Kayak Friday

Curt and I decided that hitting up the Kentucky River would be a better option for Black Friday than hitting up the retail establishments. With temps in the mid 60's we persuaded our awesome wives to let us take a few hours of paddling for ourselves.

We put in at a boat ramp in Jessamine County and paddled up stream for a bit.

Snail resting on a tree.

The road went over a creek that was entering into the river here. We got several bites on our lines but never reeled anything in. Then we had to explore what was on the other side of that darkness.

Here's Curt coming in from the other side. The echo in here was amazing.

Once we got through there wasn't much room for the boats. The creek dried up pretty quickly. It wasn't worth paddling through.

We found a bunch of campers parked along the edge of the river. I thought it might be a small campground but it seems like they actually live right here.

Later on, we found another little stream that we paddled down until it dried up. It looked like the perfect place to do a little stealth camping. It took you far off the river but ended with high cliffs on all sides. There's no way anyone would find you back there if you spent the night.

Eventually, I dry-docked and went for a walk.

It took a little maneuvering to get back there. We had to do the limbo under some trees. It can get a little wobbly in the kayak when you're in a tight spot.

This was a huge tree growing in the middle of this stream. It went up 100 feet in the air. I bet it's beautiful with color on it.

All the trees were bare. Last time I was on the river, it was fully green out. I missed paddling in the fall colors completely. But it was a great day and I'm glad I went. My arms are a little sore since it's been so long since I was in the boat. And that current today was strong. But you can't beat mid 60's in late November. Being in the kayak was a perfect way to spend the day.

Get out there.