We live really close to the Chattahoochee River. So close, we can walk to it. I regularly see a lot people on the river: rowing team, kayakers, inner tubers, etc. They all look like they are having a grand ol’ time. Except. Well, I can’t seem to get over how gross the water looks. I realize slow moving rivers can look a little murkier than fast moving ones. Intellectually, I know it’s probably fine, but I just haven’t been able to bring myself to get in the water – even in our kayaks.
Speaking of kayaks, we’ve been in Georgia for about 5 months now (holy cow) and we haven’t used our kayaks once. It’s a crying shame! So, on a random Monday we loaded up the tandem kayak and headed 45 minutes north to find water that appeared a little cleaner than the Chattahoochee. We ended up at one of the parks on Lake Lanier, a huge lake/reservoir created by the Army Corps of Engineers.
After we spent all of that time loading up the kayak and the kayak gear and then unloading the kayak and the kayak gear and getting everyone in their life jackets and into the kayak, you’d think the kids would want to spend all day paddling around. Of course not. 3.5 minutes after we left the dock, one of the kids is hungry and another one wants to go back to the beach area. There’s nothing like a little whining to make you really appreciate all of that time you spent creating a fun family outing. 🙂
Side note: Don’t you just love my little guy’s blonde surfer curls? And the other guy, he’s pretty cute too!
So, back to the beach we paddled. We did take a sort of longer route back and ended up paddling 2.3 miles. (Yes, my husband tracked it. He’s all mine, ladies.)
Annika likes to ride on top of the kayak right in front of me. On that day, she had an extra floaty to keep her company and comfy. Usually she sits facing forward and then drags her feet in the water to give us an extra paddling challenge. 😉
The kids were so eager to get to the swimming area that they jumped off the kayak and into the water. Love that about them! Here they are with their lifejackets swimming in the designated swim area…
Aaaaand, here they are without their life jackets. Yes, underwater is where they spend 75% of their time in the pool or lake. The fish were swimming right up to them, so it was pretty incredible for them to view the fish up close and personal through their goggles.
The park we stopped at also had a nice, white sandy beach that Tor loved.
All in all, it was hard to drag the kids away from the beach and the swimming area. Me? I didn’t want to leave either. I was having all sorts of happy thoughts imagining my next house on the lake, with a boat, BBQs and the kids frolicking in the water all summer long. Apparently, in my daydreams, I use the word “frolic.” Ah, well. I’m going to keep daydreaming and maybe someday I will get my forever house on the water! Now, to convince the hubby…