I had all these grandiose plans for my stay and mom and dad's. I thought I would get a ton of exercise, rebuild my upper body strength which is sadly lacking after 5.5 months in South America, and explore the area. What I didn't count on was a heat wave! I am unused to heat and it makes me whiny and sluggish. This is especially true of humid heat. I found that if I was not out of the house by 8:00 a.m., it was hard to get exercise outdoors. To go to the gym in this community (it is a gated active living retirement community with clubhouse), I have to be accompanied by one of my parents- like a small child.
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| Rat snake |
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| At over 6 feet long, a healthy specimen |
One afternoon, we took a break and went to Langford Canal State Park. The Catawba River runs right through the park and hosts a rare and endangered spider lily. The spider lily blooms for 3 weeks per year amongst rocky shoals in the middle of the river. So, I decided to bring my packraft for better viewing. I found a good put in a few 100 yards down the trail right after I crossed paths with an extremely healthy looking rat snake.
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| Trying to remember how to paddle a packraft |
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| An unhappy face after mom made me back paddle a 3rd time so she could get a picture of me with spider lilies |
It was so cool to be back in my boat as I wove my way through the rock gardens. The spider lilies were lovely and I caught up with my parents at the viewing platform as my mom was busily snapping photos.
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| Dad posing at the viewing platform |
On the hike back, we saw a pair of eaglets chirping away in an aerie. However, we spent too much time and got caught by a late afternoon soaker complete with thunder and lightening- the things I miss by living on the west coast. I could barely see the road as I slowly navigated us back to the house.
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