Metro Jacksonville

Paddling up Hogans Creek

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Hogans run may be tiny, but encased in an urban jungle, it is an oasis of peace.

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http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/946

Beautiful pictures. Hogans Creek has so much potential to be a wonderful USEFUL waterway again.

I heard somewhere that you could paddle from downtown to the ocean back in the day. I also hear there was a lock system and it produced electricity way back when... how cool is that??!!!

I would love to see Hogan's creek cleaned up and become more of what it was and certainly could be again. It would be so cool to be able to canoe it's path. Even though it's usually cluttered with trash, I still visit the creek often, as it's always a wonderful place to do birdwatching.

Having seen both the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Indy Canal Walk, I can attest that they are the backbone of  beautiful and successful downtowns in each city.  If only Jax would exploit the tremendous potential it has with Hogan's Creek.  Like so many things in Jax, what could be a tremendous asset, is instead a liability.     

Isn't there a Canoe Club on the Ortega?
If anything gets done in town, the Hogan's Creek restoration is what would be fantastic.

Somewhere I have a hand tinted photograph of my Grandmother and brother in a sail rigged canoe off of Riverside, cica 1917.

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A Jacksonville Story...

As I finished my tour I looked at Jacksonville through new eyes. Here was Paradise Lost, before me stood a primeval forest of large trees, birds chattered above and along the waterfront, but don't tell them by tomorrow, they'll be dead. Yesterdays Goodyears, an old shopping cart, a sofa, another sofa, and a sofa still in use, finally enough condoms to brew a "gottem by the gizmo stew." This is a tragic side of our city.

Oh crap, there's a body up on the bank, just what I want to see on my morning paddle. No it's alive, it's a... a... woman. She has her own bedroom under the stars. A shaky hand extends begging for money, she smiles through broken teeth. She couldn't be a day over 29, but looks all of 50. Suddenly as if by magic, I notice the smell of the water, the mud, the city. It smells like death. Her eye's haven't yet lost the child like sparkle, and her brain is in a haze, she so want's a real friend but she can't trust anyone. But we buy a coffee. I wonder how many miles a vessel must log before becoming the corner Jiffy Lube? Don't worry, some kitchen is making a turkey dinner for her... TOMORROW. About 8 blocks away in a plush office, Peyton and company sit powerless to stop the abuse, powerless to help.

My heart melts, she isn't pretty, she doesn't smell good, she looks in some advanced stage of sickness, yet they keep coming. Why? Why must we use our creek for a public toilet/mental health clinic? Oh look to the port side, 5 more sludge muffins. This is sick, it's a cancer, but it's NOT her fault. Somewhere back down the creek a car pulled up and the door slammed. When it pulled away she was all alone again. Don't sweat the small stuff - she was only 14 the first time, who cares, shes disposable.

The creek too is a waste, cap it over, or put it in a tomb, if we don't act soon the whole city will carry it's unique aire. Do something on Duval Street, something, anything, act damn it! Not to worry, in another 22 minutes the whole scene will disolve into a drug induced fleck of a bad dream. The mind journeys away, back to Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Okeefenokee or the falls in the Andes. Meadows of flowers, visions of youg girls dancing in fairy rings, toke it... toke it man. Look out the windows, there's cops are in the trees, but nobody knows it, but my business and me. I don't care if it's the narc's or the Fed's, cause I'm tell you man, this city is dead.

My trip or hers? You guess the answer!

God Damn these people! IF THERE'S A HELL BELOW, WE'RE ALL GONNA GO!

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We're so screwed!


OCKLAWAHA

Great tour Ock.  I have never seen the creek from those angles.

The benefits of enbracing Hogan's and McCoy's creeks are HUGE!!

Jason, Agreed, we MUST do something besides talk.

Thanks for the kind words Y'all.

Love to see that photo Billy, can you scan it and post it here?

JBM, right on girl - gotta fix it.

Uptowngirl, Right on love - by the way that dagger reminds me of Dagger Canoes! BEFORE they went Hollywood with Dagger Kayak... http://www.dagger.com/

VicCupState, San Antonio is stunning even in the blistering Texas summer's it's always a shady cool walk or drift down the lazy river. I just tired of playing PRAIRIE DOG every time a spring storm came rolling over the plains.

I have heard of the Ortega Club and a Ponte Vedra area club, certainly I have covered the Ortega as far as a boat and chain saw would allow. Those that want to get into a canoe adventure check out:

http://www.jensencanoes.com/favorite.htm

You can buy a local clunker, but you'll shortly tire of fighting it on a down river run. Department store stuff is pretty much the same junk. Go to an out fitter and get yourself a REAL BOAT for an extra thousand or so. You want speed to get from downtown to the beach and back in a day? Watch your tides - Currents and know one word to ask. Is it a JENSEN design?

A MAJOR renovation and cleanup would be required before the term oasis comes to mind.

