By Peter Clayton
Last week’s paddle proved to be a big success in many respects – we’ll be re-visiting the Tomoka soon.
Eleven of us headed south taking about 45 minutes to reach our put-in at River Bend Nature Park. The “launch” is 200′ from the parking area down a narrow path which requires watching your step due to roots and rocks – the area at water’s edge is narrow but sandy. We were all in the water by 8:45 enjoying sunny skies, pleasant temps and a light breeze.
The river was about 150′ wide at that point but surprisingly natural – we saw occasional homes along the way – most quite substantial. There were also several docks leading back to homes hidden by the trees. Flora included cypress, lots of cabbage palms and pines and some live oaks in resident’s yards. Wildlife sightings included osprey, kingfishers and a swallow tailed kite which provided a dazzling aerial display.
An hour’s paddling got us to the I-95 bridge which had plenty of shallow, firm afoot areas to pull out for a break which we did. Another 10 minutes took us to the US 40 bridge where we turned back – this bridge also had areas suitable for a rest pullout. The river narrowed to about 50′ beyond the bridge and will certainly bear exploring next time as it probably also becomes more natural.
Our return was into a 12-14 mph breeze but we pulled out at Noon – all expressed enjoyment with the paddle. The River Grille was 5 minutes south and we sat on the outside deck overlooking the river to cap off a delightful outing.
Many thanks to our drivers and photographers.
