JUNE 1, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Kayak and Canoe Trip on the Elk River near Elkmont, Alabama
Details: The section we will paddle is easy with no
obstructions. This is a scenic stretch
of river located in a very rural area.
Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each one must
be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their boat.
If you want to rent a kayak, please call Fort Hampton
Outfitters 256/431-8988 to reserve your rental kayak. Be sure to identify yourself as coming with Southeastern
Outings on June 1. Please note
that the outfitter has no canoes and only 19 one-person sit-upon kayaks, 1
one-person sit in kayak and 6 tandem sit-upon kayaks for rent, so be sure
you call to reserve early. Once all
their kayaks are reserved for June 1, there will be no more kayaks available to
rent from that outfitter!
If you rent a kayak from this outfitter, the outfitter will
take you and your rented boat to the put in and meet you at the take out, so
you will never need to transport your rented boat at all. You may bring your own canoe or kayak on
this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to shuttle your privately-owned
boat. Shuttle fee and life jacket are
included in rental boat fee for those who rent kayaks from the outfitter. Please note that this outfitter does not
rent canoes at all. Please see note for
canoe trips below for additional important general information as well.
Children age 10 and over welcome.
After the kayak/canoe trip we plan to go for dinner at an
excellent restaurant in Athens, Alabama.
If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant after the
kayak and canoe trip, please bring your things to clean up with and a change of
clothes.
Please
meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick,
205/631-4680 or email seoutings@bellsouth.net if you plan to come on this kayak
and canoe trip. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail
if you wish.
If you want to come on this SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you
are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required
to call BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact
the trip leader, too, and notify him/her that you are coming!
If you are planning to meet the group initially at the
outfitter’s instead of at the designated meeting place near Birmingham, please
tell Dan Frederick in advance that you are planning to meet the group at the
outfitter’s.
Please do not make it necessary for Dan to contact you
concerning information which you have already received in this announcement and
the notes below.
Info. and trip leader: If you have further questions, please call Dan
Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email seoutings@bellsouth.net.
JUNE 8, SATURDAY, Picnic at 7:30 p.m. Concert begins at 8:00 p.m.
FREE Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) Concert
Where: Railroad Park situated along 1st
Avenue South, between 14th and 18th Streets South in downtown Birmingham.
Click for More Pictures
Details: Thanks to the generous support
of sponsors, the ASO is excited to play a free series of concerts in
Birmingham's Railroad Park! Enjoy music under the stars with the Alabama
Symphony Orchestra. The musical
compositions to be played on this Saturday evening program will be announced at
a later date.
Please
join us for this special concert which promises to yield a great evening of
fun. Relax on the lawn with your
blanket or lawn chair. If you’d like to
eat with us, please bring your picnic (no glass or alcohol allowed) to enjoy at
7:30 p.m. Concert itself begins at 8:00
p.m. To find the group, please look for the Southeastern Outings people near
the walkway on the railroad side (far side of park away from 1st Avenue South)
of the park. You are welcome to bring
as many friends and family members as you wish.
Admission: FREE
More Info: Please call the ASO
office, 205/251-6929 or Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680.
JUNE 15, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Kayak and Canoe Trip, Locust Fork River
Details: A fun Southeastern Outings kayak and canoe trip on
Section 1 of the Locust Fork River in Blount County. This stretch, which several of us have canoed previously, is
fairly easy and without classified rapids. Along the river we’ll see lots of
wildflowers and stop to investigate islands and beaches.
Novice canoeists are
welcome and may come on this trip, but each one must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe.
Please note that for this trip you
may rent one person sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles for $30 each at the
put-in from River Beach Outfitters.
Rental fees include shuttle service.
Also the outfitter will charge a $15 fee for all private boats be
they canoes or kayaks used on this outing.
If you wish to rent a kayak from the outfitter, please notify Dan
Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone
205/631-4680 BEFORE June 1 to reserve your boat. Dan will then inform the outfitter how many rental kayaks he will
need to provide to SEO people for this trip. Please note that the outfitter
has only 70 one-person kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their solo kayaks are reserved for
June 1, there will be no more kayaks available to rent!
For more essential information
about this trip, please see Note for Canoe Trips at the end of this calendar.
Meet 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland
Chevron Service Station. We plan to
depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Reservations Required: You are required to contact Dan
Frederick by email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to
come on this kayak and canoe trip.
