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Date
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Nov. 23, 2023
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Meet-up
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Houston City Hall Annex and its Underground Garage at 7:30 AM
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Put-in
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Lamar Street just east of Bagby at 9:00 AM
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Take-out
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Smith Street just south of Lamar a little before 10:30 AM
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Street Miles
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1.35 miles (see map)
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Fees or Permits
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None, though there were two sets of waivers
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Gage
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None – all at street level
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Temperature
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50-54° F
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Sky
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Cloudy
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Moon Phase
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Waxing Gibbous
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Sunrise/sunset
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Sunrise 6:53 AM / Sunset 5:24 PM
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Precipitation
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Occasionally Light
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Wind
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0-3 mph from the SSE
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Coordinator
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City of Houston
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Participants
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Todd Cleveland (Artist Boat), Tom Douglas, volunteers from several local conservation-oriented groups
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Shuttle
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None
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Craft
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1 sit-on-top kayak mounted on the “Caring for our Coast” float
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HCC Club Miles
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N/A
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Road Miles
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4.0 miles - From Home to City Hall Annex
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Guide Book
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See highlights: H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston
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Photos
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Linda Shead, Todd Cleveland, Tom Douglas, KHOU Channel 11
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Food
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None – Saving Our Appetites for Turkey Later in the Day
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Water
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Last minute drink at the put-in (no restroom breaks available en route)
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The “Caring for our Coast” float in Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade carried volunteers from several different conservation-oriented organizations, representing outdoor activities such as birding, hiking, and paddling. Two large bird figures flapped their wings overhead – a brown pelican at the bow and a roseate spoonbill at the stern. Bird-themed dancers from the Carver High School Dance Department rode on the float and danced along side of it.
Pelican and Spoonbill Aloft, photo by Linda Shead
Dancers, photo by Linda Shead
Dancer and Kayaker, photo by Todd Cleveland
The two paddling-related volunteers were Todd Cleveland, donning his PFD for a day on the water, and Tom Douglas, paddling a solidly-mounted sit-on-top kayak in between two rows of make-believe waves.
Paddlers on Board, photo by Linda Shead
At the corner of Lamar and Smith we entered the parade proper, and we soon passed by the cameras for KHOU television (represented by the movie camera icon on the route map).
Paddling Route, map by Tom Douglas
Here’s a screen shot from the KHOU video. If you want to see the live-action clip, it is at about 39:50 into the video posted online.
TV Coverage Screen Shot, from KHOU Channel 11
Our total paddling distance was 1.35 miles. A little before 10:30, we reached the end of the parade route and it was time to wave goodbye.
Farewell Wave, photo by Linda Shead
Here’s hoping that everyone had a fine Thanksgiving celebration!