I should be updating with two trips- but I forgot to bring my camera on the second one…

After cancelling the first planned evening paddle out here due to wind and rain concerns, we finally found an evening that would work for the tour of the preserve. I generally avoid preserves ad I find them to be too chunky, but in this case… the water was quite smooth and the reasoning behind going here at night was to watch for the massive bat awakening.

There is an old trestle that is now used as a massive resting ground for bats. They leave every night in search of things like mosquitoes, gnats, moths etc. in a massive wave (it feels like an understatement to call it only “massive”). The bats form what appears to be a river from under the trestle.

The trick to paddling here is that the parking lot gets locked 1 hour past sunset- and the bats come out at sunset… so be aware of your timing if you go here. The boat launch also closes for a good chunk of the year. The paddle itself is calm and quite enjoyable as you can tour around the inlets in the area (providing you don’t get stuck out on a low tide).