Tues, Feb 25-Paddle Gambel Creek off the Manatee River

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/c/e/0/600_327528352.jpeg

We paddled here in January on a Sunday and there have been requests to repeat it on a non-Sunday. I LOVED this paddle and am happy to do it again next month.

Gambel Creek is a beautiful creek. We'll paddle up the creek as far as we can and then paddle below the launch point in the creek, aiming for a total of about 7 miles on the water, with one short break.

Volunteers from Manatee County have cleared debris and trees from the creek and it is now an open creek for miles.

Ft. Hamer is a very short distance down Ft Hamer Rd, past Mulholland Rd, if you need an indoor restroom before the paddle. Otherwise, there are many trees down the road from our launch.

As is true of all paddles with this group, this is for experienced and energetic kayakers. No guests on paddles. We'll be in the water and moving by 10:00.

If high wind is forecast, we will be in a sheltered creek and unaffected.

DIRECTIONS: From I-75, take Exit 224 onto Hwy. 301 North...the ramp at the left. Drive about two miles to a traffic light and turn right (east) onto Old Tampa Rd. There is a CVS diagonally across the road. Drive east on Old Tampa Rd for about 3.5 miles to a stop sign at Ft. Hamer Rd. Turn right (south) on Ft Hamer Rd, go just under 1 mile, passing the Annie Lucy Williams Elementary school on the left. Turn left on Mulholland Rd. and drive about 1.5 mile where the road stops looking open and "developed" to where the trees start overhanging the road. If you get to the end of the road, which ends at a bridge, backtrack about 500 feet.

The launch is on the left side of the road, with parking all along the road. Pictured above is the sandy "beach" from which we launch.

The address for your GPS is probably closer to 14900 Mulholland. Google makes it 15000.