Neuse River Kayak Camping Trip Part 1

 

Last Day on Round 1 but Round 2 is coming soon...

Jennifer and I had a blast on our 45 mile paddling adventure. We were joking today that while things got “off “on this trip, due to river conditions, things were never that bad. We were never in danger. No one got injured. It was as if the universe was keeping us humble in our river expedition. No matter what obstacles were thrown at us, we kept going and just modified our plans. We couldn’t make it 30 miles on day 1, but we ended up taking out early at a terrific boat ramp with scenic views of the river. It rained on us day 2, but rain didn’t pelt us in the face. Day 2 take out landed us in a foot and a half of sinking muck, but we didn’t lose our balance and fall in. We problem solved, stayed positive after an appropriate amount of expressing our frustrations, and got each other through it all. We are already planning part 2 and part 3 of this adventure.

This morning, we eagerly checked the water level, hoping it had risen so we could have an easy paddle today. It turns out that the water level and flow rate have basically been on a nose-dive since the day before our trip which is why we had to adjust our trip. The only viable take-out point for us today was listed at 12 miles down river, at NC 581 / Price’s Landing but it ended up being only 9 miles. We paddled beside the ATV park some more, then Seymour Johnson Airforce base (too bad no planes were landing or taking off), and then by a shooting range.

While waiting for Jennifer’s husband to pick us up and take us to the car that we left in Kinston, we cleaned, dried and organized our things at the landing. A few hours later, all of the cars were retrieved, boats were loaded and we made it safely home.

Part 1 of our adventure complete. Howell Woods to Prices Landing/ NC 581. Total of 45 miles.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will begin at Price’s Landing and end wherever the river allows us to paddle.

#MountainsToSeaTrail #MST #NeuseRiver #HikeNC #KayakCamping

Portaging Jennifer’s boat a bit further down the bank so we didn’t have to enter the muck again.

Ta Da

Even Slower River and INSANE Kayak Take-Out

Expecting rain today, we decided to wake up early and get a start on the day. We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise and a peaceful kayak launch off the boat ramp. However, our take out at the end of our 17 miles was 100% the opposite, so let me skip ahead for a sec.

We get to the area where the park is and make a hard left off the river to pull into the park. Since the water is so low currently, we only had a few inches to paddle in. No problem. I figured I’d just get out and pull the boat to the shore. But what looked like sand, was basically a muddy quicksand. One step in and I was down to my knees and vertically unable to walk. After problem solving, Jennifer got close enough to only need one step and then pulled me in closer. We then had to pull our boats up the steep, slippery bank. Have I mentioned yet that my boat is taking on water inside the hull? Yeah. That’s happening and at this point means tons of extra weight in my boat. After a huge game of tug-of-war, Jennifer and I won and my boat was up on top of the embankment. What a mess!!!!! ....and it’s raining.

Flashback to 8am: Knowing we didn’t reach our goal yesterday, today the plan was to finish that segment, which should have been 15 more miles.

Within a few strokes of the paddle we knew that the river was flowing even slower so adjusted our mindset. (We checked the USGS site once we got to shore and verified that yes, indeed, the river was significantly below median flow rates).

This segment from Cox Ferry Bridge to Old Waynesborough Park was beautiful and full of large, old Cyprus trees all over the banks. The other trees were lush, with fresh green growth vying for sunlight. Just like yesterday, we passed one or two motor boats, but no other kayakers. Yes it rained on us half the day, but it was still nice workout.

Near the end of our kayak trip today, we had the experience of paddling by a very loud and active ATV park. It turns out, our tents are just across the river from one of their handout spots.

After the ordeal of getting out of the river, we had to race to get camp set as the rain was starting again. With that done, we ventured further into the park to see what permanent shelter they had, just in case the storms get bad tonight.

Phew. I’m tired, but super proud of our perseverance and strength the last two days. Such a fun adventure.

End of the day muck.

Gorgeous Sunrise.

Neuse River Nazca Lines

Finally got to the bridge.

Appetizers before dinner.

Historic Old Waynesborough.

Crazy Kayak Launch and Slow River

I awoke around 2am with huge shivers, due to temperatures dropping to near freezing. After adding another layer of clothing, plus a toboggan and gloves, and drifted in and out of sleep. I was excited about our travels and also still a bit chilled.

