Cahaba Wildlife Refuge to Pratt's Ferry Preserve

This was a really great canoe trip. The subject was brought up Sunday at church, I researched some that evening and then late that night we decided which section of the Cahaba River to tackle. The Buck Creek to Alabama Small Boats run on Hwy 52 had gotten boring and the water was way too low for that any way. It was Cahaba Lily time and I had missed them blooming the last two years so we chose to take on Hargrove Shoals, the largest stand of Cahaba Lilies in the world. It was a great decision.

We dropped off the canoes at the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge and left the women in charge while us men folk got the pickup vehicle down to Pratt's Ferry. We made it back in time for a whole crowd of folks to be putting in. It was nice seeing all the families with small children coming out to enjoy the river. We started down the river and didn't get anywhere before the kids saw a rope swing. Since we weren't on a mission to get somewhere in a hurry we pulled over to watch the fun.

They swang and swang. Older couples just driving through would stop and watch them occasionally. Finally two women pulled up and got out their chairs and watched the kids swing. One lady even took pictures. The kids then were able to show off their new found skills developed on the rope swing. What fun.

We finally got them to get back in the boats and head on down the river. We had already gone through one patch of lilies and quickly came up on another. We were able to make it through with some scraping and pulling. NovaEagle was riding in a kayak and with him weighing less than a 100 pounds he was actually able to easily float on through. With the wife in front, then a full cooler, then my daughter and then me in the back of the canoe, we didn't do so well. If the front of the canoe would clear something then the back would scrape. If the front of the canoe would scrape then the back would stick us. Not sure why that kept happening. :-) Again there was a group of people sitting on the bank watching us navigate our way through the lilies and over the shoals.

We stopped and snacked on a small sand bar and sponged out the water from our canoes. A sponge is a life saver in a canoe when it comes to trying to keep more water on the outside of the canoe than on the inside.

We then had a very nice little rapid that we didn't drag on and then some deep water. Just about the time we would get bored with paddling in the deep water we would hear the roar of a rapid and NovaEagle would be off like a bullet to be the first through it. We came upon an large stand of lilies down the river that I thought must be Hargrove Shoals. It took some time to get through until we found the right line to run and then SugarPie and I had a quick scary ride while MamaCacher slogged her way to us through the shoals.

We took time for a quick dip in the river and to play in the shallows. We had two squirt guns so the kids made sure everyone was wet and there was plenty of water in the canoes. :-) We then headed on down the river again. After a bit we rounded a corner and there was a bunch of canoes and folks and lilies as far as the eye could see. I knew then that we had actually reached Hargrove Shoals. It was truly amazing.

The river widens out at this point and has a long straight stretch. You can stand up in your canoe and see lilies as far as you can look. Bank to bank and all the way to the end of the straight stretch in the river are lilies. They were all in full bloom and looking very nice today. Of course the water was down and we wound up walking some of the way as you can see in the pictures above. Finally though we found some deep water and a channel down the right side. We paddled to the end and found a sand bar to the right. We pulled over and had our lunch.

At this sand bar there is a small rapid at the end of the lilies. After lunch the kids and Mister H played slide down the rapids with their life vests and seat pads. I was checking out the trail at the top of the bank. There is a walking trail from the end of the road along the river all the way down to the lilies. It actually wound down the bank to the sand bar and ended there. However there was a Y in the trail and it also led off into the woods. I could see where horses had been on the trail also. This fall I will have to see where that trail goes and map it with my GPS.

After a while we loaded back up and headed on down the river. We had quite a long run this time and found a large island in the river and saw a hover craft come down the river. We had swapped SugarPie for Master H in our canoe. Somewhere in the middle of this run his daddy told him he could jump out and cool off. Well he did and then climbed on the back of NovaEagle's kayak. His dad handed him a spare paddle and off they went. It was pretty funny and I have a video of it below. They rode like this for the remainder of the trip, even after we took another swim break.

Speaking of swim break, we had all gotten the munchies and hot so we found a gravel bar across from a pretty cliff and pulled over for a break. After a batch of GORPM it was time to float down the river to the rapids at the end of the gravel bar. We would start at the top of the gravel bar and wade out to the middle of the river in our life vests. Then we would lay on our backs with our feet out front and float down to the rapids. It was neat to feel ourselves speed up as we approached the rapids.

What made this real fun was the snake that I saw while we were chowing down on GORPM. I just happened to run around and there was this big snake coming down out of the woods headed toward the water. The girls screamed and the boys came running. This dude wasn't scared and came right on down through us and into the water. He swam across to the other side and got up on a big rock. We got the courage up to get in the water anyway. However as we would float down by him, he would come off the rock and into the water toward us. This would get the girls to screaming and the guys to flailing. I guess all the commotion would run him back up on the rock. After a couple times of this he got caught in the current and went over the rapids and down the river. We were able to float in peace then.

Eventually the two boys and I floated over the rapids and down into the next deep water area. Mr. H said everyone would come pick us up. So MamaCacher came floating down the river in that big canoe all by herself. Well I grabbed on to the front of it and hooked my feet over the side. I asked Mrs. H if I made a nice figure head. For some reason she didn't think so. About that time a family of Alabama fans came floating by in a canoe. I told them that this was how we did it in Auburn. They just smiled and kept on paddling. Hmmm.

