Loyd Shoals Dam
No, I didn't go over it. I portaged!
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If you want a fun and only slightly tricky ride in fairly clear water and pretty surroundings then the Ocmulgee above Macon is the river for you. We put in below the Jackson Dam on the east side and got out a couple hours later in a WMA area, I think. There were 5 to six sets of shoals to pick your way through, a multitude of islands to explore, wildlife to watch (one of the kayakers swears she saw an eagle), beautifully blooming woodland setting and, of course, one class 2 or 3 rapid which I chose to portage around. Let me tell you about the rapid since that�s probably what you most want to know. When you get there you have three choices, as there is an island. You can portage. The portage is about 100 feet to a small sandy beach area through woods and over rocks. Watch out for the rocks and poison ivy. I would suggest it as a picnic area because there is the remains of an old mill there which begs to be explored and photographed but it is private property and only so much would be considered polite. You can go to the left of the island. Here are quotes from those who took that option. �A bucking bronco�, �if you stop and look a lot you can pick your way through it�. I know they took a very long time to get through those shoals. There is also the island in the middle which, I probably shouldn�t tell you, has Canadian geese nesting on it, but then this time of year their nesting every where. You can try the rapid but it needs a great deal of water to be passable at all. It is about 15 feet wide with a drop of about five feet with several rocks about 20 to 30 feet directly in front. With a great deal of water you may be able to pass over them or river left to shoot between the rocks and two trees growing out of the rocks. I know it�s been done and done often but it won�t be done by me. The �off ramp� on this river ride was pretty fun all by itself. I can see people getting back in the water to do it again, several times.
