So many people have asked me why the canoe when you could be in a kayak. A couple of years ago I journaled about this and I would like to share my reasons for this. This refers to an outing on Tallulah Falls Lake.

GOLDEN AFTERNOON ON THE LAKE

The newly fallen leaves shone bright red and yellow over the dark rotting leaves on the bottom of the shallow water at the shore. They rocked gently in the tiny waves that lapped softly on the bed of silt that formed a sandy ramp from the shore to the huge boulders that just a few feet out, gave way to an abyss. Judging from the grade on either side of the lake and the 100 foot waterfall below the not too distant dam,  I guessed the water would be somewhere between 30 and 50 feet deep. It is beautiful clear emerald green water, in some places very cold as part of it comes from the bottom of the next lake up, passing thru a hydroelectric plant on its way.

The aforementioned boulders make a very good place to step into a canoe standing in water to mid calf while the boat hovers over the abyss. This way you do not sink the boat to the shallow bottom when you get in. I had had a broken shoulder and then a total reverse replacement , so I had some hesitations about how to do things. Everyone thought I should try a kayak instead of the canoe and so, just a couple of weeks before this golden afternoon, a friend loaned me a kayak. I had a very hard time getting in, felt rather unsteady and promptly got "tennis elbow" in the "good " arm.

So, this was it, after not going out in the canoe for a couple of years, I had loaded my little green 10 foot Pack canoe onto the back of the truck, dragged it to the shore and was launching all on my own, except for my little yellow dog, Minnie. A dog is probably not recommended for a kayak, depending. As soon as I pushed us away from shore and began paddling I realized how right it was. I was able to barely move my shoulder and was able to use my entire torso, or "core," to gain purchase with the paddle. 

I crossed the lake and took many beautiful pictures of brightly colored trees and canoes stacked on the shore at the park. I basked in the amber light of the autumn evening and gained inspiration and joy to last for months to come. And I took pictures of the canoe itself and that has become sort of my thing to paint.

#canoe, #kayak, https://gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge