Colorado River - Burnham's Ferry
May 30, 2010
by John Rich

Bob Arthur is the leader of this paddle trip, covering 11 miles on the Colorado River, along a stretch near Ellinger, Texas, about a 1½ hour westward drive from Houston. Few people get the pleasure of paddling this stretch, because the put-in and take-out are both on private land, with access permission provided by Bob's son who lives in the area. Access to this area from public bridges is otherwise few and far between.

It's billed as the 174th Burnham's Ferry crossing, because of the historical significance of this old ferry crossing site - it was used by Sam Houston's Texas army on it's way to San Jacinto, where the fateful battle was fought in 1836 in which Texas won its independence from Mexico. While we did get to examine the old ferry crossing site, we have yet to see the old Burnham homestead ruins, as that is on private land, and Bob is still working on gaining access to that site.

The trip was canceled twice previously due to heavy rains, which made the dirt access roads across cow pastures and through the river bottom flood plain impassable to most vehicles. But this third time was a charm, and we had beautiful weather for the day paddle, as well as the overnight camping on the river bank. The water was flowing nicely, and no one turned it into a race, so we just floated along pleasantly and enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature, usually paddling only enough to keep the bow pointed in the correct direction.

The only drama was when a motorboat passed by at high speed, without paying due deference to canoes, and the waves tipped over one kayaker, who was then swept toward a strainer. The boat and paddler were soon reunited, no worse for the wear. But we see far too many motorboaters who don't seem to know that they should slow down when passing canoes. Oh, and Harmon's car didn't appreciate the steep hill it was forced to climb, and it signaled an overheated radiator, that turned out not to be true - lucky for him!

Participants:
Kevin Albers
Ken Anderson
Bob Arthur
Joe Coker
Roy & Lydia Cruzen
Harmon Everett
Robert Killian
Mike Pollard
John Rich
John Rich
Charles & Chance Zipprian
Matthew & Brandy Zipprian

Click here to view a photo album of the trip.

 

The author, John Rich