Second annual Zach Goforth Memorial River Run

Yesterday, dear husband, dear son, and I headed to Mt. Gilead, NC to participate in the river run and barbecue in memory of Zach Goforth.

This year the water level was up in the river.  I found myself hoping that a more rapid current wouldn't cause us to capsize.  Not to worry, though, dear husband had these on the table yesterday morning.

I thought he was being clever, but he claimed not to know what I was talking about.  (He says that a lot.)  So, we packed our oars, life jackets, and "Lifesavers" and got on the road.

We stopped by my parents' house to pick up our canoe where they had so graciously allowed us to store it.  Dear husband thought he would be clever (intentionally this time) and asked if it would cost him a quarter to use the bathroom.  Dad seemed to be measuring his response.  "To use the john?  No, it won't cost you a quarter to use the john, but it's a 'bisexual' bathroom, so you'll want to make sure there's not anybody else in there when you go in."  We all got a chuckle out of that.

I left darling husband in the shade at the Indian Mound then joined darling son at the river.  I put darling son in the back of the canoe this year.  I think he had only been the "rudder man" one reluctant time before so this was basically a learning experience for him (and for me, since his job in the front of the canoe had been to help us avoid the rocks).

 

We made it, but I was pretty well whipped when all was said and done.  Of course, there is always a wonderful ecosystem to observe along a river.  I didn't get too many pictures since we were concentrating on avoided as many rocks and shoals as possible, but I did manage to get a picture of the damselfly that landed on the canoe.

 

I tried to sing a few river songs appropriate to the journey.  I sang some snippets of "Down the Ohio":



The river is up and channel is deep,

The wind is steady and strong.

Oh, won't we have a jolly good time

As we go sailing along.

 

Down the river, oh, down the river

Oh, down the river we go.

Down the river, oh, down the river

Oh, down the Ohio.

 

But the song that I just could not get out of my head was "Roll Muddy River."

 

 

Till next time, roll muddy river, roll on muddy river, roll on!