Photo of the day

[Tsuga8]

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Snapping turtle coming out of a flooding creek today heading for a pond up the hill.

It's breeding/nesting season

 

[Punkinhead]

Big Cicero Creek, Indiana. Sometimes a delightful paddle is just down the road.

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I used to live within a stone's throw of Morse Lake and always wanted to run the section of Cicero Creek from below the spillway to where it meets the White River but water level and my schedule never aligned.

 

[Tryin']

I used to live within a stone's throw of Morse Lake and always wanted to run the section of Cicero Creek from below the spillway to where it meets the White River but water level and my schedule never aligned.

We are hoping to do that section in the next couple weeks!

 

[Punkinhead]

We are hoping to do that section in the next couple weeks!

I'd love to see some pictures if you end up doing it. I'm about an hour away now but still have it on my bucket list. You're probably aware, but there is a path to the bottom of the spillway off Albemarle Circle although I don't think you'd be able to leave a shuttle vehicle there since it's a cul-de-sac. I've seen people park on Hague road just north of 38 to use the walking paths so that would be another put-in option. Or the park on Hague road south of 38. But I've always wanted to start right from the spillway.

 

[Erica]

La Sélune Rivière estuary, flowing into the bay of Mont Saint Michel.



European Cliff Swallows dig holes in the banks for nests. I’m pretty sure the dark smudges are flying birds.

 

[kona]

Enjoying a new to me Blackhawk Zephyr, which came from a fellow board member and friend. also enjoying this Ibis paddle, number 115. Not sure when that would have been made, but curious. These two are a nice pairing, well suited to my evening paddles on local lakes.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

also enjoying this Ibis paddle, number 115. Not sure when that would have been made, but curious.

Eric Schooley of Florida made Lutra paddles under his business name, Ibis Paddles. Kona, I don't know if your pictured paddle is a Lutra or some other model that Schooley may have made under the Ibis name, but I'll summarize some of the history of the Lutra.

The Lutra paddle is a large-bladed paddle with shaft bends of 2.5° to 15° and a curved power face. Hence, it was commonly called the S-blade by the early sport canoe community in the 1980s. Mike Galt designed the Lutra based off Mickey Landry's Honey Island paddle that was made by the Blackburn brothers of Atlanta. Blackburn was the first maker of the Lutra. Galt then licensed Eric Schooley to make the Lutra, about in the late 80s as I recall, and finally licensed Mitchell to make the Lutra, with Galt's signature, in probably the early 90s.

In 2019, I detailed the history of the Lutra with pictures of it and the earlier Honey Island paddle on another site HERE.

 

[stevet]

Eric made stunningly beautiful bent shaft S blades. Sold mine for a song to CEW years ago and even though I didn’t use it much have regrets… would love it if anyone has one, and would post a picture.