Saturday, May 21, 2016

Kayaking The Saluda

We went kayaking down the Saluda river last weekend. Cliff and I had already checked out the river a couple of weekends before.  It's shallow for the most part and has some rocky shoals, which makes little tiny rapids. We call them rapids, but really they were just glorified ripples. This would be a great place to bring Lidia and Sawyer for a long kayak trip. Although we would only paddle about 7 miles, that's a long kayak trip for the kids. The trip would take us close to 3 hours to complete. 

We got up Saturday morning and put the kayaks in the lake, right in front of the house. In order to get across the dam, we paddled to a mandatory portage area, took the kayaks out of the water and carried them up a hill........

 ....then down a hill.

 Sawyer decided this was the best way to get down.

And then, down a road that came out on the other side of the dam. 

 We were able to get right to the water's edge with no problems. 

 And then, we set sail.

At first we thought this was a train trestle, but after passing beneath it we decided it couldn't be. It's too narrow. Maybe it's just for foot traffic.

First rapids of the day. Lidia and Sawyer were nervous at first, but paddled through it like pros. After that, they were excited and looking for more.

 Here's another. There were about 4 or 5 areas in the river like this. 



To put things into perspective....that log above Cliff and Sawyer came to rest there during that awful flood we had last fall.

  When Sawyer got tired, Cliff towed him.

It was a great day on the river. Although the trip was a little long, we were moving with the flow of the river and the weather was beautiful. Lidia and Sawyer did great. I want to do this trip again in the fall, when the leaves change colors.

 Talk to y'all soon,

Laurie


32 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this, thanks for taking me along!
    I've been in a kayak only once, on a lake and I loved it.

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    1. Thanks, Kay. It really is a relaxing activity. We pretended we were Indians in hollowed out logs floating down the river. Ha!

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  2. It looks like you all had a great day battling the "Saluda Rapids," Laurie. Your phots are gorgeous, especially the young subjects! We made a day trip to the beach with our daughters' families last Saturday. It was a lot of fun too. Wishing you a beautiful Sunday. I need to drag myself away from this computer and get ready for church!

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    1. Hey Lynn, I should have named the post "Saluda Rapids"...I love it. Which beach? I'm in Myrtle Beach. Of course, this weekend is the Spring Bike Rally and boy, there are lots of motorcycles here. Cliff and I saw an accident involving a car and motorcycle. The couple were might lucky that they didn't get killed. And they weren't wearing helmets! Crazy! It just wasn't their time to go is all I'm saying.

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  3. The shot of the first "rapids" looked plenty exciting enough for me! Reminds me of the time we tried to go through racing, rocky, shallow water while on a camping trip with a loaded canoe. We couldn't control our old Grumman and fearing we were going to dump over, hubby jumped out into the waist deep water to stabilize us! I think we added a couple of new dings to the canoe that time.

    Lovely scenery and what memories you two are making for your grandkids!

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    1. Oh glory! Sounds frightful, but I would love to do that it my kayak. Ha!

      We do try our best to give our grandkids all kinds of experiences. Wonderful Memories!

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  4. Fun! I went kayaking in Fl last Nov for the first time and loved it..
    What a wonderful thing to do w/ your husband and Littles..nature..beautiful by the way..exercise..and fun..and many lessons learned doing this...

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    1. You're right, Monique....kayaking is FUN! Yes, like I told Mama Pea in the last comment, we try to give our Littles lots of different experiences. I think the best part of the trip is watching the Littles as they experience it.

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  5. I've never been! Looks like a lot of fun and what a beautiful place to do it! I can't get over how high the flood waters were...incredible! Fall will be beautiful, too!

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    1. I wish you lived closer, I would take you kayaking. It's not only fun, but relaxing...especially on the quiet river. I was a little shocked, too, when I saw how high the water had risen. I mean, I knew it was bad, but wow!

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  6. Lovely pictures
    http://shilpachandrasekheran.blogspot.ae/?m=1

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  7. You two are the BEST grandparents...I LOVE this trip you took with Lidia and Sawyer. Getting to see the river through their eyes was probably just as special to you, as it was to them. GREAT photos, as always, my friend. And, you never quite understand the amount of water or power of floods until you've seen something like that! Happy Sunday - I'm sure you'll have more weekend adventures to tell of, this week! XOXO

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    1. Gosh, Thanks Tanya! We try to give L&S lots of good memories of their time with us. Yes, I love to see these experiences through their eyes. It's priceless.

      I was a little shocked at how high the water had risen on this stretch of the river. Water is a force to be reckoned with, for sure. Happy Sunday to you! Talk soon!

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  8. Now that looks like fun and seeing those smiling faces? Tells me I'm right. Such beautiful scenery pic's you took too, love them!

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    1. Thanks Christine, you were right. We all had a ball! Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. This looks like so much fun! I want to try kayak some day. Now I wonder how you got back upstream?
    Lisa

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    1. You have to try it Lisa...it is fun! Before leaving in the kayaks, we drove my husband's jeep and trailer downstream to a boat landing and left it there. We took my car back home and put the kayaks in the lake in front of our house. The Jeep was there waiting for us when we finished paddling.

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  10. What a lovely day it looks like yous had!! I have never kayaked. I can't swim and would be afraid too. I have gone canoeing though! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, I've never been canoeing, but I imagine it would be much the same. There are two different kinds of kayaks a sit-on-top and the kind you sit down inside....much like a canoe. I bet you could do it!

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  11. I love kayaking! It looks so nice there!

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    1. Thanks, Sara! It is and kayaking is so fun.

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  12. Good Morning Laurie, this was the perfect post for me to read this morning. I just purchased a kayak yesterday. It is a sit on style, I'm 70 years old and a beginner, so I thought it would be much easier for me to get in and out of. I'm very excited about it and looking at your photos was great fun. It's one of the things that I needed to check off my bucket list before I got any older, LOL. My husband doesn't think that he would like one; I'm hoping he see me having so much fun that he tries it and chances his mind. I do have a girlfriend that is going to go with me on Fridays after school is out (she works for the school district) so I'm looking forward to my Fridays this summer. I think it is wonderful that you and your children all do this together. My daughter and granddaughters also enjoy this sport. I'm waiting until I do it a few times to let them own that I bought one. I'm sure that they will be delighted to know that their old grandma is kayaking, too :)
    Have a lovely week and thank you again for sharing your adventure.
    Connie :)

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    1. Oh Connie, I'm so excited for you! I have a sit-on-top style, too. And you're right, it's easy to get in and out of. I am a wee bit claustrophobic so this style really suits me better. I bet your husband changes his mind. Kayaking is very relaxing... You get to see and enjoy your surroundings at a slow pace. You be sure to take lots of pictures of your kayaking adventures. I can't wait to see them.

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  13. Such beautiful clear pictures. I love kayaking , and have done in it both Hawaii and Alaska.
    You are certainly making great memories for those kiddos!

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    1. Thanks Janey! Oh my, how I would love to kayak both in Hawaii and Alaska!

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  14. Kayaking is such a peaceful way to travel. Not a fan of portage or rapids even tiny ones.

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  15. That looks like so much fun! I've never kayaked, only canoed, but even that was a long time ago. It's a great way to spend time outdoors.

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    1. Hi Leigh...yes, it was so much fun. I loved my grandchildren's reaction to kayaking through those little Rapids more than anything. We are always outdoors doing something with them. Hope you get to do some kayaking in your future. Thanks for dropping by!

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  16. Looks like a beautiful day and a lot of fun! I like how he slid in the kayak down the hill. lol :-D

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    1. Leave it to Sawyer to milk all the fun out of our excursions. Lol!!

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