Lake Maitland, Lake Minnehaha, and more

More includes Howell Branch Creek,








Lake Nina,

A new rack for the yak,


The usual wading, swimming, and flying creatures.

After five plus years of owning a kayak, I finally bought a roof rack. They are expensive, but it should pay off when I sell my new car, which was getting scratched already. The roof on my old ride was totally shot. It will also provide piece of mind when driving. I need to figure the best spot to center the yak. Last night the top scrapped the garage door as I tested it. So I took it off the saddles, resting it on the rack. This morning, I backed out of the garage, then placed the kayak on the saddles. Also, last night, the center stap was too short to go around one end of the rack, over the kayak, around the other end of the rack, and meet again. This morning I figured it out. Only to forget what I did on my way home when I only had the strap around one end of the rack. I'll figure out tommorrow for the weekend. I should get a second strap, one for each rack, but may just go with the strap one one rack and rope on the other. On the other hand, then I won't have a back up rope. I do have front and rear tie downs.

Lake Maitland Park is 1.3 miles away, so no worries this morning. In the water at 8:15. These ducks are in a little rentention pond, usually dry, just behind the launch.

I paddled east across Lake Maitland, past the north end of Dog Island, towards the Isle of Sicily, looking for the entrance to Howell Branch Creek.

It took me awhile to find it, as my angle across the Lake took me past the entrance. When I saw the bridge connecting Sicily to Italy, I mean, Winter Park, I knew I went to far. I came about, followed the north shore until I came to the opening.

This lovely bridge, replaced a basic metal span some years ago. Seven years, as I go into the way back machine, August 2002:
had a good long run this morning, with a twist. At the 16 mile point is a canal. It has/ had a narrow metal bridge that bikers, walkers and runners use to get across. I got there this morning and it was gone. I thought of turning around, but that was uphill. I couldn't jump 20 feet, and did not think swimming was a good idea. But, I looked up, and there, like a vision, a metal pole spanned the canal. I tested it, it held my weight, and hand over hand I crossed the canal. My upper body needs work. 2/3 of the way across I couldn't keep my feet out of the water. But I made it, just as the gators began sliding down the bank. (Just kidding). I then squished along in my wet shoes for another 5 miles


Boy, a 21 mile run. Those days are long gone. Back to the present. I turned back at Howell Branch Road, there is a drop off here.

A return view of the pedestrain bridge. Now all of the bridges across the many canals and creeks on the Winter Park Chain can be viewed on Dave's Yak Tales.

I paddled back across Lake Maitland, to the canal leading to Lake Minnehaha.

There was a female wooduck here.

Not all birds on Lake Minnehaha flew away.

Back through the canal, beneath the covered bridge.

Birds of Lake Nina. Lake Nina is a wide spot in the 1/2 mile waterway linking Lake Maitland to Lake Minnehaha. A microcosm of the Howell Branch Creek wathershed. The Winter Park Chain, is a set of wide spots on Howell Branch Creek.

Back to Lake Maitland. A bolt of lightiining flashed just before this photo.

I landed about 10 minutes later. A photo of a train of baby woodducklings following mom turned out to blurry for the Yak Tales. I am always impressed by how many nice pics I get on this urban paddle.

No other paddlers were out, perhaps 3-4 other boats. Including the wakeboarder. The photo of him jumoing was taken from shore just after I landed.

A close up of the yak on the rack in the garage.


Regular readers know I bought a new PFD a few weeks ago. Turned out to be a bad buy, It's like a winter coat, complete with thick collar. Last week, in time for last weekend's, Silver River and Wekiva jaunts, I got a new, new life jacket at Bass Pro Shop. The upper half is mesh. Much more comfortable.