CANCELED:
AUGUST 2, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Flint River near Brownsboro, Alabama
Click for more pixDetails: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fifth group trip on the Flint River. This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area. This stretch is fairly easy and without classified rapids. Along the river we’ll see wildflowers and stop to investigate islands and beaches.
Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each novice canoeist must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe.
The outfitter, TGL Adventures, has for rent 1 tandem canoe, 50 new one-person sit-upon kayaks, 6 tandem kayaks and 6 sit in solo kayaks.
We thank SEO member Wendy Plash for observing the signs for this outfitter while she was kayaking on the Flint River and then referring us to TGL Adventures.
Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:
1. solo kayaks (both sit-upon and sit-in) each $40
2. tandem (2-person) canoes $60 each
3. tandem sit upon kayaks $60 each
4. shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $15
Life jackets, paddles and shuttle fee are included in the rental boat fee for those who rent boats from the outfitter. Also, the outfitter will shuttle for a fee all private boats used on this outing. If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the take out back to the outfitter’s office 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.
When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then we’ll put in the river at the outfitter’s. We will then paddle down the river to the take out, stopping as often as we want to. The outfitter’s vehicles will meet us at the take out and transport us and our boats back to the outfitter’s office where our cars are.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 10 and over welcome.
After the canoe and kayak trip we are going to a nearby restaurant for an optional dinner. If you would like to wear dry clothes for the drive home or to go to dinner, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. The outfitter has changing rooms. There is a shower you can use in one of the changing rooms.
Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205/631-4680 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 the August 2 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY the trip leader and notify him that you are coming! Dan will inform the outfitter how many and what type of rental boats he will need to provide to SEO people for this trip. Also, 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.
Please do not just show up for this outing without making advance reservations! Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Jack’s at Exit 284 off of I-65 North of Birmingham. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.
Information and Trip Leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this trip, please email Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680.
AUGUST 9, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Beach Walk, Swim and Picnic at Barton’s Beach in Perry County, Alabama
Details: Barton’s Beach, the largest sand and gravel beach on the entire Cahaba River, is a property owned by the Alabama Nature Conservancy. It is indeed a beautiful sight to behold! Enjoy a beach gathering on this scenic, fine-grained sand beach in Marion, Alabama. The scenery is spectacular. The floodplain broadens and creates areas of bottomland hardwood forests, oxbow lakes and extensive sand and gravel bars.
Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:
You can float on the river from the upper end of the beach to the lower end of the beach and then carry your float and walk on the beach back up to the upper end and repeat that real fun experience as many times as you like during the day. You may bring whatever flotation device you wish on this outing. To pump up your float at the beach Dan will bring a float air pump to the beach. See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices.
Please bring with you your swimsuit, towel, picnic lunch and water, soft drink or fruit juice to drink. Wading shoes with substantial soles are recommended. A change of clothes (dry underwear also advised) to be left in the car while you are at the beach is also recommended if you would like to wear dry clothes for the drive home and/or to go out to dinner with us.
A restroom is available at Perry Lakes County Park where we’ll park our cars.
The 1/2-mile walk from the Perry Lakes Park parking lot to Barton’s Beach is easy since the terrain is level and the walk is all on trails. Interpretive nature trails (fire lanes and primitive paths) make walking through the woods fairly easy and fun. The two properties adjoin each other so we can walk readily back and forth between them.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to swim are welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children. All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!
Depending on the time we leave the beach, we are likely to go for an optional dinner after the outing is concluded.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Reservations not Required
However, if you have questions or would like additional information concerning this outing, please contact the trip leader.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
MacDonald’s Galleria-1731 Montgomery Highway, Hoover, AL 35244. Parking lot behind the McDonald’s Restaurant across U.S. 31 from the main entrance to the Riverchase Galleria Shopping Mall.
Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats with a canvas-like covering like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf of Mexico work best. Trip leader Dan Frederick now has 72-inch-long floats for sale for $23 each and 60-inch-long floats for sale for $15 each ONLY at the start of the river floats. Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO. First come, first served.
Dan will provide hand float pumps to pump up your float at the beach.
AUGUST 16, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Easy River Float
Float Location: Locust Fork River from the Church Street Bridge in Warrior to the U.S. Highway 31 Bridge in Kimberly.
Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river about 2.5 miles downstream, stopping to get in the water at river beaches along the way.
