Shootin' The Hooch
It's Memorial Day long weekend over here, and I guess these days the commemoration of those who've died in war has taken on a whole new significance.
No matter how long you spend time in the States, you figure out very quickly that most people here don't support what's going on in Iraq, but nevertheless have thrown their whole weight behind supporting the troops and getting them home as fast as humanly possible. Walk through any neighbourhood (in Atlanta anyway) and you're bound to see a little placard in someone's front yard that echoes the sentiments below...
Memorial Day weekend also marks the official beginning of summer. So with the temperature and humidity increasing right on cue, lots of folks flock to the Chatahoochee River, which is part of the U.S. National Parks scheme. You can fish, canoe or kayak along the river, or hike on one of the many trails in the area. Yesterday, a few of us rented some kayaks and set out to "shoot the Hooch". I hadn't tried kayaking since Year 9 camp, so after repeated assurances that you don't have to be particularly athletic or fit to enjoy it, decided to give it a go. Besides, ten bucks buys you a shuttle ride to and from the river, the kayak itself plus paddles and safety gear, and approximately two hours out on the river itself. I still don't know how the people who run this rapidly expanding business manage to profit, but it's well worth it - if you don't mind getting a thoroughly wet butt!
After losing my spare camera batteries to the water, I gave up on fiddling around trying to get photos, but these are the few that I took at the beginning of our journey. Just before we were about to set off, a quick storm passed through the area, so we waited about half an hour for it to clear up. In its wake, what with the high humidity, a thick mist had settled right on top of the water, which initially made visibility very poor. Beautiful and eerie to look at though - like a scene of Middle Earth.
Eventually though, the mist burned off and apart from the occasional rapids, the river was pretty calm and amazingly clean and clear. Having broken away from the others and paddling along by myself, there were times where there was no one in sight either in front, or behind me. Nice opportunity to rest the paddles and have a good ol' think.
No matter how long you spend time in the States, you figure out very quickly that most people here don't support what's going on in Iraq, but nevertheless have thrown their whole weight behind supporting the troops and getting them home as fast as humanly possible. Walk through any neighbourhood (in Atlanta anyway) and you're bound to see a little placard in someone's front yard that echoes the sentiments below...
Memorial Day weekend also marks the official beginning of summer. So with the temperature and humidity increasing right on cue, lots of folks flock to the Chatahoochee River, which is part of the U.S. National Parks scheme. You can fish, canoe or kayak along the river, or hike on one of the many trails in the area. Yesterday, a few of us rented some kayaks and set out to "shoot the Hooch". I hadn't tried kayaking since Year 9 camp, so after repeated assurances that you don't have to be particularly athletic or fit to enjoy it, decided to give it a go. Besides, ten bucks buys you a shuttle ride to and from the river, the kayak itself plus paddles and safety gear, and approximately two hours out on the river itself. I still don't know how the people who run this rapidly expanding business manage to profit, but it's well worth it - if you don't mind getting a thoroughly wet butt!
After losing my spare camera batteries to the water, I gave up on fiddling around trying to get photos, but these are the few that I took at the beginning of our journey. Just before we were about to set off, a quick storm passed through the area, so we waited about half an hour for it to clear up. In its wake, what with the high humidity, a thick mist had settled right on top of the water, which initially made visibility very poor. Beautiful and eerie to look at though - like a scene of Middle Earth.
Eventually though, the mist burned off and apart from the occasional rapids, the river was pretty calm and amazingly clean and clear. Having broken away from the others and paddling along by myself, there were times where there was no one in sight either in front, or behind me. Nice opportunity to rest the paddles and have a good ol' think.
posted by yossarian | 9:45 AM
5 Comments:
Impressive photos! Shame you lost the spare batteries in the drink.
P.S. I've come back from the dark side (MSN). Maybe this time I'll stay with blogspot for good. Weirder things have happened. :p
beautiful! you were lucky to get the mist too! Shame about the batteries. this must be why people go fishing too - for the moment you put the rod/oar down and have a think.
hiya folks! thanks for stopping by!
kaz - good to hear you're coming over to blogspot...must admit that it'll probably make it easier for me to keep track of your adventures. will keep my eyes peeled and contribute as best i can :-)
flygirl - yeah, that mist sure was impressive. and as you said, the contemplative factor is definitely a drawcard ;-)
10 bucks will buy next to nothing nowadays. That's great value. Those mist pictures look directly out of some horror movie! Or maybe Cape Fear. Not sure I'd be game to go solo! Well done Yossarian
Got them duelling banjos playin' in my head! ;P
Gosh, looking at that panoramic view of the river and mist sure looks gorgeous! Sounds like you're having some pretty amazing adventures!
Ditto on the batteries although it did give you more time to reflect!
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