Coldwater Creek - C.O.M.E. #6

Expedition #6: Canoe/Kayak Big Coldwater Creek, Milton, FL, 7/26/2008, 10:30-14:00
Conditions: Sunny, very h-o-t, humid. Typical sub-tropical summer in FL panhandle. Gauge height about 3.5ft. Good river conditions - level fine for canoes and kayaks. Two tree-falls encountered with restricted passage area - no portages required. Bottom of creek is largely small gravel with some areas of sand. Many gravel and sandy banks or bars to stop and recreate.
Trail Distance: 7 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: 4/5 (due to number of tubes from MM 3 to 7 that made the creek crowded in places)
Thoughts/Observations:
Expedition #6: 22 people (14 kayaks and 2 canoes) departed the church at 6:15am! We made great time - GOD blessed us and we were on the creek a little after 10:00am. We had a successful launch of all boats - no wrecks or roll-overs here.

First three miles of Coldwater Creek was mostly just us and Coldwater Creek's riparian environment. To me this section of the creek may be the best and was over too quick.

We encountered lots of tubers on the Creek as expected after Mile 3. Jonny & I swept. There were several congested areas but also areas of solitude. Thank YOU for such a place to appreciate YOUR creation. It was so great to share this experience with people I love.

Little viewable wildlife on this trip(I'm sure due to the volume of people and noise.). Water level was high enough to make paddling easy for the kayaks. Nicole, Savannah, & Ashton (our youngest adventurers) all enjoyed the trip! I believe a great time of fellowship and fun was had by all. Maybe we can do this again some time as an overnighter?

Alabama Nature Center - 7/19/2008

Hike: Alabama Wildlife Federation Nature Center, Millbrook, AL 7/19/2008, 08:30-11:30
Distance: 5.8 miles
Rating: 4/5 (Due to heat, humidity, and gobs of gnats!)
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Hot, humid, hazy.
Thoughts/Observations:
Hot and muggy - typical for summer in Alabama. Several birds: jays, cardinals, flycatchers - one quite vocal hawk! Plenty of frogs in the streams. Several beautiful butterflies observed in the Turkey Ridge area. A gracious plenty spider webs across the trails (not my favorite thing). Almost no one else on the trails - a few people fishing at the main pond. A great time of peace and solitude. My overriding thought was "Speak to my heart, LORD JESUS."

Suburban Trail # 001 - Hiking on Concrete

Hike: Home to Main Street (Thames-Jay-Sheila-Main-Return), 7/8/2008 19:30-20:15
Distance: 2 miles
Rating: 5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Partly cloudy; humid; comfortable temperature. Light winds.
Thoughts/Observations:
Nice walk. Area is recovering from tornado damage of 2/2008. Sunset reflecting off clouds and a crescent moon - beautiful and peaceful scene. Prattville seems very peaceful this evening.
Thank YOU LORD for YOUR many blessings.

Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve Hike

Hike: Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve, Auburn, AL Saturday, 7/5/2008 10:00-13:15
Distance: 4.4 miles
Rating: 5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Sunny to Partly Cloudy. Humid/hot. A few sprinkles near end of hike. Thunder in the distance.
Thoughts/Observations:
Got a later start than I had planned. almost did not go because of the distance, time, and gas cost - glad I did though! (And that's so often how YOU work, LORD.) This is a great place. Lots of thought and hard work to make it informative and fun. The few structures that are present are the typical engineering statements I've come to expect from Preserves and parks associated with Auburn Univ. The structures added to the experience and were impressive in their own right. They also fit into the nature scape quite nicely.

Many lizards, birds, butterflies, and bees observed; some squirrels. I'm sure more reclusive mammals are present - just not readily seen during the middle of the day! I could see numerous fish and tadpoles at Hidden Falls hole. I was treated to the song of some amorous frogs at the small pond in the center of the preserve. Dragonflies and Damselflies were in great abundance.

Trails were well maintained and adequately marked. This is not a large preserve (110 acres) but there are many trails and one can easily do 3 to 4 miles by combining trails. Little to no elevation gain makes the hikes easy. There is even a compass challenge course of about 1.2 miles (I didn't find it until late and did not have time to complete it.).

Thank YOU for this special place, LORD. Thank YOU for the treasure of the "Hidden Falls". I've included a video of it!