From its bubbling beginnings in the Green Swamp, past shady, wildlife-studded banks and quiet yards, to the big city and beyond, the Hillsborough River is an ideal summer retreat.
By RICK GERSHMAN
Published June 10, 2004
[Times photos: Mike Pease]
Splashing with siblings and cousins in the Hillsborough River at the 40th Street Boat Ramp, Lysette Rodriguez, 10, left, cools off while she plays.
The Sulphur Springs water tower, built in 1927 but long unused, stands sentinel by the river’s banks near Tampa’s Florida Avenue.
Scott Hibbs, right, a naturalist for Sun Line Cruises, which operates the River Odyssey Ecotour for the Lowry Park Zoo, points out flora, fauna and other features of interest during a river tour.
An anhinga dries its wings on a log jutting above the Hillsborough River.
In the darkness of an oaktree swamp
With its thousand-million unseen eyes
& its myriad sharp-seductive cries
beats a heart as old as it is wise
- James E. Tokley Sr., The Song of the Hillsborough
TAMPA - Downtown, the Hillsborough River is a wide swath where speedboaters zip alongside college scullers, where passengers in cars crossing bridges cannot even see the water below, reflecting the silvery minarets along its banks.
But trace the river's path 54 miles to the northwest, and the scene is very different. Here, from the Green Swamp, the river bubbles up, changing shape and size and use as it travels to the mouth of Tampa Bay. Depending on where you are, it is a pastoral, tannin-tinted brook, where alligators and egrets relax in the peace of no-wake zones. In its most drought-vulnerable stretches, it is a drying marsh where tadpoles fight to survive. Elsewhere, it remains a triumphant tributary that shelters and sustains thousands of life forms.
"The fact that the Hillsborough River runs through this town has always piqued my imagination," said Tampa's poet laureate James Tokley, 56, who uses the river as a metaphor to tell the story of Hillsborough County. His ode to the river was the official poem of the Hillsborough Community 2000 Millennium Initiative.
"It's so many different rivers. When you see it downtown, it's docile, it's almost stagnant. But to see the Hillsborough at its source, with all its flora and fauna, it's beautiful."
The 30-year resident quickly adds: "Of course, the Hillsborough is beautiful as it (passes) the University of Tampa and reflects its minarets."
With that much information comes an idea: Drop a boat into the water and start paddling from Pasco County's Zephyrhills, where the river provides water that is bottled and sold. Work your way into Hillsborough County, past the quiet, rural areas east of the University of South Florida. Swing around Temple Terrace and cross into the Tampa city limits, where kids stand along bridges and fish.
Tie up at Rick's on the River, a riverside bar and restaurant, for a refreshing beverage. Envy the powerful backs and expert timing of the crew teams practicing downtown. Envision what the new Tampa Museum of Art will look like. At the end, check out the Garrison Channel, site of the recent Dragon Boat Races.
But you can't actually travel the entire river all at once. There's a major obstacle.
Dam.
* * *
For at least 10,000 years, people have depended on the Hillsborough River, as indicated by the protected burial mounds of several American Indian tribes found along its shores.
And for the past century, the river has provided about 75 percent of Tampa residents' drinking water. The 80-year-old dam that divides the river created the Hillsborough River Reservoir, covering 1,300 acres at Rowlett Park, just south of Busch Gardens.
For pastoral paddling away from civilization, stay north of the dam. Many people use Canoe Escape, a commercial service that provides canoe and kayak rentals and transportation to and from dropoff and pickup sites (see box for more information). Most of those trips stretch through Wilderness Park, a 16,000-acre wildlife preserve that includes Morris Bridge, Trout Creek and Lettuce Lake parks. Canoe rentals also are popular upriver at Hillsborough River State Park. Both rental sites include a lot of tree canopy for shade and plenty of wildlife to enjoy.
If paddling sounds too much like work, Lowry Park Zoo and Sunline Cruises run a relaxing but educational Ecotour Cruise on a pontoon boat, showcasing life on the river through the no-wake zone.
Wherever you go, you'll see people finding plenty of ways to enjoy the river.
Chester Vining, 48, got an early start on a recent Saturday morning. He filled an empty jug with tap water that most likely came from the river, and took it with him to Morris Bridge Park. He drinks it as he fishes the river for bass, alone except for his nephew Bobby Fetz, 9, who is bored out of his mind.
Bobby brought comic books: "But I already read 'em."
Bobby brought a cassette player: "Dead batteries."
Bobby doesn't want to learn how to fish: "Boring."
Bobby's in for a long day.
* * *
Lydia Ragno, a teacher's assistant from Thomasville, Ga., is visiting her sister's family, residents on the river.
It's almost 5 p.m. Saturday. Ragno, 27, is having a light supper - a Coors Light and a Marlboro Light - on the deck. Thor, the dog at her feet, gives a couple of token barks when a visitor shakily paddles up.
"You having a little trouble with that?" Ragno asks.
A reasonable question, seeing that he'd capsized the kayak about a half-mile upriver, his soggy jeans telling the sad story.