So we pulled over to the next gravel bar and got everyone on the correct side of the canoe and headed on down the river. Soon we were at our take-out spot and everyone was disappointed that the ride was over already. That is a good thing. We finally got everything up to the parking lot, the other vehicle back and everything strapped on. We expressed to each other how much fun we had and that we would be doing it again soon.

The crew paddling down the river.


Master H swinging on the rope swing


SugarPie swinging on the rope swing


Miss H swinging on the rope swing.


NovaEagle swinging on the rope swing.


NovaEagle & Master H's new method of travel


Snake time

Brierfield Family Campout

After it was all said and done, MamaCacher said this was the best camp out she has been on yet. I think it was because we had the campground to ourselves and we weren't set to a time schedule. We got up when we wanted to, ate when we wanted to and did whatever when we wanted to. It was a very nice change.

It all started when I wanted to go canoeing on the Cahaba River down below Brierfield sometime Saturday since the water was up. At first we were going to watch the new Narnia movie Friday night and then go down on Saturday. Well MamaCacher decided she would rather go camping. By the time I got home and got all the camping stuff packed last minute we were running out of time to load the canoe and kayak. Plus I had gotten some word from some fellow canoers that the water was still going to be pretty high and dangerous. So we decided to leave the canoe and kayak behind and planned on a recon mission on the Cahaba and the Little Cahaba to find the best places to put-in and take-out a water floating vessel.

So we loaded up and made it to Brierfield in plenty of time before daylight went away. We had time to set everything up and have MamaCacher start cooking while we finished with the tent and accessories. Then we started getting wood for the fire. That was the hard part since everything was wet. However being the Cub Scout leader that I am, I was able to start a fire and have a good one going for roasting marshmallows. Later the kids played in the tent really well, much better than they play together at home. Hmmm. The wife and I stayed up and enjoyed the fire and the moon.

The next morning, after a fire and a great breakfast by MamaCacher, she finally had to know what time it was. It was really nice just hanging and not having to worry about being somewhere at a certain time. Later we loaded up and headed out on recon missiong to find good places to put-in and take-out a canoe and a kayak.

I was disappointed to see that Bulldog Bend Canoe Park was no longer operated. There was a gate across the road and it was all grown up. So far I haven't been able to find anyone who knows anything about it. No wonder it is closed. We found a spot on the other side of the bridge, across from the park, to put in though.

We then made it to the Piper bridge and found the Geocache there. We saw a hovercraft on the river while standing on the Piper bridge. It pulled into the refuge canoe landing. It was way cool. I think I want one of them. He didn't have any problem navigating over the shoals on the really fast flowing river. Did I mention that it was way cool.

We drove down to the refuge road and there were cars parked all the way out to the highway and then along the highway. People were starting to walk out and my wife asked one dude what was up. He said they had just completed a couple of foot races. Still not sure what the boat was all about.

We saw on the refuge map that there was an interpretive trail back across the bridge. So we headed back there and once there decided to take the hike. It was a very nice hike. Once at the end we found a really cool water fall. It took some getting to but it was cool, like literally, and the wife and kids liked it. We checked out the Cahaba River and it was really flowing. It was a good thing we decided not to canoe today. It would have been kinda scary.

We headed back up the trail and stopped at the two scenic locations. They were very nice. I am sure you can see more during the fall when the leaves are off the trees. We could see the shoals though. The water was really flowing over the lilies.

We made it back to the trail head and headed back. We picked up the Geocache at the Piper mines sign. We had gone past it too fast on the way in but knew we were coming back. There were wild roses all over the place. It was really pretty.

We then headed down to the Hwy 26 take-out point to scope it out. Got there and saw that it was the Pratt's Ferry Preserve. I didn't know that was there. A family pulled in and asked us where the nearest canoe rental place was. They were from Selma and wanting to do some canoeing. Hmmm.

We checked out the take-out and realized it would be a haul from the take-out to the parking lot. I am thinking about volunteering to make a road down to the take-out. It wouldn't be that hard and would make that a really nice place to put-in or take-out a boat.

Afterwards we headed back to the campsite for some lunch. MamaCacher tried to take a nap in the tent but it just wasn't working for her. I was going to take the kids to the pool but decide to lay down for just a second. When I woke up everyone was gone. I walked up to the pool and MamaCacher said they had been there for about an hour and a half. Man did I zonk out. I felt better though.

The kids played some more and then we went back to the tent to make dinner and build a fire. We gathered a ton of firewood from limbs blown down and such in the woods near the tent. In the process we saw a grey fox trot across the trail out the end of the camp ground. He went into the woods into a sunny, clear spot and stopped and looked back at us. The kids got to see him and were really excited about it. It was way cool.

Soon we had a roaring fire and a nice dinner of Chinese chicken. The kids and the wife roasted some marshmallows and made Smores. They gave me one the best tasting Smores I think I have ever eaten. They are getting good at this.