Last time I looked, it snakes through an industrial area (coffee plant), under overpasses and waltzes by a major homeless/drug area (liberty center). Parts of it are strewn with trash, shopping carts, and has the look of a dirty retention pond.

The Shipyards could spur something out of it though. IF completed, perhaps investors could be enticed to create some kind of little water taxi that could leave from the Park area and head right into the Shipyards public park area.

Oasis: In geography, an oasis (plural: oases) is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough...

It doesn't say it has to be pretty - maybe the potential is just implied? But sitting at the East end of Beaver Street at the Ceek, with your favorite homeless friends, that traffic on the Arlington Expressway is screaming along at 103 decibels . Humans can only stand about 90 decibles of sound on a daily 8 hour basis without cracking like an egg. Down below the sounds of that creek, the water, the condoms filtering through the old shopping cart... it's cool, it's green and I like it better then this upholstered sewer we call home.

Oasis? COULD BE.

rjp, most of what you mentioned is the easy part. Its whats in the water and sediment that is where the real costs come in. Hogans Creek is one of the most contaminated creeks in Duval.

Yo know, I have been getting off the bus at the station then walking up Laura to shanty a few times a week.
And my ? is....

will someone please get that half sunk, muddy, rusty, bum shoppin cart out of Hogans Creek?

I

Unless the Author of this thread left out some pics of the worst part(s) of Hogan's Creek, from what I can see it looks a lot cleaner than when I last lived in Jacksonville.  I can remember it being much more polluted and littered than what I see in these pics; especially that part of Hogan's Creek that runs through Confederate Park and along and just off of Jefferson Street, etc.

It does have great potential, but it needs to be cleaned up first, and the surrounding areas that it runs through upgraded and reconstructed so that Jax can get the full benefits and enjoyment from Hogan's Creek.

Heights Unknown

Every time I've seen it around Boulevard, Pearl, Liberty....there's always trash along the banks and in the water....

Heights, I authored it with Lakelanders comments. Lake tossed in the other city photos so we could get a "could be" feel to it. As far as I can tell, the photos cover every inch of the creek from the river-mouth to the Arlington Expressway. A canoe will NOT fit under the expressway and neither will the storm water run off. The upper reaches photos are hit and miss, and DO NOT cover the creek above the expressway in detail. It should be noted that the first major obsticle to canal boats, swan boats, tunnel-of-love or canoes and kayaks is the damn expressway box. The orgininal Confederate Park bridges could probably be raised about 4 feet in height and repositioned. Thus spared and preserved.

A cleanup won't be complete without attention to detail and storm water from 8Th Street area. A skimmer grid to pick out trash and then really funding someone to come and pick it out would be vital to the health of everyone. Bridges and rails can be built so no one gets their butt under one. Anyone that does, needs more help then I can offer. 

(Wow, anyone that just saw me mess this up with a quote tag from heights must think I'm flying... Nope never more then 16' high - anyway got it fixed).

The Indianapolis Canal Walk is so simple, and looks very calming indeed. I can't believe, of all my 26 years of living here, that a website I found by accident one day through a Google search, has shown me more of Jacksonville in less than a year, than I could ever imagine was here. I've got so much exploring to do, and I honestly can admit, I was BORED before I found this place. I'll have to mention Hogans Creek to my Dad and Grandfather, they'd enjoy canoeing there!

I can only dream of what could be done with this!

And I thought I was cynical about how Jacksonville has ignored its potential and natural beauty for decades, but Ocklawaha you have me beat today.

Maybe if the city quit squandering our taxpayer dollars by padding the good ole’ boy pockets for meaningless projects and actually spent it on our infrastructure and our natural resources, Jacksonville could be a real contender in this state’s/nation’s future.  Peyton has turned out to be the worst Mayor for this city yet.  Keep pissing the tax dollars away Mayor Peyton and maybe you can run the city deeper into ground than it is today!

Yeah, at first I was awed by the wonder hidden under our noses, then when I got up into the "enchanted forest" my mood changed. I'm proud our city at least feeds and offers the homeless a warm bed. Orlando simply makes it illegal to be homeless! But the sewer that this "garden of eden" has become is sickening.

We're it not for some LEGAL pain meds and a full bottle of Rebel Yell, I might not have made it out with my head screwed on....

Rather, I just paddled in and "FLOATED OUT!"

Did you happen to see Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon paddling down the creek?

Did you hear banjo music?

If so, paddle faster!!!!

Ock,Just saw this. Nice pics. That shopping cart in the top pick is outta there. Ennis may have a pic in his archives. We shared that moment. Would love to kayak or canoe an urban waterway destination Hogans Creek with you one of these days.

