A Three hour tour, a three hour tour .................



Elizabeth



Saturday the second of July was hot and it was Paul's birthday so after much deliberation, we decided to set aside the golf game and go on a three hour tube float down the New River in Todd. 

The New River in this area is slow, sedate and the prefect place to let your troubles wash away.  Rarely more than a few feet deep, our lazy river's riffles and runs are more likely to bump your bottom than to test your white water prowess.  So, armed with sunscreen, water and our sense of adventure; we 4 (Elizabeth, Paul, Mary and I)  began our adventure.

Elizabeth and Paul

Our friend Kelly at River Girl Fishing took us up the river to a launch point a mile or so above the high water bridge at Big Hill and River Roads.  Lesson one - placing one's posterior in a tube and plopping into the river is a chilling experience - the air was in the 80's but the water was considerably cooler.  Refreshing and eye opening, we were off!

Taming the roaring river!

Shortly into the journey, we lashed all 4 tubes together for safety and convenience and began figuring out how to navigate the raging torrent!  As you can see from the photo above, we were barely able to keep from being washed overboard.

Working Hard.

Mary was particularly stressed in keeping our vessel on course and had to regularly drag bottom to keep us on course.  Along our journey were a family of wood ducks, a great blue heron and numerous other attractions to calm the mind and soul.

Nearly 4 hours after our adventure began, we landed in Todd tired and famished.  A visit to Emily's bakery on the way home cured the hunger and a quiet evening on the deck eased the tired.

What a wonderful way to pass a lazy July afternoon.

Paddlin' on the New



Quiet trip down river.

 Todd wouldn't be Todd without the South fork of the New River.  It kisses the edge of town at its junction with Elk Creek before heading East to Fleetwood and beyond.

On Friday, Mary & I picked up our newly acquired kayaks from the River Girl Fishing Company and headed upriver about 3 miles for our inaugural voyage.  No fishing tackle this trip just a laid back trip on a very low river.  The normally 2 hour trip took almost 3 due to slow current and multiple "Walking" places without enough water to move a kayak along.  Funny how it floated fine when either of us got out - must be a cosmic thing.


Mary enjoying the trip.


Floating slowly downstream reminded us how important it is to just slow down and enjoy the journey.  All too often we get caught in the rush to get to a destination rather than taking time to enjoy the sites along the way.  We saw a heron, numerous other birds and lots of fish.  We were bombed by falling buckeyes and pushed along by gentle breezes.  It was easy to believe, if only for a few hours, that we were travelling far from civilization in a long ago time.