Take to the Lake

What does a Nascar legend, a former Survivor and your own weary lenslinger have in common? They all three let reporter Caron Myers convince them to take to the lake this morning in the name of news. Seems a once bone-dry reservoir in Davidson County is now sloshing over its banks with swollen rainwater, distracted pleasure-craft and the occasional patch of gnarly debris. Sensing Aqua-Man would be a no-show, Jeff Varner and I sacrificed our own morning of violent crime follow-up to skim the surface (but not get to the bottom) of High Rock Lake.

That's where Chocolate Myers comes in. Nascar's most famous gasman happens to be an extended member of the El Ocho family and since he's also the owner of a shiny new speedboat, it made sense to skim the backwaters with the late, great Dale Earnhardt's beloved sidekick. True to his calling, Choc hurtled his high-octane craft from end of the lake to the other, showing an irrepressible urge to turn only left while his wife's goofy co-workers held on for life and lens. Minus a few bugs in my teeth, it was not a bad way to spend a Friday morning.

But it wasn't all fun in the sun. While Caron and Jeff lounged in the back and threw gang-signs to yours truly, I crawled over every inch of that speeding skiff, pointing my lens both fore and aft as I gathered the on-board vistas I'd need for our evening dispatch. By the time we made our way back to the slip, I had all the strobing close-ups, sun-dappled wide shots and high-speed footage I'd need to flesh out the most ambitious of watery reports. Best of all, at no time did I drop my station's high-dollar fancy-cam into the drink - a sensation I unfortunately remember all too well.

Don't ask...