“Rollin’ Down The River”

It’s back by popular demand and not a minute to soon. I’ve had several folks asking me when we are going again, with our summertime feature Rollin’ Down The River. For those unfamiliar with the feature, last summer I would paddle a section of the Chipola River, take a few photos and write an article about my trip. The general idea was to give our readers the feel of a summertime journey down the Ole Chipola. We also included a few articles and stories by our readers about trips they’ve taken on the river. The feature was extremely popular and folks are ready to get it going again.

Our final stop last summer was Peacock’s Bridge in southern Jackson County. We’ll pick back up there in a few weeks but first we’ll start the summer and paddle at least one of the main tributaries of the Chipola. This week we are featuring Blue Springs and later in the month we’ll feature Merritt’s Mill Pond and Spring Creek. While there are many folks that are familiar with Blue Springs, the Mill Pond and the Spring Creek, I thought it would be good to chronicle these sites since they have a direct connection with the Chipola. And after that I might even try to throw in a feature on Dry Creek, which I have never paddled before.

Next week we’ll have a “Rollin’ Down The River” for a good cause as we’ll have an article and photos from this past weekend’s Canoeing For Cancer Fundraiser. I wasn’t able to attend due to having weekend duty at my real job but Shelia Hayes and the gang did another fine job of raising money for the fight against cancer. And all the while they spent a beautiful day on Spring Creek and the river.

Once we get those tributaries chronicled, the plan calls for picking back up at Peacock’s Bridge. From Peacock’s Bridge we’ll quickly depart Jackson County and paddle into Calhoun County. Notable stops on this leg will include several springs, Hayes Landing and Johnny Boy’s Landing. South of Johnny Boy’s Landing, which is west of Altha, we’ll encounter Big Lookin’ Tremble.

South of Big Lookin’ Trembel we head to…, well, I don’t know where we’ll head to south of Big Lookin’ Tremble. You see I’ll be in uncharted waters, at least for me, once we get south of Big Lookin’ Tremble. So I’ve hooked up with Chris Matthews to help me chronicle the lower portions of the Chipola River. Chris is a veteran at canoeing the river and knows his way around this neck of the river. I hope everyone will enjoy their summer and our upcoming “Rollin’ Down The River” features.

So, Simply Put, saddle up. It’s time to go paddling.

From the front porch: Coach said our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude toward us.