QUESTION: Are you able to paddle all the way up to Shands starting from the St. Johns?...I only ask because right around where the creek goes under where Union and State Streets merge into the Matthews Expy it looks impassable or can u still take a kayak through there?
Thanks

No you can't. Me and another guy about a year ago put in at the old armory and paddled south down and actually went underneathUnion and its very dangerous. We turned around. there are some pipes and you may get past but its tidal and the potential to get trapped is real.

okey dokey then...

Realization.

Duval's Downtown and adjoining fresh water waterway recreation current and potential beats Clay and St Johns County all over the place.

Visit

Quote from: north miami on September 07, 2011, 07:30:34 PM

Realization.

Duval's Downtown and adjoining fresh water waterway recreation current and potential beats Clay and St Johns County all over the place.

Visit

Amazing as it might sound, being a die hard canoe buff... (no daddy, not that boy scout type, we're talking Kevlar Jensen with radical tumble-home  http://www.clippercanoes.com/boat_specs.php?model_id=112 ) ...All local counties offer incredible exploring for us small boat people. In St. Johns County, Trout Creek, 6-Mile, Deep Creek, Tocoi Creek and dozens more are an endless adventure. Even more so when one considers this is plantation, Revolutionary, War of Yankee Aggression, and even WWII invasion territory. The two most southern land battles of the Revolution were fought at Inconsternation Creek (Nassau) and Durbin Creek (St. Johns), both loyalist victories I might add. I'm pretty sure Noone would agree with me when I say we've just got to see what's around the next bend, under that tree, up on that bluff...etc. Just a few miles south of my house is another creek where Confederate Sailors scuttled the famous racing yacht 'America.' At an old landing on McGirts Creek, are some of the ruins of the CSS St. Marys, but you have to know where they are and be willing to get wet to see them.

Did you know, and I'm not telling BTW, that there is a steam locomotive and most of a logging train in one of the local creeks? This besides the steam locomotive ruins from the Waycross and Southern Railway that can still be seen on Billy's Island in the Okefenokee.

As for Duval, I'd love to do an explore of Pottsburg Creek from Beach Blvd. to as far south of JTB as possible. Ditto for Julington as far north of Old St Augustine Road (there's a nice put in park there BTW) as possible. These two creeks actually both flow from a swamp located just north of the Avenues Mall. McGirts Creek and Trout River are two more that need to be pushed as far as possible. MJ even ran across a plan in some old documents where the city once proposed a canal that would connect McGirts and the Trout west of downtown, the whole idea back then 1930's(?) was to make us a 'boaters paradise'. A canoe/kayak club could follow up on the explorations with equipment to clear passages through snags which would make the waterways accessable to many more paddlers.

I support the USS Charles F. Adams at the Shipyards. A resolution of support was just given by the members at the 11/20/13 DIA Board meeting.

AH - American History

AH - Adams to Hogans

2013-384 Active piece of legislation before the Jacksonville city council right now. The applicants at the 6/25/13 Public Hearing were supportive of an amendment for 24/7 Public Access to Hogans Creek.

LPS- Let People Succeed.

Certainly Northeast Florida's creeks offer outstanding recreation.
The creation of Jennings State Forest/Upper Black creek, companion Ravines Conservation Area (and later, the call to re-route the Outer Beltway away from the Ravines) has been a signature Life Event.

As has the introduction to Downtown creeks, which certainly add to the diversity.That's a tall order!
Downtown waterways, though relatively small, negatively impacted and relatively obscure, really constitute a giant River & Community Advocacy message.

The emergence and popularity of small craft; canoe & kayak,affordable,easily stored, transported and launched has also contributed to the use, enjoyment and awareness of all area waterways.

Quote from: Noone on September 06, 2011, 06:16:08 AM
No you can't. Me and another guy about a year ago put in at the old armory and paddled south down and actually went underneathUnion and its very dangerous. We turned around. there are some pipes and you may get past but its tidal and the potential to get trapped is real.

2013-384 was withdrawn.
Visit Jacksonville!
DIA Board meeting 12/18/13 and the official hand out of money may be legislatively moving forward. Anybody care?
RAM dock only opened when RAM is open. Not good.
CRA/DIA in the USA is wrapping up.
Ben- JCCI we need to kayak Downtown before 2025
Who will be crowned the first MarshKeeper?
Still have an open contest if an MJ'er can show us a pic of the brand new Waterway signage that was never before JWC. I'll treat you to Chopstick Charley's and we can use Uber.

Tides are looking great. Anyone want to kayak and fish in our new highly restricted DIA zone under the brand new No Fishing signs that was never before Waterways?

I am Downtown and why you aren't.

Quote from: Noone on December 16, 2013, 08:20:03 PM

Quote from: Noone on September 06, 2011, 06:16:08 AM
No you can't. Me and another guy about a year ago put in at the old armory and paddled south down and actually went underneathUnion and its very dangerous. We turned around. there are some pipes and you may get past but its tidal and the potential to get trapped is real.

...and don't think that you can return to The Light and Pee Overboard .......Deep Too!