Cruising down the river
on a "Saturday" afternoon . .. .
ok, so we definitely weren't cruising. It was more like drifting down the river, into rocks and into tree branches. But, fun was had in the process. Early Saturday morning, we packed up the van with lunches, about 40 bottles of water, towels, and three sleepy kids. We headed towards the metropolis of Yellville, Arkansas to Buffalo River Float Service where three canoes were waiting for us. (That was along with a bus full of about forty other people getting on the river at the same time, and that doesn't account for the three busses of people from Wild Bill's Outfitters going to the same place!)
Our float trip would begin at Maumee North and go ten miles down river to Dillard's Ferry (at the Hwy 14 bridge). The trip is slated to take 5 1/2 hours. I think it took us about 7 hours.
My sister, Ann, and her husband, David, went with us for the day. They are like master canoeists - never steering off course and zooming down the river. John and I both had difficulty several times, especially when it was windy. We'd get blown to one side of the river and then not be able to easily get back into the main current. We stopped several times to get in the water and cool off. Did I mention that it was really hot? The kids loved swimming and floating in the current. I liked it too. Until I went down a section of water with large boulders (that I should have noticed and didn't) and banged myself all up. My knee hurt the rest of the day, and I have some colorful bruises as souvenirs. We especially liked stopping at Spring Creek, which flows into the Buffalo, because the water is very cold.
Below are some pictures of our day:
Ann, Hannah, and I in the lead canoe
Samuel learning to paddle
Doesn't David look like a professional?
I had to swim over and pull Hannah back to right side of the river.
Screaming to death COLD!!!
Master canoeists (is that a word?)
Beautiful scenery
3 comments:
I am just so very envious. I want to go. Not sure if my youngest are ready or not. Maybe later this summer or early fall...Love all of the pictures (and seeing your blog posts)
Good to see you blogging again. I wish I could have joined you on the float trip. And I've always heard the term "paddlers" instead of "canoeists," but I don't really know.
Looks like so much fun! Some of my favorite memories as a kid are of my family floating on the Buffalo - I'm sure your kids will remember these trips with fondness. And canoeist is totally a word.
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