 meters West of the Port Malabar bridge over the creek. A mom and a calf gave me the Florida Trifecta and entertained several of us while munching grass from a log in the middle of the creek. The calf checked on me for a few seconds.

Turtles

Turkey Creek Gator

Manatee munching

Manatee Mom and a calf

Lunch time. At least they did not have a raccoon chasing them away.

Turkey Creek Manatee

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Manatee. One of maybe 6 of a mating herd near the Goode Park boat ramp

Brown Pelican

And this is it for this one. Hope you like the it. As usual, will post a few more pics on our Facebook page so you are more than welcome to take a look. You will also find pics from other trips there.Thanks for reading and hope you come back for our next trip. We will be sharing more Views From Our Kayak.

Friendly ladies enjoying their paddle at Turkey Creek