Please advise your name, telephone number, skill level, whether you are
bringing a canoe or kayak and whether you need a paddling partner. You may leave a message on Dan’s answering
machine if you wish.
If you want to come on the June 15 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are
renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required to
call or contact ONLY the trip leader and notify him that you are coming! Info. and Trip Leader: If you
have further questions, please contact Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net
or 205/631-4680.
JUNE 22,
SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Note: Location changed to
Locust Fork River from Swann Bridge to Powell Falls
Note: Location changed to
Locust Fork River from Swann Bridge to Powell Falls
River Float, Picnic, Swim on the Locust Fork River from Taylor’s Ford
through Cornelius Falls in Blount County near Royal, AL
Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river from Taylor’s Ford
through Cornelius Falls and below.
We’ll float downstream to the widest waterfall on the Locust Fork
River. Enjoy eating your picnic lunch
sitting on the rocks overlooking the waterfall. This is one of the prettiest lunch spots we have ever seen in
Alabama. As we float we’ll also view
sheer cliffs that rise high above the river.
So enjoy a flowing river, high rock bluffs and a gorgeous waterfall—all
along a nearly uninhabited stretch of this river. Bring a picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen and something to float on
such as an inflatable vinyl float or air mattress. See Float Note below for additional information.
Please bring a towel, your picnic
lunch and drinking water. Pack your
lunch, sunscreen, towel and drink in 2 plastic garbage bags with twist ties,
one bag over the other. Then put the
bags in your daypack and strap the pack to your back. This keeps your things dry and prevents them from floating
away. Wear swimsuit and sturdy
footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.
Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not
acceptable! You must be able to swim to
participate in this outing!
Have fun swimming in the pools in
the river and just sitting in Cornelius Falls.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up welcome, but
parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Spring floats, passenger car and pick up truck tire tubes and inflatable
boats are not permitted on SEO river floats! A spring float is a flotation device
consisting of an inflatable outer oval with a small, few inch diameter cross
section and a large mesh interior. Those
spring floats are meant for floating in swimming pools and on lakes in still
water, not for floating the Locust Fork. They are difficult to steer and
therefore unsafe for use on Southeastern Outings river floats.
Bring a friend or several if you
wish. Meet 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland
Chevron. We plan to depart from there
at 10:00 a.m.
Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf work
best. Trip leader Dan Frederick
has children’s floats (60 inches long) for $12 each for sale ONLY at the start of outings Dan
attends. We regret that at this time we
have been unable to find a source where we can buy more of the 72-inch
canvas-covered floats. Please pay
either with exact change or a
check made out to SEO. First come,
first served.
Here is an alternative to carrying
your lunches, water, towel and sunscreen in a pack on your back. You can
bring with you four 6-7 foot lengths of sturdy cord. Place your pack with
your things in it in the middle of the foot of your float. Lash the pack
to your float with two of the cords, one passing around the float and through
the top of the straps and the other passing around the float and through the
bottom of the straps of your pack. Pass the other two cords over the top
of your pack and under the float and tie them down tightly. Then lie on your float with the pack sort of
between your knees with your feet splayed out at the bottom corners of your
float. Using this method eliminates your having to float down the river
for several hours on your belly with a pack on your back, and it also gives you
the option of turning over and lying on your back in the slower-moving sections
of the river in order to change your body position and float more
comfortably. If you are an adult, this method of fastening your pack to
your float works only if you are using a 72-in long rectangular float. Either method of transporting your pack is
satisfactory and acceptable. But I learned that people like it when you
give them choices. In any case, your lunches, etc. should be double
bagged (or placed in a waterproof canoe bag) inside your pack.
Inflatable boats are not permitted on SEO river floats!
JUNE 29,
2019, 10:15 a.m.
Tube Float Tallapoosa
River at Heflin
Details: Southeastern Outings is very
pleased to once again offer the opportunity to go tube floating.
We just identified last summer a new tube floating outfitter
on the Tallapoosa River at Heflin.
Tallapoosa River Outfitters has rented kayaks to SEO for many years, and
now they also rent tubes.
Join friendly folks on a relaxing,
lazy summer day tube float. Everyone is
cordially invited on this real fun event.
The float will be on the Tallapoosa River near Heflin, Alabama.
