WE COULD’VE BEEN WORKING
I had another free day on
Tuesday. Dave was also off, and Myron
retired recently, so we all decided to go canoeing. It was another warm, sunny day, ideal for canoeing. Somehow canoeing never seems very appealing
on cold winter days. So, we decided to
take advantage of the opportunity.
Myron gave us several
possible rivers to choose from. His
suggestions included the Ararat River, north of Winston-Salem, the Dan River
east of Mount Airy, and the South Yadkin River north of Salisbury. Dave was indifferent, but I wasn’t really in
the mood for a long drive. In addition,
I hadn’t been in a canoe in more than a year, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for
anything tricky, like rapids. The South
Yadkin promised an easy paddle and a short drive, so I selected that one. Myron was disappointed, as he’d secretly
been looking forward to paddling the Ararat.
Next time, Myron!
I met Dave at his place in
north Charlotte that morning, and rode with him to the Davie County town of
Cooleemee. Myron beat us there, and
eventually found the put-in at a new park at the Bullhole on the Rowan County
side of the river. We unloaded there,
and Dave and Myron ran the shuttle to the take-out just upstream from the
confluence with the Yadkin River in High Rock Lake.
While they were gone I
explored the park. Currently the park
consists of a picnic area, bathroom, and canoe access. The park’s best feature is that it provides
access to the river, swimming holes, and a small dam and lake.
Myron and Dave returned, and
we put-in at 11am. Myron paddled solo,
while Dave and I went tandem in Dave’s Wee-No-Nah. Dave took the stern, while I rode in the snout. This took some getting used to, as I usually
take the stern when canoeing with Christy.
Fortunately it came back to me, as I’ve always preferred the bow.
We negotiated some shallow
water before passing an old textile mill.
Some water is diverted from the dam to the mill, and it returns to the
river just beyond it. After this point,
there was plenty of water throughout the remainder of the run. We passed under the highway 801 bridge and
continued out of town. After only a few
minutes, we had left all signs of civilization behind.
The flat water of the South
Yadkin wasn’t terribly exciting, but it was pretty. There were practically no signs of development from the river as
we passed through woods and farmland.
At times trees arched over the river, creating an impressive
canopy. In other places we passed high
rocky bluffs covered in dense mountain laurel.
Some of these areas reminded us of the Uwharrie Mountains, which weren’t
far away. Abundant wildlife, including
deer, turtles, herons, hawks, and belted kingfishers added to the river’s
appeal. At one point, we startled
hundreds of black birds from their resting place in the trees alongside the
river. The racket from those birds
taking flight was quite startling after an hour of quiet paddling.
We passed an alternate
takeout at the highway 601 bridge a little over an hour later. We were paddling aggressively, as the last
part of the trip is over the backwater of High Rock Lake. We had established a fast pace, as we wanted
to make sure we reached the takeout well before dark.
With half the trip behind
us, we eased our pace. Before long we
left the intrusion of the highway behind.
A few minutes later we spotted a large rock along the left bank. We stopped there for lunch, as the steep
muddy banks hadn’t offered many likely places to stop to that point.
After lunch we passed
through a pretty wooded area that was almost reminiscent of the black water
rivers found farther to the southeast.
Here we found the confluence of Second Creek, which we explored
briefly. Upon returning to the river, a
solo kayaker passed by, heading upstream.
It was surprising to see another person there, after several hours of
total solitude.
The rest of the trip
required more effort, as the current here was minimal. Despite this, we still made reasonable time
to the take-out. The water didn’t
really become slack until we were almost there. For the sake of completeness, we continued just beyond the
take-out and into the Yadkin River.
This part of the Yadkin is a large lake, and I was glad we didn’t have
to cross it! Instead we backtracked,
and endured an exceptionally muddy take out.
By the time we loaded both canoes on Myron’s truck, all three of us had
muddy pants. In fact, Dave’s boat was
caked with thick brown mud.
The South Yadkin may not be
the most exciting river in the area, but it does provide a place for an easy,
relaxing trip. At the very least, we
could’ve been working! Well, Dave and I
could’ve been working. Myron is
retired. Myron and I headed home to
jealous wives, who had both spent beautiful days stuck inside at work. Dave headed home to a jealous dog, who had
been left behind due to her erratic behavior on past canoeing trips.
Hopefully I won’t go another
year before my next canoeing trip. I’m
already looking forward to my next one, even if I have to ride in the snout.
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