Trad Gang

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From this angle it seems like a ridiculous amount of stuff for four guys to pack on a three day kayak adventure.  Actually, I looked at it from several angles and trust me, it looks ridiculous all the way around.  I mean, who packs a dutch oven in a kayak?  And folding chairs?  Come on!

But Hey, Jack! This is the Tradgang St. Jude's Kayak trip and we are going to be well fed and comfortable.  

Whip and Tippit will be here later today and we will hit the water Friday morning.  We will be eco-touring on the Silver and Ocklawaha Rivers with a side of fishing and bowfishing thrown in for good measure.  I have really looked forward to this trip.

Wish us good weather, and a safe journey.  I'll post a full account the first of the week.

I must admit I am quite jealous. I wish I could be there.

This is gonna be good!   :campfire:

Nice.  Enjoy and here's hoping for fine weather and good fishing.

If you're going to pack like that, you need to change to canoes  ;)

Lordy.... are the Kayak's the size of a Tugboat ??   :thumbsup:  

Have a ball !!

Froggy

:campfire:  

Have a fun and safe trip!

  :coffee:

:biglaugh:  

It is not nearly as bad as it looks!  It's mostly couch, really.    ;)  

Heading to work and then to pick up the guys in Orlando.

Wish you were going to be here too, Randy!  

Wish all you guys could come.

I bet this will be an adventure!

Have fun guys!

I'll be watrching for the recap.

Bisch

Should be great fishing.  Y'all have fun guys

QuoteOriginally posted by Froggy:
Lordy.... are the Kayak's the size of a Tugboat ??    :thumbsup:  

Have a ball !!

Froggy

Are you referencing the gear or the need to carry my big rear end?  Either way, I hope those things are ready for some serious ballast!  

Looking forward to this adventure!!

Our fountain was frozen this morning. Needless to say, I'm jealous.

I've been on long trips in a canoe and even though it may seem like you have too much stuff, you'll find out that it's better to have an not need than need and not have.  ;)  Keep us posted on your adventures!

My brother and I have been making plans for a 2 day kayak fishing trip, later this year.
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Bowhunter57

:thumbsup:  Looks to be a great time!

The gear Whip..... only the gear !! Lol

Joe and Jeff
Number one Southern Backcountry Wilderness Paddler tip:

If you hear banjo music, paddle faster!

Looks like no problem Joe it has training wheels!

You're gonna need a barge for all that stuff  :)  Nothing like roughing it!

Don't get those Yankee boys hurt none. We got birds to kill in NE coming up. Have fun!!!

Have a great trip guys!!! I have fell in love with those yaks.RC

Niiiiiiice! Y'all have fun and if your lucky Greg will let you sport his mink. He got swag like that.

Have a great time! Look forward to the pictures.

Oh, unless it's on the other side of that mountain of gear it looks like you may be forgetting the kitchen sink!

Ya'll have a good time! That is one pretty stretch of river!

QuoteOriginally posted by Duckbutt:
Joe and Jeff
Number one Southern Backcountry Wilderness Paddler tip:

If you hear banjo music, paddle faster!

:saywhat:

i hope you guys have a blast!  Good luck and be safe!  :wavey:

Just saw that picture from Orlando airport!  I'd better fly back to Aiken and drive my 18' Panga skiff down to help barg all the gear  :)

I'll be watching this one.

You going to wear "TheHat"?

I hope you guys have a great time.    :campfire:

Hey Joe, I hear there is a tornado watch in Florida.  You are a cursed man!   :dunno:

I think that if yea hear banjo music it's most likely already too late......or if your lucky a bluegrass festival is right around the next bend....

Have fun guys and be safe.  Greg keep the Otter Fedora dry.  Ha Ha.

