Table of Contents
Trip Reports
Natalie Wiest: Boquillas Canyon
Natalie Wiest: Burnham's Ferry
Cedar
Lakes at the mouth of the San Bernard River
by Natalie Weist
February 4, 2006 Marilyn Kircus and I decided to make another of our inimitable exploratory trips, this time to check out the Cedar Lakes chain at what used to be the mouth of the San Bernard River where it entered the Gulf of Mexico. Bruce Bodson accompanied us in his sea kayak; and my daughter Ellen rode like the Queen of Sheba in the middle of my green canoe that Marilyn helped me propel into the wind and waves.
Our
putin was at the boat ramp at the south end of county road 2918. We had
intended to check out the mouth of the San Bernard but never did make
it there, getting into shallower and shallower water as we headed first
south and then west along what older maps showed as a sandbar, but it
was too shallow to traverse this day. We beached the boats and walked
across the sandbar to the Gulf. If you’ve ever been curious to see
what an uninhabited, and un-driveable Texas beach looks like, this would
give you a good idea. It was covered with trees that I suspect Rita helped
to deposit and we had it entirely to ourselves. We retreated back to the
Intracoastal Waterway and just west of where the San Bernard crosses it,
or more accurately, now joins it, we headed south in to Cedar Lakes.
The
water levels were quite low which actually helped us locate the navigable
channel into the lakes. We were joined about then by a fisherman in a
sit-on-top, who had perfect confidence in our blonde-headed navigation
skills and by golly, we didn’t even get lost this time. With sandflats
exposed, this was a wonderland of wading birds and the most magnificent
roseate spoonbill rookery I have ever seen. Bruce is a superb birder and
was “calling” more birds than I’d ever hope to identify
on my own.
This
was a time for me to wonder again at the force of wind on an open canoe.
I can tell you it was weathercocking to a great extent (i.e., wanting
to always head directly into the wind). Marilyn seemed to not have a full
appreciation of this from the front seat of the canoe and required a full
demonstration of ferrying and weathercocking strategy to stop paddling
against me; indeed those purists among you would have been horrified to
see us both stroking on the same, upwind, side of the boat. And yes, I
was using ye trusty olde kayak paddle too. We got a thorough workout over
perhaps 8 or 10 miles or paddling but as ever, a great day to be out on
the water.
Weather conditions at Freeport that day, at noon:
- Temperature, 69 degrees
- Wind steady at 13 mph, gusting 20
- Wind direction: Northwest