Goodwin Islands Paddle 10/22/2019

The weatherman really blew it this day! Rain was predicted, but it never happened. I think the uninspiring forecast kept a lot of peddlers home but we did have some hardcore Tuesday Groupers gather for what turned out to be an extraordinary day. Meeting up at Back Creek Park this morning were Ellis, Marti, Bruce, Margaret, Sandy, Bill, Bob and me, Phyllis. (Don tried but his car battery said "No") We launched our boats into the still water and headed for the islands. We saw some skate fins breaking the water and soon saw a bald eagle soaring above us. Bill proposed a counterclockwise route which was a great idea as we were treated to a spectacular 30 minute show of porpoises playing in the water. We're not sure if they were feeding or just having a blast out there but they were flipping, doing headstands, jumping out of the water and crashing down on their sides. It was an amazing thing to see! As we were watching them, Sandy noted a bald eagle just meandering along the shore of one of the islands. She paddled in for a closer look just to make sure it wasn't tangled in fishing line. It let her get pretty close before it took off into the air. Just out for a stroll I guess? We continued our paddle finally finding a nice beach for our lunch break. Temperatures were in the low 70s so it was really pleasant but a bit chilly for swimming. After lunch, we continued our paddle viewing some very large herons wading along the shore. We headed back down Back Creek to our launch site where we took out and loaded our boats. Next stop was Sweet Frogs for our after paddle treat. It was a perfect day. But any day with the Tuesday Group-regardless of destination or weather-is perfect.

Phyllis

View Bob's photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QwagezQmhcvdGeSS7