My husband and I—creatures of habit—recently ventured out of our routine. We love being outdoors, but lately we’ve allowed life to get in the way of that pleasure. It was time to combine the blue sky with a new experience.
Launching our kayaks on a beautiful morning.
I have been following Kayak_Alabama on Twitter for a few months, and seeing their posts always makes me wish I was out there experiencing it instead of just reading about it. So—yes, I’m sure you’ve figured it out—I made the contact and arranged for a guided kayak tour. (I’m not into fishing, but you can arrange a kayak fishing tour as well.)
Not knowing much about our waterways, I let Chris, the main man behind Alabama Kayak Adventures, choose the spot. He pulled into Graham Creek Nature Preserve just ahead of us, with a truck bed filled with four kayaks. As he untied the colorful load, another guide, Laurel, arrived with her kayak, and photographer Michelle also joined us. Chris and Laurel are both USCG-licensed captains as well as certified Coastal Nature Guides, so I knew we were in good hands.
A welcome feeling of tranquility is inevitable when surrounded by nature.
We dragged our kayaks to the launch ramp and got a quick lesson on how to paddle (so simple!), and next thing we knew we were skimming along a beautiful, winding creek. Neither of us had been in a kayak before, and we were surprised by the stability and ease of maneuvering. With no current to negotiate, we could easily stop to study plants or wildlife, or just paddle slowly and effortlessly.
Eventually the serene creek opened up into Wolf Bay, where we glided past houses, piers and boat docks, and observed schools of fish as they darted around our kayaks. As we started our return, a pair of dolphins teased us with their intermittent presence.
Throughout the morning, the word “peaceful” kept popping into my head. Other than a small plane overhead and the brief passing of a fisherman’s boat, the only sounds were that of Mother Nature. The thick vegetation and some tall trees insulated the creek from the outside world, allowing the illusion of being miles from civilization. And the houses on the bay were set far enough back so as not to intrude on the waterway.
So different from the nearby gulf beaches, with its own amazing beauty.
While we did enjoy conversation during the 3-hour journey, there was also plenty of opportunity to soak up the stillness and focus on the natural setting. Our guides seemed to intuitively understand how special that silence is, perfectly balancing friendly chit-chat, information sharing, and leaving us to our own thoughts.
My first encounter with a kayak now makes me want one of my own, but I know that won’t happen with the crazy schedule I keep. At least now I know how enjoyable it is, and I have memories to call on when I want an escape but don’t have time for such. And best of all, I know who to contact when I can’t resist the call of the kayak any longer.
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Lannie, it’s great to hear that you enjoy Graham Creek. The quiet and the closeness to nature before it empties into the bay is such a wonderful thing to experience. Have you contacted the City of Foley with your suggestions? You might be able to have an impact on the launch area.
Well I’ve gone back to Graham creek on several more occasions and the same problems exist. Other than the “take out” I love the place. T solve the problem they should add more aluminum into the water. Another simple solution would be to clear the brush just to the west and dump a load of sand to make a small beach. We kayakers love beaches for put in and take out. A tip of the hat to Foley for establishing this Preserve.
Lannie, I will agree that some low tides will offer a little extra challenge some days, ( mostly in the winter months, when a North wind compounds the problem). We have kayaked at least 60 times from the launch since January 2010 and only a few times was it a challenge. Most of the year the lower tides are still above the ramps lowest point. We have experienced high tides with South winds that provided a ramp over 50% submerged. Probably a solution to this fluctuation would be a floating ramp, but I fear that this option might not be as durable in an unsupervised situation like Graham Creek preserve. Of all the kayak trails & launches in our area, by far this launch is the best. There is always room for improvement, but The city of Foley did a good job at providing us a great access to one of the most Beautiful hidden secrets in all of Alabama.
After 2 or 3 visits to the Graham Creek Preserve Kayak/Canoe launch I believe they (Foley Park Dept) need to re-engineer the ramp leading to the water. The end of the ramp is usually 6″ to a foot higher than the water. We kayakers need to let them know about this pproblem.