Day 6: Paddling into the night

I spoke to Richard late last night (around 9:00PM) and he was still on the river – where…I do not know. He was amazed at how beautiful and calm the river was last night and he was amazed at what the beauty of the river on this calm, clear night.

The moon was out and the stars were shining – the scene he described was very peaceful. I do not know where he camped last night or where his trip ended yesterday.

He began the day’s paddle at the Etowah Indian mounds after doing a newspaper interview. The day was pretty uneventful until he was caught up in a brief hail storm. He said that he saw the storm coming in and then it began to rain. He noted that at one point, the thought to himself “Damn, this rain hurts!” and that’s when he noticed that it was pea-sized hail coming down. He scrambled to get his camera out to document his experience. He took pictures of the rain coming down and the hail in his kayak. He actually seemed excited to experience the hailstorm - I think it was a memorable experience for him.

I also asked him if he met anyone during the day’s paddle. He did tell me of one young man that he met who just finished building an 8900 square foot house along the river. The young mans owns his own company and he purchased the land from his uncle.  His father also owns land in the area. Richard introduced himself and talked with the gentleman for a few minutes. He took a few pictures of the man and his house. Richard described his lot and it sounds like he has some great river front property. Hopefully he will continue become an advocate to protect the beautiful river that flows along his property.

I will be offline for a few days - I am off to Rome to meet up with Richard. I will post a summary of the weekend’s events and updated pictures from his first week on the river when I return. I am sure we’ll have plenty stories to tell!

I’m sure I’ll see some of you in Rome! Have a great weekend!!