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Houston enjoyed a perfect fall day on Saturday the 18th of October. For a week Buffalo Bayou had been running high from the previous week's rain. A call to the Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston on Thursday reassured us the water would be down by Saturday, and it was. The new bridge over Woodway is finished, so there are no longer pilings in the bayou and most of the debris has been cleared away. Nevertheless, there is still rebar and broken concrete, so it's important to be careful; also, a dropping bayou leaves mud behind.
Thirteen people made the trip. There were the usual stumps and downed limbs in the early part of the trip, but no serious strainers. The pilings under the railroad bridge were visible and with a little current flowing there was some swift water just beyond. The other obstacle, a pipe that runs across the bayou farther down, was passable on the right.
A great blue heron flew ahead of us occasionally, and kingfishers and other birds were heard. We didn't spot any of the warmer weather reptiles out sunning, but we did see a 6-8' alligator shortly before the takeout on the left. His eyes and snout were visible at the surface, and his tail was out on a sandbar. The usual takeout just above Shepherd Drive on the left was muddy and overgrown, so the steeper but dryer bank under the bridge was used. Many of the paddlers were new to the bayou, and all agreed it is a quiet and relaxing paddle in the heart of Houston.
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