One thing that I worry about with these blogs is that they put my semi-private thoughts out there in the World Wide Web. I try not to post anything that is too controversial or anything that I would regret if it "got out". I don't worry much about this, but I do make it a point not to post either of my blogs on Facebook or the like.
The main thing is that I don't want my students coming across them. This is a good outlet for me to express and share concerns, triumphs, fears, etc., and I don't need my students having that kind of access to my private life. Kinda funny coming from me considering the close relationships and friendships that I developed with my undergrad professors!
Anyway, I've run a few Google searches to see if anything comes up. The last one I tried was "Laura McCormick kayaking", and the blog did not come up, so I think I'm pretty safe for now. But, one thing that did pop up was this (check out contest #6):
http://paddlinglife.net/paddling_life_contest_detail.php?id=109
This was a captions contest run through Paddling Life, an electronic paddling magazine. I had forgotten that I had submitted an entry. I don't remember when I sent it in, but it was sometime before I moved to SC. I never received any type of notification from them, so I just sent them an email. I forget what I've won. Probably a pair of Tevas---that's the prize for the current contest, and it sounds kinda familiar. Good timing, I've pretty much walked through the two pairs of Mions that I have and I can't find replacements anywhere!!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Strange Times on Springwoods Lake
I was sitting on the deck this morning when I noticed Great Blue hanging out across the lake. I grabbed the camera and snapped this photo:
I watched him for a few minutes, took a couple more photos, and contemplated taking on of the kayaks down. Then I noticed something odd. Check out the water line in the photo. This morning, the water in Springwoods Lake was down about two feet from yesterday's water level. I headed down to the dock to investigate. Here's a shot of the lake. I'm standing at what yesterday was the water's edge. Everything that you see on the bank is usually at least partially submerged.
You can clearly see how far up the water usually comes on the dock ladder.
Another strange thing is that when I go out on the lake, if I see a white egret at all, I only see one. I've never seen more than that on any given day. Today when I looked down the lake, I saw seven all hanging out together.
I guess it's a flock form a nearby lake, and maybe with the drastic change in the water level the fishing was particularly good here today. There was also a hawk soaring about all day, so I reckon there may have been a few tasty morsels stranded on the bank.
Naturally, I decided to go for a paddle to see what I could see. The low levels brought in the birds, but also revealed a lot of trash that has been hidden, submerged a foot or two from the bank.
That part was quite distressing. So was the part where I ran up on something, probably an old tree stump, and very nearly flipped the kayak. I nearly lost it again as I was "ungrounding" myself. I never did see the submerged obstacle or figure out the mystery surrounding the sudden low tide, but I got to spend some time with old friends:
And I got to meet some new friends. As I was paddling I saw three small ducks ahead of me. I didn't pay much attention to them. I assumed they were young mallards, as there are quite a few out here, and the glare of the sun kept me from seeing them clearly. As I approached, they tucked their heads into the water, rolled their little backs, and were gone! They can't have stayed under long, but I never saw them resurface...very unmallard-like behavior. I saw them again later this afternoon from the shore. I wasn't able to get any good shots of them, but decent enough for me to make a conjecture as to what they are. I think they are Pied-billed Grebes, a small, diving waterfowl that I have never heard of, but that is known to frequent these parts.
Finally, I mentioned previously that I thought I had a kingfisher living on the lake. Today I was finally able to get some photos, and am confident identifying it as a Belted Kingfisher.
This one likes to stay on the other side of the lake, so it's tough to get a decent picture, but this is descriptive enough. Last weekend when I was out with Gayle, I was pretty sure that there were two of them. This was confirmed when, while I was photographing this critter, I heard the very noticeable, shrill trill of another over my shoulder. It seems that the other likes to hang out in the cover of the trees, but the call teased its mate off of his (or her) perch, and I was able to snap an action shot.
