January 7, 2013 Steinhatchee river, Florida

We drove up to the Steinhatchee River falls today to check it out and see if we wanted to run it.  The falls are considered a class II rapid. The river comes from the swamp, so it is the tannin stained black water like the Suwannee.

You run it to the left of the first photo.  We considered running it, but it was cold and windy, and a 10 mile more of flat water to the take out, so we didn’t this trip. Cool falls.

An eddy on the Steinhatchee. The foam stays really white on the black water. The sides of the creek are limestone and undercut. The rapid is undercut too, looks like nasty holes with lots of white bubbles coming up below the falls. John having lunch near the falls. We hiked the trail along the river for 1.2 miles in a loop. We saw a HUGE wild pig who ran off grunting, with 8 squealing little piglets  following her.

A big oak tree with the falls in the distance. The trail head at Dallus creek on the way back. The sun came out and it was warmer. Dallus creek runs into the gulf through the salt marsh, it is an estuary. We hiked the nature trail.

Dallus Creek, we may go back and run it tomorrow, if it is warm or sunny. An oyster bed on Dallus Creek.

Views from the Dallus creek nature trail of the salt marsh.

The tidal swamp on the way back. There were even some gum trees that still had fall colors on them.

The bird  observatory tower at Hagan cove. A view of Pine tree point at Hagan cove. Little bit of beach here. There are not many beaches in the big bend, mostly marshes.  In front of  the point is Oyster Creek which is another paddling possibility.

Sunset started early at Hagan cove. We sat out on the dock  back at Keaton bay watching sunset.

The sea gull was missing a foot, but he could run around on it ok. He looked like a pirate with a wooden leg. John called him peg leg and was feeding him shrimp shells he peeled of his shrimp after he ate them. The gull would squawk and wave his stump at the other gulls that came in  for his snacks and scare them away.  In the water below the flying gulls are scallop shells.