Another idea for finding sinking locations.

[mud_dreamer]

Ok. So I really enjoy the hunt for new locations. I always imagine finding the Muddy Grail.
I have found a couple good ones but I just had a real "aha" moment that I want to share.

So there is this stream that I know has really good mud. The problem is, almost all of the property adjacent to it is private. I do use one public access to this stream. It is where a bridge crosses over it. Unfortunately fisherman and people wading may use this spot during the day so I am forced to go at night. Not as fun. A lot of work. Stumbling around in the dark.

I have considered kayaking this stream but there is a huge amount of deadfall in the water. Plus all of the planning involved makes it just too much work.

As luck would have it, I was studying the stream using Google Earth and it dawned on me that over a mile of the stream is adjacent to a golf course. Bingo!!! Very convenient that Google Earth displays golf course outlines.

So how hard is this? You pick a weekday (helps to be retired ) and time when few people are likely to play. You arrive with your golf bag and push cart and pay to walk the course. You bring extra clothes and water stuffed into your golf bag. Leave that sand wedge and extra putters at home.

You have previously scoped out which hole has the best access/privacy to the stream. Play your way to that hole. Look around and when you are alone (so common) ... you simply disappear into the woods.

If there are people "pushing you" on that hole, let them play through so you will be all alone on that long green. The golf course doesn't keep track of you out there. They do not have your name. Yes, your car is in the parking lot but they don't care. Make sure that if you pay for the first 9 you don't use the 12th hole for stream access. Most courses let you chose which 9 you want to play so do it right to avoid an issue.

Enjoy your stream exploration. Don't get lost!! Clean up, dry off, get presentable. Then pop out of the woods. Worst case is someone sees you. So what, you were looking for a stray ball or nature called.

[Nessie]

So how hard is this? You pick a weekday (helps to be retired ) and time when few people are likely to play. You arrive with your golf bag and push cart and pay to walk the course. You bring extra clothes and water stuffed into your golf bag. Leave that sand wedge and extra putters at home.

Hard? Nahh. Brazen? Yep.

But it's true that others don't care anywhere near as much as we imagine that they do and that you're greatly protected by the sheer insanity of the truth.

Since I used to play in suburban marshes in public parks with trails just a hundred feet away, I'm curious. If you do this, I'd like to know how it went.

Nessie

[Sinkman61]

Mud Dreamer...here’s a tip for you...you needn’t pay to go play for a round of golf. You can simply walk the course. Nor do you need any props such as a golf bag. As you walk around, simply jump in the mud and enjoy yourself. The golfers won’t mind. Hell, they’ll give you an audience.Some will probably join you. Just kidding of course. But you really are going overboard. I grew up at a golf course in North Carolina. It’s typical to have houses right along the edges of the fairways. So it’s also very common to see people walking the course without clubs, golf bags, or anything else. And generally, golf courses aren’t going to charge you if you simply go walk the course. They’ll assume that you just want to learn the course layout before you pay to play. That’s pretty common. Others simply walk the course just to watch the golfers play. Personally I find that about as exciting as watching the grass grow, but hey, each to his own. When I was a kid, I had even strategically set up a lemonade stand on one of the course holes where I knew the golfers would be really thirsty. Of course, putting an “OUT OF ORDER” sign on a nearby soda machine usually helped. Anyhow, my point is, people walk around golf courses a’’ time. So just walk the course, no props needed. Then you can just melt away into the background when nobody’s looking and go explore your creek. The golfers aren’t going to say anything as long as you don’t disturb them. By time they finish their game, they won’t even remember that you were ever there. Half of them are usually pretty hammered by then anyhow. Trust me on this. I worked for the course during the summer months while in high school. We used to get hammered while at work from all the extra beers that were often left in the golf carts (especially during our mid summer annual “Summer Budweiser Tournament.” Budweiser would park unmanned, but fully stocked beer trucks along the fairways where the golfers could self serve themselves to as much free beer as they could drink. Not only did the golfers all end up shitfaced, but so did nearly every kid in the neighborhood!!! We could’ve built ourselves our own sinking pits right smack in the middle of the greens and nobody would’ve ever noticed. So if you’re planning to trespass in order to explore, a golf course is typically the easiest place to do it. Just stay out of the golferss way and they’ll never even notice you.