Again, not great photography, but I do what I can. The other Kingfisher darted by a few minutes later, but this was all I could get:
Eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that, despite my good intentions, I was not going to get any studying done sitting out on the dock, and I made my way in. A good day for birding. I'm pleased to finally ID the Kingfisher. I've seen him around from time to time since my first day in town. I'm still curious about the water level. I know they control the levels here. The lake wall abuts a drainage ditch in one part of the lake, and there is a big, square, re-bar covered concrete pit in the far end of the lake that is about 15 feet deep and opens into an underground drainage system, and some type of pump or other mechanical device housed in a metal cylinder coming up out of the water. This might be something that they do every now and then. When I see my neighbor again I'll ask him what he knows about it.
UPDATE (10/10/11): The next day the lake was down another half foot, and there were 10 white egrets!
I watched him for a few minutes, took a couple more photos, and contemplated taking on of the kayaks down. Then I noticed something odd. Check out the water line in the photo. This morning, the water in Springwoods Lake was down about two feet from yesterday's water level. I headed down to the dock to investigate. Here's a shot of the lake. I'm standing at what yesterday was the water's edge. Everything that you see on the bank is usually at least partially submerged.
You can clearly see how far up the water usually comes on the dock ladder.
Another strange thing is that when I go out on the lake, if I see a white egret at all, I only see one. I've never seen more than that on any given day. Today when I looked down the lake, I saw seven all hanging out together.
I guess it's a flock form a nearby lake, and maybe with the drastic change in the water level the fishing was particularly good here today. There was also a hawk soaring about all day, so I reckon there may have been a few tasty morsels stranded on the bank.
Naturally, I decided to go for a paddle to see what I could see. The low levels brought in the birds, but also revealed a lot of trash that has been hidden, submerged a foot or two from the bank.
That part was quite distressing. So was the part where I ran up on something, probably an old tree stump, and very nearly flipped the kayak. I nearly lost it again as I was "ungrounding" myself. I never did see the submerged obstacle or figure out the mystery surrounding the sudden low tide, but I got to spend some time with old friends:
And I got to meet some new friends. As I was paddling I saw three small ducks ahead of me. I didn't pay much attention to them. I assumed they were young mallards, as there are quite a few out here, and the glare of the sun kept me from seeing them clearly. As I approached, they tucked their heads into the water, rolled their little backs, and were gone! They can't have stayed under long, but I never saw them resurface...very unmallard-like behavior. I saw them again later this afternoon from the shore. I wasn't able to get any good shots of them, but decent enough for me to make a conjecture as to what they are. I think they are Pied-billed Grebes, a small, diving waterfowl that I have never heard of, but that is known to frequent these parts.
Finally, I mentioned previously that I thought I had a kingfisher living on the lake. Today I was finally able to get some photos, and am confident identifying it as a Belted Kingfisher.
This one likes to stay on the other side of the lake, so it's tough to get a decent picture, but this is descriptive enough. Last weekend when I was out with Gayle, I was pretty sure that there were two of them. This was confirmed when, while I was photographing this critter, I heard the very noticeable, shrill trill of another over my shoulder. It seems that the other likes to hang out in the cover of the trees, but the call teased its mate off of his (or her) perch, and I was able to snap an action shot.
Again, not great photography, but I do what I can. The other Kingfisher darted by a few minutes later, but this was all I could get:
Eventually I had to come to terms with the fact that, despite my good intentions, I was not going to get any studying done sitting out on the dock, and I made my way in. A good day for birding. I'm pleased to finally ID the Kingfisher. I've seen him around from time to time since my first day in town. I'm still curious about the water level. I know they control the levels here. The lake wall abuts a drainage ditch in one part of the lake, and there is a big, square, re-bar covered concrete pit in the far end of the lake that is about 15 feet deep and opens into an underground drainage system, and some type of pump or other mechanical device housed in a metal cylinder coming up out of the water. This might be something that they do every now and then. When I see my neighbor again I'll ask him what he knows about it.
UPDATE (10/10/11): The next day the lake was down another half foot, and there were 10 white egrets!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Home Sweet Home (Springwoods Lake)
This past weekend one of my dearest friends, Gayle, took the train up from Orlando. She is the first person to visit me here in Columbia (and as such, clearly loves me the most). We spent most of the weekend hanging about at the house, and put in a few hours on Springwoods Lake, conveniently located in my backyard!
Mornings started with coffee on the dock as we watched the sun melt away the mist and wake up the ducks, geese, and turtles.
