What to do?

I hate this time of year in a lot of ways. I can feel impending cold winds and solid precipitation in the air. (Notice I avoided that four letter word!) I’ve completed all my scheduled long distance paddling for the year, but I sit here with my maps and books planning more.

The Ohio River is still there, and still a goal of mine. There seems to be to many flood waters in the area to even attempt it. Best to put that one off till next year. The creeks and rivers around here are low so not much fun to attempt. I guess it is lake time!

I have been spending time with Marsha, my wife on the water. She is new but seems to have more natural ability than she gives herself credit for. Yesterday she went over backwards when she sat in her boat. She was telling for help! I said stand up to the water is only knee deep. It comes down to trust. You have to learn to trust yourself and your equipment. The only way to do that is to test it. Swim with your vest. Turn your boat over. Learn how to drain your boat. The old timers tell me we are only between swims when we are in the boat.

Overall she is doing great and is going to have a lot of fun as we explore the rivers and streams of Ohio and other places.

I go out to my garage and you would think it was a onion bag box factory. It is down to assembly line effeciency now. I can build one in a half hour. I have even made double size ones for places that we use a lot of bags so that the box only needs filled once a month. We still have our fundraiser going to fund this project that is turning into a massive undertaking. We are shooting for having a box at every public boat launch and canoe/kayak access in the Muskingum Watershed. Working, on obtaining the permissions and funds for all that.

Now on to the wonderful part of this time of year. The bugs go away! The camping is beautiful, and waking up on col crisp mornings to a hot cup of coffee and the smell of bacon and eggs is better than s…., Well maybe not but close! Look forward to many more miles on the river.