Note-To view photos of a similar river float on a nearby section of the Locust Fork River, please click on this link:
https://goo.gl/photos/czYHoPheUxfm7TDa9
Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.
Please bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float. See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices. Dan will bring float air pumps to the put in so you can inflate your floatation device just before you begin the float.
Please bring a picnic lunch with you. Also please bring your drink, towel and sunscreen. Pack these items in 2 plastic garbage bags with twist ties, one bag over the other. Then put the bags in your daypack, and tie your pack to your float. This keeps your things dry and prevents them from floating away. Wear swimsuit and sturdy foot protection. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons, sandals and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
Lunch will be at a convenient stopping place along the river. Have fun and cool off swimming in the river as we float down it. For this river float both the put in and the take out are a very short walk from the edge of the river, so there will be very little walking in the heat involved! We will provide a shuttle for vehicle drivers from the end point back to the start point before we start paddling. You must be able to swim to participate in this outing!
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and up able to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Please bring a friend or several if you wish. Please meet in the parking lot at the McDonald’s Restaurant/Exxon Service Station, 300 Cane Creek Road in Warrior at the I-65 Exit 282 no later than 9:45 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 10:00 a.m. Arriving 15 minutes before departure time will allow time to use the restrooms, hear announcements concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the McDonald’s.
Please note that reservations are NOT required for this event! However, if you have questions or would like additional information concerning this outing, please contact the trip leader.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or 205/631-4680
River Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf of Mexico work best. Trip leader Dan Frederick has 72-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $23 each. He also has 60-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $15 each. These floats are available ONLY at the start of the river floats. Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO. First come, first served.
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
McDonald’s Warrior- McDonald’s Restaurant/Exxon Service Station, 300 Cane Creek Road, Warrior, AL 35180, at the I-65 Exit 282. Coming from Birmingham exit #282 off I-65 North. At end of exit ramp turn right on Cane Creek Road. See the McDonald’s Restaurant on the right on Cane Creek Road immediately after you turn right onto Cane Creek Road.
AUGUST 23, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Chattooga River near Gaylesville, Alabama
Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fifth group trip on the Chattooga River. Seventeen Southeastern Outings people participated in our kayak and canoe trip on the Chattooga River on June 23, 2023 and fourteen SEO people participated in our trip there on September 30, 2023.
This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area. This stretch is fairly easy and without classified rapids. Along the river we’ll see wildflowers and stop to swim and investigate islands and beaches.
Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QjLtZDiiFGJHWUof7
Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.
Please note that for this trip you may rent plastic kayaks and paddles from Tooga Yaks.
Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:
1. solo sit-upon kayaks each $30. Kayak rental fee includes rent of the kayak, life jacket and paddles.
2. shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $10
Please note that the outfitter has for rent about 70 one-person sit-upon kayaks.
The outfitter takes most all types of payment including cash, credit/debit cards, Venmo, cash app and checks.
This outfitter does not have canoes to rent.
However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, currently has canoes which she is offering to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. The charge for renting a canoe from Aree is $40 per boat. Southeastern Outings will pay the $10 per boat shuttle service fee for people renting canoes from Aree. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE August 23 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request.
Rental fees include paddles, life jackets and shuttle service. If you rent a kayak from this outfitter, the outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the outfitter’s office to the put in 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 a fee to shuttle your privately-owned boat used on this outing.
All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!
When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, and use the restrooms. Then the outfitter will transport all our people and our boats, both rented and owned, to the put in. We will then paddle down the river to the take out, stopping as often as we want to. We will take out at the outfitter’s place where our cars are.
For more general information please see note for canoe trips below.
We plan to go for an optional dinner on the way back to Birmingham. Our outfitter has recommended a good place near his office, 10-15 minutes away, in Cedar Bluff. It’s called Smorgasbord at the Cove. It’s located on Weiss Lake and serves a variety of food such as steak, pasta, shrimp, southern cuisine, and homemade desserts.
If you would like to shower and/or wear dry clothes for the drive home and/or in order to go to dinner with us, please bring your shower things and/or a change of clothes to be kept in the car while you are paddling. You may change clothes and/or shower in the outfitter’s exceptionally clean, spacious restrooms complete with toilets, washbowls, running water, hot showers, and plenty of floor space.
Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe trip. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.
Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! And please advise Dan if you plan to meet the group initially at the outfitter’s instead of at the designated Birmingham Area meeting place.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.
Information and Trip Leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this kayak and canoe trip, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com.
Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips
The kayak and canoe outing listed in the announcement above is suitable for beginner/novice canoeists and kayakers, but each beginner canoeist must paddle with an experienced canoeist. Life jackets or personal flotation devices are required and must be worn. Bring your own boat, borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent a boat from the outfitter(s) listed.
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, thick-soled 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 don’t already have cord attached to your own 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:
- Whether you want to kayak or canoe
- Whether you are renting a boat and what kind or bringing your own boat (please specify kayak or canoe)
- Your name
- Your telephone number and/or email address
- 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 are canoeing, please give your skill level.
- 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.
- Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place for a kayak and canoe trip without making an advance reservation!!
- If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!
- If you have made a reservation for a friend whom you have invited to come on this trip and your friend is not coming, you must notify the leader of this cancellation 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time! No-shows cause considerable logistical complications for the leader and for the outfitter!
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
Applebee’s Restaurant Trussville (coming from Birmingham)—4711 Norrell Drive, Trussville, AL 35173. Take I-59 North to Exit #141 (Chalkville Mountain Road Exit). Exit I-59 at Exit #141. Drive to traffic light at far end of interstate exit ramp. This is at intersection of the exit ramp and Chalkville Mountain Road. Turn right at the traffic light at the far end of exit ramp. Drive to first road you come to on the left when you are on Chalkville Mountain Road. This is immediately after you pass a Texaco gas station on your left and a Shell gas station on your right. Turn left there onto Norrell Drive. Applebee’s Restaurant is on Norrell Drive directly behind the McDonald’s which faces Chalkville Mountain Road at the far left corner of that intersection. There is no longer a stoplight at this intersection.
AUGUST 30, SATURDAY, Meet 9:15 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Easy River Float
Float Location: Locust Fork River from near River Road to the Mount Olive Road Bridge
Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river about 3.8 miles downstream to the new Mount Olive Road Bridge possibly stopping at river beaches along the way. Bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float or tube. See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices.
Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nrWARWW4Wpajyh936
Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.
Please bring a picnic lunch with you from home or pick your lunch up BEFORE you arrive at the meeting place. Please do not make lots of people wait while you take time to buy lunch or have your lunch prepared after you arrive at the meeting place at 9:15 a.m. Also please bring your drink, towel and sunscreen. Pack these items in 2 plastic garbage bags with twist ties, one bag over the other. Then put the bags in your daypack and tie your pack to your float. This keeps your things dry and prevents them from floating away. Wear swimsuit and sturdy foot protection. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons, sandals and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable!
Lunch will be at a convenient stopping place along the river. Have fun swimming in the pools in the river along the way. We will walk for about 15-20 minutes through the woods to get from River Road to the start point of our float. We will provide a shuttle for drivers from the end point back to the start point before we start floating. You must be able to swim to participate in this outing!
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and up able to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.
Spring floats 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 River. They are difficult to steer and therefore unsafe for use on Southeastern Outings river floats.
Please bring a friend or several if you wish. Please meet at the Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot no later than 9:15 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 9:30 a.m. Arriving 15 minutes before departure time will allow time to use the restrooms in the Wal-Mart, purchase a float from Southeastern Outings if you want to buy one, hear announcements concerning the day’s event, and form carpools from the Wal-Mart.
Please note that reservations are NOT requested or required for this event! However, if you have questions or would like additional information concerning this outing, please contact the trip leader.
Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680
River Float Note
Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf of Mexico work best. Trip leader Dan Frederick has 72-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $23 each. He also has 60-inch-long inflatable floats for sale for $15 each. These floats are available ONLY at the start of the river floats. Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO. First come, first served.
DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE
Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot-890 Odum Road, Gardendale, Alabama. Take I-65 North 9.5 miles from junction of I-65 and I-59/I-20 to exit number 271, Fieldstown Road. Bear right at end of ramp and drive 3/10 miles to first traffic light at intersection of Fieldstown Road and Odum Road. Turn right on Odum Road and drive 3/10 miles. Turn left just past the Murphy’s gas station. Then see the Wal-Mart Supercenter set far back from the road. Southeastern Outings people will convene in the Wal-Mart parking lot away from the store itself and out close to the edge of the parking lot near Odum Road.
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