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.

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...