Tonight there wasn't as much playing in the tent as we were all tired. I stayed up for a little bit packing what I could for leaving in the morning and watched the fire then put it out and hit the sack. Of course there was this Chuck-Will's-Widow making its call in the woods. It would fly off and make it far off and just about as I was about to fall asleep, it would fly back in close and make a loud call. Fly off, almost asleep, fly back, fly off, almost asleep, fly back, .... Long night.

The next morning I took a nice hot shower in the park bath house and finished packing up with help from momma and the kids. We loaded up in the car and it went click. AAAHHH!!!!!

We walked to the bath house for momma and the kids to get dressed for church while I went looking for the ranger. Found him at his camp site and talked to him about jumping me off. He said there must be a flux field down there at the campground or something because he was all the time having to jump people off.

It was neat though because he told me about a camping, canoe base camp spot just past the Bulldog Bend Canoe Park and was telling me about a remote campground that Brierfield has that I wasn't aware of. He was also telling me about some archeologists that came into the park and found the foundation of what they believe to be a slave house near the campground. It was all pretty cool and he was able to jump me off also. So I picked momma and the kids up at the bath house and we still made it to church on time. What a great campout.

OMSP Car Camping Trip

My sister came in town for the Helena Buck Creek Festival so I took Uncle Doug and Lil'E, his son, out on Lil'E's first camping trip. Uncle Doug, NovaEagle, SugarPie and I setup camp while waiting on Lil'E to make it in from Atlanta with his mom. We cooked some hotdogs on the grill and chilled out around the camp fire. We had to scrounge for some wood but got enough to build a small fire. As Bear Grills says, a small fire is better than no fire as it provides comfort in the dark. So we were very comfortable.

After a bit we heard from Lil'E's mom and Uncle Doug and NovaEagle picked him up at the front gate. There were some frogs croaking across from the little slough that we were camped next to. SugarPie and I had gone and looked at them earlier and so now we took Lil'E and NovaEalge over there to see them. It was pretty cool because you could get close enough to see them on the trees croaking. The kids really enjoyed it. Of course that night, all that croaking kept Uncle Doug and I up all night.

We also eased out to the beach area and played in the sand in the dark. It allowed us to really see the stars and enjoy the night sky.

The next morning we got up early and had some sausage and eggs cooked by Uncle Doug. He is one cool Uncle. Thanks Uncle Doug. Afterwards he slipped across the slough and caught a really nice bass. The rest of us tried but to no avail. Uncle Doug did give us some really good tips though. Then we all saw about a 3 pound bass slinking in the shallow water. We watched him for several minutes and he never left the little spot he was hanging out in. We then headed out for the Helena Buck Creek Festival.

We made it back that evening and piled into the canoe and the kayak. We paddled all the way across the lake to the fishing shack. I got us some worms and we headed back out to a cove on the North side of the lake. Lil'E managed to snag a nice catfish and declared that he was through fishing for the day since he had caught on. Uncle Doug snagged a catfish and let SugarPie reel him in. I, as usual, caught some weeds and sticks.

We paddled back in and spent some time on the beach. I jumped in the freezing cold water with the kids while Uncle Doug made a quick trip back out in the canoe to try his hand at catching some bass. He wasn't so lucky in the evening as he had been in the morning. The kids had a blast jumping off my shoulder as I would throw them way up in the air before coming back to splash into the water.

MamaCacher and Lil'E's momma showed up with some grub from Backyard Burgers and we chowed down. Yeah, it was cheating and not the way that I would have done it but it was nice for everyone so I ate without any guilt. :-) We hung out for a bit and then MamaCacher and Lil'E's mom had to cut and run.

Some nearby camper kids came over and we told them about the frogs. Well they went and got lights and Daddy and we proceeded to take them on a frog tour. On the way over the bridge we saw a water moccasin in the water. That livened things up a little bit. We made it over though and got to see the frogs really croaking it up. Our kids really enjoyed showing the other kids where all the frogs were. They even caught a few and checked them out up close. After wards they let them all go.

We ate a few marshmallows over the fire after we scrounged for some more wood. I passed out the light sticks and we made our way into the sleeping bags. Around midnight I heard the thunder in the distance. SugarPie was having problems sleeping and asked me if that was lightening. Well it was some serious lightening and thunder. I finally woke up Uncle Doug. Yeah, he was sleeping through the frogs and the thunder. He immediately made the decision that we were out of there. We got the kids in the cars just as the big drops of rain hit.

We called the house to let them know we were headed that way and to have the beds ready. It was raining so hard I could hardly see the road. It quit about the state park gate and I wondered if we had jumped the gun. We made it home, got in the bed and I went to sleep until the next morning. Well, MamaCacher told me that about three more fronts came through during the night that I was oblivious to.

Later that morning Uncle Doug and I went to get the camping stuff from the camp site. The wind had blown under the tarp and the water had run under the tent and everything was soaking wet. There was water puddled in the tent. Uncle Doug made a most very good decision to cut and run when we did. By leaving when we did, we had a little excitement and still had a good nights rest and a good story to tell.