We will eat our picnic lunches by the river when we arrive
at the outfitters. Then we will float
on the river for about two to three hours.
The outfitter will put us on the river upriver from his place, and you
will float down river and take out at the outfitter’s place.
Then you can play in the river at the end of the float if
you wish, and/or just lie out and relax or get in your car and leave after
finishing the tube float.
Please bring picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen, towel and dry
clothes in the car to change into for the ride back home. Wear old shorts or a swim suit and
substantial, snug fitting footwear you don't mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers usually work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and
thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
The usual charge for tube rentals is $15 per tube. However, if we bring ten or more people in
our group, the outfitter will charge us only $10 per tube, so please bring your
family and friends with you. Please
come on this outing yourself and bring others with you to help us have over ten
people in our group so that we are eligible for the discount.
Tube rental charge covers tube rental, transportation
upriver to put-in point, use of a life jacket and use of picnic area and
swimming area in river after lunch. All
participants are required to rent tubes from the outfitter for the tube float
itself, no exceptions. Please
do NOT bring your own tube!
Well-behaved, properly supervised
children age 7 and older able to handle themselves in a tube for two to three
hours on moving water are welcome and encouraged to come. Parents are advised of risks of wading and swimming
in sometimes deep water, and parents are responsible for all risks to their
children.
Please meet at the Leeds Highway 78 gravel
parking lot no later than 10:15 a.m.
We plan to depart promptly from there at 10:30 a.m. Arriving 15 minutes before departure time
will allow time to use the restrooms at the service station, hear announcements
concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the parking lot. If you are not at the meeting place at the
designated departure time, you will be on your own at the tube float. Please
be on time ready to go at the meeting place!
Please eat breakfast before you arrive at the meeting place,
and come with a full tank of gas if you intend to drive.
After the tube float and depending
on the time we finish, we may go to a restaurant in Oxford for an optional
dinner. If you would like to wash up
and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the tube float, please bring
a change of clothes and a towel.
Outfitter has a Porta Potty where you can change. Better than that, hot showers are available
for $5.00 at a truck stop by Interstate 20.
If you would like to shower, wash up and/or have dinner with us at the
restaurant after the tube float, please bring a change of clothes and your
shower things.
Reservations Required: You must email seoutings@bellsouth.net or call
Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this outing. Please advise your name and telephone
number. You may leave a message on
Dan’s answering machine or voice mail if you wish. If you are also making a reservation for someone else coming with
you, please give the NAME of that person.
Don’t just say, “My daughter, my friend, my wife”.
If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel,
please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to
cancel!!
Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without
making advance reservations! And if you
decide to meet us at some place other than the meeting place specified in this
announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outings listed
above are suitable for beginner/novice canoeists and kayakers, but each
beginner canoeist must paddle with an experienced canoeist. Life jackets are required and must be
worn. You are responsible for finding
your own boat. Bring your own boat,
borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent from the outfitter listed for that
trip.
Two people just showed up for a
river trip we had in 2015 without notifying the leader that they were
coming. This created considerable
confusion and delay. The outfitter had
to make a second trip from the put in back to his office and bring two more
boats to the put in because the total number of people who showed up that
morning was two more than the number which the leader had given to the
outfitter the day before. If you plan to participate in this trip,
please be sure you make a reservation with the trip leader in advance.
Please bring in the boat your
picnic lunch, something to drink, and a towel. Put your belongings in a
waterproof dry bag in the boat. Wear
old shoes you don’t mind getting wet (old sneakers work well). Also bring at least 6 feet of sturdy cord to
tie up your boat. If you have further
questions, please call the trip leader.
When you make your reservation
with the trip leader, please be absolutely certain to provide ALL of the following
information:
1.
Whether you want to kayak or canoe
2.
Whether you are renting a kayak from the outfitter or
bringing your own boat
3.
Your name
4.
Your telephone number or email address
5. If you are also making a reservation for someone else coming
with you, please give the NAME of that person.
Don’t just say, “My daughter, my friend, my wife”.
6.
If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.
7.
If you have already selected a canoe partner and you are
making a reservation for your partner, too, please give the name and skill
level of your partner.
8. Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place
without making an advance reservation!!
9. And if you have made a reservation to participate and
then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip
leader at least two hours before the departure time from the meeting place. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to
cancel!!