Burning on the James River

It was our second day in Lynchburg, Virginia and as always the last person out of the hotel room was my mother. As we waited in the parking lot my mother appeared carrying one huge bottle.
“Everybody out! We forgot sunscreen!”
We reluctantly got out of the car and lathered the thick cream on our arms and shoulders.
Our car ride was relatively quick. We drove downtown and then crossed the bridge over the scenic James River. The parking lot was carved into the side of the mountain and provided a great view of our float. We tumbled out of the car full of excitement and walked into the float company shop.
“Welcome to The James River Float company. What can I do for you guys?” My Dad was already studying the brochure of options.
“Well tell me about your best deal.”
The man began to rattle off the various options: tubing, canoeing, kayaking, pick up locations, cooler rentals, life jackets, prices…etc. After what seemed like 50 liability forms, our 2-3 hour kayaking trip began.
Now, my family is not really the outdoorsy type of family. We like to think we are on vacation. But this was my first time in a kayak. The best part was the rapids. Someone would inevitably get stuck on one of the rocks and we would have to find a way to circle back and push them free. It was great family bonding. The water was beautiful. The sun was shinning. It was a great trip…for the first hour and a half.
We all started to get pretty tired at the two-hour mark. We suspected we were about half an hour out but we were very wrong.
Hours later and no pick up location in sight: we were paddling aimlessly. Hot, tired, and very hungry. We had begun to notice the terrible sunburns we were getting on our exposed legs. Despite my mother’s efforts, the sunscreen we had put on in the morning was not meant for five hours of sun and my mom had left the remainder of the bottle in the car.
Eventually we made it to the pick up location. Met by a huge wooden staircase descending into the water, we fought our way up and out of the river with out kayaks and waited for the bus.
Wiped out by sun sickness we tended to our sunburns in the shadows of our hotel room. With morning came the worst blisters I have ever seen.
Overall, the kayaking trip turned out to be exhausting and painful. But I would do it again. The river was perfect and I had fun with my family. Next time I will make sure to bring extra sunscreen.