Ragno offers her visitor a much appreciated cold soda, and runs it down: The family went to Orlando today. She decided to stay behind and relax, watching for the occasional otter or anhinga. She has named a turtle sunning on a nearby log Shelly, though Ragno's not positive that's the same turtle every day: "They're all shelly to me."
* * *
The writing's on the wall at the 40th Street Boat Ramp. It reads, in part:
"$3.00 for parking. If you don't want to pay go somewhere else. Money goes here."
From there, an arrow points to a hole in the wall. Deposit your cash and you can launch into the river from the ramp, hidden off the 7000 block of 40th Street.
That's what Alma Sandoval and her extended family did this Saturday morning. Up here, the river is wide and free of wake restrictions, so Sandoval's fiance, Robert Hernandez, and his brother-in-law Alex Diaz jumped on water scooters and zipped around.
Meanwhile, Sandoval, 29, watched over a quintet of kids, ages 6 to 10, splashing around in the water, playing away from the boating action.
"It's a little more secluded," Sandoval said of the tiny area. "You can take it easy."
She needed the quiet. Her next stop with her charges: Adventure Island.
* * *
But the land was changing, eagles warned
The wilderness, "Expect great harm!"
& Hammock denizens should beware
for, there was progress in the air!
- From Song of the Hillsborough
* * *
Population, pollution, lack of rainfall - all have affected the Hillsborough on its downtown stretch. But the river's future looks promising.
Earlier this year, city workers installed nine sediment traps in stormwater drains to keep dirt out of the river. It will take many more traps to make a significant difference, but it's a good start, said B. John Ovink, head of the River Roundtable, a group that City Council chairwoman Linda Saul-Sena started last year to improve the river.
Ovink and Phillip Compton, a founding member of Friends of the River, give Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio a lot of credit, noting that she helped pull litter out of the river last November.
A boathouse and sports center are being added at the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park downtown, creating the Tampa Water Sports Center. It will be a place for high school and collegiate crew teams to launch, and the city recreation department plans to teach children who live in the neighborhoods nearby how to row.
"We need to have rowers on this river all the time," Iorio said in March. "We need to have activity on this river all the time. I see this river as something that needs to connect to people."
-- Information from Times files and "River of the Golden Ibis" by Gloria Jahoda was used in this report.
Launching a river expedition
Ready to explore the river? Here are some starting points:
-- Canoe Escape provides canoe and kayak rentals for self-guided trips and transportation to and from dropoff and pickup sites. It also offers guided tours. Most of its tours cover a stretch through the Wilderness Park wildlife preserve east of the University of South Florida's main campus in northeast Tampa. It also has a tour that runs downriver from Crystal Springs Park to the eastern edge of Hillsborough River State Park. Canoe Escape is at 9335 E Fowler Ave. Costs vary with tour length. Reservations are recommended; call (813) 986-2067. Visit canoeescape.com for more information.
-- River Odyssey Ecotour - Lowry Park Zoo and Sunline Cruises produce this one-hour pontoon boat tour of a quiet segment of the river. Patrons can take a shuttle from the zoo entrance to the dock and board the Sirenia, then enjoy a ride upriver and back. Turtles, manatees, hawks and many other creatures usually can be seen, and a naturalist describes the environment and wildlife along the way. Prices are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors (50 and older) and $7 for children. Discounts are available to annual zoo pass holders and with zoo admission. The zoo is at 1101 W Sligh Ave. Tour times vary; call (813) 935-8552 or visit lowryparkzoo.com/events/EcoTourSchdule.shtml for more information.
-- Hillsborough River State Park boasts a gorgeous and active stretch of the river. The entrance is off U.S. 301, 9 miles north of Fowler Avenue. Canoe rentals are available, and there is a camping area for overnight stays. The river is shallow here, rolling over limestone rocks. An outcropping of the rocks has created Florida's only Class II rapids. Canoeing or kayaking the rapids, however, is not permitted. Admission is $4 a carload; $3 for single occupant; canoes are extra. Opens at 8 a.m. each day of the year. Call (813) 987-6771 or visit floridastateparks.org/hillsboroughriver for more information.
TIPS FOR PADDLERS
-- Whatever you do, remember that it's against the law - and just a very bad idea - to feed, capture or annoy any wildlife, especially gators. (However, fishing is permitted in many areas.)
-- Bring plenty of drinking water and sunscreen, and wear a hat
-- Bring trash bags; don't leave anything behind.
-- Keep cameras and other valuables in watertight containers
-- Tie your car keys to the boat, or leave them with the boat rental business.
-- For more safety tips and paddling basics, go to the American Canoe Association's tips page, http://www.acanet.org/gs-paddle-basics.htm Canoe Escape's Web site www.canoeescape.com also has tips at its Web site and offers a good primer on Florida canoeing dos and don'ts. Another good tips list is at http://www.paddleflausa.com/tips.htm
[Last modified June 9, 2004, 10:27:11]
The river forms a back yard for many homes that perch along its shady banks.
