Belle Isle State Park - Part III: Boating on the Rappahannock
Not all state parks rent boats so when we found out that this was one of that does we decided to go ahead and explore Rappahannock River from the waterside. You go to the camp store to pay your rental fees, get your paddles and life jackets and then follow a park ranger to the boat launch where the actually trailer it into the river for you and tie it to the dock.This is where the funniest event of the entire weekend happened. After the boat was in the water and tied up we climbed in. I sat in the front area and Guy sat in the middle as this boat had a middle console for steering. The seat for the driver is actually a metal cooler with a cushioned seat. It is suppose to be welded to the base of the boat, but in this case it wasn't and before we even unhooked from the dock Guy had sat down, leaned back and bang, he is on his back, with his feet up in the air. Poor Guy was so embarrassed and I didn't help matters because I just could not stop laughing, my sides were sore from laughing so hard and I believe there was a threat to throw me overboard. The look on the park rangers face was priceless, I am not sure he felt at all safe letting us take the boat out.After we composed ourselves we had a wonderful few hours on the river. The water in the inlets was silky smooth and like glass but the main river had a breeze blowing and was very choppy. No worries though as the bouncing of the boat and the spray of the water on my face is one of the many things I love about boating.
A few videos:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4A2n9SsaFw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-rQEYW1TKA Not bad right? It was a perfect way to spend a morning!