Ordinary Adventures

Not all memorable adventures require extraordinary effort.

Yesterday afternoon Sue and I decided to cartop our kayaks over to nearby Hand Cove Landing. On the brief drive down the lane, we passed two twin fawns, standing on the road's edge, unperturbed by our presence.

After putting our kayaks in the water, we paddled over to Sandy Island. The shores of Norfork Lake are mainly composed of limestone ledges and rocky strands, but near Hand Cove Landing there are several ample stretches of glistening sand which are capable of sustaining the illusion that one is on a Caribbean Isle. Sandy Island is a great place for a quick swim.

After rounding the island, we paddled along Jordan Cliffs. The ledge at the top stands fifteen or twenty feet above deep water and is often used for diving. At one point a hole in the ledge leads to a twisting cave that descends to an opening slightly above the water line. It's a tight squeeze which I, despite some interest in caving, have never tried.

The composition of the rock along this section of the lake is endlessly fascinating. Much of it is stratified shale which often breaks off--here there is a block of a size to be used in constructing Washington's Monument anew, over there one sees a scattering of thin plates suitable for paving stones, dinner plates, or guillotine blades. Then there are sections of the cliff where fist-sized stones seem cemented together by some natural mortar. Finally, there is a column of twisted rock rising from the water, like something formed from molten lava.

In a cove past the edge of the cliffs, we reached a further unusual geological phenomenon. The rocks here are like gigantic weathered blocks, rounded at the corners, but fitted together like massive paving stones. Some of these stones have been eaten away from below and stand on the backs of others like three-legged turtles. Very strange.

From Jordan we paddled across a narrow bay toward another cove with a sandy beach. As we were nearing the beach a flight of geese--perhaps a dozen in all--glided down, not fifteen feet above us, to skid to a stop on the surface of the reflective waters. Then, no more than five minutes later, a mature bald eagle sailed high overhead.

It was a perfect adventure in our ordinary lives.