QuoteOriginally posted by awbowman:
Hey Joe, I hear there is a tornado watch in Florida.  You are a cursed man!    :dunno:  

No doubt!  It hasn't rained here in a month!  Joe and Jeff show up and the sky is clouds roll in!  I might have to take the otter fedora for luck!  Everything is on the trailer and the kids are tucked in.  Good night johnboy.

Gregg will show you guys a good time! If yall get in a bind and need rescue give me a call..I live in NE Ocala not far from the river..we can stack the Yaks in my boat.. There should be a few Gar and Mullet to shoot at in the River..   (http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/Robertfishes/carolinaskiff238.jpg) (http://s596.photobucket.com/user/Robertfishes/media/carolinaskiff238.jpg.html)

Now this is a trip I wish I was going on ... great bunch of guys !! I better grease up my bidding button for next time if Gregg is soooo generous to donate this adventure again !

Hey Jeff and Joe I just figured out I think ya'll are the reincarinated Bing Crosby and Bob Hope road to Louisiana and road to Florida coming to a movie screen near you.
Enjoy guys I can only hope some day soon.Kip  :wavey:

Can' wait to see pictures.
Kip, it's not much, but I can take you on a pirogue tour of the Bayou teche if you come south.    :D

That is a lot of gear for a kayak trip. Gregg must have the queen Mary model. Have fun.

I have been looking forward to this.

I worked for a Wilderness Educational Program for 30 years.  The first rule when dropping off a group on the river was the driver had to stay until the group paddled off.  Often the group would send stuff back to camp to prevent sinking.  :)   :)   Ya'll have fun.

WHOA!  This looks to be real excitin'!

Lookin' forward to the fishin' report and ALL of the war stories!

  :campfire:  

Shoot straight, Shinken

  :archer2:

Well we are back and we had a fantastic trip!  I'll start the story tellin' briefly tonight, but probably won't be completely finished for a couple of days.  I had an absolutely fabulous time with Joe (Whip)and Jeff (Tippit). These guys are first class and would make a welcome addition to any adventure.

From the moment that I picked them up at the airport on Thursday evening I knew that I was in for a treat.  I had had the pleasure of spending some time with Joe last summer in Wisconsin, but this was the first opportunity that I had to meet Jeff.

Because of their reputation for bringing record floods with them wherever they go I was worried about the weather forecast.  As a measure of good luck, I wore my lucky St Jude's Otter Skin hat to breakfast Friday morning.  As it turned out that was a good move becasue we were blessed with wonderful weather all weekend.

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Left to right:  My son, Reed, me, my Dad (who graciously dropped us off and retreived us from the trip, my friend Jim Wohrley, Joe, and Jeff.

We loaded up the Suburban and trailer with gear and guys and headed to the river for an early start on Friday.

Here is a picture of Jeff and Joe prior to hitting the river:

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Cool! Looking forward to this...

Here is the entire group prior to shoving off:

Left to right:  Joe, Jim Wohrley, me, Reed, Jeff

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QuoteOriginally posted by 7 Lakes:
I worked for a Wilderness Educational Program for 30 years.  The first rule when dropping off a group on the river was the driver had to stay until the group paddled off.  Often the group would send stuff back to camp to prevent sinking.   :)     :)    Ya'll have fun.

Wise words!  :D  We did send a few things back with my Dad!

:campfire:

:campfire:    

This is going to be fun!  BTW, SWEEEET rides and beautiful river!

I'll be keepin tabs on this! Looks like an awesome trip!   :campfire:  

Steve

Is that the put in/swimming area at the state park? Looking forward to this one! A few years back I canoed from SR 40 all the way out to the St Johns. Great trip

Sounds awesome! Can't wait for more.

Bisch

:campfire:

Joe and Jeff should get home today and hopefully they can chime in.  I know they are busier now that they are retired than they were when they worked for a living.  You should have heard all the planning!

Loading pictures....slow...

So you know we didn't pack light.  There's no fishing ont he Silver River so I packed all the fishing rods to start us out.  There are 2 a piece for a total of 8 sticking up out of my boat.  Jim packed his own... More on that later...    

