Kayaking Down the Neuse: Who Knew?

I grew up at the beach, and have always kayaked on rivers that led to the bay, in the bay, or seen people kayak in the ocean.  It just always seems like such a "beach" thing to do.  I know that's naive and silly, but I never once thought about finding a place near us in the Triangle where we could kayak.  You know, 'cuz we're not at the beach, right?

The truth is, the Triangle is filled with lakes and rivers and great places to paddle and see nature.  So, this past weekend for my birthday, my fiance booked us a trip to kayak down the Neuse River--not at the beach, but just 10 minutes from home.  Paddle Creek in Wake Forest is where we went.  You pay the fee to rent the kayak (something like $40) and they take you down to a put-in point, then meet you on the other end.  It was perfect!  They're friendly, the price is great, they give you a ride to and from your car.   So, I strapped on my life jacket and hit the river.

I am ready.  Let's do this!

The Neuse is perfect for a lot of reasons.  I've kayaked quite a bit, but this was my step daughter's first time in one by herself.  She was a pro--and it was perfect for her because it's not like the Neuse is full of rapids this time of year:

Her biggest obstacle was a tree.  Not scary at all, right?

She kept telling us how peaceful it was, and how fun it would be if she were to come back with a friend and rent a tandem.  And she was right:  it WAS peaceful.  There were lots of folks in our group on Sunday afternoon, but we didn't stay with them, nor did we need to.   It was just the four of us and nature.  How can you go wrong? There were fish and turtles and snakes and all kinds of fun things to see.    My 7 year old step son gave it a big thumbs up.

Thumbs up to kayaking, a BIGGER thumbs up to jumping in the river and getting soaked.

I can't believe I was naive in thinking that there weren't kayaking places near us.  And now, we've decided to buy kayaks of our own--we want to commune with nature and get out on the water as much as possible.  Of course, we'll need the folks at Paddle Creek to pick us up!


Check out Paddle Creek here.  Go get on the river!  See snakes and turtles and fish for yourself.  Or, just put your feet in the water.  It's what I did.  Best. Birthday present. EVER.


Alli 

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