Ever get the feeling that the world revolves around you – in a bad way?  No, I'm not some ranting malcontent off on a tangent about his misfortune.  I do have a positive point to make and it does involve the experience I had on the water today.  Kindly bear with me and this will all come together – promise.

I’ve come to the conclusion that financial success is unattainable for some people due to forces beyond their control.  They can do everything right, only to be denied in sometimes spectacular fashion.  I fear I am one of those people.  Does this happen to you?  Why does it happen?  Could it be the Lords’ way of dragging us, kicking and screaming towards his aims?  We live in a tragically flawed world, yet the Lords’ will is pure.  Could it be that He desires more missionaries for peace and this is why He’s nudging some of us down this road?  Missionaries, after all, generally live lives of poverty and are probably more successful in their missions for having done so - it makes for fewer distractions. 

Well, it’s taken me a long time to accept my fate and I have to admit that I've done so somewhat grudgingly.  Yet, my track record in the pursuit of certain things remains unbroken so I’m not going to fight it anymore.  The world, after all, needs peace and not just the absence of war.  The kind of peace I'm talking about is the serenity that can only be attained in 2 ways that I know of – in church or out in nature.  Most only go to church on Sundays (or sadly not at all), but you can get out in nature anytime.  You could simply take some quiet time to contemplate the natural beauty of your own back yard or...  You can take a paddling trip like this on Green River Lake!

That’s it!  End of segue.  I’m pleased to relate this experience for those in search of peace, and I won’t waste any more time in getting to one of the standout features of this particular paddle.  I found more butterflies out here than Quakers’ got oats!!!  Yes, butterflies!  I couldn’t believe it.  See the little white flowering bushes below?  Well, they must be some of those Butterfly Bushes I’ve heard about.

Or not…  Looking them up now I don’t see any with white flowers, but whatever they were the butterflies sure loved them!  Every time I’d approach one of these bushes I’d get swooped by one or two as they came closer to check me out.  Then, after satisfying themselves that I wasn’t a threat, they’d get back to business.  I noticed tons of little red dragonflies today too.  At first they spooked me.  They looked like wasps!

I’ll make a point of it here and mention that the Snake Creek Ramp I used today wasn’t my first choice.  My original intention was to use the White Oak Ramp off KY551 on the northern side of the lake, yet as I started driving down the very narrow gravel lane off Texas Eastern Road I began to have misgivings…  I’ve used some pretty forlorn put-ins before, but this was really out there, and it just didn’t feel quite right.  I got partly down the road and then turned back.  This was only the second time I’ve passed up using an access point for this reason, but you’ve got to be careful!  If you do decide to try this one I wouldn’t suggest going solo.  I’d also recommend an all-terrain vehicle. 

Anyway, since I had the Fish and Wildlife Boating Guide with me I searched for an alternate launching point and found this Snake Creek Ramp (full directions below).  Looked out across the water upon arrival all I could see was the Green River flowing from right to left.  I didn't yet see the namesake of the ramp, Snake Creed.  It wasn't until later that I realized that the stream is flowing just out of sight behind you when you're standing at the ramp.  Also not yet apparent was a large cove directly across the water – it was blocked by trees.  Anyway, I put in and headed to the right, or upriver, on the Green to begin…

You’ll be in the midst of a long left arc to start, and among the first things you’ll notice (aside from the little island in the center) is that the banks are fairly low.  This contributes to a flooded plain feel in many places (or in most cases a flooded forest).  In this regard these tail waters of the Green River reminded me a lot of those on Taylorsville Lake.  I also noted that the ramp I'd just used had seemed to mark a defining point in the transition of the Green from a river to a lake.  Upstream from the ramp it’s definitely still a river, but downstream it’s got more of an impounded lake feel.

I did find some points further on where the bank steepened a great deal - sometimes even revealing a rock wall - but as soon as I got to one of the numerous little incoming streams the bank would get low again.  You can paddle back into some of these streams and it’s an interesting experience because as you sit in your boat it's akin to sitting in a forest – you’re that low.  Yet you won’t get very far before bottoming out though.

Anyway, there’s a point in this arc where the river seems to split into 3, but it’s actually just a point with 2 islands in the middle.  I went around these to the right with the butterflies being almost constant company.  Also of note here was that on the right there’s an incoming stream that looks very much like a side-canal - albeit one that quickly ended in a deadfall today.  Looking at the Kentucky Atlas and Gazetteer this could have been Denton Branch.   

After this point the river straightened out and then began curving to the right.  A rock outcrop awaited me at the end, and when I got to it I saw very fine layers of shale eroding off of it and into little piles at the bottom.  At some points it was interesting in that the layers had eroded away to reveal a very smooth flat rock face…

From these rocks you’ll launch into an upside-down “U” which you’ll be paddling from right to left.  On the first straight of this letter there were a couple nice little rocky shoals to stop and rest.  Also of note here was that the sun was directly overhead.  Why was this important you ask?  Because I'd noticed right after getting on the water that dummy had forgotten his phone!   Not only did I not have a way to reach anyone if I ran into trouble, but without a watch either I didn't have any way of knowing what time it was.  I therefore decided to try and judge it by the sun.  Figuring that Old Sol was coming up around 7am these days and setting about 9pm, that was 14 hours.  Divide that by 2, get 7 hours, and add them to 7am.  You’ve got 2pm, or midday for the sun by my reckoning.  That might be totally faulty reasoning but it's what I had.  I decided to keep going until about 4, or until the sun was about even with the left edge of my baseball cap!

Side note:  More general awe here in regard to how well trees adapt.  Here's where one fell over and branched into 4 new ones!