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We hadn't gone real far when we ran into a big old lizard.  Joe took this picture:

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We continued upriver and encountered more wildlife at every bend of the bank.  It was a beautiful morning and the wildlife was out in full force.  

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Joe took this one:

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Finally, we made it to the head springs of the Silver River.  Joe and Jeff were impressed that the river actually started from a mammoth cave opening in the limestone rock below us.  Over 550,000,000 gallons of water a day flow from these springs.


The headwaters is home to Silver Springs, one of Florida's oldest tourist attractions.  Mary Todd Lincoln travelled upriver by steamboat to see the springs, Tarzan, James Bond, Sea Hunt and other movies and shows were filmed there.  In the pre-Disney days this attraction flourished.  Today it is on it's last legs and the state is taking over the property.  I drove glass bottom boats here in the late 80s when I was in college.  In fact, I drove this one, which was waiting for tourists when we got to the headwaters.  There weren't many tourists at all in the park, but I ran into an old boat driver that has been running tours on the river for longer than I have been alive.  I remembered him from when I was there.

Joe took this picture:

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I wanna see some one armed monkey pics!!!

:laughing:  

It wasn't to be, Izzy!  No monkeys on this trip.  They are nomadic and wild and they didn't want any part of Whip and Tippit.

But we did see this little guy.

One of Joe's pic:

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Jeff's pic of Joe taking his pics:

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There are a lot of side springs up near the main one and we meandered around through them at a casual pace.  We had the place completely to ourselves!  The long dark objects in these pictures are bass.

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If I know Joe and Jeff and I know both are in heaven on this trip

This is cool!!!

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Waaaaaaaay cool !!!!!

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Great stuff Guy`s. The water color is beautiful. I`m used to the black water runs here as well as the red clay Ocmulgee.Beautiful pics.RC

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In the afternoon we eased on down the Silver to the Ocklawaha.  Shortly after the two rivers come together we crossed under the bridge on Highway 40.

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A mile downriver we set up camp:

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Wow! that brings back some memories! I road on one of those glass bottom boats in the 70's. Vacationing with my parents!

Beautiful pictures!

Nice pics! I live less than 4 miles from the Silver River and have never taken a picture of it.. I need to get Helen in the boat and make a day trip of it, she's the picture taker..

I am loving this thread and am waaaaaay jealous.  

Keep it up guys.  looking forward to more.

Just keeps getting better

QuoteOriginally posted by Jack Guard:
I am loving this thread and am waaaaaay jealous.  

Keep it up guys.  looking forward to more.

I agree with you, Jack!

Bisch

After a great chicken, tomato and mushroom paella we swapped stories and commented on the lack of mosquitos.  The dry conditions were a mixed blessing.  The river was very low and slow and their was a burn ban in the forest which we respected.  On the other hand I did not get bit by a single mosquito all weekend.

More tomorrow...

QuoteOriginally posted by swampdrummer:
Is that the put in/swimming area at the state park? Looking forward to this one! A few years back I canoed from SR 40 all the way out to the St Johns. Great trip

Right.  We put in at the Silver River State Park, went up river two miles to the head springs and floated back down to the Ocklawaha the first day.

:campfire:

Awesome pics Gregg!  Looks like a great trip.  I can't even pretend those gators don't give me the creeps though.

Great story and pictures, enjoying it. I knew you'd at least put the "Lucky Hat" on a little while.

I am back home temporarily before heading to the cabin turkey hunting this week, so will try to chime in a bit while I can.  

Jeff and I won the bid on this trip two years ago on the St. Jude auction.  It was a very generous offer by Gregg, but unfortunately we weren't able to get our schedules together last year.  Gregg graciously offered to let us carry the trip over to this year, and we finally put it together.  Our timing could not have been any better!  

