I received a invite from one of my friends last night to go hang out on his boat an a nearby lake and of course I jumped at the chance to have a little H20 therapy on a beautiful Saturday. He asked that I meet at his house at around noon and then we would drive down together in his vehicle. He recently started renting a slip at the lake marina so he doesn't have to transport the boat the 50 minute drive each way. Of course, we stopped at a gas station so I could grab the boating essentials: slim jim, salt and vinegar chips, gas station pizza, Mountain Dew, and an apple pie. Perfect! Let's hit the road. We ran into a bit of weekend traffic and it took closer to an hour and fifteen minutes for the trip. Once there, we piled in the boat and hit the lake.
This cute guy was trying to steal my chips!
The lake we were visiting today was West Point Lake, which is on the border of Georgia and Alabama. It is a man-made lake that is about 35 miles long and is feed my the Chattahoochee River. There is approximately 500 miles of shoreline and the lake is an extremely popular boating and fishing destination for West Georgia.
As we were motoring out of the marina, we had a few ducks checking us out and one little guy was brave enough to come close and beg for my chips. Apparently, he doesn't know me too well. I'd share my bank account number before my chips!
It was blistering hot on the lake, but my friend's boat has a canopy and once you get going the wind cools things off nicely. For me, the day was going to be all about just boating around and I didn't even bring a fishing pole or any gear. My friend's son joined us and he has a combo knee board/wake board that he played around on for a bit.
One of the many lake houses around the banks of this massive lake.
Bridge in the distance.
Small islands dot the entire lake.
We have had a few guy getaways at this lake and the marina rents out cabins on the shore with access to the lake and docks. Most of the cabins are equipped with a deck and grill as well. One of the favorite past times for lake goers that baffled me when I first moved up here and started hanging out with my new work buddies is that they take a boat and pull into a cove and then jump off the boat with life vests and just float around while drinking cold beverages. They listen to music, talk, and laugh. They then get back on the boat to find a new cove where they can start the strange ritual all over again. Did I mention they wear the vest upside down like a pair of shorts? They place their legs through the arm holes and then wrap the straps around their middle so they can float unencumbered.
Cove shot.
Another cove shot.
The flotation device relaxation technique may seem odd, but once you actually participate a few times it is actually enjoyable. Except for a boat load of guys busting blood vessels trying to get my big butt back in the boat! The water today was fluctuating from 86 to 90 degrees and it was perfect for my friend's son to do some pretty impressive riding on his board. He wiped out several times attempting a 360, but was eventually able to pull it off. We hit one of the coves for their sandwiches and my gas station feast before heading back to the marina as the clouds were starting to darken and glare at us disapprovingly.
Final cove shot.
We hit the marina just in time because as we tied up the boat and walked up the floating dock and walkway it begin to drizzle. The drizzle turned into a full-on monsoon by the time we jumped back in his truck to make our way back home. It was an extremely enjoyable day and I was happy to get home after picking up some Japanese take-out for my wife and I. Sushi after a lake day is absolutely heavenly! Thanks for taking the time to read about my lake day and I hope your weekend is going great!
All photos and videos are my own creation unless otherwise noted.
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