In the Beginning (How we got started)

Doing the Loop in a Pontoon Boat Bainbridge, GA to Port St. Lucie, FL This is the log of the Wanderin Two. The owners Gary and Beverly Woodams decided to take a trip to Gary’s Mom. We live in the First Inland Port City in the Southwest corner of GA. Gary’s Mom lives in Port ST. Lucie, FL. Both have taken a couple trips, on a pontoon boat before, once with some friends of theirs on their boat “The Flint Lady” from Newton, GA. to the Apalachicola Bay (it was on this trip that we decided to get a boat of own). The other trip was on our own boat “The Wanderin-Two”. I grew up being around boats; due to the fact that my father worked as a commercial fisherman for a living. I use to go out with him during school breaks and holidays. Those were the times that I remember the most. My parents both past away in 1995. My husband use to spend his summers on a lake in upper New York as a boy. That is why we both love to be out on the water and were we both get our strength from in times of troubles. This is the storey about our trips and experiences. One of our first trips on a pontoon boat was on the “The Flint Lady” owned by Alice and Bob Merker. They were our neighbors across the river. There were five of us on the trip, Bob and Alice Merker, their son Mark, and Gary and Beverly Woodams. This is the storey about our trip down the Flint and Apalachicola Rivers, “The one that started it all for us.” About 4 or 5 years ago Bob and his wife Alice thought it would be an adventure to take the pontoon boat from their dock at Newton to the Apalachicola Bay, FL. What with the flood of 98 and other things that kept getting in the way of such a trip it was put off. During last winter and early summer they put a new hardtop on the boat, new running lights, installed a new transponder for the depth finder, bought a marine radio, replaced the boats port-a-potty (the other one had disappeared off the boat), and put hooks up for the shower curtains to surround it under the hard top, had to buy a new boat hook (for that also disappeared too), two fenders, and a new paddle. We made sure we had the fire extinguisher, the life ring with a line attached, and enough life preservers we were about ready. The guys calculated that we would need 8-6 gal.; gas cells for the trip, as there was not a place to gas up until the halfway point. We took cameras, flashlights, the GPS, hand held radios, extra line (for the locks), 6 one-gal bottles water, 24 twenty ounces bottles of water, 36 cans of soda and extra batteries for everything that needed them. June 25, 2001, went out in the boat this afternoon; to check out the engine, radio and depth finder, all went well. June 26, 2001, Bob and Alice had driven both cars to Apalachicola and left one at Scipio Creek Marina where they had arranged to keep the boat for a month to have it handy or the time tarpon would be running. Bob had made sure that “Boat US” provided coverage for towing in case we needed it on the water, as well as insurance while docked at the marina. Bob also made reservations at the Seminole Lodge near Sneads for the night in a little motel there and to refill the gas cells. Reservations were also made at the Rancho Inn in Apalachicola for the next night. Bob had purchased a golf cart about a week previously and it was very handy to transport out provisions down to the dock. June 30, 2001, we left the dock at Newton at 7:51 a.m., all crew members accounted for. We went by the Woodams home just south of our dock. Our captain for the trip was Gary Woodams, a teacher who teaches at the local high school. He knew the best way to avoid the rocks from Newton to Bainbridge. Mark was the lookout on the bow and kept the fuel cells changed and also was the lineman for the lock. Bob was the skipper (of course the skipper is supposed to take it easy, especially when his first mate (Alice) tells him too. Alice and Beverly (Gary’s wife) was the mess crew. We are going about 9 knots or (13-14 miles) an hour, just the right speed to enjoy the surrounding wildlife. The current is ruff, so it makes the boat hard to steer, but our captain is doing a great job. At 9 a.m. we past the Ichawaynochoway Creek where if flows into the Flint River. It was once open to the public, but some years ago it was closed. The creek flows threw Baker, Calhoun, Terrell, Randolph, and Webster counties. Strongly defined corridor with limestone rapids, outcrops, and sinks; excellent wildlife habitat due to banks of forested vegetation; moderate size in lower reaches while small and intimate in upper. They now do research on the plants and fish of the creek and surrounded area. For some time there was a big fuss about the creek being closed to the public, it was a favorite place for folks to take their families too. In different parts of the river you can still see the effects of the floods of “94” and “98”, there are things still hanging from the trees. Never know what you will see even a pair of shoes. From here it was another 45 minutes to the county line between Mitchell and Decatur. There is a boat ramp at the county line and there use to be a restaurant before the “94” flood. It is now located about a quarter of a mile from the river. The ramp has no facilities, there are some homes still standing after the floods. The Flint widens at the county line and the landscape changes a little too. The rock formations are spectacular. The roots of the cypress trees just grow around and through the rocks. We are almost to Bainbridge; we showed the Merker where we were going to buy some land before we found the lot we have now. We have to past under two railroad bridges and two Hwy bridges before we can get to our home which is located in one of the back waterways of the Flint. Around noon we stopped at Wingate Lodge; it is a very famous location around this here area. Mr. Wingate can tell you some stories about the lake and it surrounded areas. At Wingate there is a restaurant, fish camp, camping ground, lodge and places to dock your boat what ever the size. They also hold fishing tournaments here too. It is located at the 10.2 mile marker just 10 miles north of the lock and dam. Right after we left Wingate the sky became overcast, we didn’t have our rain gear on and no time to put it on before the skies opened up and let us have it. A wind driven shower hit us horizontally, and the visibility was almost zero. Fortunately there was no one nearby, the rain was over as fast as it came but not until it left us all soaked to the skin. We arrived at the Seminole Lodge about 1:45 p.m. after taking care of the boat and getting our stuff up to