Canoeing at the Shenandoah

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Daniel woke me us up at 8:30 this morning to go canoeing/kayaking at the Shenendoah. I got up surprisingly easily. Not so with everyone else. Got on the road about 11 and got on the river around 1:15. Great day to be on the river. Weather was just about perfect. Not too hot not too cold and the water felt amazing. Wilson cast a few lines then proposed we throw the anchor in and stop for lunch just about a minute after we put in. We all agreed. Delicious sandwiches made by Nadine. Soon after lunch, I learned to use a fly rod and caught a fish almost instantly, about at the exact moment I realized I lost my car keys. The fish was the priority so I reeled it in. A nice sunfish. Rob and Daniel put their goggles on and dove under to help look for my keys while I retraced my steps. After a couple minutes I found the keys. They were in my pocket. Oops. Slightly entertaining couple of minutes though. It was a slight scare. Not like I was about to go on a road trip all summer. Plus Ryan was already concerned about the uncomfortable riding conditions he'd have to deal with on the ride home. All worked out in the end. About here is where I would post some pictures and talk about them but Wilson's camera was no use without the batteries included.

Next came the rain. It was very soft at first and felt amazing and we stayed in the river fishing, but the lightning came and we took out the canoes and kayaks. Five minutes later we put back in cause the lightning passed. Seconds later it returned and we took out again right down the river. We played a little frisbee this time to let it pass. We got back in ten minutes later and stayed in when the next short storm came. The rain was everywhere, it was amazing it was almost all you could see with the fog around the mountains. It made the water feel even warmer and we jumped in. It passed in minutes and we played frisbee the rest of the way down the river and that was it.

Finishing off the night with haircuts and chinese food. Thanks Elizabeth! And a little bit of packing for the trip tomorrow.

Goodnight

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