I'm glad I'm a patient man when it comes to things I want to do. I wanted to find a creek and canoe it. Pretty simple plan.
The plan was based on all the creeks that we crossed over going to Athens on Rt. 15 earlier in the week. I figured any country road I travelled would be chock full of choices. Wrong-o. I headed out of Savannah (saw a gator smashed in the road by I-95) drove through Rincon, then Springfield. Took a road over the Savannah river into South Carolina. One canal so far. Not one creek. On through Estill, SC. Looking at the map, the Coosawhatchie River was the only option.
Found the bridge and pulled over. Just a gorgeous piece of water. Dragged the canoe down the bank and got in. Cooler and shotgun inside. There was a leafy overhang of tree branches that moving water was coming out on the other side of the railroad bridge so I figured that's where I should head upstream. Kind of like a front door. I pushed through the foliage and was inside a cypress swamp.
I think the term "river" is pushing it. It was more a shallow swamp that was draining. I tried to move through what I thought were defined channels and would get hung on stumps or deadfalls. One part had a cypress tree across the narrow channel with about a foot and a half of clearance. The canoe sits up when there is one person in it, so I couldn't get the head of the canoe underneath the tree trunk. I climbed out and straddled the tree trunk and pulled the canoe underneath then got back into it. I tried moving further through the swamp--but it was impossible. I thrashed and pushed and explored as much as I could, with those long-legged water spiders crawling over everything. It was beautiful though. I turned around and did the log thing again and went back through "front door" and back under the railway trestle.
Long whistle. Then the vibrations. The swallows nesting underneath the railroad bridge scattered. Old mud dauber nests crumbled a little with the vibrations. I sat under the bridge my hand on one of the pillars. The CSX train crashed overhead. It was deafening. I counted 75 rail cars.
So much of life is timing, isn't it? One second or minute one way or the other and you miss out on something or something misses you. Could be bad, could be good, but it is all in the timing of things. I've always loved trains and being that close to one was exciting. And a little scary. I went the other direction, downstream, under a sewage pipe and still the same thing happened. Insurmountable deadfalls. I could see the water seeping in a definite direction. I just couldn't get there. So I reversed and pulled out.
I wasn't done. I figured since the river wasn't passable there it might be further downstream. So off I went, bumping down country roads. Stopped at two other bridges and the "river" was even less passable than before. So I gave up on the Coosawhatchie and went after the Salkahatchie River. Found a perfect stretch of the river past Islandton, SC. I looked over the bridge and saw two gators basking in the shallow water. Hmmm. I looked on both sides of the bridge and couldn't find a place where I could drag the canoe down the bank. The bridge has piles of granite rocks around the base and it's pretty steep. No way for me to drag a 14 ft. canoe down it.
One more chance where the South Edisto fork runs into the Salkahatchie. Found it and the SC Highway Department was building a road and a bridge right over what I needed. I was done. So I turned around and headed back for home. Still trying country roads. Even went down a dirt road called Jonas Road because it seemed close to the Salkahatchie (which means Salt Catcher). Two deer bounded right out in front of my truck as I was bouncing down the dirt road. Saw a Hispanic family by their trailer--the man looked very Pedro-like. I passed them by before they could entertain the idea that I might be an Immigration agent.
Singing to the radio on the way home. My little road exited onto I-95. And so there I was with 8 billion people heading south. And yeah, I was a little pissed. I knew I-95 crossed over the Coosawhatchie and I thought I was going to be mocked as I passed it since you can't put in on I-95 unless you want to be arrested or run over. I saw the Coosawhatchie and you know what else I saw as I passed over it? Up river about 200 yards I saw a another road crossing over it. Ah-Ha! I pulled off at the next exit and went back on Rt. 462 and there was a sign that said, "Salt Water/Fresh Water Dividing Line". I got out and surveyed the situation and figured I could put in on the northeast side of the river. When you look at the picture, where I put in is on the other side of the road from the bike. You can see the railroad trestle in this pic too:
I figured to paddle upstream so I could float back down easily. But down here, the Coosawhatchie is effected by the tides and the tide was incoming so my plan was reversed. I would float upstream and paddle back.
Gentle current. Unspoiled scenery. I passed by a bent, gnarled cypress with an eagle's nest hanging out over the river. I meandered along wondering where the salt marsh part of the Coosawhatchie turned into the freshwater part because it sure wasn't where that sign said it was. Finally, around a bend, I came to a huge tree completely covering the channel. I just didn't have the energy to figure out how to get around it. Plus it was after 4:00, I was boiling hot, and knew I had at least a mile or so of against the current paddling to do. So I turned back.