We were keeping a sharp eye out for the otter that I saw frolicking about a few days ago, but he never made an appearance. From what I hear, seeing this little fellow is just a matter of luck. The resident flock of Canada geese swam by and seemed very attentive to us, especially when one of us would make a move to stand up. So, I ran inside and grabbed a loaf of bread.
Sure enough, they were all about having breakfast with us!
I took entirely too many photos of these guys, and these are only a few. Feel free to scroll past them!
After our morning on the dock and lunch in town, we were back on the lake, this time in the kayaks.
The better part of the lake (in terms of size) lies to the left of my dock and is primarily open water.
To the right of the dock there is a little stretch of open water, which narrows down into a stream of sorts.
The stream off of this side of the lake is my favorite part. It gets no traffic other than me and my guests (not that the lake gets much anyway). Often when I float through here I see a couple of green herons, a white egret, and a little fellow with a very distinctive call that I've decided must be some type of kingfisher, though I haven't been able to find his picture online yet.
There are two great blue herons that live on the lake, one on each end. I see them both almost every time I go out. I'll do better about bringing my camera with me so that I can get some decent portraits of them. For now, here is a not-so-great action shot of the great blue that lives to the right of my dock.
Gayle and I were out for a little while on Saturday, then again for 2-3 hours Sunday afternoon. Sunday night, a few hours before Gayle's 2am train home, we braved the 48 degree temps to experience the tranquility of being on the lake at night. The fish were stirring, but for obvious reasons, we saw nothing else. I've got a couple of nighttime settings on my camera, but this is the best that came of them:
The next morning (I guess it was this morning, seems like forever ago) would have been a great time to go out. But, Gayle was on a southbound train headed home, and I was dragging myself out of bed to get to work. It's a tough life, having to wake up every morning to this:
Mornings started with coffee on the dock as we watched the sun melt away the mist and wake up the ducks, geese, and turtles.
We were keeping a sharp eye out for the otter that I saw frolicking about a few days ago, but he never made an appearance. From what I hear, seeing this little fellow is just a matter of luck. The resident flock of Canada geese swam by and seemed very attentive to us, especially when one of us would make a move to stand up. So, I ran inside and grabbed a loaf of bread.
Sure enough, they were all about having breakfast with us!
I took entirely too many photos of these guys, and these are only a few. Feel free to scroll past them!
After our morning on the dock and lunch in town, we were back on the lake, this time in the kayaks.
The better part of the lake (in terms of size) lies to the left of my dock and is primarily open water.
To the right of the dock there is a little stretch of open water, which narrows down into a stream of sorts.
The stream off of this side of the lake is my favorite part. It gets no traffic other than me and my guests (not that the lake gets much anyway). Often when I float through here I see a couple of green herons, a white egret, and a little fellow with a very distinctive call that I've decided must be some type of kingfisher, though I haven't been able to find his picture online yet.
There are two great blue herons that live on the lake, one on each end. I see them both almost every time I go out. I'll do better about bringing my camera with me so that I can get some decent portraits of them. For now, here is a not-so-great action shot of the great blue that lives to the right of my dock.
Gayle and I were out for a little while on Saturday, then again for 2-3 hours Sunday afternoon. Sunday night, a few hours before Gayle's 2am train home, we braved the 48 degree temps to experience the tranquility of being on the lake at night. The fish were stirring, but for obvious reasons, we saw nothing else. I've got a couple of nighttime settings on my camera, but this is the best that came of them:
The next morning (I guess it was this morning, seems like forever ago) would have been a great time to go out. But, Gayle was on a southbound train headed home, and I was dragging myself out of bed to get to work. It's a tough life, having to wake up every morning to this:
The Saluda
Our annual departmental picnic was September 9th in a park on the Saluda river. I got up super early to load up the kayaks and get to campus for teaching and classes. My academic day concluded with Algebra, then Ed, one of my first-year counterparts, and I scooted out to the park to have some fun before the picnic began.
