Dog River - July 13, 2008

FRANCES: This was our second time to kayak on Dog River and our first - and only so far - time to kayak on a Sunday morning. We headed out a little later than usual, the sun was already up, the sky was bright and clear, the water cool and choppy and a nice wind was blowing.

I had already looked at the satellite maps to see the twists and turns in tributaries of the river and it looked like there were some that were banked with grass and marsh, no houses. I thought that would provide a quiet, peaceful place to paddle. It was exactly that. Except for a couple of birds flying overhead and a symphony of others we could hear but not see, we were alone on the water.

At some points the water, which at the put-in had been so choppy our boats were rocking to the rhythm, was now as smooth as glass. The reflection of the trees, reeds and sky was incredibly beautiful.

We followed the winding twists and turns, all the while watching the clock. We would have to leave in time to get ready for church.

It always seems odd how it takes so much longer to go out than it does to come back in and it seems like it will take so much longer to traverse a body of water than it really does.

When we came back to the choppy water, back to the river itself, the wind had picked up much more than previously and the water was even rougher than before. Even though I hated to come in from the water, I knew the constraint of the clock and the deteriorating weather made it the best and safest decision at the time.