Snake & surf

Today I paddled for 95 minutes.

When I got down to the dock there was a humongous snake sunning itself there.  Snakes at our dock are nothing new, and I've mostly learned not to let them bother me.  Some people are convinced they're water moccasins, but I've come around to the opinion that they're non-poisonous water snakes.  I'm no snake expert, however, and I could be utterly wrong.  In any case, I've never seen one behaving aggressively, and I just try to watch where I'm stepping and not catch one by surprise.

My intention was to paddle pretty easy today, ahead of a higher-intensity session tomorrow.  I paddled out of the harbor and down toward the trio of old bridges south of downtown Memphis.  When I got down there, I saw a towboat pushing a fuel barge upriver.  I am quite familiar with this towboat, which is based just below the old bridges.  It almost always produces a wake that is very good for surfing.  So I headed up the Arkansas bank, pushing the pace so I could get ahead of the towboat and then paddle out to it.  Yes, I know I was planning to paddle easy today, but, well...

"Training plan, schmaining plan," I thought.  "I wanna go surfing!"

By the time I got up to the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, I was far enough ahead of the towboat that I could ferry out to the middle of the river in time to catch its wash.  Ten or fifteen minutes of sweet surfing ensued.

Once the good waves had petered out, I headed back to the harbor and paddled easier for forty minutes or so before returning to the dock.  I think I'll be fine for tomorrow.