The water was cool and beautiful. There was a slight current, so we paddled upstream. After a ways we saw (and heard) that the water flow was picking up a bit. We tried to paddle up through the "rapids" (a.k.a. kinda swift water), but we weren't able to make much progress. The problem wasn't so much the swiftness of the current as it was our inability to control the 'yaks. Little "swells" here and there had us spinning this way and that making it hard to head upstream. Ed had the added disadvantage of being way too tall for the kayak and paddle, making it even more awkward for him to maneuver efficiently.
Eventually we gave up, but noticed, as we floated back downstream, this wicked cool "tree house"!
What a fabulous place! I'm not sure how it came to be in this state. It looks more like the tree grew up underneath it and raised the structure right off of its foundation over time (though obviously not the case). Everyone dreams of living in a tree house, and I could totally go for this one, even if it might need a little work. You can see in the photo that this is where the current was starting to pick up.
We headed back downstream. We still had some time to kill, so we floated/paddled past our launch and relaxed, taking in the beautiful scenery and submitting ourselves to the river.
It wasn't long before our serene surroundings were, once again, invaded by the sounds of rushing water. It was barely distinguishable at first, but grew louder as we rounded a bend. We could see the current picking up ahead of us. It was tempting to just go with it and see what happened. There were people we could call for a ride back to the car if we found ourselves unable to get back upstream. But, not being familiar with the river, we didn't know what we would really be getting into, or if we would be able to find a takeout point within any reasonable distance. We went as far as we dared then headed back to the launch.
When I learn more about this part of the river, I hope to go back and be more adventurous. Until then, the area that we were in was still nice, and it's a great swimming hole, complete with rope-swings hanging from the over-reaching trees. Another great option very close to home!
The water was cool and beautiful. There was a slight current, so we paddled upstream. After a ways we saw (and heard) that the water flow was picking up a bit. We tried to paddle up through the "rapids" (a.k.a. kinda swift water), but we weren't able to make much progress. The problem wasn't so much the swiftness of the current as it was our inability to control the 'yaks. Little "swells" here and there had us spinning this way and that making it hard to head upstream. Ed had the added disadvantage of being way too tall for the kayak and paddle, making it even more awkward for him to maneuver efficiently.
Eventually we gave up, but noticed, as we floated back downstream, this wicked cool "tree house"!
What a fabulous place! I'm not sure how it came to be in this state. It looks more like the tree grew up underneath it and raised the structure right off of its foundation over time (though obviously not the case). Everyone dreams of living in a tree house, and I could totally go for this one, even if it might need a little work. You can see in the photo that this is where the current was starting to pick up.
We headed back downstream. We still had some time to kill, so we floated/paddled past our launch and relaxed, taking in the beautiful scenery and submitting ourselves to the river.
It wasn't long before our serene surroundings were, once again, invaded by the sounds of rushing water. It was barely distinguishable at first, but grew louder as we rounded a bend. We could see the current picking up ahead of us. It was tempting to just go with it and see what happened. There were people we could call for a ride back to the car if we found ourselves unable to get back upstream. But, not being familiar with the river, we didn't know what we would really be getting into, or if we would be able to find a takeout point within any reasonable distance. We went as far as we dared then headed back to the launch.
When I learn more about this part of the river, I hope to go back and be more adventurous. Until then, the area that we were in was still nice, and it's a great swimming hole, complete with rope-swings hanging from the over-reaching trees. Another great option very close to home!
Congaree National Park
A few weeks ago (September 9th) Morgan, one of my fellow grad students, and I drove down to the Congaree National Park to do some paddling. The Brood river flows into Columbia from the north, the Saluda from the northwest. These two join up in town and become the Congaree. The Congaree runs along the southern boarder of the CNP, and we kayaked on Cedar Creek.
The water levels in the Congaree are regulated by (or more accurately are affected by) dam activity on Lake Murray which is where the Saluda originates. On this particular weekend the water levels on the Congaree were very low, less than a foot in some places. Cedar Creek was a bit better for our needs at about 2.5 feet.
The put-in for Cedar Creek is about 100 meters off from the parking lot. We carried the boats down the first little part of a hiking trail (that I will have to go back and check out one of these days) and launched next to a cute little bridge.
