Up the Creek without a Paddle

Caddo River located in the southwestern section of Arkansas is one of our favorites haunts to canoe. With it's torquoise waters and gentle rapids, it makes for a pleasant day afloat.

We enjoy the stable sit-on-top kayaks with their close to the water perspective. You feel as if you almost become part of the river....if only for a short time. They are quick to respond the the paddle and easy to maneuver. The only draw back is there limited storage. One can safely strap a cooler full of your favorite beverages and a sandwich/ chips for a shore lunch.

Tracie and my adventure took us upriver for a 15mi float. We load up in the shuttle van and head upriver. Other floaters are also along for the ride to be taken to other put-in spots. We pull off the winding highway at a place called "the narrows". The driver kills the van's motor and starts to let out the group of 4 college aged girls. They get pushed off into the river and it's time for us to continue on....only the van won't start. It just clicks. We think dead battery. We get some guy to try and jump us off. No luck!
The driver crawls under the van to get to the starter. There he finds a loose wire connetion. The van now rumbles to life and everyone piles back into the van.

The winding twisting road carries us to our put-in spot in Norman.

Finally we are ready to take on the Caddo.

We load the boats with our coolers, camera. We are traveling lite t-shirt, shorts, sandels, hat, and sunshades. A W A Y we go.....down the river. (1:30pm sighs)

Ahhh Sooooooo relaxing.

We float.....and take in the beautiful scenery.

After a hour or so on the river we realize our 7am breakfast toaster sandwiches have worn off so we pull over to a gravel bar for a picnic lunch. We eat and enjoy each other's company. I just love this women!!!

We hop back in the yaks and continue on down the river.

After several hours of floating and several cold beverages. We come to a spot in the river that splits three ways.

Oh did I forget to mention there just so happens to be several drunk ass girls that have pulled over to the side of the river???

They are cat calling to me and I'm dog callin back. Ok ....so they where really fatties with a bad case of uglies, but I was just having fun so it didn't matter much. I can't recall exactly what they said as I floated down the river backwards in the yak....cept for the part about them telling me ....."You can't go that way"

I turn to see the river completely blocked....OH CHIT I say to self. I look for a escape route with no success. I slide into the strainer of trees and ponder my delima. Only thing I can do is get off and portage around the tree. As I ease off the yak...everything starts to float off. My loose T-shirt, sandels,my coozie and bud-cola can, paddle and the cooler tips over....what to save first????

Of coarse the beer ranks tops on the list of must saves. Dumb me!

The paddle was the correct answer, as a after thought, but didn't think it was going to really escape..................................It did....thus the title to my story.

Nothing to much fun about finishing the trip without my paddle....cept if you are Tracie!!! She laughed at me paddleing with my hands(not too affective) then my flip flops, then the small paddle I was able to bum off of some guys that I promised to return after the ordeal was over.

We made it back to the get out spot about 7:30pm....Whew what a fun day on the river.

Until next time....hang on to your paddle!