Kristy Kelly: My unofficial start of spring begins on the Neuse
Saturday was the day to be on the Neuse River.
I woke up with the sun streaming through the windows and knew the time had come to commune with nature, drop my kayak in the water, and float down the Neuse. The plans were set. I was ready to go. There is something deeply soul-soothing about spending an hour or two away from civilization.
Of course, life never happens the way I want it to.
My son decided he wanted to go, which meant we spent the next few hours tracking down a portable kayak. The car I own, in its current capacity, is not capable of carrying full-length kayaks. Our peaceful morning float was interrupted by a trip to Academy Sports in Greenville, then delayed again while we waited for my other son to get off work.
Because we clearly need someone other than me in charge of logistics, I found myself putting the finishing touches on three portable kayaks: two folding Tuckteks and one tandem inflatable. Half a dozen men in big pickup trucks hauling the kind of large boats that make me drool stopped to ask about the folding kayaks. I ended every conversation the same way: “Want to trade?” No one took me up on it. My inner child wants a boat with a motor real bad.
We finally put the boats in the water around 3 p.m. We were only stopped once during launch, when someone asked if the kayaks were actually seafaring, as we slid into the Neuse about as gracefully as two middle-aged women are capable of doing. My sons, on the other hand, were born water babies. They make everything look cool and easy.
The whole outing felt like the end of a long saga.
Last year my son “lost” my kayak on the Neuse after a dating disaster involving someone who apparently had not yet earned her sea legs. They no longer sell the pink folding kayak I loved. I was devastated. The blue replacement is mechanically better in every way, but it is not pink, so naturally I do not feel the same about it. Still, on its maiden voyage, the only water it took on came when I spilled my large Bojangles sweet tea because I forgot the cup was nestled between my thighs.
Yes. It happened exactly the way you just pictured it.
The trip lasted a little under two hours, and for most of that time there were no houses, no cars, no people, just the distant murmur of traffic and the slow ripple of the water. Kinston has the best boat owners. Kayaks are notoriously easy to flip, so it was nice to see so many boaters slow down as they passed us. At one point, we even ran into a friend who was out fishing, and we had a mid-river conversation about the lack of fish he was catching.
For two hours, my soul recharged under a sun that seemed determined to prepare us for spring. I relaxed more than I had all winter. The snow this year was enough to make me regret not moving to Florida when I had the chance. I hate the cold. I hate the snow. I hate having to wear forty layers of clothes just to feel like I’m not standing in an icebox. But being out on the river, soaking up the sun, soothed my tired mind and left me thinking about the budding beauty of spring.
Putting a kayak in the Neuse is my unofficial start of spring.
The next milestone will be taking my family to Lake Leamon in Wallace, which is our unofficial start of summer. Until then, you’ll find me on Saturday mornings, weather permitting, lazily floating down the Neuse River and wishing that one perfect stretch of peace could revitalize me enough to carry me through the next week.
Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.
We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.
Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.
