"Ok, where?"
"The Harpeth River. I've always wanted to take you there and Rob told me about the outfit we should use."
"Ok, sounds cool."
And it was. Nothing gets me going more than completely unplugging from schedules, work, chores and the world to just exist. Especially with the kids. So we loaded up just a few things - because really - we're just going canoeing - and headed across town and out into the country to Foggy Bottom Canoe Rental off Highway 70 in Kingston Springs.
So enough romanticizing...I mean, we went canoeing. But with the two funniest kids in the planet!
The kids don't remember any of our other canoeing jaunts, but were super amped to be up and out exploring. I didn't take the D-80, just my cell phone. It later occurred to me why Brian suggested we take my phone, not his. Sly! So all the photos are with my cell, enhanced by Picnik.
How amped? Pretty amped as you can tell by Roland's antics. Roland did his best to express his excitement and what a river-monster would do. Aria did her best to ignore Roland.
The scariest thing about canoeing? The drive from the canoe rental place to the river. Our driver has missed his calling and should be working in LA or New York driving a cab. I was actually surprised all the canoes made it. Of course Roland only wanted a blue canoe, but the purple one we were given worked just as well. There's no ceremony or instructions or warnings not to drown, here's your canoe, see ya!
I told a friend the first leg of the canoeing experience was like couples therapy. And anyone who has actually canoed understands what I am talking about. But you don't get here with two kids and three dogs without being able to work it out, which we did, eventually, with some discussion. :) Smooth sailing in our new positions, the river was beautiful.
Widened from the floods and very clean, we would occasionally stop and let the kids out to collect rocks. We learned this trick canoeing on Bay Lake. If you want to keep a kid entertained in a canoe, give them something to throw out into the lake, hence the mandatory buckets of rocks. Roland asked, oh, about a biiiillllloooonnn questions, which were interesting, but a bit daunting so we placed him at the front of the canoe to be the navigator. He was good about letting you know as you ran aground on something, "It's a rock!" Thanks! He did spot the lone squirrel on our journey - good eyes Roland!
I checked with an engineer at my work who confirmed that the bed of the river is all flat limestone - which was a question Brian and I had because there were some sections smooth as poured concrete. We saw a handful of impressive fish, two turtles sunning, a few cranes and one very small water moccasin. Of course we saw the river locals, but for the most part it was an extremely quiet saunter down the river on a perfect Sunday morning. At one point Brian asked if we'd taken a wrong turn because a mile in either direction, it was just us.
Because we were fascinated by all the turns we made I looked up and plotted our little 5-mile route. You'll notice a certain stretch of the river was called Canoe Fever Zone for Kids. Imagine Cabin Fever or being stir crazy, but in a canoe. Brian and I were just paddling along when I realized the kids were a bit...off. Aria was either trying to crawl out of the canoe - while it was moving - into the water or climb up on me. And when I looked into her big, please-understand-my-thoughts eyes I understood completely. "Brian, head for that sandy shore!" And viola, the kids just needed to dance around in the water and walk about a bit. Balance restored we carried on. Just a note for next time, pit stops are a good thing in cars, and in a canoe!
So if anyone gets the random inclination to canoe, call us! We're game and ready to go!
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