Going was a little treacherous at first. Large, submerged logs littered the creek bed like pickup sticks. Grateful for the manuverability of the kayaks, we avoided a couple of areas that would have required portaging with a canoe. After a stretch we passed the launch used by the park rangers for their guided canoe trips and things were much easier from this point on.
I was surprised to find that this old-growth swamp is very similar to some areas of Louisiana, particularly Bodcau Bayou. I must admit, Bodcau was much more beautiful and serene.
We did not see nearly as many birds as I would have expected, though Morgan did catch a glimpse of a Barred owl, common in this area. We had the opportunity to get up-close and personal with a couple of water moccasins that were sunning themselves on the bank.
I was very tempted to poke one with a stick so I could get a photo of the infamous cotton-white mouth, but Morgan would not go along with it---that kind of timing usually takes two people. It's a good thing I guess, I would have felt bad for harassing the poor little guy.
Another interesting and creepy fellow that we met was this spider:
His leg-span was about 4 inches, and he was just dangling from a log jutting out over the water. When I first saw him he looked pretty dead, but as I watched, I realized that he was patiently suspended just above the water waiting for something appealing to float by. Those of you who know me well enough to know how I feel about spiders are aware of the challenge it was for me to get close enough to take this photo. For those of you who don't, it suffices to say that there are some serious heebie-jeebies associated with this image, and perhaps a nightmare or two. But, I love the shot!
Our first trip into the Congaree National Park was fun. I look forward to going back and doing a two-day trip down the full length of the creek, but that will have to wait until the water levels are higher. Eventually I would like to do a multi-day trip down the Congaree starting in Columbia and ending on the east side of the park.
The water levels in the Congaree are regulated by (or more accurately are affected by) dam activity on Lake Murray which is where the Saluda originates. On this particular weekend the water levels on the Congaree were very low, less than a foot in some places. Cedar Creek was a bit better for our needs at about 2.5 feet.
The put-in for Cedar Creek is about 100 meters off from the parking lot. We carried the boats down the first little part of a hiking trail (that I will have to go back and check out one of these days) and launched next to a cute little bridge.
Going was a little treacherous at first. Large, submerged logs littered the creek bed like pickup sticks. Grateful for the manuverability of the kayaks, we avoided a couple of areas that would have required portaging with a canoe. After a stretch we passed the launch used by the park rangers for their guided canoe trips and things were much easier from this point on.
I was surprised to find that this old-growth swamp is very similar to some areas of Louisiana, particularly Bodcau Bayou. I must admit, Bodcau was much more beautiful and serene.
We did not see nearly as many birds as I would have expected, though Morgan did catch a glimpse of a Barred owl, common in this area. We had the opportunity to get up-close and personal with a couple of water moccasins that were sunning themselves on the bank.
I was very tempted to poke one with a stick so I could get a photo of the infamous cotton-white mouth, but Morgan would not go along with it---that kind of timing usually takes two people. It's a good thing I guess, I would have felt bad for harassing the poor little guy.
Another interesting and creepy fellow that we met was this spider:
His leg-span was about 4 inches, and he was just dangling from a log jutting out over the water. When I first saw him he looked pretty dead, but as I watched, I realized that he was patiently suspended just above the water waiting for something appealing to float by. Those of you who know me well enough to know how I feel about spiders are aware of the challenge it was for me to get close enough to take this photo. For those of you who don't, it suffices to say that there are some serious heebie-jeebies associated with this image, and perhaps a nightmare or two. But, I love the shot!
Our first trip into the Congaree National Park was fun. I look forward to going back and doing a two-day trip down the full length of the creek, but that will have to wait until the water levels are higher. Eventually I would like to do a multi-day trip down the Congaree starting in Columbia and ending on the east side of the park.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Relocation! South Carolina
It has been a while since I've posted, and I've gotten the boats wet a few times in the lull. Most of the activity has been recent. Until I set up "real" Internet access at my new home, this brief narrative will have to do. I'll come back later and add photos. Sorry for any typos, of which I am sure there are many...I'm posting on my phone. :-/
I was up in Montana for a couple of weeks in June/July. While there, David, Elizabeth, Tony, Sarah, and I rented some kayaks on Whitefish Lake. Elizabeth rented a single kayak and Tony and Sarah rented a tandem from the lodge on the lake. Those rentals were only for a couple of hours. David rented a paddleboard and I rented a single 'yak from the local Sportsman' House. We got ours for 24 hours, but had to tote them around ourselves. The lake was fairly uneventful. It was sunny, choppy, and fairly busy.
