Sunday, August 26, 2012

paddle faster ... I hear banjo music!

Last summer, we drove to South Carolina to visit my mom and on the way back to Virginia, I thought it would be fun to take a detour off the beaten path. On that detour, we stumbled upon a place called Zaloo's Canoes along the New River in Jefferson, North Carolina.

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Because we had so much fun last summer, we decided that on our trip south this summer, we'd make another detour.   

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Unlike last year, when we rented a canoe, a kayak and two inner tubes ... this summer, we opted to rent six inner tubes and float our way down the river. 

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We quickly realized that inner tubing is a lazy man's sport.  

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Which is great when you're feeling lazy, as Charlie and I both were.  

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But the kids, it turned out, didn't like to float very much. They were much more interested in getting out of their tubes, running around in the shallow water, and pulling us over the rocks that we would get hung up on. Their enthusiasm worked out VERY well for Charlie and I because we'd probably still be out there if our children hadn't dragged our flotilla down the river. 

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Here the kids were last summer .... 

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And here they are this summer. 

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If all goes according to plan, we'll come back here next summer, too. If you're ever in this area - I'd highly recommend Zaloo's. It's a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. 

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Especially if you've got a crew of little people to help pull you along.