This time, we moved downriver on land first and launched our kayaks from the Bagdad Mills Kayak Launch. As soon as we hit the river, there is an island directly to the east. Unfortunately, the reeds were too high for us to find an ingress point, so we decided to head towards the I-10 bridge to the south. Bagdad is one of those towns that you can blink and miss. You know, the kind that has one red light that blinks yellow at midnight?
There's not much to it but the town is considered to be a part of the overall "Milton" area. Long before Bagdad became an official town, the indigenous Creek Indians roamed the area, taking advantage of the excellent fishing and hunting opportunities. Whitetail are rampant here and the Blackwater River is overflowing with Mullet, Channel Cats, Largemouth Bass, Speckled Trout, Bluegill, Gar, and Flounder.
Bagdad started as a mill town when Joseph Forsyth constructed a lumber mill close to the same spot we would launch our kayaks from 182 years later. The mill became central to the town and business was excellent. The mill would flounder in later years, especially during the post-Civil War era and the Great Depression.
The town survived thanks to the industrial explosion of World War 2. Today, the town's sole priority is the management, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment around Blackwater Bay and Blackwater River.
Last time, we navigated the northern section of Blackwater Bay. This time, we launched farther south, bringing along a metal detector and an E-tool. There are several, small islands just south of our launch point and we focused on those areas. It took us a little while to find a decent beachhead that we could access without trying to push the kayaks through thick reeds and cattails.
As you can see from the above picture, we would have a fight on our hands trying to push through all of that. While the weather is cooling off, there is also the concern of running up on an alligator nest. Although I travel armed, that's not a battle I want any part of. There were several, narrow tunnels that look like they were formed by a nesting alligator. We'll wait until the outside temperature drops into a sustained 45°F to 55°F before we attempt to navigate that mess.
The water is strikingly clear, as you can see in the picture below. Dolphins and porpoises use this to their advantage. They gather in a pack, form a circle, and use their tails to beat the substrate below the water, turning the inside of the circle (where all the good fish are) into a swirling, muddy mess. The fish, quite blind and in a panic, swim in random directions.
Since the dolphins have formed a circle, any random direction leads the fish right into the waiting mouths of the dolphins. They're brilliant hunters. Maybe not quite on the level with Orcas, but brilliant nonetheless.
We didn't have any luck here, so we paddled back up to the Carpenter's Park launch point and turned east, where we found our first island with an accessible beachhead.
With the metal detector, we managed to find a whole bunch of beer cans, which irritates me to no end. Its a beautiful little spot and it looks like most people just stop in for a drink and chunk their beer cans out. I'm not a huge climate change alarmist but I still believe in picking up your trash and keeping the natural environment pristine and well-cared for.
We left the island after a small brunch and headed back to the various little tributaries feeding all the little ponds, lakes, and channels throughout the area. There are a lot of homes here and it was easily the prettiest part of our kayaking journey for the day.
As we headed farther out, hundreds of birds took the sky, creating a synchronized chorus of bird calls and movements in the air. I also got a shot of the I-10 bridge but the wind was getting rough, so we decided not to paddle out that way since we would have to come back with the wind in our faces.
According to my Garmin, we kayaked over 3.5 miles for the day, which is a record in our book, especially since it's only our second major outing. Next time, we plan on launching in Munson, close to Adventures Unlimited. Both my wife and I used to go there when we were kids and take innertubes down the Blackwater River.
From what I remember, there are a ton of sandbars and little islands to navigate around. While we have to be extra cautious using the metal detector (in some places it's simply illegal to use one), we're hoping we can find a good spot to get permission to search and dig. Hopefully, this time next week, I can add part 3, with an interesting find or two!
Whether we find something or not, it's still a wonder and a joy to take these kayaks out and explore areas that most people don't get to see. The ones on boats simply travel through the area and don't spend much time sitting still or exploring.
I'm having a great time exploring the history of the area, experiencing some great views, and reporting it back here to all of you. I hope to have some more interesting finds soon enough!