[mud_dreamer]

Hard? Nahh. Brazen? Yep.

But it's true that others don't care anywhere near as much as we imagine that they do and that you're greatly protected by the sheer insanity of the truth.

Since I used to play in suburban marshes in public parks with trails just a hundred feet away, I'm curious. If you do this, I'd like to know how it went.

Nessie

I promise full disclosure Nessie. At the moment I do not have a plan to try this but I thought that others might read this and realize some benefit.

I found out something very interesting on my last time out. I had been waiting all of spring and now early summer for the water levels to drop before going out exploring. We just keep getting rained on here in SE Minnesota. Well, I got very impatient so I decided to take the kayak out and paddle to one of my locations. It was not easy since I have to paddle upstream to get there, but it was doable.

I am so glad that I pushed myself. I found exactly what I was looking for. I found waist deep creamy dark grey mud. I plan to post some picture of this stuff soon.

Before going out, it had dawned on me how sometimes, when the water is low, I find these small dried out(cracked) clay areas higher up on the banks. This makes perfect sense that when the water is high, the silt content of the stream is high. As the water level drops, these silt ponds become isolated and eventually dry up. Unfortunately, vegetation can get a foothold and ruin it for sinking but this season we have had back to back rain events so the vegetation is likely to be minimal.

I plan to explore a Wildlife Management Area where I have found several large clay areas like this. This area was setup to be used by equestrians and the weather is perfect (cool) for horseback riding. I'll probably bring my light-weight waders and fishing rod as props. This will allow me to access some very gnarly areas off the riding trails which are very conveniently mapped. Wading through tall vegetation with light-weight chest waders will be relatively easy.

We just had a 3 plus inch rainfall which was a direct hit on our watershed, so it could be that the water level will be too high so I may have to wait a few days.

[mud_dreamer]

Sinkman61, you are hilarious.

I think that you are right about the course not caring if I just walk the course.
I would need to ask their permission. That is just me. I am having trouble imagining that they would say no.
After all, we are "Minnesota Nice" here.

I do enjoy the 007 sneakiness of what I initially proposed but doing this carte blanche would give me similar satisfaction.
And besides, I can't hit the ball worth a damn anymore.

[Nessie]

I promise full disclosure Nessie. At the moment I do not have a plan to try this but I thought that others might read this and realize some benefit.

Well, it sounds like...

I found waist deep creamy dark grey mud. I plan to post some picture of this stuff soon.

...you did just fine.

Unfortunately, vegetation can get a foothold and ruin it for sinking but this season we have had back to back rain events so the vegetation is likely to be minimal.

I had a mudhole that I used for everything for the last couple years I was active. Playtime, solo filming, and finally models. I actually performed routine maintenance on this particular sinking hole. You just go in and weed it every week or so. If I was absent for awhile, I'd find it had shrunk or gotten weedy all over.

I plan to explore a Wildlife Management Area where I have found several large clay areas like this.

Wildlife refuges were pretty good for me too. They're not as populated, and if you have a backpack nobody questions it. If you have a camera, filming wildlife is your cover story.

Nessie

[mud_dreamer]

Thanks Nessie. I do recall that you have mentioned WMA's. I bet you know that MN DNR provides the .kml files that let you add WMA boundaries to Google Earth. You can add the parking spots too.

We had a very big rain event here so I took a drive to that stream yesterday. The entire woods and farm fields surrounding the stream are flooded.The water is raging brown and the location is at least 10 feet under water. I now know why the bridge is designed the way it is ... extra wide. I had no idea that this area could flood like that.

I should go look at the golf course. It is 10-15 feet above the river so maybe it survived.

I talked with the landowner who owns the land on both sides of the bridge. I had the kayak in the bed of my truck so she stopped to tell me that she thought it was too dangerous to kayak. I smiled real big at her and did not say a thing. She must have wondered if I was crazy enough to put in. She said that her family has helped kayakers out of their flooded woods before and that "it ain't pretty".

We jibber-jabbered awhile and then exchanged names. I promised to bring her back the plastic barrel that had drifted onto my shoreline. She had lost hers in the last flash flood. We both laughed that it could be the same one. I am at least 20 miles by water from her. I am glad that I got to meet the land owner. If I ever get caught there I will just say that I know so and so.

