Today was our last full day in Hinton, WV.  Originally, we had planned to spend some time in Charlotte and visit the Whitewater Center where you can do whitewater rafting on a man-made river.  When the plan changed, I was still hoping we would get a chance to river tube or raft as long as it was safe for kids. 

We found an opportunity here in Hinton so we went to the New River and were outfitted for inflatable kayaks.  Tubes were available too but the kayaks seemed better for young kids and with the river being low, it would be better to be able to steer around rocks. 

Nova and I were in one kayak.  She was the most hesitant kayaker today but she ended up enjoying it.  She’s not easily impressed so she would say she hated it but she giggled on the rapids and enjoyed seeing the ducks, turtles, cranes, and deer. 

Esme and Nole were partners on the second kayak.  She was very nervous about going on the river but she felt braver once we got the kayaks in and she saw what it would be like.  She even got out and walked on the rocks in the middle of the river once. 

Cal and Asa shared kayak number three.  They spent more time in the water than in the kayak.  Most of the time it was by choice.  They just wanted to float along in their life jackets. 

I was a little mad I forgot the bungee I was going to bring because there were several times they were both in the water and their kayak was unmanned. 

It took us about three hours to go 4 miles down river.  Then we got a ride from the outfitter back to our car.  We asked him for a recommendation for food and he suggested Market on Courthouse Square.  There are only about 5 or 6 restaurants in town so we figured we would give it a try.  We were pleasantly surprised.  Everyone found something they liked and the food was really tasty! 

The kids were a little freaked out by the art on the walls.  They were all drawn/painted by a now deceased local folk artist.  Check out Nova in the picture above, haha. 

Back at the Airbnb after our early dinner, the kids went for a little walk and visited with one of the neighbors’ kittens. 

I’m not sure if I will post tomorrow since today is the last official day of this trip. Tomorrow we start the drive back home to Wisconsin. It’s an 11 hour drive. We went back and forth on whether we wanted to drive straight through or stop half way. I think we decided we will stop tomorrow but I’ll wait to book a hotel until we are sure. Thanks everyone for following along. I’ll see you on our next adventure!