Kayaking - Percy Priest Night Paddle

Percy Priest 6/18/13                           Miles Traveled 4, Total 89.7
From Hamilton Marina to Goose Island
w/ Paddle Adventures Unlimited group, Julie, Ethan, Beatrix, Alicia

Ethan and I were in Nashville this day at the Apple store, then Cheesecake Factory so we decided we'd try this paddle.  We drove with the kayaks atop the Highlander.  We had them strapped onto the 2 2x4's.  They seemed secure until we picked up speed, then the green one on the passenger side tended to bounce up and down at the tip.  So we drove down on the old Clarksville Highway.

We thought we'd be late, but got there just at 5:45.  Others were very late so we didn't put in until much later.  There were probably about 22 paddlers, 5 of us were from Clarksville.  Beatrix and her daughter Alicia were there.  It was fun seeing Beatrix paddle with her little dog Sammie along for the ride.  The lake was very calm.  It was an easy paddle out (and back).  Within the group there was also a stand up paddler and also a gentlemen trying out a very small kayak that he kept rolling.  When we got to the island, we hung out for awhile.   Most people had a snack or a drink with them.  The best part of this paddle was heading back to the marina.  We all put lights on our boat and the moon was just starting to come out.  It's always beautiful out on the water, but tonight was extra nice watching the lit-up kayaks glide across the moonlit lake!  I'd love to do another moonlight paddle, but this paddle is only 4 miles and I'm not sure it's worth driving over an hour to get there.  But, I'm glad I got to do it with Ethan.  He's a great companion!

Kayaking - Red River, Father's Day

Red River  6/16/13                              Miles Traveled 8 miles, Total 85.7
Adams to Port Royal, 1:50-4:15
Scotty, Julie, Amanda, Ethan

It was a great Father's Day, minus Richie who had to work :(  This is a very wide river and has a good flow.  We saw lots of people out on this river, maybe because it was Father's Day or maybe it's just a busier river.  There was a tree down soon after we got onto the river.  Scotty and Ethan cut off many of the big branches.  I broke off some branches by hand.  We managed to clear a path to the left of the river making it easier for others to get through.  While we were working on it, a husband and wife came through and seemed appreciative of our work.  I saw lots and lots of turtles on this paddle.  But, as hard as I tried to get a picture of a turtle, I never succeeded.  We saw the cave that the Davis family told us about.  But, they had just been in it yesterday and saw two large raccoons at the very end of it.  That and the fact that you have to belly crawl into this cave was not at all enticing to me.  Ethan and I merely looked into the entrance.
On this trip, Dick was kind enough to let us borrow his 2 kayaks.  He has a 10 foot Pyranha that treks really well down the river.  I learned how important the skeg was when Ethan quietly pulled it up on me at one point.  My boat started to go in circles!  The one, huge drawback to this boat is that it has a very narrow opening and I found it very hard to get in and out.  I'm reassured that my kayak is the perfect boat for me!

My times with Amanda are fleeting and so I love my times with
her and I love photos like this!

Kayaking - Harpeth River

Harpeth River, 6/15/13                                      Miles Travled 9.6, Total 77.7
w/ Aquaholics, Julie, Scotty, Dick and Paul, Trish, Ann, Allie
Put in at Hidden Lake, Take Out 249 bridge, 9:00 -12:40, 2.1mph

This was a wonderful day with a great group of people - only 7 total.  The river had a nice flow, there were a few rocks sticking out.  We had a 40 minute lunch break and saw lots of big fish, possibly carp or catfish.  We saw a large bird with a white tail and a white head, we think it was a bald eagle!

Kayaking - Red River

Red River 6/1/13                         Miles Traveled 8, Total 68.1
Scott, Beatrix & 55 others with Paddle Adventures Unlimited and Red River Valley Outfitters
Put in at Adams to Port Royal, 10-12:30, 2.5 mph

It rained like crazy driving there and waiting for the shuttle bus to the starting point.  There wasn't any rain during the whole paddle.  Stream cleanup along the way.  Barbecue lunch was provided at the finish.  Finished eating and it started raining again; and it rained all afternoon!

Kayaking - West Fork River w/ Ethan

West Fork River 5/27/13                        Miles Traveled 10 miles, Total 60.1
Barkers Mill to Billy Dunlop
Julie & Ethan, 11:30-2:00, Average Speed 3.82 mph, Sunny 75degrees

We looked down the steep embankment under the bridge in dismay.  It was very steep here, had many rocks and lots of brush.  We weren't sure why Blueway Adventures was advertising this route.  I saw a woman out in her yard.  Her property was right there by the bridge and I went to talk with her.  Her name was Victoria and she was very nice and friendly, but obviously perturbed by Blueway Adventures Group.  Apparently they are dropping people off here taking them down the bank and she didn't feel it was safe.  She said she's seen many people overturn their boats right from the start.  She was very gracious to us and allowed Scotty to drive the truck down her property to drop off our boats.   She said the property here had been in her family for hundreds of years.  The old mill wheel was there in her yard.  There was a pretty red building which she said had once been a general store.  She told us she appreciated us asking to let in.  She was going to be contacting a lawyer the next day about Blueway Adventures.  It will be interesting to see how that relationship continues.

Very soon after we had put into the water, Ethan knocked his water bottle into the water.  I was behind him and said I'd get it.  I started to turn my boat and knocked MY water bottle into the water.  Ethan had also started to paddle back and rescued both.  Thank goodness, it would have been a long trip without water.  We learned NOT to put our water bottles up on the dashboard anymore.  It was a wonderful day of paddling.  It was fun to see all of the sitting areas that homeowners had arranged overlooking the river.

Kayaking - West Fork River

West Fork River 5/18/13                                Miles Traveled 12.6, Total 50.1
9:30-2:30, Average Speed 2.4 mph
Julie, Ethan, Beatrix, Dick
West Fork River to Red River to Cumberland River
Put in at Billy Dunlop, Take out at McGregor Park Ramp
75-80 degrees, Sunny, Nice!!

The first 5 miles or so had a nice current.  About the 5th mile, the current was very slow.  About the 5th mile down, we encountered a HUGE strainer.  It was completely blocking the river and the banks were so steep and muddy that we couldn't even portage our boats, let alone climb up the banks.  For awhile, it was quite funny.  We paddled around in circles wondering what to do.  Ethan went to the left of the strainer and Dick went to the right.  Finally, Ethan started pulling out logs, sticks and debris andwas able to make a small path.  It was a nice day, but not nice enough when he fell into the water!  He was able to pull our kayaks over a submerged log.  He was the HERO of the day.  We were here about 45 minutes.  We paddled parallel to the Clarksville Greenway.  The current in the Red River was very slow and the last 3/4 mile we had to paddle up the Cumberland River.  Ethan and Beatrix were tall enough that they were able to stand up and get out on the McGregor floating dock.  It was not such a pretty picture when Dick and I pulled ourselves up belly first onto the dock.  It was a great day!