Been Busy

4:41 PM jbond352 0 Comments



Jacksonville is a cool area if you know where to go. One of my favorite areas to go explore is the roughly 36 square miles of tidal marshes north of Heckscher drive.


This is a tricky area for boating and even more challenging for a human powered vessel. Every day there is a tidal difference of about 7 feet- meaning that a 7 foot wall of water enters and leaves our river area twice a day. This translates to strong currents (which change every few hours) eddies, and changing topography.


One I paddled 13 miles around Fort George Island in the summer- It was hot as tits.



Barge Traffic

Mayport Shrimp Boats
The floating dock at Kingsley Plantation

Portage across Huguenot Park

I caught my first slot redfish in Browns Creek the day after Christmas- It was awesome

Before

After



Here are some more pictures to highlight my other adventures in this area-



I have nothing else to say...yawn

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Deep Dish Pizza

4:24 PM jbond352 1 Comments

I went from 213lbs to 198ish before Oregon, which is a good thing. Luckily I maintained my weight while in Oregon because of the physical activity I did while there. I got back on Wednesday and ate UBER healthy until tonight....where I unleashed the cast iron deep dish pizza.....here are some pics.


Saugage, peppers,jalapeños, basil, chunks of asiago and mozzarella, and garlic.....woah dude. 



Getting to know one another



15 minutes at 500 degrees....hell?


No stick no problem...cast iron ftw


Don't eat your computer monitor


yeeeesssssss




I don't know why it turned out so well, i.e. not sticking or bursting info flames, but I'll take it. 

Yes, it was really fucking good. 


1 comments:

Oregon Heaven

12:32 PM jbond352 0 Comments

Liz and I just got back form a trip to Oregon....it was amazing. I could write for hours and pages but instead I am just going to post this photo album....enjoy!



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Suwannee Deamin'

12:47 PM jbond352 0 Comments

The Suwannee River has always been something I have personally went after. It all started when I was in 7th grade, my dad was in a nursing home, and I purchased my first kayak. I don't know why I have always liked paddle sports, but it has just always been something I have enjoyed. Maybe it's because during hard times I can browse the internet and "escape" my situation by planning trips and picking out gear.

ANYWAYS, this weekend my lovely wife and I embarked on our first ever overnight trip on our paddle boards. The plan was to put it at the Suwannee River Rendezvous, overnight at Adams Tract River Camp, and Take out at Patrician Oaks. 

This is what 2 days of non refrigerated food looks like....yum!


Arriving at our put-in spot, I was unsure how our new boards would paddle fully loaded with gear. Unlike our tandem kayak which can easily hold 650lbs of gear, these boards were a bit more tippy and could only hold a fraction of the weight. 

It Floats!


The springs in this section of the river were the saving grace to the hot June sun. Our first day consisted of Convict, Royal and Mearson springs. Their 72 degree chill made this section of river!

Royal Spring.....notice the jumping platform.


Mearson was small but beautiful. 

One thing about this trip that had been different from other Suwannee river trips for me is the pace we took. Because I didn't know what to expect with the performance of the boards, I only planned on doing 7 miles of paddling each day, which considering the current of the river is NOTHING. Liz and I had to WORK at going slow and not getting to our camp site too quickly..


The Florida State Parks system has set up 5 river camps along the upper Suwannee that consist of five screened-in platforms with fans/electricity, showers potable water, fire rings, boat racks, hammock hanging hooks, etc....they are luxury and spaced about a days paddle apart. 
Luxury by camping standards
We had the whole camp all to ourselves....there wasn't even a camp host there (a first for me). 
our first freeze dried meal...not bad!

Day 1 GPS log
Day 2 had up starting with a 2.5 paddle to Troy Springs, which is my favorite spring in Florida. At nearly 70 feet deep, it is a bit overwhelming. 



Troy Springs


Day 2 GPS log



Overall I would do this section of the Suwannee again in a heartbeat. While the upper sections are more scenic and secluded, the springs in this portion of the river make this a must do for any summer paddling trip. 




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Winding Down

3:28 PM jbond352 0 Comments

Welcome back.

