Winter Challenge prep

Winter Challenge 1 Day before the race Feb 14, 2013 Got a late start to the day. Slept in after a late night watching some olympic speed skating.  Went to Sunrift Adventures and got the kayak.  I rented a Wilderness Experiece Focus 150. 15 foot long touring kayak is pretty sleek and fast. Red in color and with a rudder. The seat system is called an Phase3 Airpro; it seems very well engineered and comfy. It was a new model at the end of 2013. Model year 2014 ! It had not yet been used. I found the owners manual under the seat. In other words it was an excellent boat to be using. I have a strong desire to own this boat. It is so nice. But at $1600 it is not justified. How much would i even use it?  I am glad to be able to rent it. And if i do this race again or want to kayak, i will specify this exact boat.  Keep in mind i am  new to kayaking. I know some but still.  I hope all my swimming will be good enough to get me by as a paddler.  Left there about 4pm had to drive thru alot of greenville traffic to get to I 385. Roads were good after recent snow-pocalypse. But as I drove south of Columbia on 321 it was some snow on the roadside yet. Then on SC 3 the trees were down all over the place. Tree branches sticking out into roadway. It was dark at that time so treacherous.  Govenor Nikki Haley said it looked like a hurricane came thru after she toured the area.  Found a small sign at entrance (lucky) and went half mile down a rutted dirt road. Came to some cabins and a few guys talking.  Michael and Chris Williams run the show. Michael williams is surprisingly from Zionsville Indiana. He does the marketing  for Festool, a german company that makes wood working tools for guys like Norm Abrams.  At this point Not sure if this is a triathlon report or a back country camping adventure report.  A small camp fire was going and 3-6 people were there. Chatted a bit with them. Frogs and ducks maybe were making noises out in the swamp lake. It is a 75 acre black water swamp ( means the water is clear water !). A tributary of the Edisto river that drains out by Charleston.  Jefferson and his wife Kristen drove from Delaware. He was running the timing system. How he drove in the big snowstorm  is a miracle.  Pulled my kayak thru the grass to the waters edge. I got some advice on the kayak from a lady named Luke. she was one of the workers.  I shined my flashlight for  Michael as he dragged big logs from the waters edge.  Back at the camp fire, Michael and Kristen felt a small earthquake. Then it seemed all the animals went quiet. It was weird. I was moving around and they were sitting. A full moon struggled to shine thru the clouds. Rain was rumored to maybe happen tonight.  Mike said ice had fallen off the trees and clumps of ice litter the trail. That and all the tree limbs and debris would make it a tougher than usual course.  There was no electricity and also no running water due to storm damage. Also the Oh yea porta potties not delivered. 120 racers coming tomorrow. not good. No power.  No running water.  A toilet in cabin 2 that would have to be flushed with lake water. Or hike into woods.  I left the fire about 10:45 pm and went to the truck. Listened to "This American Life" on NPR and ate a late dinner.  Oh yea. The boat is manufactured by part of Confluence Watersports, a company headquarterd in Greenville. It was made in Greenville. Maybe I should try to get a job there, since I'm practically an expert kayaker now.   Spent a long time writing this and was finally in bed lights out at 1am.