A Rough Ride on the Shenandoah

I was up early on Saturday to meet with friends for a kayaking trip down the Shenandoah. I had done this trip last year and enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the opportunity to do it again. Even though I was there early, others had arrived before me, so we managed to spend some time chatting and catching up with each other before we had to hop on to our bus. The weather was dull but very warm, perfect for water activities. All we had to do was grab a paddle and life jacket and the rest of the day was organized for us. We had nothing to think about or plan.

We all clambered off the buses and walked around the kayaks laid out, looking for one that we'd want to spend the day in. This was done quickly and without fuss and soon we were all in the river waiting for our command from leader Bob to 'push off!'
The river looked so inviting and we all casually paddled downriver, some of us chatting while others enjoyed the beauty of the river while paddling alone. We would all take turns at this as we covered the 12 miles and sometimes folks would just be sitting in their boats with feet dangling over the edge in the water and just letting the current take them.

Bob passing by and we both attempted to take a photo of a lone turtle, the only one we saw on the trip. We also swept over a lot more rocks than I remembered from last year. I was used to these and so when I got stuck was fine with rocking off or pushing away from the boulders, but some of the newer members were a little concerned. They had to learn fast! A few had to climb out of their boats, holding on firmly as they worked their way free.

I got very stuck on a large rock at these rapids so pulled out my camera to quickly grab a couple of shots, but folks were ramming into me as they shot past with no control over their boats so I had to thrust my camera back into its waterproof container and concentrate on getting off my perch.

My boat of choice, albeit a very bad choice. Once I had been in the river for a few minutes I realized the thing didn't steer well. As soon as I stopped paddling it would suddenly veer off to either the left or the right. I had to resign myself to having to paddle constantly, no idle cruising with the current for me.

We stopped for lunch which once again was being cooked on a mill saw blade over an open fire. The food was superb, as good as last years, with burgers, homemade pasta and potato salad, with heaps of green salad and tomatoes. The trick was to not eat too much as I knew the evening meal would be well worth the wait.

But then once we were back on the river the capsizing started. This couple had problems and it must have soured their day as much later when we were only a mile and a half from the end we saw them standing on a small beach by their boats, and they were wanting to know if they could walk the rest of the way because their arms were tired. What? And drag their boats behind them, or were they just wanting to leave them? We had to assure them that the rest of the way was still water and they could simply float.

After a few more rills with folks getting stuck on rocks we hit a quieter part of the river and we just lazily paddled, enjoying the bald eagles who were circling above us.

But the peace didn't last for long. We rounded a bend and saw hundreds ofrowdy tubers in front of us. I had a friend who was celebrating her birthday here today and although I love tubing, being in a hoard like this isn't my idea of fun, so I was glad we could get past them and leave them to their noisy partying.
We soon came upon the Compton Rapids which were class II and seemed to be flowing pretty quickly today. The tubers were going through and screaming as they tumbled over the waves. As soon as I saw a gap I paddled fast and tried to steer as best as I could. It was exhilarating and I loved every second of it. I had some huge waves tumble over me and knew my boat would fill up. I just hoped I wouldn't be tipped over.

As I came into calmer water I steered over to the bank, I would need to emptyt the water before I carried on. I pulled my boat to the side and came across Jen who was in the process of               pumping water out of her kayak. We saw another couple who were tipped out of their boats and one guy lost his kayak and could only watch it tumble over the rocks as he stood up using his paddle for support. But Jen and I caught it and emptied it for him, then Bob towed it over to the other side of the river where the guy waited. Another guy smashed his knee but luckily his girlfriend had some Bandaids and Neosporin which she applied while Jen and I emptied his kayak. We ended up rescuing 4 kayaks, a few of our crew hadn't fared too well.
We were getting pissed with the tubers though. Many of them had not packed their litter away before negotiating the rapids, so much of it fell out and bobbed down the river. Jen and I tried to catch as much as possible which did result in me collecting a couple of unopened beer cans that would accompany my steak nicely that evening.

Once all of our group were through we climbed back into our boats and paddled down the final stretch of river leaving the noisy party kids behind. We got a mile from our take out point an hour early so we dumped the boats on a bank and swam in the river for a while. It was a lovely way to relax at the end of an eventful and tiring journey. Sam does a bunch of photos with captions, I loved this one. I had been having issues with my knee for the past few days and could feel it getting tight and more painful as I negotiated the slippery rocky river bottom. I think I could have twisted it while pulling some of the boats out of the rapids but I was not going to let it stop me from enjoying myself. We all splashed and fooled around, and soothed our sunburn with the cool water.