We get more and more of these flash floods. I saw her home from the road. The edge of the floodwater was a few feet vertical from the home. If they have a basement, it is 3/4 full. Get the pumps!!

[Sinkman61]

Ah...you don’t even need a cover story. Just tell them the truth. You find deep mud to be highly erotic and extremely sensual. And when you step in it, you allow yourself to sink down as deep as you can get to where pressure and force from the mud become the ultimate in bondage. You can’t help but blow a nut! It’s like getting a full body blowjob!!! Then tell’em that they ought to try it sometime.

Either they’ll never bother you again, or they’ll say “really?”

And if you sense that they’ll start screaming about you being some sort of pervert, than just say “No, I accidentally stepped in a sinkhole filled with mud when I saw a large snake coming near me. I just didn’t think anyone would believe that.”

Of course, if they’re REALLY interested in trying it, you can take them where you sank and see if they step in the mud. If they do, you’ve got a new mud puppy. Otherwise, stick to the snake story. Of course, you can always substitute the snake with a bear.

[lonesinker]

I have found that hiking in conservation areas are great spots to find. Being in Canada there are virtually miles of unexplored and primitive trails to check out. So one way I have found some nice mud spots are visiting the conservation areas and a lot of these areas have general maps showing lakes and marshes and bogs where people can birdwatch uninterrupted and hike. A lot of times I would go blue berry picking on crown land and no one would ever question what your doing at all. Parking your car along the side of the highway is generally tolerated here too. I think you have to educate yourself in the areas you are going to check out of course. I have walked along trails with binoculars and found some interesting bogs away from the trail,you just have to bush wack a little. I found an amazing spot near a marsh lake that spills into a wetland,its very close to the parking lot,maybe a 10 min walk to the spot.You walk along this trail and go off into these very high weeds,maybe 7-8 ft high and then this black thick bog appears with nice moist cracks and some moss and grasses on the edges. Amazing to see,I will try and take photos soon. The only thing you notice is nature and a lot of critter tracks in the muck and the mud is easily chest deep. There are no trees in the area just vegetation,you have to have a good extraction plan which I do.
Oh and yes the location is very close to the trail which isn't overly hiked but I have heard people on 2 occasions walk by but never caught anyone,s attention. This is the closest spot I go to,its walking distance to my car. The only problem was the cleanup part,i bring a kit and do my best to cleanup at the sight,but as I am walking to the parking lot I see more cars that are parked, I try to avoid and walk past to the lake ...not a perfect scenario but going in the early morning is my favorite time.

[Sinkman61]

I remember way back when I was a kid living up in North Carolina. My parents would load us all up in our horse drawn buggy for a trip to south Florida to visit my grandparents. They were getting old, but that happens when you were born in the 1700’s. Anyhow, when we would cross the Florida border heading south on the freeway, there would be literally miles and miles of mudflats that used to run along the western side of the highway. I used to wish that I could hop out of the car just to go exploring through all that mud. It’s completely gone now. Nearly all of it has been filled in for construction of one type of another. All that’s really left is the Guana River Estuary along with some outlying areas along the Intercoastal Waterway here in NE Florida. Thankfully, it’s STILL one of the largest tidal Estuaries left in the entire country. Ironically, I used to go sinking in the Tijuana River Estuary on the west coast (Southern California) when I was stationed in San Diego. That Estuary is right smack next to the southern boarder of the United States and runs northward for about a mile. It too had some terrific mud that was exposed during low tide. And like here in NE Florida, that mud there was extremely deep as well. But unlike there in California, NE Florida’s Estuary is way, WAY better. Over in San Diego we had to deal with illegal immigrants suddenly appearing when you least expected them. Additionally, there was always the threat of boarder patrol raining down on your parade, as they would be flying around in low flying helicopters. Then there was also an outlying airfield that the Navy would use for practice landings by helicopter aircrews. They’d be flying nearby every Monday through Friday and sometimes even on Saturdays. So sinking there was really tricky. First, it needed to be during the weekend at low tide. Then you had to time it just right so you went into the mud AFTER the boarder patrol would fly by. That would give you about a half hour to do your sink and then make your way to the beach or tidal river to do your cleanup. Here none of that is ever an issue. But the Estuary here has definitely become more popular than ever before. Regardless, there’s still no shortage of areas off the beaten path for sinking. It’s just a matter of knowing where to go.