I left Wisconsin in a cold rain and 36 degree temperatures.  Three hours later I stepped outside the Orlando terminal to 86 degrees.  Nice start!!  

Jeff and I have been on a number of adventures together, and it seems that on many of them some form of weather related freak storm follows in our footsteps. We've endured duststorms and blizzards, tornadoes and 500 year floods.  It had started to make our hosts on these things more than a little nervous.  

As we headed for the river the first morning the forecast was calling for good chances of wind and rain and it seemed our curse was intact.  It's a good thing that weather forecasters are notoriously bad at their jobs, because this time around we ended up with perfect weather for the trip.

Before arriving we both had very high hopes for this adventure and thought it had the makings of a great time.  The way it turned out pretty much blew our expectations right into the stratosphere. It was WAY more than we ever could have dreamed of!  

We combined all of our pictures and Gregg is doing a great job with them, so I will just let him carry on with those since they really tell the story.

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY !!!

Wow!  Just gettin' to see all of those li-zzards would have been terrific along with all of the other beautiful wildlife and fowl!

AND no skeeters!  That is simply unbelievable!

Keep it rollin' Gregg - you're doin' awesome!

  :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:    

Keep the wind in your face!

Shoot straight, Shinken

  :archer2:

:campfire:

I'm back in Aiken but had to make sure all was well with family & friends in Boston before chiming in.  As Joe stated, most people are starting to think twice about allowing us to bid on any more St Judes Trips with our weather record.  The weather for kayaking was forecast with T-storms & wind which would have made for difficult conditions especially for two Rookie Kayakers!  But it turned out perfect...almost  :scared:  More later...tippit

I would suspect that a fly rod is about to be uncased!

Wow awesome pics guys...That is a beautiful river. Do ya'll get to use any bows?  :clapper:

Great pictures!  It looks like an awesome trip!

Fred,
I left my fly rod at home thinking I'd be looking at the bottom of the river with a good double haul  :)   Big mistake, a small fly rod would have worked well as the kayaks were very stable...at least most of them.  More on that later   :readit:  I liked it so much I'm looking for a fishing kayak to take to the Bacon Strip and use for flats fishing around Beaufort & Charleston.  

New addition to the Aiken farm...I just got this kayak hauler & fly fishing rig for a little Southern Style Red fishing.  Really trying to get into this Southern Living. I no longer consider myself a Redneck Rookie...now trying to be Cracker in training!

 (http://images2.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp543%3B%3A%3Enu%3D32%3A4%3E%3B87%3E672%3EWSNRCG%3D38%3A63%3B4%3A7732%3Cnu0mrj)

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Nomad88,
We did have a couple of Greg's bow fishing rigs with us but the area Greg was thinking we'd see some gar was real low.  No good opportunities to bow fish as you'd just see the occasional cruising gar from your kayak.

Great to see friends enjoying such a wonderful adventure! Looking forward to the rest of the story. Good luck Joe with your turkey hunt.

Jeff,

Just think of falling out of one in Florida as a quick dip in the pool to cool off.

Nice "Aiken" rig, but you are going to need to rig it with a few goodies.

I've got GPS & depth finder on it.  I don't want anything else to hang up my fly line...kinda like bow hunting keep it simple for your One String Instruments  :)

Fantastic!!!    Thanks for taking us along....great pics.   :thumbsup:

QuoteOriginally posted by tippit:
I've got GPS & depth finder on it.  I don't want anything else to hang up my fly line...kinda like bow hunting keep it simple for your One String Instruments    :)  

Those SC winds will necessitate a trolling motor and a good anchor system.  After that, you are good to go.

Good horsepower to get out of the weather too.  I LIKE!

Very nice!!!

Looks like a lot of fun........stabow

Looking fwd to these stories and like Jack I'm jealous for sure... I rode in one of those glass bottom boats back in the Spring of 77 Gregg. We spent most of that trip at Daytona Beach.   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Neat pictures. Very pretty there.

