Hubby and I were trucking through Tennessee a few weeks ago. We had to take a 34 hour break, so we stopped at a rest area west of Nashville on the Caney Fork River. Hubby gathered me some wild flowers (that the dogs immediately tried to trample!) to brighten up the truck. We packed up one of our inflatable kayaks in a backpack, loaded ourselves up with the paddles, water, etc. and put the dogs on their leashes. Our plan was to walk from the rest area to a dam upstream, put in there and paddle back down to the rest area.
We had to cross a beautiful old railroad bridge and then hike up and down the Tennessee foothills. It was a warm four and a half mile hike. Doesn't sound like much, but between the heat, our packs and the hills, it was a good workout.
Looking down from the dam we could see several lovely waterfalls.
The icy cold water was filled with fly fishermen, both young and old. Everyone was fascinated by the kayaking couple with the two big dogs, especially the children. People joked about the "trout dogs" and several even came over to pet them. It was amazing how many people were there and yet how calm and peaceful it was.
Like Tom and Huck, we explored the shore line and found a cave, cows, butterflies, herons and even a mink who caught a crayfish!
I wonder if it was our last chance to paddle this season. Its so cool where we are now that its hard to imagine getting back in the water, but I'm sure we'll be enjoying the warmth of the deep South again soon! 
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