David perfected his moves on the board, Tony & Sarah struggled around the choppy lake, Elizabeth crisped in the sun, and I cruised over to the river.
The river was beautiful, but I wasn't there long due to the time constraints on the other rentals.
The next morning we took my 'yak and the paddleboard to the Whitefish river and played about near one of the bridges. We didn't do any exploring, but everyone had a blast.
We took turns on both of the vessels. My round on the paddleboard (along with everyone else's) led to the discovery of the truly frigid temp of the water, but it felt great! I finally tipped the kayak while getting in, something I had been destine to do since renting it. Those sit-in 'yaks are much tippier than my sit-on-top babies. Sarah and I convinced Granny to have a quick go in the 'yak. We were clever enough to know that the paddleboard was out of the question.
As we stood on the dock watching Granny, Sarah asked, "Does Granny know how to swim?" My response as we watched her maneuver the craft like a pro... "God, I hope so. I really don't want to have to jump in!" We needn't have worried, she survived, had fun, and we got some great photos!
Before leaving the river to return the boats, I (against my better judgement) followed Elizabeth and Tony's lead in jumpin off the bridge.
What good is a trip to Montana without a little bridge-jumping? I guess it's a tradition now...
After returning home, I made an evening trip back out to Bodcau Bayou with Megann Hayes.
Water levels were extremely low, but we went as far as we could down each channel. It really is a beautiful place.
I spotted this scaly guy on the bank and paddled over to take some glamor shots. (UPDATE (10/12/11): An astute reader pointed out something that I definitely should have noticed and paid attention to when I was getting so friendly with this little sucker. This is not your garden variety, docile water snake that I had expected to see--and thus assumed I was seeing--but rather your infamous, aggressive neighborhood cottonmouth! Oops! He was friendly enough though. I see no call for the negative rep, he's a chill fella!)
While I was distracted, Megann was distracted by something else on the bank a few feet upstream (or maybe downstream...hard to tell without a current). She said something about a jellyfish. I glanced up with a quizzical look, expecting to see a plastic bag or something of the sort. Just then, Megann pokes her paddle into a glob of fish eggs a couple of feet from her kayak and was answered by another large water snake streaking up the bank. We don't know if he was feasting on the eggs or just taking a nap. But, we do know that he scared the bejesus out of us!
A week ago I moved to Columbia, South Carolina for school. I'm in a decent size duplex in a neighborhood in which I am very much the cultural minority. I have met a couple of my neighbors, and they all seem nice, helpful, and all-round neighborly.
The best part is that I'm on a lake. I have a dock off my backyard that I share with Robert, the other duplex resident. Launching the boats is quick and easy. The lake is small, but beautiful. I've paddled every day since I arrived---5 or 6 outtings so far. My second trip out was on my first full day in town. Bethany, another girl starting the program, came by to help me unload a couple of things from the truck, and she went out on the lake with me. We had a good time.
There is a flock of Canada geese that has taken up residence on the lake and can often be seen hanging out on the shore, flying a few feet above my head, or poking about in my front yard.
There are a couple of Great Blue herons, a few green herons, and a neat little bluish-grey guy that I have yet to identify who are sharing the lake with me. Other than that, I've only seen one guy in a kayak a few nights ago.
I have taken to spending my mornings out on the dock working when the weather is nice, at least those mornings when I choose not to go into the office at the crack of dawn.
I'm loving living on the lake. I've invited all of the other students starting the program out tomorrow evening, and the boats will get loads more attention with them here. I'm looking forward to exploring the other waterways of South Carolina, particularly the rivers, and I think there will be a few folks in this crop of students who will always be willing to join me (judging from Facebook reports of their activities).
