The Summer without the Gulf

The last official weekend of summer is upon us.  For some it means one last beach trip or lake weekend, for me it means the beginning of the most magical time of the year.  College football.  Fear not though, this is not the post in which I gush about college football and all the wonderful aspects of it.  I'll save that for another day.  

However, as this Labor Day weekend approaches, it occurred to me that this summer was the first in my 23 years on this Earth my toes will not have touched the Gulf of Mexico.  Living in Atlanta is conducive to many outdoor adventures but the beach, specifically the glorious Gulf, is less attainable than I'd like. My short trips home this summer didn't allow time for a day trip down to St. George Island and the trip down to 30A is a long haul from here for a weekend.  

My soul yearns for water, so this has by no means be a water-less summer, just Gulf-less.  I am a creature of habit and don't like change but, as this pretend adulting business is full of change, I adapted and found other ways to satisfy my need for time on and around water.

Overlook at East Palisades!

The summer kicked off with a Memorial Day hike at the East Palisades Trail in the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area.  We followed the portion of the trail that hugs the river and takes you to a tall outlook point.  All manners of rafts and people were taking advantage of the river that day.

The next weekend was spent on the Atlantic, big and beautiful in its own right but nowhere near what the Gulf is for me.  Swimming in the Atlantic is always a tad more fun than the Gulf just because of the wave size. Really there's nothing to disparage about the Atlantic because it's still salty water and ocean breeze.

View from Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville

A mid-June trip up to Nashville let me spend time on the Cumberland River listening to country music and wishing we'd rented a pontoon to listen from.  I'm a fan of cities built on rivers, even though the rivers aren't always such fans.  Just seems to make it less industrial and steely and take you back to what life should be.

Only way to do Fourth of July!

Gold Branch along the Hooch

Mid summer saw many water bodies.  A trip home for Father's Day meant time on the Wacissa.  A quick trip to Lake Martin.  A family reunion on the West Coast meant lots of waterfalls and time in the Pacific.  Other weekends full of hikes at various trails along the Hooch.

Towards the end of July, I spent a weekend with my nephews who live west of Atlanta. We took advantage of the wonderful hospitality of old friends who live on Lake Carroll.  The Saturday was spent jumping off the dock, learning how to paddle board and paddle boat, and catching up.

My younger nephew is an expert paddle boat captain!

This last weekend of August I spent a glorious 24 hours at Lake Hartwell with a good friend.  Saturday we were on the boat and visiting friends.  I attempted skiing for the first time in years and definitely felt it Monday morning.  Sunday morning was a rainy day but the perfect rain for sitting under the covered dock with coffee and a book.

Summer 2015 may have been Gulf-less for me but I have learned and fully accepted that all water, not just the Gulf, has the same sacred effect of calming and restoring mind, body, and spirit.  So I suppose all there really is to say is "Go jump in a lake" or river or pool or ocean or sprinkler!