Houseboat Trip/ Climate Change

We and four friends made our annual pilgrimage up the Suwanee River this week. We rented a houseboat and slowly wended our way up river, stopping at some of the springs that feed this magnificent waterway, a jewel of America.

Here you see the dawn just coming to the cypress trees, and as soon as the sun reaches the shoreline many turtles come out to bask on any available log.

All of us have slept on our cramped bunks, easily wakened to see the full moon on the water and hear the slapping of the tide on the bottom of the boat.

We rejoice in knowing that we are privileged to be a part of seeing this last pristine part of rural America. Three of us are scientists who work daily trying to understand how climate change will decimate this amazing place. We scan the banks with our binoculars and see such huge variety of critters as the tide rises and falls. We speak endlessly about what this place will be in twenty-five years, a century, more..

How could anyone just say they do not 'believe' in climate change? We know that the hurricane Sandy is going to hit the Northeast. And we are here on the vast river, no contact with the big world. (I am itchy to hear about how my northeast family is faring!)

The amazing panorama of river banks goes by, bird by bird, turtle by turtle, so many clots of flowers, and we revel in all of this. For four days we slowly travel up the river, stopping at some of the springs that feed it. We swim and hike.

And we have such a good time cooking for each other every night and talking our heads off (not about our kids: we have many.) We touch each other and cuddle like puppies. This time, the weather was cold and gusty and it was hard to make that houseboat behave in the wind and current, so it was kind of adventurous. Our captain was stellar! Everyone did anchors and lines
and it worked out.

In the cold windy weather we hunkered down inside and did a couple of jigsaw puzzles with the sun on our backs, lizards in the sun. And thought about the next meal! Every minute or two someone would alert us to something interesting out there on the river.

This annual expedition is a time out of time. Very little connectivity to the larger world. A cocoon of great friends you feel comfortable with (even with that horrid bathroom, and no privacy.) is the best.

I have a great need for physical activity, and on a houseboat, how to do it? Well, I went on up top of the boat at night when everyone else was settled down under the covers, took my i phone and ear buds, and danced at night by the light of the moon for the length of an album. No one below complained.

It was a wonderful trip, and as usual, I couldn't believe that five days had passed- and I never looked at my watch!

What would this amazing place be when the sea rises? We think of our children and grandchildren and beyond..