I was up in Montana for a couple of weeks in June/July. While there, David, Elizabeth, Tony, Sarah, and I rented some kayaks on Whitefish Lake. Elizabeth rented a single kayak and Tony and Sarah rented a tandem from the lodge on the lake. Those rentals were only for a couple of hours. David rented a paddleboard and I rented a single 'yak from the local Sportsman' House. We got ours for 24 hours, but had to tote them around ourselves. The lake was fairly uneventful. It was sunny, choppy, and fairly busy.
David perfected his moves on the board, Tony & Sarah struggled around the choppy lake, Elizabeth crisped in the sun, and I cruised over to the river.
The river was beautiful, but I wasn't there long due to the time constraints on the other rentals.
The next morning we took my 'yak and the paddleboard to the Whitefish river and played about near one of the bridges. We didn't do any exploring, but everyone had a blast.
We took turns on both of the vessels. My round on the paddleboard (along with everyone else's) led to the discovery of the truly frigid temp of the water, but it felt great! I finally tipped the kayak while getting in, something I had been destine to do since renting it. Those sit-in 'yaks are much tippier than my sit-on-top babies. Sarah and I convinced Granny to have a quick go in the 'yak. We were clever enough to know that the paddleboard was out of the question.
As we stood on the dock watching Granny, Sarah asked, "Does Granny know how to swim?" My response as we watched her maneuver the craft like a pro... "God, I hope so. I really don't want to have to jump in!" We needn't have worried, she survived, had fun, and we got some great photos!
Before leaving the river to return the boats, I (against my better judgement) followed Elizabeth and Tony's lead in jumpin off the bridge.
What good is a trip to Montana without a little bridge-jumping? I guess it's a tradition now...
After returning home, I made an evening trip back out to Bodcau Bayou with Megann Hayes.
Water levels were extremely low, but we went as far as we could down each channel. It really is a beautiful place.
I spotted this scaly guy on the bank and paddled over to take some glamor shots. (UPDATE (10/12/11): An astute reader pointed out something that I definitely should have noticed and paid attention to when I was getting so friendly with this little sucker. This is not your garden variety, docile water snake that I had expected to see--and thus assumed I was seeing--but rather your infamous, aggressive neighborhood cottonmouth! Oops! He was friendly enough though. I see no call for the negative rep, he's a chill fella!)
While I was distracted, Megann was distracted by something else on the bank a few feet upstream (or maybe downstream...hard to tell without a current). She said something about a jellyfish. I glanced up with a quizzical look, expecting to see a plastic bag or something of the sort. Just then, Megann pokes her paddle into a glob of fish eggs a couple of feet from her kayak and was answered by another large water snake streaking up the bank. We don't know if he was feasting on the eggs or just taking a nap. But, we do know that he scared the bejesus out of us!
A week ago I moved to Columbia, South Carolina for school. I'm in a decent size duplex in a neighborhood in which I am very much the cultural minority. I have met a couple of my neighbors, and they all seem nice, helpful, and all-round neighborly.
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| View of the house from the front. |
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| View from the back, the right side is mine. |
The best part is that I'm on a lake. I have a dock off my backyard that I share with Robert, the other duplex resident. Launching the boats is quick and easy. The lake is small, but beautiful. I've paddled every day since I arrived---5 or 6 outtings so far. My second trip out was on my first full day in town. Bethany, another girl starting the program, came by to help me unload a couple of things from the truck, and she went out on the lake with me. We had a good time.
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| Canada geese flying over the lake. |
There is a flock of Canada geese that has taken up residence on the lake and can often be seen hanging out on the shore, flying a few feet above my head, or poking about in my front yard.
There are a couple of Great Blue herons, a few green herons, and a neat little bluish-grey guy that I have yet to identify who are sharing the lake with me. Other than that, I've only seen one guy in a kayak a few nights ago.
I have taken to spending my mornings out on the dock working when the weather is nice, at least those mornings when I choose not to go into the office at the crack of dawn.I'm loving living on the lake. I've invited all of the other students starting the program out tomorrow evening, and the boats will get loads more attention with them here. I'm looking forward to exploring the other waterways of South Carolina, particularly the rivers, and I think there will be a few folks in this crop of students who will always be willing to join me (judging from Facebook reports of their activities).
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