We rent two kayaks from Gus at the lake marina. Gus tells us there is a slow flowing stream that feeds into the lake and is perfect for kayaking. He explains that after paddling a bit up river, the stream will start to narrow and become too rocky to go any further.
We paddle our kayaks in the direction of the stream. As we approach the mouth of the stream, it becomes clear which direction the water is flowing. We paddle hard and just about the time our arms feel like they are going to fall off, the water calms. There are beautiful rolling hills all around us and we can hear little animals scurrying through the brush on either side of the stream. I feel like we are out in the middle of nowhere.
Just as Gus said, the stream starts to narrow and we are having to maneuver around rocks sticking up out of the water. We start to turn our boats around and wait… what’s that? We hear music and people. We pull the boats onto the shore and walk up a hill in the direction of the sounds. We are at the campground!
Below us there is a big bonfire with kids and their families sitting around listening to music. We walk down to the bonfire and introduce ourselves. We are invited to roast marshmallows and a couple of the kids make us the most delicious snack with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate. S’mores anyone? The best part is we get to see where the campers are staying. One of the boys shows us the inside of a yurt, which Vi absolutely loves. A girl shows us the inside of a ginormous camper, which I absolutely love.
We realize it is getting late and Vi’s family will be wondering where we are. We thank the campers and make our way back to our kayaks and down to the marina where, as we suspected, Vi's family is waiting and not too pleased with our late arrival.