Paddling Fun

Today was an incredible day for paddling, and the funny thing is, we almost didn’t go. I’m a morning person (and by morning person, I’m talking 4am) but I slept in until almost six. I pretty much cancelled our trip, but I hated to do that to the kids. All told (and thanks to the fact that the kayaks stay on their trailer at all times), we were out the door by eight!

There’s a great creek near us that offers paddlers of every ability level something to do. You can race down it, you can take the more rapid-moving paths, or you can just mosey like you were in an innertube. You’d think it would get boring paddling the same stretch of the same river over and over, but there’s something different every single time we go.

For example, this guy…

He’s from a trip a couple of weeks ago with my good friend Wendy, but we sat not five feet from him while this rather chubby beaver lazily munched some leaves, ignoring us completely while we were in awe of the local wildlife.

Today, it was swallows’ nests. I can’t believe I’ve never looked up (as many times as I’ve passed under that bridge), but here’s just one section of the bridge and all the swallows’ nests tucked up inside it.

It’s a real joy to live so close to this kind of outdoors opportunity, but we’re also just as likely to haul the kayaks to farther places, just to try some place new. Of course, the way water levels change, your closest creek might be new each time, too. This tree, for example, was practically underwater the last time I paddled here, but now we can see the really cool root system.

The last time I passed it, there was an alligator hovering nearby, but he wasn’t there today. Of course, at least one paddler in our group was quite pleased to NOT see him today.