It was a very bumpy bus ride back to camp and I was glad to grab dry clothes from the car and get changed for dinner. We sat and impatiently waited for the steaks and chicken to cook. I was glad of the beer I'd caught in the river! The two plates above show a boy steak and a girl steak. Mine was plenty big enough and I had a small piece of chicken underneath that. Bob gobbled his steak down then proceeded to consume another two that were just as large. I really don't know where he put it.
We all chatted for a while after dinner but were soon feeling tired. We left the site with full bellies and a few bruises. I was grateful that I hadn't sustained any flesh woulds like some of the group and felt fortunate that I didn't have too long of a drive home. I was exhausted. I barely remember getting home and flopping into bed.

Sunflowers in the Suburbs

I had a pretty painful knee when I awoke on Sunday morning. But I had plans to meet Janice at a nearby farm to photograph sunflowers and didn't want to cancel. And I guessed that I shouldn't have to walk too far. We met at Burnside Farms, a little holding nestled in between an ugly housing estate and a busy road. When I pulled up into the parking lot my first impression was one of disappointment, it looked so tiny, and I was concerned that Janice may have driven all the way from Winchester for a paltry 20 minute photography session.

I walked towards the entrance and my dismay immediately changed to delight. There were lots of very well put together floral displays, using old incubator trays from chicken farms, mason jars, old wheelbarrows and even tiny chalkboards to keep the kids amused. The lady who owns it used to be in the floral industry and wasted no time blowing her own trumpet very loudly when we complimented her skills. But it did look very inviting.

There were even tables with scissors and mason jars so you could trim and arrange your blooms before leaving.

A few strategically placed chairs sat among the sunflowers, making great places to rest or use in photographs. But I was really impressed with the sunflowers themselves. Most of them weren't that tall but it didn't seem to matter. Expecting 8ft tall plants just wasn't important anymore once you started noticing the flowers themselves. There's supposed to be about 58 different sunflower varieties here but i didn't bother counting. I was too busy 'oohing' at one bloom and then 'aahing' as another caught my eye. There were sunflowers with all yellow faces, some with black centers, some with red, brown and yellow petals and some that were all red. There were different hues of yellow and different shaped petals. I really had no idea that there were so many different kinds of sunflowers and seeing so many in one field was pure delight.

A few vines flowered amongst the tall stalks adding a vibrant splash of contrasting color.

Another positive aspect of these flowers were the bees that were attracted to them, and there were so many different kinds of bees. Some with bold yellow and black stripes, some brown, some tiny and sleek, others fat and fluffy. The air buzzed with their wings and I chuckled at seeing some little chaps carrying huge bags of bright yellow pollen that I marveled at them being able to fly at all. It was as if they couldn't believe their luck at finding such bounty and didn't want to fly away in case suddenly the flowers disappeared before they could unload and return.

Even  the leaves were different on some varieties. There were dark green leaves with purple veins, some had masses of white hairs fuzzing on the stems while others had just a few pale green hairs. Some were pricklier than others too.

There was a lovely old barn at one end of the field with busted ancient barrels stacked by a fence and I couldn't believe it when I spotted some hops growing up one side of the building. Many people didn't recognize the plant and listened as I told them of Kentish traditions when after the hops were picked, the leftover vines were hung from the ceilings of many country pubs or around the kitchen windows in homes. I remember the wonderful smell hat would fill the rooms.

Hops hanging over the bar at the Pepper Box Inn, one of my local pubs in Kent.
One guy was so enamored with the hops that after I suggested he rub some of the dried hops then smell his hands, he then went one step further and put some in his mouth. I followed suit and we both stood grinning at each other. It tasted just like a pint of a finely crafted IPA. I left him standing there, I think he was planning on devouring a whole vine, and I went with Janice to the animal section where there were pigs, goats, a huge heritage turkey and a flock of the sweetest Silkie chickens dashing about wearing little fluffy feathered trousers.

What a handsome group of animals. Everyone posed very nicely and I couldn't believe it when as I was photographing the pigs, a mass of tiny squeaking chicks scurried across from their pen and into the goats' area, The females and babies were happy to scamper all over the place and into the sunflowers while the cockerel stood near their house, crowing his head off, as though indignant that they were all running every which way and not stopping with him. The pigs were adorable and I spent some time scratching behind their ears and rubbing their shoulders, which they adored, grunting and moaning as they leaned into me.
Eventually we tore ourselves away from these wonderful creatures who were so obviously well looked after, and we strolled back to the sunflowers again.

I had ended up walking around here for over 2.5 hours and had been enchanted with the place.
i had purchased a ticket that will allow me back in without further payment while the sunflowers are blooming. I hope I have the opportunity to return. My poor knee had ballooned while I was here and I had to go home and spend the rest of the day with my leg up and a pack of ice soothing the swelling.