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Our big adventure to Great Smoky Mountains National Park was postponed this year on a Friday afternoon. The car was packed. The tank of gas was full. My itinerary and meal plan for the road were packed. The kids had broken in their new Keen sandals. But on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. we took sleepy E's temperature and it was 102.
We had a great weekend anyway. After dinner that very night, Staci, A, and J and I left Dan and E at home so he could sleep. We headed to Shenandoah for a night hike. I was hoping for awesome stars and maybe a good lookout as the sunset. We ended up at Blackrock Overlook (note: not Blackrock Summit) for a beautiful moment looking down on Harrisonburg and Luray.
Plan B also included seeing our good Italy-bound first grade friend and her family on the day they left on the airplane. Their trip had been suddenly moved up by a day, and we wouldn't have seen them if our plan to go to Tennessee had worked out. What a gift! I cannot tell you how grateful I am that we know this perfect little girl and her family.
On Monday we made our way over the mountains to Luray to rent two canoes for a seven-mile trip down the Shenandoah River. This was our first time canoe-ing this river and it won't be our last.
After a short shuttle trip, we were headed south to put in at Bixler's Ferry.
A led out in the girls' boat. She paddled for nearly every minute of the two-hour trip, even though we'd find out later she was getting a bit sick herself. She was strong and curious and persistent.
I thought the scenery might get boring, but it didn't. We stared at cabins and cows on the bank. We snacked and chatted. We experimented with our paddles and our boat. We watched birds circling and insects hovering.
I spent nearly every mile of that trip trying to figure out what we need to do to have our own canoes for regular river trips. I ran numbers as I thought about money and space. I wondered if I could count this as emergency preparedness equipment. I can't wait to do the 20-mile section of this river the next time we go out.
1 comment:
Sounds like great emergency preparedness equipment to me. If there's a flood, no problem, you can take your family, your 72 hour kits, and paddle your way out. Paddle! Paddle! Paddle! Kids, let's get out of here!
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