Kayaking and Darning Needles

Wow, I can't believe me - of all people writing about kayaking. Our neighbors/friends - Dave and Vickie wanted us to go kayaking with them on the French Broad River. They have kayaks for rent at the Biltmore Estate. They take you to the starting point and meet you at the end - a 3 mile run. I've never been in a kayak. I thought to myself, this is going to be a white knuckle experience, this isn't even on my "bucket list", but in the spirit of being a good sport, I agreed with "enthusiasm". So off we went, equipped with bug spray, hats, sunnies and a change of clothes! The change of clothes was my idea and I get an A for the day for that!

The water was beautiful, calm and a mere 2 feet deep in most parts and we were wearing life jackets so a bit of overkill - but safe!
John and I went tandem. As it turned it, he wanted to do most of the paddling, kept telling me to stop whenever I tried - works for me, so mostly I cruised.
The scenery was beautiful ....lots of logs and interesting trees.
I had a dragonfly perch on my sneaker for a free ride, refused to leave. I remember when we were kids, we were terrified of these little guys - called them "Darning Needles" and would run in fear as we thought they stuck their needle tail into you. I often wonder where kids get these wonderful, silly ideas.
The water was incredibly calm, probably equivalent to a bathtub without the whirlpool turned on. A tried and true kayak-er would be laughing at us, but for me, being the first time - it was perfect!
We hit a few ripples and rocks, one of which we got stuck on for a short while. We tipped the kayak a slight bit to get off the rock and we filled with water - around 6" worth. We sat in that for the remainder of the trip, it was hot, so it was kind of refreshing but also a bit of a funny feeling.
Our friends pulling up the rear.
And the beautiful Biltmore hotel in the distance.
It was great fun, so glad we brought extra clothes so we could go to lunch with dry underwear on.