Awesome! can't wait for more.

Bisch

BTW, it just ain't fair that y'all didn't have any skeeters!

As I remember it from when the bidding for this trip was going on I think Gregg kind of soft sold it.  I hadn't realized he had been a professional boat capitan on this river!  He knew all the good spots, and the amount of wildlife we saw and were able to get within spittin distance was absolutely incredible!  

When we combined our photos at Gregg's home on Sunday night I think we ended up with 660+ pictures between us.  Most of them by Gregg, and he excels as a photographer as well as a guide.  As is the case most of the time, as beautiful as the pictures are, it is difficult to capture how fantastic it really is in real life.  

I am headed out for turkey hunting the rest of the week.  I will try to follow along on my phone, but might not be able to add much else to the thread myself.  Just make sure he doens't forget to tell you about Scout Junior....

Looks like a very cool trip! And warm  :)

very nice! It's amazing how close you can get to wildlife in a low profile, paddled boat.

I remember visiting manatee springs as a young-in and how cool that spring water was to swim in. Awesome trip, and looking forward to more pics!

:campfire:  there must be more pics to post

Saturday morning we ate breakfast and broke camp to explore the Ocklawaha.  This section of the river is pretty wild and is a favorite spot for local kayakers.  It is hard to navigate by anything larger than a skiff and in fact on this trip you would have needed a chainsaw to traverse much of the river in anything other than a kayk or a canoe.

We saw more wildlife throughout the day including otters, which successfully dodged the camera and others that we were able to capture:

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/30-1_zps24f7f011.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/30-1_zps24f7f011.jpg.html)

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Being on the Ocklawaha allowed us to break out the spinning rods.

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Joe was first on the board and he continued to catch panfish and small bass on a regular basis for the next two days.  I think he caught close to 45 or 50 fish.  No monsters, but enough to keep a smile on his face.

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/43-1_zps067a9fe7.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/43-1_zps067a9fe7.jpg.html)

Jeff caught his fair share as well:

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And Reed was not to be undone:

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Jim caught a good amount of fish too, but this picture is special to me for another reason.  IT IS THE LAST TIME I SAW MY TRUSTY COLEMAN STOVE ALIVE.

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Around lunch time on Saturday, Reed and I pushed ahead to find a place to stop.  It seemed like it took a while for the others to show up.  When the rest of the guys pulled in they had a story to tell.

Seems that Jim had gotten sideways against a log in the river and had overturned his sit-on-top boat trying to get off of it.  It happened in a deep pool and his glasses, two fishing poles and the coleman stove fed the river gods.  As he was unhurt by the incident he became fair game for endless ribbing and good-hearted jokes at his expense.

Lunch on the river-side.  Choosey guides choose Jiff:

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/DSC00761_zpse4646f3e.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/DSC00761_zpse4646f3e.jpg.html)

Fortunately, I had a surprise dinner plan lined up for us that made the loss of the Coleman stove pain-free.  We were camping at an established county park on the river called Gore's Landing, where TBOF and Tradgang member Buddy Oswald and his father met us outfitted for a fish fry!

As you can see, Mr. Oswald has done this before:

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/50-2_zpsfb148455.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/50-2_zpsfb148455.jpg.html)

Buddy (in hat) tells a funny bear hunting story that Joe and Jeff are obviously enjoying:

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Reed's not shy.  He's eaten this stuff before!

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/54_zps0d48bda3.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/54_zps0d48bda3.jpg.html)

Joe up to bat:

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The next morning we ate pancakes, fried potatos and eggs cooked on the sigle-burner stove that was packed in another boat.  Redundant packing works!

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Due to the low (and slow) river conditions we decided to alter our plan and fish around Gore's rather than push on for what looked like might be an endurance paddling effort to reach the Eureka bridge in time for pick up and dinner at my folks. There's a couple of things I don't do. Missing mama's cooking is one of them.

