I left the Smoky Mountains yesterday (Saturday, 12/04) hitting I40 to Durham, North Carolina, then grabbed routes 751 and 64 to reach the Jordan Lake State Park in the center of the state. I stopped off at one of the truck stops on I40 for a shower. The Smoky Mountains didn't have showers. Did you ever bathe in ice cold water, outside in 40 degree weather, with a wind blowing on you, for 3 weeks? Not fun.
Durham is the home of Duke University and the Blue Devils. Chapel Hill is right next door and hosts the North Carolina University Tarheels. Both are perennial basketball powerhouses. Michael Jordon came out of North Carolina University (I think).
Jordon Lake (no relation to Michael) is about 20 miles long and at least the part I saw was part of a state park so there was no development on it. The weather was a balmy 40 degrees last night and in the low 70's today. And the park has hot showers. I ran for close to an hour this morning knowing I could grab a shower.
After breakfast I launched the kayak right from my campsite. Jordon Lake is very pretty and entirely forested except for a couple of beaches. Much of the bank is red clay and very low to the water. Many of the roots systems are exposed due to wave erosion and many trees have toppled.
The park had a number of weekend campers with boats. Bass boats could be seen (and heard) all day and some of the campers came back with a few bass. Of course it's a rule, written down somewhere that all power boats must go from point A to point B under full power. They weren't near me so that didn't really bother me. It was the noise. And this is December. I hate to imagine what it would be like in the summer. Especially in this part of the state where there doesn't seem to be any place else for the speed freaks to go.
I paddled out for an hour or so and then back. I was out primarily to stretch the paddling muscles to let them know they were going to be called upon in the near future.
Something seemed to be missing from the paddle, maybe the ride wasn't bumpy enough or there was no roar of breaking waves or the screech of sea gulls as they dump a load on anything that happens to be under them.
I'm going to do some chores tomorrow and then head for the coast. I met a biker from Myrtle Beach, S.C. who says it's in the 20's at night on the coast and 40's-50's during the day. That won't do it for me. I've had enough cold for a while and may be pushing south a lot faster than I thought. Christmas in Keys. How does that sound?