Stewards of the White Oak River Basin Current Events

Here's the photo of me being towed:
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BTW, I had the carpal tunnel surgery this morning and everything went well.

We finally got to paddle this Historic Route. Before railroads all commercial traffic between New Bern and Beaufort-Morehead City was transported on this waterway. It is the birthplace of our present Inland Waterway. Today, for us, it is part of the Saltwater Adventure Trail which we are paddling for its entire lenght. .

We left our shuttle vehicles at the foot of Dowty Road off Mill Creek Road. This was thanks to Nick Culpepper who owns this land and has lived here since 1948. While land access is restricted at low tide along this shore, including Oyster Point, at low tide due to extensive mud flats extending out a long way from the shore, there is still a deep water channel you can follow past this area.

We motored north on Mill Creek Road and joined Winberry Road up to Route 101 which we followed through Harlowe and North Harlowe and turned right on Blades Road to Blades Creek.

We put in here past the bridge. The shoulders were narrow but we managed to get our vehicles off the pavement. We paddled down Blades Creek to Clubfoot Creek and turned right toward the Harlowe Canal.

Along this secton of Clubfoot Creek were several large homes undef construction or completed with exellent floating docks on the river.

We soon intered the canal. The berm created from the dredging of the canal was all grown up wih large trees, both hardwoods and pines. This was a picturesque stretch with an inviting shore line .

We went under three bridges, Route 101 being the last one. We ate lunch on a berm knoll with large pines and a heavy pine straw floor.

Afer lunch we noticed a strong tide flow against us, of course. My companions had been towing me due to my carpal tunnel conditon. As we left the woods and entered Harlow Creek the wind joined the incoming tide and, of course, also against us and on the heavy side.

After a short distance of this they changed horses and doubled up too. (the only picture on the whole trip).

Nick Culpepper's place soon came into view, Our trip was over. Hide tide took us right up to his grass. A few complaints were heard about sore muscles. Everybody remarked about how little trash was collected -- two bags for the whole trip! This section of our Salt Water Adveture Trail is clean except for three tires we simply could not handle. Maybe a good samaritan motor boater will remove these and leave our historic Harlow Canal clean and unmarre by discarded tires. If you do this , please let us know.

We are Joanne Somerday from Kinston, Tom Finecoe and Jim Stevens and Maryanne and Dean Carzoo from New Bern, Dale Weston from Jacksonville, Brian Leavy from Pine Knolls Shore and the hitch hiker, The Trashman.

I am being operated on at 6:45 in the morning for my carpal tunnel in my left hand. Brian Leavy told me about a kayak that I can paddle with my legs. It is on display and demonstration before our club meeting at the visitor center in Morehead on June 2nd. I think I will check it out. Elmer (Could I take pictures and paddle at the same time?)

Sorry, I could not get the picture out of the camera. Will put it on the web site when I can.
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Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of the White Oak River Basin
Please visit: www.whiteoakstewards.org
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Read about the effort to stop litter that has the potential to make an impact statewide:

The Daily News, Jacksonville NC

Please e-mail or call your state representatives and county representatives (if you are outside of Onslow County) and let them know you support this effort.

Thanks!

This is the birth place of our present Inland Waterway. We will put in at the mouth of Harlowe Creek at the Newport River and paddle up it into the Harlowe Canal and paddle through it into the headwaters of Clubfoot Creek. We paddle up Blades Creek a short distance to our take out at the bridge near the North Harlowe Fire Dept. (All commercial boat traffic from Morehead to New Bern used this canal before railroads took over.)

Finally it looks like we will get to paddle this famous birth place of our Intra Coastal Waterway. It will be a new adventure for all of us. From what we have seen it looks very interesting. As usual we will pick up all litter along the way.

Gary and Marie found us a put-in. Follow Mill Creek Road from Newport past Oyster Point to where it makes an extreme sharp left turn. Look to your right and you will see a dirt road leading to the edge of the creek .That is our put-in. We will meet here at 9:00. (Do not turn down Winberry Road or you will miss the put-in per Gary).

Low tide is at 8:52. From Gary's description I think this is upstream of the shoaled area which is bare at low tide. If it is not, we will leave a shuttle vehicle here and reverse our trip plans. High tide is at 2:30 so we will be fine on our return.

Cal found us a take out near the North Harlowe Fire Dept. Those coming from the north should leave a shuttle vehicle at the Fire House. We should be there be 3:00. Elmer

Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of the White Oak River Basin
Please visit: www.whiteoakstewards.org 910-389-4588