Canoeing on the James

Today we spent a wonderful day canoeing on the James River west of Richmond, VA. We put in at Cartersville just after 11am and floated, swam, and paddled the 6 miles to West View (it took us about 3 hours).

This part of the James River is one of the flattest and widest parts of the entire river system, with only 2 or 3 riffles during our 6 mile trip. The banks of the river in this area are tree lined, and the middle of the river was probably on average about 4 feet deep today (the bottom is mostly sand and bedrock, so it is pretty easy to walk around if you want). The water temperature was absolutely pleasant, and it was great fun teaching the kids how to paddle.

After the river we picked up fried chicken and sides to share with our friends who live in the area (we even found a great old table at an antique/restoration shop en route). All in all it was as perfect a day as could be.