Tales from the Riverbank 2.

Yesterday we went out on the Clarence River. Trace and Jen have a pedal kayak. Jen took each of us out on our own and showed us how to fit the pedals, stow them when we reached shallow water and how to raise, lower and use the rudder before we were allowed out on our own. Getting out of the kayak after my practise one leg sank into the river mud right up to my thigh and Will had to come and pull me out.We set off up river towards an area known as the Broadwater. It is a large shallow lake at a bend in the Clarence River not far from the house. There was a colony of pelicans or a pod, to be exact, but the water got too shallow to be able to get too close. One old chap in a 'tinnie' cruised a bit closer wondering how we were moving along without paddles until he realised we were pedalling and laughed.There have been dolphins in the river and bull sharks but unfortunately we did not see the former and thankfully did not see the latter. We pedalled back to the jetty by the house and Will got out and then Jen and I went down river towards Maclean and past the bat colony (Flying Foxes) before heading back home. I was pretty worn out after all that pedalling but it was a lovely day.