On the way back, I saw a pine log floating directly at me. As I neared it, I could see it would be a pretty good bump if it hit me. So I put my paddle out and pushed it away from me. I turned a little to my right in pushing it and watched it as it moved away--I heard a big splash and I felt the head of my canoe get slapped on the right side, hard enough to move the direction I was going by about 3 feet to the left. Damn! My heart jumped into my throat and I looked around trying to see what it was. I eased my Snake-Charmer from behind me and loaded a round. Only thing, this wasn't any damned snake. Fifteen feet further up the river and I saw on the left bank an area where the marsh grass was flattened down and dripping with water. Definitely not a snake lair. I knew what
this was. And so I paddled back to the put-in, very wary of what was around me and underneath me.
I was treated to one more CSX showing as I neared the railroad trestle. Not as many cars this time, most of them being brown UPS cars. Didn't even know they had brown railroad cars.
Getting out, my leg slipped in almost up to my hip and I was acutely aware of being dinner. But I had to get over that since my canoe was floating down the Coosawhatchie toward the Atlantic. I grabbed the rope and hauled it back. No biggie. Yeah, I was exhausted. Hot and thirsty too. But really, it was a perfect day. A man, a canoe, a shotgun, and a truck. There aren't any better Saturday recipes.
" big cities and public libraries having to divulge the books Islamic fascists are checking out, and so on.."
~~~So you think it's okay that your government monitors what you read? You can keep your "big brother" thanks. I stay with my comment about it not being effective and creating more paranoia.
"You have gladly given over your control over your own medical expenses to the government."
~~~That is the most idiotic, uninformed statement you've made so far. 50% of personal bankruptcy claims in your country are due to the medical expenses of the claimants and/or thier relatives. Give up control of medical expenses..... even if YOU want my expenses you can have them! Go for it! When I think of the amount of surgeries I've had to have over the years I know there's no way I could manage that! I certainly wouldn't want to burden my family members with it either! My father's prostate cancer for instance... Every single aspect of his treatment from surgery to radiation to therapy after words was covered. Damn straight I'll let my government take over the expenses! Hell yes!
That was a stupid thing to say.
As for the complaints at other Canadian blogs. No system is perfect.
It is an unfortunate thing that some of my countrymen focus on the negative and don't always appreciate the blessings we have. Maybe if they lived a while in the states they'd change thier tunes, maybe not.
"Neither did 62 million other people here."
I believe that was 58 million. I have a read quite a few blogs and message boards where there were Americans who definately do feel decieved by this administration. It may be a minority but they are still out there. I can't speak for all Canadians anymore than you can speak for all Americans
"Aren't you allowed to change your mind when faced with heretofore unknown facts? Maybe not with Socialist/Communist types like yourself, but with free people it's the norm."
~~so lets see you've called me a simpering weakling and a communist among many other insults that I cared not to post (my blog, my rules). Where do you get the communist thing from? The health care system here? I still get to chose which doctor I'd like, when I have surgery of even IF I have it. It's just that my taxes pay for it. That isn't communism...or if it is, it is an aspect of it that actually works. So why would I complain?
I've explained before, you have now resorted to mudslinging, insults and empty accusations. You're doing this because you have nothing left to fight with. You call me names because I disagree with you. Grow up. You're right, I will delete you comments because you're insulting my country. Your comment:
"I couldn't give a hog's snot about some German punk and his stupid graphic"
Is both untrue and typical of the Republican stereotype. It is untrue because if you didn't care about it you wouldn't have mentioned it in your last post. It's typical because you perpetuate the egocentric view of the world. The belief that you DON'T give a damn about other countries and your country is the only one that matters.The feeling that you think YOUR system of government is the only correct system on the planet. Your ethics (if you could call them that) and morals are the only ones that could possibly be worth fighting for. Which brings me back to my point that the developement of democracy (by force for the most part) in Iraq is not out of the goodness of your politicians' hearts but for profit only. Your troops must truly believe it is from THIER hearts so I mean no disrespect to them..but as to your politicians, I stick to my original comment. They are businessmen first.
Why else would they:
..Allow your poorest people to go without adequate health care
..revoke the promise of money to the rescue workers form 9/11 (which they say is what this is all about)
...Do nothing to increase veterans' pay yet they send them to this war
...drill for oil in the middle of the near endangered caribou mating grounds in the Alaskan wilderness
...Do nothing to clean up thier environmental waste and pollution when they are one of the worst polluters on the planet
I could go on and on...but what's the point. By now you've already stop listening and decided to believe and do what your master tells you too. I'd rather be a semi-socialist (as you would call it) then live under a dictatorship like you seemed to be. I at least can still think for myself.
If your next post has more insults I will delete it and it will be ignored completely.
You're wasting space reserved for real free thinkers.