Paddling Texas by Shane Townsend

Author:Shane Townsend
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781493016358
Publisher: Falcon Guides

Paddle Summary

Great 100-foot limestone bluffs are the first thing you see. The Texas Parks & Wildlife information kiosk and launch are straight ahead, but closer. A concrete ramp leads to the kayak launch site. Unload the boat and drive some 75 yards to the top of the hill to parallel park. Launch into a calm area that sits off the main river. It is covered with aquatic grasses and willows, and is full of birds and wildlife.

At the 12 o’clock position from the launch is a narrow strip of water that passes through a reed and grass bed. Follow that some 50 feet to the Brazos River. Hawks call, songbirds sing, and frogs chirp from the cattails.

Turn left to head downstream. On the right, across the river, note the gazebo. This will mark your turn on the return. Power lines cross the river, from atop 100-foot white bluffs on the far bank to a low grassy area in the park on the left. Along the far bank, cyclists streak by as blurs of red, yellow, and green along the park trail.

At 0.4 mile, a white-and-orange sign reading “Circle Point” is on the right bank, across from the bathrooms on the left bank. Grebes hide in the tangles of branches and roots hanging in the water on the right bank.

▶ In Goodbye to a River (1960), John Graves recounts his canoe trip down the Brazos River in the 1950s.

At 0.6 mile, on the left bank, pass a concrete boat ramp and a manicured park dotted with hardwood trees. On the right, the bluffs undulate along, trading peaks for hollows. High junipers run the hills. Hardwoods rule the bottoms. They reconcile at the river. There are many felled trees along banks, but the bulk of the river’s surface is free of obstruction.

At 0.9 mile, the manicured park appears on the right.

At 1.2 miles, a creek is on the left. The Herring Avenue Bridge is overhead. If you’re fishing, be mindful that beneath the surface, wood, trees, flotsam, and jetsam gather into great clogs. They hold fish and steal lures.

At 1.5 miles, a stone staircase on the right runs to the water.

At 1.6 miles, on the right, pass a popular place for bank anglers. Just beyond, pass a culvert on the left.

At 1.7 miles, pass a cove on the left, at the back of which is a culvert large enough to drive a vehicle through, it seems. Not far beyond, a stone structure with a tin roof is on the left.

At 1.8 miles, pass under a power line. Ahead, a tall brick building dominates the skyline to the right.

At 2.2 miles, the Waco Drive Bridge and the Bledsoe-Miller Recreation Center are on the left. After passing under the bridge, look at the 2 o’clock position to see the largest building on the skyline. It is labeled “ALICO” in large, red letters.

At 2.5 miles, a creek is on right. On the left are a large tan building, a boat ramp, picnic tables, and a playground.

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