Morning came quick enough. Cody, one of the guys from the center, picked us up at 7:30 to drive us a few miles through their property to the river. In my mind, we’d have a nice and easy put in for our kayaks. However, the reality before us was five, 2.5 ft tall stairs leading down to a side trail to the Neuse. Again, in my mind, everything would be placed in the kayak as I planned and prepared. In reality, everything got shoved in because we couldn’t lift the boat with supplies on the stairs and once in the water, I couldn’t reach every place that the bags needed to go. To further complicate matters, it was tough getting the boat because the bank was slippery and deep and the step was 2.5 ft from the water. So yeah, we had a muddy, wet, and cold start.

We finally got comfortable in our boats and bags where they needed to be after pulling over. The fog was slowly lifting and the sun was shining, but the river just wasn’t flowing. That ultimately meant that our easy 12 mile trial run last week, at 4 miles per hour, was out the window. Today, our first landmark never seemed to arrive. We were paddling our butts off, against the wind, and not going anywhere fast.

After reaching 19 miles of our 30 mile day, we pulled over and came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t make our destination of Old Waynesborough Park by dark, as we’d planned. So, we pulled our kayaks out at the Cox Ferry Bridge ramp and set up camp. This allowed us plenty of time to relax and cook dinner and get to bed early enough to get another sunrise start in the morning.

While it’s not supposed to be as cold as last night, we are preparing for rain all day. Our plan is to wear rain gear and paddle 15 miles down to Old Waynesborough Park.

Jennifer carefully getting in her boat.

Such a mess!! Mud everywhere. Bags everywhere. 

  

Jennifer’s dehydrated burrito was delish!!

Camping on the cliff of a boat ramp.

Neuse River Kayak Camping Begins

 Happy Earth Day! Jennifer and I set up camp for the evening and are ready to get on the river tomorrow bright and early. We had to then drive over to Kinston to drop our car off for Sunday’s take out. Cheers!!

We arrived mid afternoon in time to set up camp at Howell Wood Environmental Center in Four Oaks. After getting our tents up and supplies unpacked from the cars, we drove Jennifer’s car to Kinston Neuseway Park, which is where we’ll be taking out Sunday after paddling 80 miles. Getting our bellies full with King’s BBQ and Mother Earth Brewing beer was necessary for the challenge we were about to undertake.

Puerto Rico Travel Video

 

Last Day, More Beaches

 “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

We found the beautiful here in Puerto Rico, as we travelled around the country. I absolutely love having serene beaches on one side of the road and lush, rolling mountains on the other. This was true today as we explored the southeast coast.

We quickly pulled the car over as we were leaving town so I could grab a few graffiti shots.

Playa Santiago

Playa Lucía

Lighthouse Mosaic near Punta Tuna

More shrimp mofungo.

Protests on Vieques

Upon arrival to Vieques this morning, our ferry was met with protestors and dozens of police, both on land and sea. While planning, I gave this part of our adventures a 50/50 shot of occurring, partly due to the unreliable ferry system and then due to protestors interrupting service recently. The locals are concerned that since the island just opened back up to tourists, that we will bring COVID where there is currently none on the island and that tourists will have priority on accessing to the already unreliable ferry. Dozens of police are not in view, but are on jet skis, boats and at the ferry terminal. Last week, police shot water at the protestors because they blocked the ferries from arriving.

Vieques architecture

Sand Glass Beach. 
It’s true to its name. We collected an entire quart size bag easily, and could have collected more.

Waterfalls, Beaches, Snacks, and a Hammock

 Waterfalls, beaches, snacks, and a hammock; Not a bad combo.

We started the day by making Davis happy and visited Burger King (I got my coffee and pastry from a local cafe). Then we twisted and turned our way up the mountain to enjoy the waterfalls and scenic views of El Yunque rainforest. Rest and relaxation was called for at Luquillo Beach, following that adventure.

La Coca Falls in El Yunque rainforest.

Luquillo Beach

Walked over to the Luquillo Kiosks for lunch and grabbed an alcapurria with crabmeat and a taco hotdog, which is a pastry wrapped hotdog with cheese.

Found a starfish while walking the more secluded part of the beach.

Pollo asado and arroz mamposteao