Day 23: Another portage to Lake Jordan

On Sunday, Richard woke up around 6:00 and ate breakfast, then set out to scout out the portage route around Mitchell dam. On the initial scouting trip, he met a gentleman, John Hayes, who owns JJ’s lounge right there at the boat ramp just below the dam.

Donna and Richard went back up to Lake Mitchell to figure out the best option for a take out point before reaching the dam to begin his portage. They found that Blue Creek Marina was the best option. Richard stopped at the marina to make sure it would be okay for him to take out there for his portage. During his visit, he met Frederick, an employee at the marina. Frederick told him that he could take out at their facility and he added that Bo, the owner of the marina would probably be in by the time he arrived in his kayak at the marina. After planning the portage, Donna dropped Richard off at Higgins Ferry park, where he stopped the night before.

On his paddle back down to Blue Creek Marina, a boat passed and he was surprised to see his sister onboard. While he was paddling, Donna had returned to the marina to wait on him and she met Bo, the owner of the marina. She introduced herself and told him about Richard’s trip. A few minutes later, Bo told Donna that he had to run home to pick up something that he needed – his house was on the lake. He asked her if she’d like to go along with him in his boat. She agreed and on their way to Bo’s house, they passed Richard on the lake, paddling toward the marina. They stopped to say a quick hello and to tell him that they would be back shortly. Richard padded on until he completed the 5 miles from Higgins Ferry Park down to Blue Creek Marina.

After Donna and Bo returned to Blue Creek marina, they stayed to visit with Bo for a few minutes and then they were off to portage around the dam. They planned to put-in at JJ’s lounge just below the dam. Before leaving for Atlanta, Donna joined Richard on a nearby dock for a lunch of Cheetos and bologna sandwiches complete with glasses of iced tea. Around 2:40, Richard said goodbye to his sister and continued his paddle on Lake Jordan. Before going downstream, he paddled upstream to take some pictures of a huge bridge over the lake. The bridge is where Hwy 22 crosses over the lake and the bridge is about 200 feet above the water level.

He described this lake as narrow, very similar to Lake Mitchell. Lake Jordan is also down in a rock valley. He paddled for 11 miles on Lake Jordan before finding an old ferry landing where he stopped for he night around 6:00PM. Once he stopped at the landing, he met a guy who was bulldozing some land nearby. His name was James Brown and he works for a gentleman named Ronnie Smith. Ronnie is building some condominiums along the lake in the area. Richard will portage Jordan dam on Monday with the help of Alabama power. He was excited to tell me that he is a little over halfway through his trip – about 425 miles. He is still expecting to arrive in Mobile around the first week of November.