Sometimes we look at sights in nature but don't really see. While hiking in the woods the other day, it became a realization that we need to open our heart and eyes to see the beauty of the simple things in nature with each season. There is so much order and purpose in His creation. God has given us awesome beauty in this world to see and enjoy... if we would but stop to see and feel it. Join us as this blog is about stopping to see the real beauty around us...to touch and feel it... "Through the Lens".

Our Friends

Friday, November 24, 2017

River Boat Ride

Gerri and I have so much enjoyed all the things we have done and places we have been while at the Escapees Park...Rainbow Plantation in lower Alabama.  We have been on the go every day and taken it all in.  At a Sunday ice cream social at the clubhouse, a gentleman named Jay announced that he would give boat rides along the Fish or Magnolia River for a minimum fee.  The monies from this boat ride would all be given to the Memorial Gardens at Rainbow.  So for Jay, that means he is donating his time and costs for fuel etc. at his own expense.  Jay has been coming to Rainbow every year for at least 8 year if not longer.  He was a fishing guide in Illinois before he fully retired and now he spends a lot of his time on the river fishing and just boating in the river.                      
We came out of the boat ramp area into the river
Gerri and I decided it would be fun to go on this boat ride so we booked up an afternoon slot and the boating trip ended up being a 2 hour outing along the river.        
I would like to share with you in pictures some of our boat ride.  We ended up going into some back water river and seeing some really neat sites and pelicans and other water fowl.

       As we went further into back chanel waters, we were able to capture some water fowl in their natural habitat.  
           
     
This Comorant is a little blurred but still a fun capture
As we floated along, Jay noticed an Osprey way up in a tree, so he turned his motor off and set the trolling motor on and we kind of coasted toward the tree where the Osprey was.  I got my zoom lens out and tried to capture him on camera.
Notice the fish he has his talons around


   After we were able to get some pretty good pics, we moved on down the water and came across some other interesting scenery.
   
An old falling apart boat dock as a result of a previous hurricane
According to Jay, a man had been building this boat and just stopped and the remains lie in the water

For some of the people living on the river, the mailman has a very fun route delivering the mail.  I don't think this mailman uses the traditional mail truck. 

     As we got back into the river toward the bay area, we noticed several pelicans.

           




Our afternoon boat ride took us into backwater channels and it was so peaceful and quiet as the only way to some of the waters was by boat only.  We greatly enjoyed our 2 hour ride/float and were very grateful to Jay for taking his time to give us such a wonderful experience.

11 comments:

  1. It is so interesting touring the rivers and the swamps in the south, a whole new world, glad you had a great time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for y0ur comments. Yes it is interesting to go touring the rivers and back channels of the waters where you see nature un-interupted.

      Delete
  2. What a marvelous experience you all had along that peaceful river. You captured some great pictures of the water birds..... I love the Osprey one eating that big fish. NEAT!!

    My son's father-in-law (a doctor) lived in Texas --and loved to fish. Before he died, he owned a little what they called a 'fish camp' along one of the backwater channels---far away from most all habitation except for the wildlife....He even built a tiny little overnight cabin of sorts down there. I got to go there once --and loved that area. Just getting away from the craziness of life has to be marvelous!!!!!

    Thanks for sharing, Mike, and for bringing back great memories for me...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments. It ws nice taking the boat trip into the quiet peaceful natural part of the river/channel. Interesting story of your sons's father in law and your trip into the back channels of the river where you are away from the craziness of life. It is always a good time to reflect and to re-affirm within yourself the fact that God is in control. Gerri and I are glad it triggered those good memories with you.We enjoy taking pictures and we still have a lot to learn but are having fun with it.

      Delete
  3. That sounds like a fun and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. You got a nice shot of the blue heron in flight; and your osprey shots, especially the last one, are marvelous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comments. It was a very relaxing boat trip and far from the maddening crowd...peaceful, quiet and in nature. I have fun with my camera, but I still have a lot to learn.

      Delete
  4. Wonderful scenes. This sounds like so much fun.Great shots of the Osprey and other birds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments. It was a lot of fun and a very quiet peaceful boat trip into nature. It was neat seeing the Osprey in though he was way up in the tree.

      Delete
  5. Ice cream social and boat ride. Very enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Boat ride was awesome and it was nice going into the backwaters of the channels.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great scenery! Looked like a relaxing ride!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking your time to read our blog and to share with us your thoughts and comments. We really do appreciate hearing from you.