Rapidan and Rappahannock

We had a great trip on the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers on Sunday and Monday. After we let everyone get ahead of us at the put-in, the only other person we saw was a biologist taking water samples. Fredericksburg owns all of the land along the river, it was very scenic and unbuilt -- just a few houses up on hills poking through the trees.

Covering only 14 miles in 1 1/2 days left plenty of time for swimming, watching wildlife, picking blackberries, and taking naps.


We saw muskrats

and a baby beaver


lots of herons


lots of dragonflies


and lots of bald eagles, though it's possible (likely?) that we actually saw just a couple of bald eagles over and over again.


After numerous fights about whether we were, in fact, about to die in the class 2 rapids, it was easy to agree on this campsite...that's our tent on the left.