Just Around the River Bend

    While I was at college this last time I was in a Women's Health class and my last group project was to put together a booth at the women's health fair. My group members and I decided to title our booth: Recreation in God's Creation and did it all about the benefits of outdoor activities. It made me want to go do some of this stuff with my family so today we spent a day on the river.

    We rented two canoes and a kayak from a resort and rode in one of the resort vans nine miles up river where we began our trek. It was the perfect day for it: 80 degrees and cloudy. I didn't wear any sunscreen and didn't burn a bit.

    My Granny and Grandpa on my mother's side are here for two weeks. They shared a canoe and it was fun to splash them because we could count on them for a splash back. 

    Mom, Dad, Granny and Grandpa were the only ones who stayed in their same canoes the entire time. The rest of us had fun trying new positions in the canoe and we all took turns in the kayak.

    We all wore life jackets in the beginning, but the water was pretty shallow and the life jackets came off within the first two or thee miles -- except in my little brother's case who wore his the entire day. We also took most of our pictures early in the day because that's when we had our energy. By the end we were pretty excited to get back to our landing.

    Steering the canoes was a little bit of a problem for me. I realize now that I never really learned at High Adventure or Girls Camp. I always let my friends sit in the front and back -- because they often wanted to -- while I sat in the middle of the canoe and paddled on the side that they told me.

    In any case, this canoeing trip was a little bit like pinball with the nose of our canoe striking first this bank, then the other, then that group of tubers then that stranger's kayak -- it was actually embarrassing, but we got better by the end. 

    My sisters and I stopped for a breather at a sandbar and swam out to this submerged log. Mom was great and got a couple photos of us on it. I love being with my sisters because I can do crazy fun things and not be the craziest one :)

My little man was quite comfortable by himself in the kayak.

Granny & Grandpa -- We're so glad they were able to come along!

Me trying to maneuver the kayak

    It was long and my my upper right arm aches now, but it What A Fun Day! We want to do it again, only all of us get kayaks instead of canoes -- they're just easier to maneuver. I love recreation in God's creation. Go out with your family and try it!