Colorado River @ La Grange

Maggie and I are in Port Aransas. On the drive down we stopped in La Grange. This is the only town on our route from Richardson to Port Aransas where we cross the Colorado so we stopped and looked around. First we went to a large RV park that is on a bend in the river. Although the river looks full in the included images you will notice along the shoreline how low the water is. There is also no flow that I could tell. The LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) has passed word to rice farmers down river that no water will be available to irrigate their fields. Friends we have in Port Aransas who are very familiar with the Colorado feel without additional and substantial rain an attempt to paddle from Austin to the Gulf of Mexico will be a real challenge.  The image on the left is looking up river.  The image below right is looking down river.  The bridge in the background is US 77.

So, now we hope for rain.  There is time but all the lakes in the Highland Lakes chain are very low.  I'm not sure what it would take to get things flowing again.  There is time for things to look better.  The weather guys say we won't see any real rain until June, if then.  The weather patterns are just not favorable at this point.  Time will tell.

There is the possibility I may have to change my adventure plans due to low water on the rivers around our part of Texas.  One option is a long paddle from Port Aransas down to Port Mansfield and perhaps on to Port Isabel and South Padre.  I'll save that decision for now but I do have all the charts and maps needed.  The paddle would be in the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) which runs from New Jersey to the Texas Mexico border.  In most cases it is protected water with a project depth of 12'.  There is lots of barge traffic.  I would have to camp most of the way.  It could be an interesting trip and also one that I have though of.

So that is it for this post.  Stay tuned.   ...jer