As part of the WT Annual Gathering, about a dozen kayakers left the Silver River Pavilion after breakfast and caravaned about 10 miles north to Gores Landing, a county park on the Ocklawaha River and approximately 6 miles north of the S.R. 40 overpass.

We paddled  from Gores Landing to the ramp in Eureka, about a 10 mile run downstream. This is considered the "lower Ocklawaha", before the river turns into the Rodman Lake. Although it was slated to rain this day and it did start out with a solid gray of hanging clouds, by the time we launched, the sky openned up to a solid blue and plenty of sunshine with a little coolness of the passing coldfront.

Ken gave a good pre-launch safety check and introductions. The Ocklawaha River is always calm and beautiful in nature. Our first stop was a little early because of the rarity of solid ground through the swampy landscapes.

The group was a good company of fellow paddlers. We got to see some fall folage as the cypress trees were struck by a hard coldfront a few weeks earlier, giving the trees a bright yellow. We found some solid ground for lunch and a needed stretch of the legs. To break the silence and spoil the scerenity, a couple airboats showed up to pass us; as you can guess, it did not take long for them to blow by us.

One of the more interesting features at the end of the trip was the incrediblely long and high causeway over the river for the eventual Cross Florida Barge Canal which will never happen, and the Ocklawaha will be a place of beauty and pristineness forever and viewed by the few the paddle her nearly clear waters.

We arrived in time to  go back to the put in and go to the campground for the remaining events of the gathering.

Host: Mariam Mohsenin