June 24, 2004 Bryce reports on our Big Walnut Creek run.

Being retired is not like not being busy. In early retirement, there is a sense of urgency to do fun things while a) you still can and b) now that there is no bull shit job to keep you thinking you’re too busy to have fun.

What WAS I thinking to have worked so long? I should have been kayaking at 24 or 34 or at least 54. Waiting until age 64 is merely better than never.

There were pressing family matters this week but I did not let them dissuade me from running Big Walnut Creek. I’m letting down my friends because I took no photographs. I’ll remedy that as soon as I get a water proof case for my Sony. I usually use the photos to help me tell the story of the trip and I can’t do that very well either for this trip.

Luckily, Bryce has combined his pictures with DEAN’s and made them available and he has told the story of the June 23rd excursion by the “Boys of Summer” down Big Walnut Creek. It is better than I could do. Bryce says:

Big Walnut Creek is a mild-mannered creek meandering primarily though farmlands unless you go north of US 40. We went north of US 40. Here the terrain is more rugged and the creek carves a deeper route as it flows over gravel and sand, with sandstone in places, and rocks and a few boulders littering its course. The pace is quicker and there are a few stretches that leave a mark in your soul and may slip into your dreams at night.

The boys of summer this day were Dean Branson, John McFall and myself. We ran through the same section last September, but the creek is always different. The water was lower this day, which is not always a good thing and there were new trees down. One tree spanned almost the full width of the creek bank had fallen within the last week or so. Have I mentioned the waterfall? John watched his two buddies precede him and "crash" at the bottom and decided to walk the bank. If creek drops 3 feet in the blink of an eye, I call it a waterfall. There were countless trees, as usual, to go around, over or under on the journey.

You could have not picked a prettier Indiana day, a lovelier creek or better partners to be with yesterday. Great blue herons, black ducks doing their broken wing act, a few Canadian geese, kingfishers and bank swifts put on a show for the boys. I have a few interesting sore places and I am humble the day after...

Eat aspirin, Bryce, I always add it to my diet for a few days after one of these trips.

Thanks for letting me borrow your pictures and words.