A Kayaking We Go

There were gazillions of turtles along the river

Cave People

Grant, Chuck, Charlie and Jim

Jim

Beautiful site

Charlie at lunch time

Chuck

Jackie

Charlie

at the pick up point ten miles later. 

Twice in two weeks.  I'm really making up for not being able to kayak for all those months.  Charlie called and wanted to know if we wanted to go on a kayaking trip with him and three other people.  Chuck knew everyone from his hiking group and I knew Jim.  He's the artist that we went to his house on my birthday for dinner and to play cards.  After meeting Grant and Jackie, it was like I had known them all along.  After a two hour ride in Charlie's truck with three of the kayaks in the back of his truck, we all met up at Buffalo river in Tennessee.  We put in at the Crazy Horse camp grounds and started our ten mile float/paddle adventure.  The weather was perfect and so was the scenery.  We must have seen ten million turtle's sunning themselves on the fallen trees in the river.  All sizes, from really big to babies.  They were the pretty painted kind, with the yellow stripes on their necks.  Then, out of the blue....was a bald eagle.  He flew down the river in front of us for several yards.  A few minutes later, here he came back and flew into the trees next to us.  A little over half way into our ten miles, we decided to stop for lunch.  Jim had kayaked this river before and he knew of a pebble beach for us to pull up onto.  Plus, there was this really neat cave to explore.  It was a bit dark to really explore  so Charlie at least took our picture in front of it.  By the end of the ten miles and 4 1/2 hours later, I was feeling pretty good.  All but my " kayaking butt".  It was glad to get out and not get back in for the rest of the day.  The pick up guy was there waiting for us with the van and trailer to haul us all back to the starting point.  What a really fun day!!!  Met new friends ( Jackie and Grant are having us over for dinner soon, at their lake house) and spent the day in beautiful surroundings.  Oh, yeah....on the way home we stopped at one of my favorite restaurants for dinner.  Can't ask for any more than that.