Day 76

Late last night one of the isolated intense thunderstorms found my tent perched on the bluff above the river, I woke up for 2 minutes and went back to sleep. Morning on the river started slow as the sun struggled to break out from behind the dark clouds, I was able to sleep till almost 10 without the summer sun waking me. When I crawled out of the tent I was shocked at the amount of sand that flowed down the bluff along with the heavy rains. My six gallon water jug was almost half buried while the canoe full of rain water was likewise buried in washed sand. As I started to bail water from the canoe I became aware of the large numbers of red admiral butterflies floating up and down the beach.  If I stopped working for even a few seconds I would have two or three butterflies land on me. It was after 11 when I finally started paddling. The first part of the day passed without much of interest other than the continuing company of the butterflies. I would be well out from land and they would float down, rest somewhere on the canoe for a moment before flying along. Around 3 the clouds parted and the sun came out in all its might, chasing me towards the bank and some shade. While sitting in the shade enjoying a snack I counted no less than 25 butterflies resting on or in the canoe. Up and down the sandbar  I could see hundreds more. One other time I have been in the middle of a migration of butterflies. It was April on the Appalachian trail in central Virginia and I was along a mountain creek and the air was filled with Monarch butterflies. Around 5:30 I rounded a bend and could see a wall of rain about 2 miles down river. I found a nice beach with a bluff behind it and paddled towards it. After climbing the bluff to set up the tent I made a quick dinner while I watched the rain inch my way. The storm stalled out about a half mile south of me and I enjoyed a dinner with a strong cool wind keeping me cool. I was asleep by 8.