Prior to entering the North Fork just North of the Benjamin Ave. bridge across from Burger King. Depth gauge, with life jacket, and floating noodle.
Testing bank stability, very muddy within a couple feet of the edge. Drops off to 3 feet within about 3 to 6 feet.
Checking to see if the floating noodle is really necessary, it wasn't.
Getting ride of the floating noodle, just South of the Benjamin Ave. bridge with Burger King in the background.
Picture taken looking North from the walking path Southwest of YMCA, about 2.5 feet of water.
Walking to different parts of the river bed to check variability in depth and for obstructions.
Southwest of the YMCA just before a major bend in the river.
WOW, found the 7 foot of water around a bend in the river Southwest of YMCA, just South of a drainage area.
Checking for obstructions and found what appear to be concrete rip wrap material, some pretty jagged. Life jacket kept my head above water.
Laying back and enjoying the floating experience. Faster flow of the river around this bend.
in about 6 feet of water at this point. Water felt good, very little debris floating in the river, although not clear no solid material noticed.
Found a shallow section of the river, about 2.5 feet.
Then dropped to about 3.5 feet. There were very few sharp drop-offs.
Enjoying the 90 degree sunny weather and many birds along the route. Redwingd black birds were very interested as I must have been close to a nesting area.
Looks like there is plenty of padding on the rear end.
Heading South next to the movie theater complex on the right. Some really nice areas along this stretch as there is overhanging tree limbs that give you the sensation of going through a tunnel.
Natural grass vegetation in plentiful along most stretches of the river. There is a 2-3 foot drop from the bank edge to the water's edge in most places so using the grass to help pull yourself out of water came in handy.
Making good progress in the 2-3 foot of water.
I think he is still having fun.
Pictures taken by Kathy Hall during this outing.
Checking out the bank along the North 4th Street Park where we plan to have observers during the June 19th Comedy Flotilla event. We hope to get some of this grass cut to improve the visibility. Looking North from the Elm Street bridge.
Water depth about 3.5 feet near the West bank, the East bank was only about 2.5 feet.
Walking was very easy with the river flow helping you move down stream.
Checking out the East bank next to Winter Park just North of Elm Street.
Stream bed is very uniform in this section of the river.
River bed changes as you approach the Elm Street bridge.
Still having fun. I think I have a lot of sand in my tennis shoes. Some type of protective foot wear is highly encouraged with tanking on the river.
Just South the Elm Street bridge. Swallows have made the concrete bridge their home.
Water depth near 3.5 feet just West of the Knights of Columbus Hall.
The breeze kept most bugs from bothering the adventurer. Insect repellent would be suggested for the June 19th Comedy Flotilla.
Checking the bank for stability near KofC Hall.
Picture taking looking South from West side of bank with railroad bridge in background. No odor from neighbor business operations.
It is hard walking upstream with the stream flow rate.
Getting ready to head toward the Mill Dam Spill Way.
The final two block treck, some rip-wrap near West bank area.
Some water discharge, appeared to be from the cooling towers from manufacturing operations.
Looking Northwest from the West side of the bank near the First Street Bridge.
Checking the area for portage of stock tanks and canoes.
Pretty uniform depth along this section of the river, became more narrow with a quicker flow rate.
A mother duck and her ducklings were spotted ahead along the East bank.
Just a beautiful day enjoying the water, the quiet, getting wet, and warm sun on your face.
Trying to avoid causing the duck family too much distress.
Nearing the bank where we will likely portage stock tanks and canoes.
Oh, how close am I to the spill way?
Mother duck with her youngsters near the bank edge moving back upstream.
