Pellicer Creek, the Heart of Faver-Dykes

Monday April 10, 2017                                                                                   Most Recent Posts:
Faver Dykes State Park                                                                           Nice Surprise at Faver-Dykes
St. Augustine, Florida                                                             Wrapping up Wekiwa: Paddle, Hike, Weigh, Swim

 

Yes I’m back in Virginia but I still have two posts I want to do on our last days in Florida.  This is the first one.

One early morning I drove down to the boat launch and put my kayak in the water to paddle down stream on Pellicer Creek.  I was paddling against the water so that I could have an easy ride back.

 

 

It was just a spectacular morning on the water.  So calm, it was like being on a mirror.  I’m still having problems with OLW and Youtube so I can’t get the video to work on the picture or even come up on its own but there is a one minute video if you click this link.  Make it full screen and it’s more fun. Perhaps, if you have never kayaked, it will give you a sense of it.

 

Pellicer is a tidal creek.  It was within an hour of high tide so I imagine the spot where this heron is standing will be a mud flat later.

 

 

I’m surprised to see a lone pelican on the creek.  Somehow I always think of them flying over the Atlantic shoreline.

 

 

This brown pelican lives up to his name.  His brown neck almost looks like rich dark chocolate fur.

 

 

It’s not possible to get a tide chart for Faver Dykes, the best I could do was a spot more than two miles away which is not terribly helpful.  Shortly after I launch the tide begins coming in and the speed of it picks up pretty swiftly.  The ocean isn’t far so its power doesn’t take long to get here.

I decide to slip into a side channel to ease up on the paddling.

 

The tide does ease up as I go.

 

Almost back to that mirror image of earlier. 

 

It’s wonderful to see the Tidal Marsh up close as the waterway narrows.

 

Eventually it’s clear that it is going to get too narrow and if I go much further I’ll have to paddle backwards out a longer way since there will be no where near to turn my 13’ boat around.    Here I am coming out.

 

I’ve reluctantly left my inner marsh exploration.  When I get back on the “creek”, which seems more like a river to me, the tide has increased and so has the wind.   If you want to see and hear it, click this link for the short video.  Full screen is more fun. If I knew anything about editing, I’d have cut out the end of this since I clearly can’t see what I’m looking for.  But I’m lucky to just be able to get it linked.

 

 

I allow the tide to turn me around so I’m going with it now rather than against it.  Now I can just sit back and go with the flow.  I can also look at what’s in the sky.

 

 

I am seriously zipping along going back.  Click this link for a video of my holding the camera absolutely still as I move along the shoreline with the tide.  Look mom, no hands!

 

Same waves only this time I’m going with them and not against them.  Much easier!

 

 

Along the way back I see my pelican friend hunkered down in the grasses.

 

 

In no time the dock is in view but I’m not ready to go in yet.

 

So I quick jump onto another little side trail.

 

This one doesn’t go very far before I’m out of luck.

 

Back to the dock for me unless I want to ride further out with the tide and have to battle it back.  I don’t think so.   When I get here, guess who is on the pole on the far left.   I really don’t think there are two pelicans. 

 

He doesn’t flinch when my rudder slams as I pull it up and pick up paddling speed to force  myself as far onto the shore as I can.   He just sits.

 

 

 

I think he has his eye on me though.  I definitely have mine on him.

 

Then he stands up to pose and does some sort of bill aerobics

 

 

 

 

When he sees the fisherman come with his boat, the pelican flies over to the dock edge.  I guess this is what he’s been hanging around for.  The possibilities.

 

 

 

He stays until the very last minute as the boat backs up right next to him and then flies only a little way into the creek.  I don’t stay to see what’s next.  It’s after 11am and I’ve been on the water since early morning.  Time for food!

That’s probably just what he’s thinking too.

 

Luckily I get one more chance to get out on the water this time at low tide rather than high and goin up stream rather than down.  That will be the last paddle for some time unfortunately.