I went kayaking...and I didn't fall out of the boat

Well, the cycle of history has been broken...I went kayaking two weeks ago and I did not fall out of the boat. My previous two times on the water included being six and having to do nothing but still getting soaking wet, and being in high school and falling out of the canoe while trying to step into it. Well, I am happy to report that neither of my previous kayaking experiences was repeated. I only got wet when I wanted to (and when I fell in the water trying to get in the boat after the rapids...I forgot about that.)

Saturday dawned cloudy but dry, and it turned out to be the absolute perfect day to be on the river. The clouds kept the sun from badgering us but the air and the water were still warm enough to make being outside pleasant.

The group that day consisted of Ben, Grace, Brad, Eric, Lyndee and me. I was obviously the novice kayaker of the group:) But after a crash course on using oars and several hours on the Dix, I was really getting the hang of it all!Our first stop of the day was for lunch at the only waterfall on the Dix. Before eating, we climbed the waterfall and took group pictures: We also had the grand idea to all straddle a fallen log and act like we were ridding it down the waterfall. Unfortunately the log decided to move while we were all straddling it and we had to bail before the picture was taken. There was also a casualty: Lyndee's knee was pinned between the moldy log and a rock and she suffered quite the wounding. The picture below was taken later Saturday night but you should have seen the colors that bruise turned during the next week!

After making sure Lyndee wouldn't die and eating our PB&J sandwiches, we got back on the river and continued paddling. There was jumping out of trees:And Grace even dared Eric to jump with her into the freezing cold lake water. (Halfway down the Dix, the warm water from the Kentucky river turns into the cold water from Lake Herrington, which twice a year is emptied from the bottom of the lake and feeds the Dix. Being "bottom of the lake" water, it was FREEZING!!!) Eric took her dare and the two of them shimmied up a tree and after like five minutes of trying to get enough courage, they jumped. Upon surfacing, furious splashing and screams abounded. Eric was inches from tipping the canoe (with Brad still in it!) by trying to get in too fast and Grace brought in about a half foot of water when climbing into her kayak. For those us us sitting on top of the cold water, it was hilarious. Soon after this, we came to a dried up waterfall that we decided to climb. At first, I was more than a little wary, but everyone else was doing it.... Yes, Mom, that was my reason. Anyway, we climbed up to the top, admiring the skeletons of trapped fish and being careful to cling tightly to finger grips. I even made it back down the waterfall without breaking my neck. Thank goodness for chacos.So what else happened on the river? Well, there were some rapids. And yes, I went through them solo in my little kayak. Unfortunately, the rapids amounted to little more than ripples in the water, but hey, no one needs to know that; the picture looks cool.This one is for the logically-minded readers. If you added people with oars to abundant water, what do you think will result? Exactly. There was a lot of that, too. And it did not help out the half foot of water in Grace's kayak:)
After spending six or so hours on the river, we returned to Wilmore for Ales, ice cream (with homemade cookie dough!), Yatzee, Frisbee and a movie. How we still had enough energy to do all of this is beyond me. I just know I had the absolute best time kayaking and I really hope I get to go along again soon!