It was a good call.  We paddled back upstream a mile or so and fished for a few hours before breaking camp for the last time.  I took the opportunity to snap some last pics of the river.

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/70_zpsc80e9258.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/70_zpsc80e9258.jpg.html)

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 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/68_zpsa33d1f69.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/68_zpsa33d1f69.jpg.html)

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/67_zps4c7b64de.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/67_zps4c7b64de.jpg.html)

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/65_zps82993ef2.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/65_zps82993ef2.jpg.html)

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/66_zps41c63744.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/66_zps41c63744.jpg.html)

Looks like a great trip and the photo's are fantastic  :campfire:

It also gave Joe and Jeff a chance to paddle without gear-laden boats.  Both of them enjoyed their time on the river and have been talking about purchasing a kayak.

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/60_zps5fd7fc91.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/60_zps5fd7fc91.jpg.html)

One of the things that I enjoyed most about this trip was that my son, Reed was along.  I really had a good time with him.

 (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/63_zps09134e52.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/63_zps09134e52.jpg.html)

So before I finish my story I have to fess up on my biggest blunder as a host and "guide".  In preparation for this trip I had picked up another tent at Walmart.  I chose light and cheap for obvious reasons.  The tent I selected was a two man tent that looked like it would serve our purposes well. As I was leaving with the tent in my hand I noticed a blue tent in the same section.  I ASSUMED it was the same tent in a different color and swapped for it.  It was not until we set it up that I realized my error...  

Introducing, THE SCOUT JUNIOR

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Joe says that if you lay diagonally with your feet and head propped up it is just right for one full grown man and no gear.  
  :laughing:  

Of course I offered to swap and let him sleep with Reed or make some other arrangement, but he wouldn't have it.  I think he would have endured any amount of discomfort for the sake of the story!     :D  

We broke down camp, scout junior included and packed up.  When Dad picked us up I was sorry to see the trip come to a close.  I really enjoyed my time with Joe and Jeff and feel like I have known them forever.

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No trip to Weirsdale, Fl is complete without a trip to Ma and Papa Dudley's house for a Sunday dinner.  I am blessed to live close to my parents and my sister's family also.  We eat dinner together every Sunday night.  Imagine Thanksgiving on a weekly basis and you have the right idea.  Joe and Jeff fit right in.

I really like this last picture.  The smiles on the faces reflect the atmosphere of the whole trip.

   (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/DSC_00082_zpsccd60696.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dudleyg/media/DSC_00082_zpsccd60696.jpg.html)

I hope you guys have enjoyed this trip report and pictures.  I will be putting this trip back on the St. Jude's auction for 2013.  Hopefully it will once again raise good money for a worthwhile cause.

Awesome pics and stories!  Joe and Jeff...you boys better bring that weather trick on to Nebraska!  

Gregg, I was wondering how you'd gotten Tree Rollins in the little kayak BEFORE the tent story.    :laughing:

Loved all of it.  Good show.

Sweet, Gregg.  Never been in a kayak, but have been wanting to try it out.  This just makes it worse for me.

A awesome guide if I ever saw one. Excellent story and pics.   :notworthy:

OUTSTANDING

Great journey and photos!

Thank you for taking us along.

God bless,Mudd

:clapper:     :clapper:

:thumbsup:

Outstanding stuff Greg. I`m gonna break out the yak tomorrow for a trip Lord willing to honor you guys good time.RC

Great job Greg.  And from personal experience, I know everyone will have fun when Jeff and Joe are around.  

If you ever in the mood to swap a float trip for some Cajun culture, give me a holler!

That sounds like a good idea RC I might take mine for a paddlin too

Awesome...all the pix are super, but the last one says it all!     :campfire:

Consider it a deal, Fred!  Jeff and Joe talked about your cooking until I almost packed on the spot.  :thumbsup:  We'll work it up.

