We left Montgomery after work Friday and with good conversation and good music the ride south went surprisingly smooth. We took the bypass around Troy and, even though it is a little longer, the drive is more enjoyable and takes less time. We stopped in Elba for last minute groceries and pulled into Vortex in record time. We unloaded the truck and fought the lure of that hamburger steak at Sally's calling our names.
My entire rescue class and Carolyn with a whole group of Scuba Boarders were already at the restaurant. Mooney made quite a hit with the softball team at the next table. He and Charm had their pictures made with Sally and we headed for the liquor store and enjoyed scratch-off lottery as our grand Ponce de Leon Friday night entertainment.
I wanted to shoot the alarm clock Saturday morning but remembered that we had an early rendezvous at Culpepper Landing. We located a canoe livery less than a quarter mile from the landing and found the folks pleasant and easy to work with. They have a new fleet of Old Town Discovery-158 boats and their rentals are reasonably priced. The best part is that they are right there at the landing.
I guess the wonder that comes with Cypress is not just pristine water so clean that it glows with a brilliant blue but the serenity of the paddle to get there. Mirror smooth and crystal clear the surface reflects the majestic forest. We listen to owls hoot in the distance and the shrill cry of a hawk and watch gentle ripples from the slither of an occasional snake. Silently our canoes cut through the water making no sound and leaving no pollution.
We did two dives, each one of them about 45 minutes, ventured into the cavern and explored the entire spring. Silence soon gave way to the raucous sound of motors and the crowd grew. The paddle back to Culpepper pushed along by a mile current proved easy. We gave the canoes back to their owners and headed for Dee's and a long overdue lunch.
The drive back to Vortex went quickly and a packed parking lot greeted us. We stalled the rescue folks for as long as we could and hoped that some of the open water students would finish. We knew there would be no visibility when we saw the hard hat diver walking around on the bottom. We rescued passive and panicked divers on the surface and went down the creek run to search for lost objects with blacked out masks. Then we learned to locate and rescue unconscious divers on the bottom.
Tired from a long day we kicked in our second-wind and prepared the grill with 30 pounds of charcoal. We knew folks would be cooking into the night so we set up lights and put on the sausages. Johnny Mac started playing music and revelry continued until very late. We almost got into real trouble when unbeknownst to us someone cooked shrimp on the grill next to our stuff. Quick recognition and a dose of Benadryl prevented a trip to the hospital. As Andy would say; “Cheated death again.”
Sunday we started early and rescue candidates performed two scenarios in which they combined all the skills from yesterday into a single emergency. The words we never want to hear, "My buddy is missing," set the team into action. They repeated the rescue until they got it right and I am confident that if I were lost they would come save me.
After debriefing and logbooks we headed for Morrison to complete our three-springs in two-day goal. Again, we vied for a parking space and found the water to be still high and the bowl tea-stained. I stared in amazement at open-water students in near zero visibility.
We stayed in the cave for as long as we dared and slowly made way to the exit. The warm pleasant breeze enveloped us as we cleaned the sand from equipment and packed to go home.
Naps interrupted conversation and good music as we shared driving north. Our minds still full of memories, our souls still tingling with excitement we planned our next adventure.
My entire rescue class and Carolyn with a whole group of Scuba Boarders were already at the restaurant. Mooney made quite a hit with the softball team at the next table. He and Charm had their pictures made with Sally and we headed for the liquor store and enjoyed scratch-off lottery as our grand Ponce de Leon Friday night entertainment.
I wanted to shoot the alarm clock Saturday morning but remembered that we had an early rendezvous at Culpepper Landing. We located a canoe livery less than a quarter mile from the landing and found the folks pleasant and easy to work with. They have a new fleet of Old Town Discovery-158 boats and their rentals are reasonably priced. The best part is that they are right there at the landing.
I guess the wonder that comes with Cypress is not just pristine water so clean that it glows with a brilliant blue but the serenity of the paddle to get there. Mirror smooth and crystal clear the surface reflects the majestic forest. We listen to owls hoot in the distance and the shrill cry of a hawk and watch gentle ripples from the slither of an occasional snake. Silently our canoes cut through the water making no sound and leaving no pollution.
We did two dives, each one of them about 45 minutes, ventured into the cavern and explored the entire spring. Silence soon gave way to the raucous sound of motors and the crowd grew. The paddle back to Culpepper pushed along by a mile current proved easy. We gave the canoes back to their owners and headed for Dee's and a long overdue lunch.
The drive back to Vortex went quickly and a packed parking lot greeted us. We stalled the rescue folks for as long as we could and hoped that some of the open water students would finish. We knew there would be no visibility when we saw the hard hat diver walking around on the bottom. We rescued passive and panicked divers on the surface and went down the creek run to search for lost objects with blacked out masks. Then we learned to locate and rescue unconscious divers on the bottom.
Tired from a long day we kicked in our second-wind and prepared the grill with 30 pounds of charcoal. We knew folks would be cooking into the night so we set up lights and put on the sausages. Johnny Mac started playing music and revelry continued until very late. We almost got into real trouble when unbeknownst to us someone cooked shrimp on the grill next to our stuff. Quick recognition and a dose of Benadryl prevented a trip to the hospital. As Andy would say; “Cheated death again.”
Sunday we started early and rescue candidates performed two scenarios in which they combined all the skills from yesterday into a single emergency. The words we never want to hear, "My buddy is missing," set the team into action. They repeated the rescue until they got it right and I am confident that if I were lost they would come save me.
After debriefing and logbooks we headed for Morrison to complete our three-springs in two-day goal. Again, we vied for a parking space and found the water to be still high and the bowl tea-stained. I stared in amazement at open-water students in near zero visibility.
We stayed in the cave for as long as we dared and slowly made way to the exit. The warm pleasant breeze enveloped us as we cleaned the sand from equipment and packed to go home.
Naps interrupted conversation and good music as we shared driving north. Our minds still full of memories, our souls still tingling with excitement we planned our next adventure.
