At the other end of the spectrum from the Rocky Mountains trip is the beautiful, sedate but also wonderful (and close), two-hour paddle on Lady Bird Lake. Gail’s photo below shows the play of light and shadow, water, rock and vegetation and . . . fellow-TOWNies that make these trips so restorative.
We had ten affirmative votes with-their-feet, a full house for us with the last-minute addition of CarolC. CarrieL brought a boat she is trying out, and a friend, GloriaW. Jacque also brought her own boat, launching from the dock. AnnaE, DianeN and GailP-C set a nice pace, LindaF’s guest and soon-to-be-member DebbieW, and JudieT enjoyed a more leisurely pace until we got to the Emmett Shelton Bridge across Redbud Island.
The strong current from the dam’s water releases are as close as our outings ever get to white water, and the turn to the north under the bridge where the rocks are just under the surface requires a little more skill to navigate than just trying to avoid the rowers on the Lake. On occasion we have turned back because of the strength of the flow. This time, GailP-C and others kept watch as the kayak-ducklings threw themselves into the current, did our best to navigate across the top of the island, through to the other side of the bridge. JudieT doesn’t come often, but the first time there were whitecaps on the Lake. This time it was as if she had been paddling for years.
Shady Grove was our pick for afters, sharing chit-chat, beer, and suppers, as enjoyable a part of our outings as the paddling. A great spot if you like having your hair blown straight up by the outside fans.
If you haven’t had a chance to join us yet, here’s some news that will surprise you: That long, leisurely summer paddling season that seemed to stretch out forever is coming to an end in October!
LindaF
