Here There Be Monsters. Yarrrr!

The River is a mystery. You never know what you will see out there. I like it out there, it is wild and unchanged. It is a place frozen in time almost as wild as it was when the only people to roam its banks were natives and Indians. To navigate these waterways by canoe, kayak, or paddle board is such an adventure. I prefer human powered means of movement, no engine noise, no invasive introduction. The Paddle board is about as native as you can get. As you paddle along the river it is overwhelming how primitive the feeling can be. Standing on the board and looking down into the water can be such a striking view. I have paddled down many rivers and I have serious doubt that many people have traveled these places in quite some time. It is wild out there, truly wild. Drifting along the slow moving water is a peaceful feeling. The river is in no hurry. All this water is making its way to the ocean from the north. It has traveled many miles from all over. Some of this water was snow melt, high in the mountains. Some of it fell in rains that fed into rivers just like this one. And some of it fell in your back yard. Water is Awesome. It is always moving in a cycle that is nothing short of a miracle. The blessing that I can travel with it for a short time in its journey is an honor that moves me. Literally.

Standing on the SUP I can see down into the water. Its an entirely different view than canoe or kayak travel. The glare on the water is different from this angle and with a good pair of polarized sunglasses you can see deep into the river. This is awesome when you are following a turtle or a school of fish. It can be a little frightening when you see a monster.... which happens out here in the remote areas. I have seen things people wouldn't believe, things I hardly believe myself. Snakes and turtles that are giants. Fish that are so big they are scary looking. I came up on a shallow area once and saw Carp that were at least four feet long. they saw me about the same time I saw them. All at once they shot through the water causing the water to boil up over their backs as they made their way to deep water. It looked like eight or ten torpedoes were speeding through the water, Ive seen this many times and every time it is awesome. I have seen sharks and stingrays on the coast........I have seen Alligator and Cayman in the marshes and wetlands......I have seen snakes of all kinds....and turtles of all kinds.

The vegetation that lines the river is also unique. The trees grow tall here and lean out over the water, in some places, the sky is barely visible. Like being on a river flowing through a tunnel of vegetation. These places are welcome finds on hot summer days. I like to just sit in the shade and listen to the sounds of the river. Bugs buzzing about. Cicada deep in the trees. Flies and bees whirring along. Birds chirping in the tree canopy, the occasional call of a large bird in the distance. Frogs croaking. Fish striking or leaping from the water. The sounds of the river are soothing and relaxing. Most of the time.

There was one time I was paddling down the river looking for a campsite when I heard something so strange and alien that it scared Me.

I was paddling down a river in central Texas and had a great day out there. Paddling is like everything else that you love.....sometimes you just don't know when to stop. I had been following a brilliant dragonfly for quite a while. They were out in such great numbers that I knew if I was patient enough I could get a great picture. A dragonfly is an awesome creature. They move in such amazing ways. They are pilots that are unequalled. They actually hunt mosquitoes, so when you see a dragonfly speeding through the air in acrobat maneuvers that are unbelievable....they are hunting mosquitoes. If you could slow that down and watch it, you would not believe your eyes. A dragonfly is a predator and a great one as well. I had been consumed with taking pictures and did not realize that it was getting so late. The trees can really distort your concept of time and it is easy to lose track of the hour. That's exactly what happened to me on this day and I needed to find a campsite before the sun went down. Setting camp at night on the river is not a good idea. This area of the river was high walls and steep banks. I needed to get moving and find an area suited for camp. I watched the dragonfly land on a branch just above the waters surface and snapped a brilliant shot....seconds before a fish lept from the water and ate him. I watched a mosquito being eaten by a dragonfly that in turn was eaten by a bass. Predators are everywhere. It was seconds later that I heard it. It started as a growl or a groaning noise and then became a sharp shriek in the afternoon day. It scared me so much that I sat motionless while my brain feverishly tried to process the sound. The only thing it resembled was one of those tyrannosaurus from Jurassic park. There was no doubt that I had heard it and no doubt that I was going to have to travel in the direction of the noise. Again it came, a terrible noise an impossible noise loud in the evening air and echoing in the distance. Whatever it was, I was getting closer to it. There would be long pauses and then the noise again......the closer I came to it the louder and scarier it was until I knew it was just around the bend of the river. It was terribly quiet, just the leaves blowing in the wind and the dull hum of insects in the night. The sun was setting and there would only be minutes left of light. The noise again, so loud that I jumped in my kayak seat.........it rang in my ears long after it stopped and I could hear my heart beating fast .....my knuckles white from gripping the paddle so tight. Then.....I saw it.

A windmill. A giant windmill. Rusted metal old and run down.......its massive blades slowly turning in the breeze. At one point in the rotation, metal would hit metal and shriek as the grinding wheel called out desperately for oil. This was the beast. And even though I was looking at it...when the noise came, it still scared me. I cursed the farmer who could tolerate this noise. Maybe he let it go just to keep people off his land. Trust me, when that noise comes, you will be scared and you will run. Its a primal noise that pierces you right down to your caveman DNA. The fight or flight process becomes just the "flight" process and you run. Its more likely that no one has been down here in years to hear it. As I paddle away from it.....I can not get away from it fast enough and it is a few more miles before I can no longer hear it. By this time it is dark and I decide to paddle on to the take out. The noises in the night that frighten me on the river when I am alone just fail to scare me after that encounter.

I paddle on....looking up through the trees at the summer night sky......there is no light out here and the stars shine like diamonds. I can make out the tree silhouettes against the shimmering backdrop of stars and it looks as if a river of stars is overhead. I count shooting stars as I drift along....the night air cool and relaxing.....the water still warm from the day. its beautiful and wild and never fails to be an ADVENTURE Out Here.