At any rate, when I got to the curve in the “U” I found that the character of the river seemed to change.  This was at about the spot where the Bryant Creek came in, and there was so much deadfall debris here that I didn’t think I’d be able to get through it.  I’ll tell ya - if the ramp I used marked the transition of the Green from river to lake, then the middle of this “U” might mark the transition from a wild river above it to a tame one below.  That's because from here on out the river was definitely the same free-flowing Green that I remembered from my excursion upriver in Munfordville – flowing farmland with tiny incoming streams forming very large shoals in the river at frequent intervals. 

Anyway, as a result of this I was to encounter a lot more moving water on the back straight of the “U”.  The shoals really had the river meandering, and so much so that I soon lost track of where I was on the map.  The indications therein must have been drawn with a higher water level in mind, you see, and I apparently didn’t bring my “A” scouting game with me today.  I’ll do the best I can, for what follows is what I think I did…

After floating up and through some moving water on the final part of the “U”, I started making some turns (and some portages) on the next section of water.  A right, a left (100 yard portage) and another right ushered me into another straight section, and as I paddled up to a shoal on one of the curves I had a turtle swim directly under my boat.  They’re slow on land, but they sure can be fast in the water!

As for the straight, it would turn out to be the last upriver section I’d paddle today.  On it I encountered the first signs of civilization I'd seen since the ramp as well – 2 dirt/gravel paths coming down to the water at the same point, one on each side.  It was here that I decided to make my final stand.  Since I was getting a little tired (and since the sun was nearly at the edge of my baseball cap) I decided to stop at the next shoal and get out one last time before heading back.  Below is what it looked like when I did.  Judging from the scene, it appears I would have had to get out of the boat about every 25 yards from here.  NOTE:  I believe this spot was at the point where Sprout Springs Branch enters from the left. 

The paddle back was very enjoyable, for I was able to move with the water this time.  Then, about a mile from the ramp I got a real surprise.  What was that ahead?  Couldn’t be… 

Another paddler?!? 

Sure enough, there she was, paddling upstream towards me!  What a nice surprise!  In fact, I think she was just as shocked to see another kayaker as I was!  This is a very nice place to paddle though.  I’d love to see even more people taking advantage of it.  As we talked, I was informed that just below the dam there was a reputable outfitter who offered trips on the Green.  I’ll have to try them sometime.

Following the encounter, I went on to check out the fairly large cove I’d noticed on the left side.  It came in at a point just downriver from those 2 islands I mentioned, and it went in a little way before forking at the back.  There was also a little alley on the left just after entering which forked off in the same manner – and there were many more butterflies at work in these areas too.

Now up until this point I’d been under the assumption that this was the large cove represented on the map, but once I got back to a point across from the ramp, I found that this wasn’t the case.  I'd noticed a break in the shoreline, you see, and I thought:  “Hmmm…  What’s back there?”  Well, as I paddled in I encountered what looked like another very large river – seemingly as wide as the Green itself!  Surely there was no way I’d have enough time to paddle all the way back into this?!?

Well, regrettably I professed my surprise out loud and scared away a beautiful white egret or heron in the process!  It hadn’t been but several feet away!  I was seriously bummed, and I certainly wasn’t going to be able to get a descent photo of it at this point!  Anway, this area actually turned out to be quite a spot for large waterfowl.  In addition to the one I’d just seen I spotted a few blue heron and a couple flocks of 30 – 50 wood ducks as well.  As for the river, I decided to try and get back as far as I could before I ran out of time and I found that - true to the map – this seeming-river turned out to be a cove that petered out with surprising speed in another marsh-like area.  If Kentucky had crocodiles this is one place you might see them!

At this point I had time to go just a bit further before heading back to the ramp, so I decided to paddle around the boundary of the area where this cove branches off from the Green.  I’m on the northern end of the lake now and heading east (and yes, I’m calling the water a lake at this point).  There was another nice rock wall here, and as I paddled alongside it I caught a glimpse of something black run down and into the water.  I figured it must have been an otter.

For a “grand finale” I paddled up the Snake Creek and, making it maybe a couple hundred yards, I headed back home for what turned out to be a great nights’ sleep!  Are you, too, being called to live your life as a missionary (although maybe not your “normal” kind)?  Well, it might be a life of financial uncertainty, and it can be physically exerting, but it’s so darned peaceful!!!  :)

DIRECTIONS:

Easiest way - If you type "Snake Creek Boat Ramp, Columbia, KY" into Google Maps you can get directions from wherever you are but below is what I initially had...

From Lexington I took US27 South through Nicholasville and over the Kentucky River.  Then, making a right onto KY34 West, I headed into Danville.  Now the city of Danville is extremely confusing – I got lost on the drive in and the drive out.  KY34 will go to one lane and will then curve left into the city.  What you want to do is make a right on main street and start looking for US127 South.  If you can’t find it, by all means, ask.  For as confusing as this city is to drive through – believe me – there’s no shame in asking.

Once in US127 South, take it all the way to Liberty and begin looking for KY70.  You’ll want to take it West.  The eastbound and business routes of KY70 will come first, but hold out for KY70 West.  Take a right onto it and go just short of 10 miles.  Here lies a very dangerous KY551 intersection.  KY70 will make a sharp right turn here, but you’ll want to go straight (left turn) onto KY551.  Please be careful here!

Follow KY551 for 15 miles (and 8 miles past the KY76 intersection) and you’ll cross over the lake.  When you see a sign for the Holmes Bend Campground at a convenience type store, you’re real close.  Take a left onto Snake Creek Road and follow it 2 miles to a boat ramp sign.  Take a left and the ramp is at the end of the road.