Mayo River_July 5, 2008
Dan River Basin Association
Saturday outing
I'm not sure at what point a party becomes a procession, but I am sure when it becomes a parade....42 boats! So many canoes and kayaks, it looked like demo days for an outdoor store. The Dan River Basin Association's July "First Saturday" float trip was down the Mayo River, from below Anglin Mill, 9 miles downstream to the 220 access ramp.
The put-in location was on the private land of Ginger and Franklin; long time river lovers and bee-keepers, as we found out, near the ramp. As the crowd grew in size, we actually had a traffic jam getting boats to the river. The trip leaders, Lindley and T, made last minute changes to the plans, and the trip was cut down to 6 miles with the take-out location changed to the 770 bridge.
With this many boaters, it would take a while to get everyone on and off the river, and the weather was threatening as well.
Boats and more boats lined up at the ramp waiting to hit the water.
They just kept coming…
..and coming. What a party, er, parade!
Finally the Flotilla gets underway.
This entire section of the Mayo is quite beautiful... no houses, traffic, 4-wheelers......a couple of Blue Herons did join us for part of the trip, but it was nice to be in such a beautiful place and experience such tranquility.
It's amazing, anywhere else you
had that many people, you would not have
the quiet we experienced on the river...
guess that's just the way paddlers roll.
Boats drift quietly down the river...
The rhododendron blooms were hanging on for one last display of the season.
There were quite a few shallow stretches that made the trip "interesting." Our lunch stop was on a nice sandbar, river right.
We all pulled up and you finally realized just how many boats there were on the river!
We saddled up and hit the water...off again "like a herd of turtles!"
We had a few spills….a “strainer” in a fast, shallow run caused a few boats to roll and before the carnage was over, were up-righting and draining four boats!
It was a nice day to be wet so no problems, and before long, we were all back on the water and catching up to the pack.
Some native Americn fish weirs and rapids made the trip interesting as well.
As with all good river trips..they eventually come to an end..or at least a take out point.
Ours was the bridge at 220.
Everyone pitched in to help drag boats up the hill until we had the vehicles loaded and ready to go.
Thanks to T and Lindley Butler for leading another great DRBA outing on the river!
Article and photos by Brian Williams
Edited by Vicky Thomas
Summer is a great time to get out and explore nature! The Sell Family of Martinsville recently enjoyed a visit to the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve in Ridgeway. They ate a picnic lunch under the covered pavillion and took a hike through the preserve's beautiful trails. The park is open seven days a week and admission is free. Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a leash. For more information about volunteering or visiting the Richard P. Gravely, Jr. Nature Preserve, please contact Jennifer Doss at jdoss@danriver.org.
