Pauly's

On Sunday’s I typically watch the shop for Up the Creek Xpeditions, and around 12 I generally get nailed with hunger pangs. The only way to get rid of them is to give Pauly’s a call a place an order for one of their Mesquite Smoked Turkey Croissants.

The sandwhich is simply delicious. They start with a wonderful, buttery, and flakey croissant and layer a hearty mound of sliced, smoked turkey. Two slices of bacon, two slices of avacodo and some crunchy purple onions spruce up the flavor.

Though St. Marys is small, there are several excellent restarraunts, and Pauly’s is one of them. Give them a call and order one to-go.

Martin's Island

A few weeks ago I was planning out a kayaking trip, and I was have some difficulty finding a location for my trip. I wanted to do a scouting paddle, but I couldn't decide where I wanted to go. So, I asked Tom if there were any trips that needed to be scouted. He then told me that I should paddle Martin's Island. So I left out early on June 10th.

The tides weren't favorable for the trip, but it was my day off and I decided that I would do it anyway. I paddled for 8 miles completely against the tide before reaching Martins Island. After landing, I ate my lunch and headed off to hike.

Martin's Island is a 105 acre island that is 2.5 miles south east of downtown St. Marys, Georgia and 3.7 miles south west of the entrance to Beach Creek and 3.5 miles west of the Egan's Creek entrance. The Island was used for indigo and rice cultivation in the 1800's. The island was bought by a development company that planned to build a bridge and develop the island into a private community. However, the state of Florida bought the island from the company so that the island maybe preserved in its wilderness state.



Currently on the island is a house that the state of Florida proposed could be used for nature talks and such. There is also a small building that has a sign stating "Check In", but the door is broken from the hinges and there are soda cans strewn about inside.

The most attractive feature of the island is that it is true wilderness. It is only accessible by kayak for the most part. At low tide there are expansive mudflats and oyster beds that prevent most boats from coming any closer than several dozen yards, at least on the east side. If you choose to attempt a landing in a boat from any other side, there is plenty of trekking through the marsh ahead of you, and you must also find a way to anchor your boat.



There is a short walking trail that loops around the eastern side of the island. This eastern side is made up of 1/3 mile long peninsula that curves upward . The trail is just over 1 mile and is relatively easy, though over-grown in many places. The majority of the island is still unexplored due to the dense brush that covers the western side.



There is much wildlife to be found on the island. I spotted a doe with her two fawns, an eagle and his nest, a pair of ospreys perched up in a tree, a wood stork, a peregrine falcon, and an armadillo. I heard a wild boar, but was not able to get close enough to see him. I was able to follow the three deer around the island for about 20 minutes before my cell phone rang and frightened them away.

All in all, a great day of paddling and exploring, and the discovery of a trip that I will soon do again.

More Cycling

I have been proud of my diligence lately. I went on my morning ride around 8, and rode for about an hour @ 18.7mph (avg.) I was disappointed that the new bike shorts I got the other day do not fit, even though they are the same size and brand as my favorite pair of bike shorts. So, I will have to exchange them.

Well, until my next outdoor adventure...............................................

Surf Kayaking 06/18/08

So I decided to go surf kayaking last Wednesday, but I had promised Michelle a kayaking trip. Seeing as how I don't think that she wanted to go surf kayaking, so, I took her to Lofton Creek to do a quick little trip. After we paddled for an hour and a half, Michelle and I went to the beach. She went to lay out, and I went to catch that pitiful Fernandina surf.



Though somewhat tiny, the waves still provided me a little bit of fun. It also reminded me that my rough water paddling stills aren't what I think they should be, but I did manage to stay alive.

Grover Island

Grover Island has become an obsession of mine in a way. Its a small island between Harriet's Bluff and Crooked River State Park. When Keith told me that he and his wife, Shirley, would be in town for the week, I was interested in doing some paddling with them. We arranged to paddle Plum Orchard on Tuesday, but I had to bail on them for that trip. They still did Plum on Tuesday, but I suggested that we do Grover Island on Wednesday and they agreed.
Though I forgot to bring my camera along, I was still able to get some photos after we returned to Crooked River. The trip was about 9 miles and took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete, not including our 20 minute lunch.


After our return Keith and I wanted to cool down and practice some Eskimo rolling. We headed to Gilligan's Island Park to use the small lake there. A storm was approaching when we arrived, but we decided to wait it out so that we could get some rolling in. We waited beneath a pavilion on a picnic table for around 15 minutes. After Keith found a nice set of tongs in a tree, we decided to go on an adventure. I wanted to introduce Keith to geocaching so we went in search of a nearby cache. While hunting for this thing in the woods it began to lightning, and Keith is deathly afraid of lightning. I turned around, only to find Keith huddled on the ground in a near fetal position, meanwhile explaining to me that that was the best way to be safe. I was still searching for the cache while crouching around. One particular lightning strike was terrifyingly close. We decided to make the 1/4 miles run through the woods to the car. Keith took off like a racehorse, but I only had flip-flops on. I quickly ditched them and carried them. I had my GPS in the other hand, and every once in a while i glaced at it to see how fast we were going. I clocked Keith at ~14mph. Keep in mind that he is running 14mph while in a full crouch position.

It was truly hilarious, but we made it safely to the car. In 45 minutes we were on the water capsizing and righting the boats like we actually new what we were doing.

Cycling

Today I decided to strap on my road shoes and go for a ride. I rode for around an hour averaging around 18mph. I made myself a pit stop at Camden Bicycle Center to check out what shorts and jerseys they had in stock. I picked out some shorts that I will return for later on today. But, before I could leave Terry (owner of CBC) showed me a mountain bike trail that runs through just about the whole county. This trail incorporates a lot of different types of trail and provides a much needed off road biking venue for residents and tourists, specifically those that have chosen to use the East Coast Greenway as their method of travel.

Anyone interested in riding this trail, shoot me an email. I am always looking for comrades on the trail, and even the road for that matter.

I hope to go ride the entire trail with Terry in the near future, and there will certainly be pictures of that adventure.

Plum Orchard 05/31/08

Though this trip happened some time ago, it is still noteworthy. This trip was a guided trip for Up the Creek Xpeditions. It was a Plum Orchard Trip which departs from Crooked River State Park and arrives at the Plum Orchard mansion on Cumberland Island.
Since I was guiding, my photographing does not begin until I reached the Island. Upon arrival the group completed the usual landing activities of stretching their legs, hydrating and eating.

After eating we walked around the Plum Orchard mansion and looked for the alligator that resides in the pond behind the house.


We hiked across to the beach via the Duck House Trail and spent about an hour and a half at the beach. While the majority of the group waded and swam in the water, I chose to go on a bit of a jog down the beach. While jogging I encountered a large steel tank. It appeared to have been either a fuel tank or buoyancy for a barge that had washed ashore. I also found a horseshoe crab that was still intact, but very dead.


After our stay at the beach we hiked back across the Duck House trail and we were greeted by some of the feral horses.


After the hike back we returned to our boats and made the trip back. On the way back we saw a few dolphins and two manatees playing near the marsh bank.

Revival

I have decide that I need to resurrect my blog. I have deleted all of the previous postings and will begin making new ones. I will mostly be blogging about my outdoor adventures.

I will be changing the green theme that is currently in use.