Every summer around our birthdays (Mine is July 27, and Dana's is July 29) we try to schedule our vacation--but did not all come together this year. Dana was able to get off work, but we had birthday celebrations planned by our kids over the weekend, and a grandson birthday Monday night--plus I had to work Monday. So, what could have started on Friday or Saturday for a 6-day getaway was reduced to Tuesday through Thursday. But having family time is awesome too.
Dana and I scored matching kayaks for our birthdays, and we were itching to christen them. I thought the Elk River at Noel, Missouri would be a good place to ease back into the sport. Honestly, I have kayaked twice and Dana once--but I still feel like an old pro yakking. We have Pelican Argo 100s, 10-foot sit-inside kayaks, and we were both very pleased with how they handled. We paid River Ranch Floats in Noel $20.00 to take us upstream to their 8-mile drop point. The driver unloaded us as well as some other kayakers and rafters, and he had no more pulled away when I noticed my life jacket was still on the bus!! I called the main office and the courteous counter clerk said she'd try to radio the driver, but made no promises since radio coverage is spotty. :-/ But five minutes later she called back and said the driver would be on his way back. It did take another ten minutes or so, but he brought it back and was so apologetic, even though I told him it was my fault. I was impressed with their operation. They seemed organized, and they sure helped us out of a jam.
The weather was absolutely perfect. As you can see, partly cloudy with big fluffy clouds taking turns giving us shade that kept our un-sun-screened legs from cooking much past medium rare.
There were occasional rapids and only a couple of passages where there were enough big rocks to make you fret. One such place had a huge tree that was ripped out from a past flood that was tucked tightly along the bank of a narrow swift turn. I took a conservative track to the inside bend of the river with swift but shallow water. Dana drifted to the outside and got wedged against the big trunk of the semi-submerged tree. In a split second, she was hanging on while her kayak was swept under the tree. She hollered out that she might need some help. I quickly beached my boat and ran across to do whatever I could as she managed to get her legs out. Her life jacket kept her high enough in the water that she was able to keep from being swept under the log. She tossed me the soft ice cooler and her paddle, and I grabbed the tow rope and we pulled her kayak across the stream to more shallow water, flipped it over, and reloaded things. All was well, but had we not got my life jacket back--and with me being a sorry swimmer, she would have probably been swept under the log into a tangle of submerged branches.
The only other bumps in the road were a couple of places where drub bottom. Good thing I had on my water shoes.
Our 8.25 mile trip took us nearly 4 hours, and at times, the sun would come out, the water was still, and there was no breeze. 82 degrees, while wonderful for August, can still seem hot.
I could have gone a little further, but honestly, we were both ready to be through. Food had become a priority. Cotton Eyed Joes, known for great BBQ, also had great burgers.
Kayaking was the only adventurous excitement on our trip, but we did have one other fun excursion.
We drove home through Bentonville, AR, and stopped by Ozark Mountain Bagel Company. I was taking a couple of pictures of the new store, and we must have been spied as we were ambushed by the owners as we entered the front door.
Bill and Sheila fixed us u with bagels and coffee to go (best bagels I have ever had too!) and a super cool Ozark Mountain Bagel shirt. We miss seeing our friends as often as we used to--but really, Bentonville is not that far away, and there are miles and miles and miles of awesome single track trailz here--and some good places to kayak too. More adventures are in store!!!
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