Two More Lazy Rivers

What better way to escape the stress of trip preparation than by spending the day canoeing, floating, and otherwise enjoying the Texas hill country with a congenial group of friends? The only thing better would be to spend TWO days engaging in such activities, which is exactly what I was lucky enough to do Saturday and Sunday.

We paddled a little over 7 miles on the Llano River Saturday, under overcast skies that threatened, but never did more than just keep us from broiling. We took out at South Llano River State Park, an excellent example of our tax dollars at work, then had a fine dinner in Junction. After a well-deserved night's rest at a friend's place near Leakey, the Nueces was up for paddling on Sunday. The picture above was taken (by me, actually, as I snuck Henry's camera for a moment) at our take-out point, Chalk Bluff Park, situated on the Nueces near Uvalde.

Both rivers provided fun paddling, great scenery, and luxurious relaxation, but I was particularly struck by the incredibly clear waters of the Nueces. Since it was pretty hot Sunday, it felt heavenly to stop now and then and just float along without the boats. Our friends were excited for me about my upcoming English adventure, but more than one pointed out that this kind of activity will be something I'll be missing out on for the next 4 months. And they're right! But the rivers, hopefully, will be here next summer, and will be that much more appealing to me for the time away. [Check Henry's blog—boatsandballs.blogspot.com—in a few days for many more pictures of these great trips.]