Up The Creek (with lots of paddles) in St. Marys — Kayaking Pics
Posted on July 31, 2008
Filed Under Pictures
When I left the Fulton County Fire Department — and Atlanta — I moved to St. Marys and opened a kayak shop called, "Up The Creek." It started small; but, with lots of help, Up The Creek quickly became one of the biggest kayak tour and instruction operators — kayaking with anywhere between 1-person, up to 80-paddlers on some of our trips! We owned a couple hundred kayaks at one point! The area around St. Marys is perfect for kayaking, offering amazing views and wildlife — and lots of good weather for kayaking. The shop is located footsteps from the St. Marys River, and is within an hour of Cumberland Island, the Okeefenokee Swamp, countless tidal rivers and creeks, and several beaches for surfing.
We had great "business trips:" Whitewater kayaking in North Carolina, Sea Kayaking in Florida, and Coastal Georgia and South Carolina, excursions to Utah, and lots of trips to Cumberland Island in Sea Kayaks. I opened the shop in 1997 and sold the shop to Tom and Julie Monahan a few years ago — shortly after writing "The Belief Formula." You might not believe this, but this kayak shop was actually born when I was a child watching "Sesame Street." I saw a video of a kayaker flipping over and turning back upright. I was terrified and curious at the same time — the perfect seed for a real life experience (curiosity and intense emotion)… I recently found the video clip on YouTube:
So, another childhood impression emerges into my experience… Here are a few pics of the shop, some of the boats and places we paddled:
*Click on ‘Read more’ to see more pics of a life of adventure and discovery — and trial and error, etc…
Top-to-Bottom: 1.) Jenn and Pete in Spartanburg, SC on their way to pick-up their first trailer-load of kayaks; 2.) Pete surfing in Cocoa Beach; 3.) Instruction before a kayak trip leaving from St. Marys waterfront; 4.) Kayak demo in Charleston, SC; 5.) A Nuclear Missile Submarine slipping into Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base (Those things make huge bow waves and wakes that you can surf! They have even capsized fishing boats with their wakes!); 6. & 7.) Jennifer kayaking in the Okeefenokee Swamp (There’s almost nowhere you can go here and NOT be able to see an alligator!); 8., 9., & 10.) Up The Creek at 111 Osborne Street in St. Marys, GA. For even more pictures of Up The Creek Kayak Trips, visit: www.UpTheCreekTrips.com
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The Belief Formula
I posted these kayak pictures last nite; and, this morning, I woke up and walked down to the waterfront park — arriving at the boat ramp at the exact instant the Up The Creek van and kayak trailer pulled-up and started unloading kayaks…
There’s a line near the end of the movie, What The Bleep, where the viewer is asked, “Have you ever seen yourself through the eyes of someone you have become?” My answer to that question is: YES! CONSTANTLY! I have changed egos, or “costumes,” many times in this world; and I have experienced enough good and bad to know, “It’s ALL alright!” Whether you know it or not, something is listening, responding, and trying to help us get what we want in life…