the rooms, we all took a very hot shower. As there were no place to get food, without a car; Alice and I fixed supper from the food we had in the coolers, which we had brought us. At the fuel dock there were about 4 sets of Canadian Geese and their little ones. Gary and I took a walk before we settled in for the night. When we got back the five of us went down to the lake to check on the boat while we were there we saw a 7 or 8 foot long gator close by the boat. Guess he was out scouting for his dinner. Day Two July 1, 2001 We were reloaded and underway by 6:45 a.m. We arrived at the Woodruff Dam and radioed to tell the lock master that the Flint Lady (which was the name of their boat) was ready to go through the lock. This was my first time going through a lock and we had orders to stand by until they “filled the pit” which would take about 15 minutes. The sound made by the lower lock doors gaining pressure while the pit filled sounded almost like a whale song. The water in the lock was raised to 48’ and was later dropped to 16’ when the boats are inside the lock. While we were in the lock the birds would come down and get the fish that were trapped when the water recessed. There was a hawk that swooped down right down beside the boat and caught a fish, it was awesome. We left the lock at 8:55 a.m. and now we are in the Apalachicola River system. NOTE… (While the Suwannee River has often been described as Florida’s Mississippi, The Apalachicola River has more similarities to “old man river.” Like the Mississippi, its waters are alluvial, carrying rich soil deposits. It is Florida’s most powerful river in terms of water flow. And, it is river-fed like the Mississippi. Two rivers in Georgia feed the Apalachicola-the Chattahoochee and Fling. The Flint is more the 280 miles long, and the Chattahoochee is even longer. The Apalachicola has 105 miles within Florida, flowing from the Jim Woodruff Dam on Lake Seminole, The dam, completed in 1957, has been both a curse and a blessing. It has protected Florida’s Apalachicola from pollution coming from the two northern rivers. On the other hand, it has allowed silt to build-up and damaged fish spawning grounds, particularly for Gulf sturgeon. The Corps of Engineers has dredged the river for years in order to keep it navigable, piling up small mountains of silt in the process. The dredging is very uneconomical, because there is little significant commercial traffic. Although the dredging is opposed by most Floridians, it still continues for now. The “Apalach” is powerful and often wide. At its mouth between the cities of Eastpoint and Apalachicola it may be 5 miles wide. There are also many backwaters and some reverie swamps. These are quite visually stunning and worthy of exploration. Some boaters who travel this river carry a canoe or kayak, launching out whenever the view is most beckoning. From north of I-10, and running a considerable distance south, cliffs approach 200 feet in height. The antebellum, white building on the eastern bluff is the Gregory House at Torreya State Park. Some of the most gorgeous bluffs are found in the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines, Nature Conservancy land also on the east bank. Below Blountstown, much of the east bank is in Apalachicola National Forest.) … We were surprised to see so many stretches of beautiful sandy beaches. There were families and friends camping out along the sandy stretches. We are going about 16.7 mph. The Torrea State Park is on our left. The old house that is pre- dated before the Civil War use to sit on the right side of the river. It was moved from the original site which is south and was set on the site of an old fort. On some of the hiking trails you can still see were the fort had their cannons that defended the south from the north. Around mm 84 we past by some beautiful cliffs, you can see the different layers of soil color and rocks. As you travel south down the Apalachicola you can see the floating shanties. Along the way there are several rivers and creeks the flow into the river. The guys are complaining that they are hungry, so Alice and I made lunch. It was windy and the sky was still overcast and we had been cool the entire way. In fact some of us had on long sleeved shirts. At the 47.5 mm the landscape was changing again, there are more weeping willow, cypress, and river bamboo. The Corp of Engineer tug named the “Patoka” and 2 barges were working around the 42.5 mm. The Corp does a lot of dredging in the F.A.C rivers. MM 41.6 there is a park with restrooms, tables, and a place to dock your boat. As we got closer to the coast we came around a bend in the river, Bob got so excited because right in front of the bow there were fish jumping out of the water. Just before mm 12, the river joins the Apalachicola. It is a good thing the captain knows where he is going. There are so many rivers and creeks coming into the river that it can be very confused. At mm 10 we had to bear to the right to stay in the channel. When we reached the 6.6 mm the river joins the intercostals waterway. We were a little lost at which way to turn, (right or left). Mark and the captain agree to turn to the left. We made it to the Scipio Creek Marina at 3 p.m. Our boat trip took us 2 days, 16 hrs 29 mins. We used a total of 13-6 gallons of gas and traveled 180 miles (nautical). The trip took a lot of planning and coordination. It was a great trip and we are glad we did not let anything get in the way of going. The dock master told us that he would spray our dock lines as there was a problem with ants going onto the boats. The humidity and sun settled on us like a suffocating blanket. We got our things off the boat and put them in the car that was left down there before. We headed for the motel to drop off the stuff and then we were headed to the “Papa Joe's” restaurant located at Scipio Creek Marina. Afterwards we took a sight-seeing tour of the area and then came back to the motel to settle in. Day Three July 2, 2001 Woke up early, after everyone was ready we all had breakfast at “Caroline’s” restaurant. It was located on the water front so if you wanted to dock and come ashore or drive or walk to it. It was a very charming place. Mark’s friend and her daughter drove down to meet Mark the day before and will take him back to his car which was at his Mom and Dad’s place. After breakfast Mark and his friend took the boat out in the bay. The rest of us went sightseeing of the town and surrounding area. It is an interesting little port town, the old and the new blends in with each other. Would like to come back here another day. The End (Well maybe not)