Spending summer on the water

In our online poll this week, we asked readers whether they will be spending time on Bear Creek Lakes this summer. The results were mixed, but several voters confirmed that yes, they will make time to enjoy one of the greatest outdoor recreation areas Franklin County has to offer.

Throughout my life, summer has been shaped by time spent on the water.

We didn’t “go to the lake” when I was little. Even though my first lake visit wasn’t until I was in middle school, water of some kind features in all my best childhood memories: swimming in the pool at the KOA, wading through the shallows at the base of Cane Creek Cascades in the shadow of the swinging bridge, splashing through the river behind my grandparents’ house, marveling at the 256 feet of water careening down Fall Creek Falls or the wide expanse of the ocean as it rolled onto the shores of Destin, Fla.

To me, water has a beauty and a magic that can’t be put into words. I wish I was a poet so I could describe the way it makes me feel. Believe me, I have tried – but my poem “The River” is not worth sharing.

My first view of Bear Creek Lakes was when I traveled out to Belgreen to shoot the cover for our “A Place to Grow” directory in 2015. When that County Road lined by houses came in view of the water, I was immediately in awe.

I imagined taking my laptop out to the lake and setting up a little mobile office where I could write stories of Franklin County news sitting by the water. It would be sure to inspire me to greater creativity and effectiveness in communication.

Unfortunately the cell service out there is terrible, so my dream workspace never came to fruition.

I’ve had a few opportunities since then to drive by beautiful spots along these Franklin County lakes, and they always remind me of my family’s wonderful lake trips while I was in high school. Ragland Bottom area of Center Hill Lake in Tennessee was where we spent a good majority of our summer from 2004-2008. As boats would motor down the middle of the vast Center Hill Lake, their wakes would splash against the shore line creating one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. The sun would beat down as we took our own boat on the water, and a fine mist cooled my face as we ripped across the water at a death-defying 40 miles per hour.

That’s about as close as I can get to poetry.

I hope you’ll take the time this summer to enjoy what Franklin County has to offer in terms of water. Whether you hike along Dismals Branch in the Canyon, picnic beside Sloss Lake, splash the afternoon away at Phil Campbell Splash Pad or Red Bay Fun Park, go for a swim at the Russellville pool or take your boat out on Bear Creek Lake, I hope you spend summer on the water.

If you have cherished memories of summers spent on the lake, river, ocean or something else, maybe you’d like to share them with me. I’d love to hear from you.