Searching for Salt Creek // Shell Bluff Park Bunnell Florida // Kayaking Crescent Lake
We knew this might be our last paddle with friends for quite awhile, so we headed somewhere new, to Shell Bluff Park in Bunnell, Florida on Crescent Lake. After unloading the kayaks, we headed North to find Salt Creek. While we did not find it, we did enjoy a terrific paddle with eagles and osprey crying overhead, and alligators sliding off logs.
Shell Bluff Park
Shell Bluff Park at 143331 West State Road 100 in Bunnell, Florida. The Shell Bluff Park is located in the Andalusia community just east of the Putnam County line.
This 60-acre park features fishing, a floating dock, playground, hiking trail, picnic pavilions, restrooms, and a boat launching facility on Crescent Lake.
Flagler County purchased the property using Environmentally Sensitive Land funds. When purchased, the Crescent Lake-front park was the first property added to the county’s list of preserved lands.
Last Chance to Get Together for Awhile
For a calm, quiet paddle, we set out with friends to explore the Shell Bluff Park area and find Salt Creek.
Looking for Salt Creek
We began at the Crescent Lake Launch Ramp, and paddled North along the Andalusia Trail. While we never found Salt Creek, we did hear plenty of osprey and eagle.
The unique sound cypress roots and trunks make when waves are caught under them rang out in rhythm with our paddle strokes.
Upwind or Downwind
On this adventure, we learned to trust our instincts and paddle upwind for the first leg, then enjoy a downwind leg on the way back. In several places, the depth along the shore surprised us with how shallow it is.
The water was so smooth until later in the day when the wind picked up and a small chop developed.
Incredible Beauty
Cypress trees make the most unusual noise when the smallest waves from boats passing by or even our kayak paddles reach them. Thunk, thunk, thunk.
They sound like a musical instrument with different tones coming from the different depths of caverns in their echoey hollowed-out trunks.
Alligators and turtles sunned themselves on fallen tree trunks, and slid into the water as we quietly slipped past.
Passenger or Stowaway?
While we paddled, I came across a lizard struggling in the water. It took a few tries to scoop “him” up and get him on the kayak. First he sat on one of the hatch covers. Then, he crawled up and hung out in the shade of my bandana.
What to Read and Watch Next
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Don’t Bring Toxic Sunscreen
But you can bring reef-safe Sunscreen that’s safe for water, marine life, and for humans! Stream2Sea have the only reef-safe sunscreen tested on fish. Plus, it comes in biodegradable sugar cane resin containers, so it’s a double win for us and the environment.
No matter where you plan to dive, whatever you put on your body will eventually find its way into a waterway, river, lake, stream, or ocean.Paragraph
Here’s an easy way to do your part in saving our oceans. Do your research! Then order reef-safe mask defog, sunscreen and hair products at Stream2Sea.com, use my code “KimW” for 10% off. AD: affiliate links used.
Being Prepared
We carry our own First Aid Kits with us every time we go ashore. Also, with most boats not having any requirement to carry First Aid Kits, we believe it is worth it to go to the trouble of bringing our own. One of the benefits of bringing our own is familiarity with the contents.
The Boat Medic First Aid Kit shown above is housed in a waterproof, crush-proof container; very desirable on a boat. For 10% off at MyMedic, use the link here to save yourself just a bit as a reward for thinking safety first.
Great Training Resource
My First Aid and CPR annual course simply did not have enough depth and breadth for all our outdoor activities. So, I highly recommend the Tactical Casualty Care online course from Crisis Medicine. In fact, I learned so much from the training, that I have been writing a lot about the topics and the training, hoping outdoor enthusiasts will take seriously the need for some self-sufficiency training.
For courses through Crisis Medicine, I’m able to offer you a 20% discount; just use my code, “DeepWH” at checkout for the TC2 course.
