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Withlacoochee River
In Fossiling in Florida Mark Renz makes the case that "there is always something guarding the treasure". I have found that the "something" can be your own inexperience. The Withlacoochee has yet to reveal much treasure to me, but it has definitely given me some experiences. I decided to look in the Withlacoochee since; it was mentioned in Robin Brown's book, it is close, and because I was tired of both beach collecting and trespassing in quarries. |
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Part One: If you're going to be dumb, you got to be tough. So I bought the best watercraft I could afford at the time. A Supercaravelle, pictured below, which will be remembered for the lesson it taught: inflatable "boats" belong in swimming pools. I optimistically set out one morning, planning to find tons o' fossils. Instead, I found the river at peak level, though I didn't realize this at the time. I put in at the ramp at SR44 and headed downstream. The book said to search the banks. Unfortunately the water extended far into the trees, the banks were deep in the muddy water. After about an hour of working my way downstream and finding no exposed banks or areas with water visibility I decided to head back. This is when I discovered how inefficient this "vessel" was in a river. Particularly a river with a strong current. I had to row continuously to make any progress. If I stopped to catch my breath, I immediately began moving backward. To make matters worse, the locals were now awake and tearing around in their airboats, in what seemed to be a game of tip the tard in the rubber boat. Nearly two hours later I arrived back at the boat ramp, exhausted and dehydrated. I hadn't intended to work so hard and had only brought one small bottle of water. Badly shaking, I wasn't able to drive far. I went to a nearby diner and had several waters and an emergency mushroom bacon cheeseburger. Lessons learned: 1) Be aware what times of the year are best for low river levels. Better still, be aware of the river's level before leaving home. This can be done online for many rivers. 2) If you are taking a long trip it is nice to have two cars. One at the start point and another at the takeout point downstream. If not, go against the current on your way out and float back. 3) Come prepared for the unexpected. |
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Part Two: A three hour tour, a three hour tour. Several months after the first trip, I made another attempt at collecting in the Withlacoochee. This time I was aware of the river levels and came better prepared. The above picture shows my gear as I set out. The plan was to put in at SR44 and work my way down to SR200. Deflate and stash the boat and some gear, then ride the bike to my truck and drive back for the rest. About an hour into the trip I noticed I was sitting a little low in the water. The outer ring was losing air. Mice had chewed a hole since the last outing. I had repaired it and even tested the patch prior to this trip. The hole was near an oar mooring, and while the patch held air while sitting on my garage floor, it didn't hold under the stress created by rowing. With four other air chambers, I was in no danger of sinking and decided to continue on. After another 45 minutes, the outer ring was empty and normal rowing was impossible with the slack outer ring. Deciding it was time to call it quits; I paddled to the bank, climbed over the Cypress knees, and pulled everything on shore. I was immediately covered in Florida's friendliest insect: the mosquito. Not wanting to be bled dry, I hid my gear and set out on foot in what seemed the best direction. I had passed houses earlier, but now there were none in site. I was in what looked to be pasture land. But this is New Florida and I knew; houses, a convenience store, or a strip mall couldn't be far away. After some time, I saw a house in the distance. So I went back for my things. Bicycle over one shoulder, deflated boat over the other, backpack on my back and big water thermos in hand I headed for civilization. I again neared the house, but as I got close, I discovered there was actually a canal between me and the house. Still in the woods, I couldn't see where there was a way around the canal. It wasn't a ditch, so how to cross it?. I managed to hurl the backpack across. Then, laying the boat out flat I put the bicycle and the rest of my gear on it. I tied one end of a rope to the limp boat and the other end to a paddle and then threw the paddle in as far as I could. Not hearing the sound of dueling banjos, I felt safe to enter the water. Actually the term water is misleading. It was 30% water and 70% decaying vegetation. Once it got too deep to wade I started swimming. When I got to the paddle, I grabbed it and swam with one hand. Luckily the "water" was thick and able to support the bike and gear on the boat. When I reached the other side I was black from my nose down. About this time the homeowner noticed me and came out. Luckily it was a nice elderly lady and not a heavily armed schizophrenic worried about an ATF raid. I explained my situation and she offered to give me a ride. She must have been blind, cause there is no way I would have let me in her nice car. I hosed off in her yard, got on the bike and then made my way to my truck and came back for the rest with water bugs and other invertebrate hitchhikers still making their way out of my shorts. Then I went to a local diner and had several cokes and an emergency mushroom bacon cheeseburger. Lessons learned: 1) Get something approaching proper river transportation. Part Three: Maybe I should skip the river and go directly for the emergency mushroom bacon cheeseburger? Actually, I took the road best paved, bought a kayak, and it made all the difference in the world. The third trip went very smoothly. I only found some sharks teeth, a turtle marginal, and a few pieces of pottery, but I spent most of my time just exploring the river and admiring the abundant turtle life there. I plan another trip soon. This time with my new underwater digital and better quality surface digital cameras. |
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One of the pottery shards found. |
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