Green Blob Summer

I live in an area with a lot of water, however it's water you have to pay to use.  There are three lake "beaches" or water parks that charge $12+ per person for people to access their water.  Fort Bragg has a lake on post that they charge to use as well, other than that, lakes are mostly off limits.

I'm a Florida girl.  I grew up two houses from the ocean and spent my life on the beach.  When I moved inland as a teen I lived in a county that was peppered with lakes and freshwater springs.  I lived on lakes and in the springs.  I was always swimming, skiing, waterboarding, or floating in the water.

I grew up in the water.  I live to swim.

When I get into the water I am at such peace.  It doesn't matter how horrible the world may be right then, the water just sets me at ease.  It doesn't matter if I'm standing in a trickling stream or stroking across a river, water is my element and when I'm in the water I am full of joy.

My fondness of water extends to my children.  They love swimming and as they gain confidence in their swimming ability they enjoy swimming in waters that are a little less bound in by see-ment walls.  This summer, I want to give them their fill of water while I attempt to fill in the gaps left by the ocean that should be across the street from my house.

Surprisingly this is a very difficult task.  I have spent the past month poring over google maps looking for blue and green blobs that indicate bodies of water and parks.  Countless phone calls have been made, I've gone driving all over three counties, and I've talked to a LOT of very odd people.  I've found the best way to find swimming holes is word of mouth so I've taken to badgering everyone I know and sending The Man to work to badger everyone he knows.  If I know someone grew up here or has lived here a long time, they get texts, emails, and calls from me begging for info on swimming locally.

It's starting to pay off.  I've found one great lake and another good swimming hole on a creek.  We've already visited the lake three times, but have yet to visit the creek save for a scouting expedition.  In addition to this I've found several areas to hike, one with a creek we can wade and explore.  I'm a huge hiking buff and this year the kids have discovered that hiking really is fun and enjoyable.  We hiked four miles last week at Raven Rock State Park, a favorite park to hike and this week I found another state park for hiking and canoeing.  Now I just need to find a canoe, oh how I miss having a canoe.