Actually, this blog could develop sidebars of food conversations and recipes suitable for kayaking or camping. We’ll see.
By 12:30pm we’re headed north on the canopied Meridian Road and west on Highway 12 toward the Florida-Georgia state line. A quick stop at the country store in Coon Bottom should complete our to-do list for the day. I leave Kerry with the truck running and go inside to gather cold drinks. I’m standing somewhat patiently in line waiting to pay the cashier when a young guy jumps out of his dusty blue Chevrolet Malibu and tears open the front door in hot pursuit of another boy, neither one yet 20 years old. Obscenities are flying, feet are shuffling, my heart is racing and I realize that this altercation is blocking me from my only safe exit. When the brawlers push and shove each other out into the parking lot, I drop my four icy cold bottles of natural spring water, my bag of ruffled potato chips and my space in line, and run quickly to the truck. Wheeew
The ever patient Kerry smiles, reminding the always tense me, that today is a day to relax and that we are not in a hurry. I breathe. As we move toward the intersection at 97 South, even Kerry is hoping for a break but the big monster trucks turn left and remain in our path. And heaven forbid that lunchtime should pass us by. Since it is now about 1:30pm, I pull out our picnic lunch and we feast on tuna fish sandwiches and chips right in the truck like our farmhand traveling companions.
Well worth the trip, the beautiful landing and park are invitingly quiet and serene. We launch the boats and load the motors and batteries, check the new GPS and log the coordinates, 30.7885237 -84.6665835 and time 13:50 in the new handmade paper journal. We’re off at last.
The day’s trip is mostly to test the motors (and eat the brownies, of course). Before we decide to embark on an entire day of kayaking down a long lonesome stream, we want to be sure that the battery charge will hold and supply sufficient power to return us to our destination. Come along for a short ride as we enjoy the glassy calm water of the Flint River.
