> Hi All
>
> I left early enough Saturday morning to stop at the falls that begins the
> descent down into Little River Canyon. My wife and I discovered it by
> accident almost a decade ago, and it remains one of my favorite spots in
> the South. Back then, the area really wasn't regulated that much and folks
> were free to climb the rock face beside the falls. I still had three kids
> at home at the time, and they all made the climb with me. Beneath the
falls
> is a very deep pool that was a favorite with swimmers. A huge rock juts up
> from the middle of the pool, allowing adventurous swimmers a 30' plunge
> into the water below. Unfortunately, through the years some dummies
> insisted on jumping from the falls. That's okay if you clear the rock
face,
> but some of them didn't, and hit the rocks instead. Now, jumping in the
> area of the falls is forbidden and the park rangers keep an eye on it.
> Anyway, I took some pictures, remembered other times, and headed down to
> the park several miles away.
>
> Three different parties got lost on the way over, and I suspect that they
> went to the falls area by mistake. Only one of the three eventually found
> us. My daughter Andrea, her husband Anthony, and their three kids finally
> showed up late in the afternoon.
>
> After failing to get Prez into a wetsuit (a feat that would have
> necessitated neutering, liposuction, and a mastectomy), Casper and I
> reluctantly left him in the shallows, and began snorkeling the crystal
> clear water. It was a long time before I even considered the water
> temperature (I think Casper said it was 69F) I was so caught up in what
lay
> below us. The water was quite deep in places, but the bottom was almost
> always visible. This view of the true bottom of the canyon is one that
only
> a handful of people ever see. Jagged rock shelves would drop suddenly into
> 15-20' pools inhabited by trophy-size largemouth bass, freshwater drum,
and
> channel catfish. I was so busy trying to follow the catfish that I
> completely missed the gar Casper tried to show me. Large AL shad flew
> passed at incredible speeds, far less tolerant of our presence than the
> slower bottom dwellers. The tranquility of this underwater world is hard
to
> adequately describe, because you feel it as much as you see it. The sense
> of touch becomes secondary only to vision, making aquatic life much more
> understandable.
>
> In the wider places the current wasn't too strong, but it was still not
> easy to remain in one spot without holding onto something. In the shallow
> riffles, however, I had to really hang on to keep from being tossed
around.
> That's where we began to find the shiners and darters, some of the latter
> displaying brilliant coloring. At the edge of a reedy area a small turtle
> swam right in front of my mask. I grabbed it quickly and turned to show
> Casper, only to find him coming toward me with the exact same kind. What
> are the chances of that?
>
> We reached a spot where the river forked around the park. The descent
> begins with a stretch of surprisingly swift water where the channel
> narrows. The stones on the bottom are mostly smooth, so it's possible to
> ride it out without injury. Nevertheless, I went down feet first through
> the roughest part. As soon as I dared, I switched back to the head first
> position. Wow! What a ride! No theme park ever came up with a ride like
> this. I suddenly found myself flying though a narrow chute, dodging
> underwater logs and boulders wishing that I had a video camera strapped
on,
> 'cause stopping was not an option.
>
> All too soon, the stream broadened out again and the current relented,
> giving me a placid drift back into the picnic area. For Memorial Day
> weekend the crowd was surprisingly small, but the "bubba factor" was still
> in effect. I was certain that I had spotted Jabba the Hutt among the
> swimmers until it bellowed, "Day-um it's cold!" Bruce found me as I exited
> the stream, and we returned to the picnic tables to wait for Casper who
> emerged shortly afterwards. My daughter and her family showed up about
that
> time. After about a million rapid questions from the grandkids, they
headed
> to the water, which they found a bit too chilly.
>
> In order to collect, we had to go outside the park boundary. Trying to
walk
> in the river proved much more difficult than snorkeling it. Round, slick
> stones reminiscent of the Little Sequatchie challenged every step. Still,
> we came away with some AL shiners, various darters, and a quick look at a
> spectacular blue shiner. My two grandsons were delighted to have their
> picture taken with the Preident of NANFA. As the daylight faded, I headed
> back to GA, tired and pleased. This place is so close, I know I'll be back
> soon!
>
> Steven A. Ellis
> Kennesaw, GA
-- > /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily > / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes > / Association" > / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association > / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word > / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to > / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to > / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. > / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org /----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes / Association" / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association / nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word / subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to / nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to / nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead. / For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org