The school year is winding down and I have spent some time recently with my new SUP exploring the first coast. Here are a few pictures of my routes and scenery.

Today I hit up Simpsons Creek. This is one of my favorite paddling spots because you are usually the only one there. Luckily, I launched at Kayak Amelia when the tide still had an hour or so to go out. I rode the tide out and then back if, which made for a more enjoyable paddle.







The tidal difference from high to low is close to 7 feet in this area! Notice how to dock at Kayak Amelia is engineered to raise and lower with mother nature. 



More pics to come. 



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Spring Break and Other Things

4:53 PM jbond352 0 Comments

O hey der.


Because this blog isn't really a big deal I don't just post to post, I post when I have shit to say.


This Spring Break started out on the coat-tails of a big win for the Murray Band:


The kids literally mopped the floor with the judges. 



My buddy and I had been planning a trip for several months, so I was eager to get on the road. This trip was special because I didn't have to think about going back to work on Monday. Trips in the past have been plagued by bad moods on the way home. 

We ended up leaving on Thursday night, stopping in a national forest to sleep in the hammocks, and then continuing the next morning. Sometimes it's fun to go somewhere without everything perfectly planned. 

Upon arriving to Asheville we stopped at a place called the "Biscuit Head". I'll let my picture of the gravy sampler do the talking. 



It was a WET camping trip. Our first ride was a rude awakening. the first 7 miles was uphill, 45 degrees, raining, and I had a terrible cold. 

On Saturday we headed to Dupont State Forest. This is the only place on the east coast you can hike/bike on slick rock. Here is a pic of some of the rocks.

One way up!

Beautiful Overlook




We made it home from NC without anything too exciting happening, besides the scenic biking. Can't wait to go back.


I spent the Monday of Spring Break catching up and doing laundry, but soon found my way into the kayak for some fishing. Ended up keeping 3 flounder and inviting them home for dinner!


The rest of my week was filled with not catching fish and just chilling. 

Today Lizz and I went to Anastasia State Park where we rented beach bikes, biked to the end, and flew kites for 2 hours. The thick fog and nice breeze made for some sweet pics!





We ended up finding a great new food place in St. Augustine. This place was in the ghetto, and in a hipster house. Next time you are in St. Aug, check out the Back 40 Urban Cafe.  SUPPER GOOD!

Only $8!
For the first time in my post-college teaching life I am excited to get back at school. I don't know what title the Spring Concert will be but I think the sup-title will be "We are kinda a big deal".




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DIY Adventure

5:26 PM jbond352 1 Comments

There is a guidebook for everything. I mean EVERYTHING.

Sometimes it just feels nice to create something for yourself and not go along with something someone has already done.

Last summer I found a $300 sea kayak on Craigslist, scooped it up, and created a world of adventure for myself over the months that followed.

Guidebooks are for people who want to play it "safe" (which is usually me), but every once in a while you have to go out and try to create an adventure for yourself, one that you think up and shoot for.

Back in June I took my P.O.S. sea kayak and circumnavigated Fort George Island.


It was great. The feeling of planning something and executing it successfully is like a drug. 

The portage across Hugenot

Where your Mayport shrimp come from.


a little over 13 miles
The circumnavigation was HOT (felt like 100 degrees) but uneventful.  I remember getting back to my car and drinking a gallon of water.


Today I set out to conquer some new terrain in White Springs (cue banjo music) on my mountain bike. I have been hearing about the trails along the Suwannee River, and given my love/hate relationship with that river I thought I'd give it a try.

I met my buddy Ethan at the most "hick" boat ramp and we decided to ride in the Big Shoals Conservation Land first.



We didn't really follow any map, which was kinda nice. When your agenda is to get in some miles/exercise, you care less about where the trails take you.


Big Shoals is the only class I-III rapids in FL, depending on the water level. Today the level was 66 feet above sea level, which is extremely high, so high that they close all of the river camps and the river to kayaking.









I always enjoy getting out into the woods and away from everything. Today it was incredibly windy, which made it to smell all of the things that were coming from the woods: grass, the fire in the national forest to the east, and the mud from the recent rain.




Now off to work to try to change come lives. That is an adventure of it's own...







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