Glasswort

 I set out with S from near the sea while the tide is just peaking.  There is a 10 mph wind to push us around but the sky is mostly clear with just enough clouds to give it some photographic punch.  There were quite a few cars with roof racks at the put-in. This is a tip off that there is a kayak club somewhere ahead of us and while I don't mind other paddlers, large herds of them with their constant neighing and mooing are to be avoided.  I really don't understand why people go to wild places in big groups.

So, we head up the Neck River and into Bailey Creek.  With the high tide the small passages that most people can't imagine to exist are passable.  S gets a lot of good practice using her draw stroke to pull the bow into the wind and around tight corners.  She is so light that the canoe doesn't trim very well and the bow often catches the wind.  We make one brief stop so that S can get out and look closely at some glasswort, a plant I've told her about but that she's not noticed in person.   

We head into the Long Cut.  It is a good place to see ducks, but today there are none at all.  We scare up a couple Great Blue Herons and spot one Osprey as we head there.  We will only spot 2 Osprey for the day, so they are continuing to migrate out.  S likes the Long Cut.  In places it is half a canoe or more in width, in others the spartina rubs on the side of the canoe.  When we get near the end of it she opts for heading into the Sneak.  The Sneak and the Long Cut meet without having to go out in the main river.  In fact, I found the Long Cut by missing the turn into the Sneak. 

Entering the Long Cut

Back at Bailey Creek we flush a pair of Teal.  Then we paddle downstream occasionally wrestling with the wind.