QuoteOriginally posted by gregg dudley:
Consider it a deal, Fred!  Jeff and Joe talked about your cooking until I almost packed on the spot.    :thumbsup:    We'll work it up.

We'll make it happen Greg.  I think you would do well chasing Cajun whitetails and enjoying camp cooking.  Might even head up the mighty Atchafalya after deer AND pigs.  Nothing like hearing deer coming through some water.

Greg put on a special trip...food, beautiful rivers, wild life, food...just a wonderful experience!!  We had a ball.

Now for all those that are worried about Joe & Jeff bidding on a future trip.  Sunday night dinner at Greg's parent's house...right as dinner as served bells & whistles started going off with Tornado Warnings in the immediate area.  Joe & I look at each other...here we go again  :eek:  But thankfully No Tornadoes just well wanted rain for the area.  Monkey off our backs...we'll see after this years St Judes Trip Auctions  :)   Many Thanks to Greg & his family for putting up with us...Joe & Jeff Road Show

OH...one more thing for future St Judes Silver River Kayakers.  Remind Greg to pack sleeping pads and an extra blanket for the Scout Junior   :goldtooth:

Wow!! Oh man. What a cool trip. And Gregg what great pictures!  Enormous variety of creatures!

What a cool trip! TGers are good people!

:thumbsup:  Great photos.......

Thanks to Gregg for making the trip happen for St. Judes benefit and thanks for a great read.  :)  John

Good stuff, but then again, I expected nothing less with Gregg heading up this rodeo.

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

QuoteOriginally posted by tippit:
...right was dinner as served bells & whistles started going off with Tornado Warnings in the immediate area.  Joe & I look at each other...here we go again  

Not sure what to say or think, is the curse broken????

Thanks for all the great comments, guys!

Thanks for sharin' the journey with Trad Gang Gregg!

FOR THE KIDS!

Shoot straight, Shinken

  :archer2:

That was great guys !! Certainly looks EXCITING being in a kayak with a gator ten feet away looking at you. I'm sure Joe could have handled him. Very fine pics and a good look'n crew    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Don`t believe that stuff you see on tv. Gators are sissy`s. They won`t bite.....RC

It was all the trip I expected it to be. I regret not sniping Joe on this one. Great pics and story. The next time I am down to visit Dale and take in the TBOF festivities and you notice your kayaks missing don't sweat it they will find their way home in a couple days.

That is awesome, Gregg! It looks like Joe and Jeff had a fine time with some great weather.

Gregg, you are tops with that camera in your hands!

Bisch

Sure looks like fun. But I could do with out the snakes and lizards!

Just listed this trip again for the 2013 auction.    :readit:   I promise to upgrade SCOUT JUNIOR   :D

:clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:    :clapper:

I'll be keeping my eye on the Kayak trip in the auction for sure!   :readit:

With a bigger tent, Joe just might be twisting my arm for Second go around   :saywhat:    Super Fun Trip! Thanks Gregg for adding it again...tippit

This trip is now open for bid on Auction 4!

Make that Forum 2!

All the stuff I'm bidding on is on 4!  LOL

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  

Thanks, Gregg, for your generous support!!

:thumbsup:  

Thanks for the great bids!

TTT for bidding interest.  This is listed on Forum 2 which closes tonight!

Awesome, one of these days when i am in town adn can plan this will be mine, mine, all mine.  Opps, ok, bad side of me came out.

You all may be safe this year.

Greg,

Any bowhunting or bowfishing opportunities while on trip or strictly nature viewing/enjoying?

Bob

Possible bowfishing on this trip depending on water level.  We toted bows last trip, but the water was so low there wasn't any real shooting oops in the canals which is the most practical for what we are doing.  Fishing can be real good.  

As for hunting, is advise you to win the True South auction too, Bob, and piggy back the two trips!  :-)

Was kinda thinking the same thing    :biglaugh:   !!

Bumping this to the top because I am listing this trip on the auction again.