Saturday 17 May on the Ogeechee.
Saturday I awoke to a bright, sunny but cool morning. Knowing Chuck had decided not to paddle I had expected warm but maybe the weather gods hadn't got the full report yet, oh well, sunny was enough for now! The river was at 3.5 feet so I was expecting perfect conditions for lots of breaks and even a swim or two if it warmed up. A quick stop at Krispey Kreme for dougnuts and coffee and my trusted companion and I headed to the meeting place. We arrived right at 9 am and shortly thereafter Trish from St. Marys showed up. I was happy to see her as she wasn't sure if she could come or not. I had already had several cancellation and our crowd of 15 had dwindled down to an expected 9. Next to show was Phil and his wife Karen, locals that I paddle with every once in awhile. Across the river we heard a shout and Bayla hit the water to come across to join the group. She must have had a lot of coffee because she was wired! It's not that I have ever been around her when she was quiet but I think she was out to set a new record for nonstop conversation. :twisted: :roll:
Swampy, Oldyaker and Pat showed up right at 9:30 and after introductions we loaded Bayla's boat onto Trish's SUV and headed to the put in on Hwy 119. The weather was warming nicely. At the put in we unloaded boats while Bayla regaled us and everyone else around with her chatter. When she found out Phil was originally from England she set about making him sorry he left the mother country, but all in fun (I think!) I loaded coolers, weber grill and probably another 50 lbs of gear into my tippy canoe, making sure to strap everything in as I have turned over a few times in this one. I really love the boat, a Sawyer, but it's very narrow and made to go extremely straight. If you're not careful it will dump you out in a heartbeat as well I know. I lent Oldyaker and Pat my Wenonah Solo Plus, a boat I sometimes paddle standing up and cosider a very stable craft, more on that later. :roll:
As we paddled down I was pleased to see lots of birds out and knew we were in for a good day of birdwatching and basking in the sun. The water was still a little cool but I was sure it was time for the first swim of the year (intended swim, that is). It wasn't a full 40 minutes into the paddle and I called for the first of many breaks. It's real hard for me to pass a good sandbar without stopping to take advantage of it. Everyone seems to have settled into a good rythem and really seemed happy to be on the water, I know Westbury and I both were! We had already seen several heron, little blues, and a great blue as well as some songbirds. Redshouldered hawks called from back in the woods and woodpecker tapping was heard amidst their cries also. I waded into the water but it was still a little cool for a swim. Back in the boats and that's when Bayla made the mistake of coming too close. Westbury goes from cute to Devil Dog in 0 seconds flat when someone gets next to his boat! From then on it was a contest between the two of them who would aggrevate the other the most. Bayla doing all the instigating! Westbury is very happy to just dig in the sand for roots or to chase sticks and retrieve them from the water as long as he doesn't have to swim for them.
Another break or two and it was time for lunch. We found another great sandbar with lots of room and proceeded to set out a feast. Phil manages a local restuarant and supplied lots of delicious wings, we also had watermelon, cheeses, olives, chips, and the main course, Kielbasa smuggled in from Philly....... What a feast. I think this is the only time I have seen Bayla eat anything normal and it even kept her quiet for a short time. WOW!!! Westbury is not allowed human food (don't tell him he's not human, we are saving that for when he's older) but managed to steal a bun which I had to pry out of his teeth of death. He is fast and really watches close. I did provide him with a feast of his usual dog food and some treats thrown in for trying to terrorize Bayla. Everyone ate until they could eat no more but when you provide for 20 and 8 show, you're bound to have leftovers. Phil and Karen are accomplished birdwaters and name every bird that flew by but I really can't remember them all. Flycatchers, warblers more herons and even a Mississippi Kite. As we were leaving Karen spotted a Dragonfly coming out of its nymph stage and we watched as it unfurled it's wings.
I did go for my first swim and was joined by Phil and Trish. Oldyaker and Swampy must not be much into swimming as they held back and just rubbed their stomachs. We loaded back up and proceeded on down the river. This section does twist and turn a lot with quite a few snags to make it very interesting. We even have a spot where it seems the main river was dammed and where it diverts you have a small set of shoals to give you a very small thrill. There are some sheds and summer homes along the way but they are stretched out enough that it doesn't feel crowded and when the water is down there is very little boat traffic. Today there was quite a bit as the fishing seemed pretty good and with the warm sun out everyone with a boat was out enjoying the weather. Bayla kept up her banter and no one was immune to her chatter, fishermen, people along the shore, everyone was chatted up.
More sandbars, another swim or two, plenty more birds but no snakes or gators on this trip. The turtles were out sunning but are extremely shy as I'm sure they get harrassed alot. An Osprey flew overhead as well as several ducks. I was thinking but never did say we hadn't had anyone flip a boat as I had almost expected to do that very thing. We were careful to point out snags and make sure everyone set up for safe passage around any sweeps in the bends as we came to them. With only a mile to go Oldyaker and Pat were graciously calling out snags to Swampy and as I turned around to check his progress I saw them run into a strainer and flip over. I turned the boat around and proceeded to pick up anything that floated my way. Pat gallantly stayed with the boat and when it hung up on a snag we escorted her to the nearby shore. Oldyaker and I then drug the boat to shore and emptied it out. Nothing was lost and after everyone calmed down we were happy to find no damage to any person and nothing lost. I'm sure we'll get two different reports on how this incident occurred but I have to side with Pat (she's much prettier that Oldyaker)!!!! :wink:
We finally made it to the take out at Hwy 80 and joined the rest of our group. They decided we had stopped for another rest and were real sorry they had missed the excitement. Little did I realize the excitement was to come. Bayla lives close by and graciously volunteered to drive us back up to retrieve our vehicles. I have never experienced a more thrilling ride at Six Flags or Disney world than the ride back up with her. Her talking had accelerated by at least 500 percent and she spent more time watching the people in the back of the car than the road. When we noticed woodstorks on the side of the road I thought she was going to run over them (50 yards off the road) until Swampy grabbed the wheel and told her to watch the road not the birds. We overshot the turnoff by just a few yards, with wheels locked but what the heck, we arrived safely and I usually change my shorts on Saturday anyway so what was the harm! Back down to load the boats and say goodbye to everyone. Our shuttle driver had met some new friends at the put in so we didn't get to tell her goodbye but I'm sure we'll see her soon......... :shock: :shock:
It was a great trip and we really want to thank Chuck for not coming as the weather turned out great (just kidding) :lol: . Thanks to Oldyaker and Pat for the great Kielbasa and everyone for the company. Me and Westbury are always glad to show off our river. Driving home he was worn slap out and just layed there, a tired and happy dog! Until next time!
