POWERGRAMS

44 man tent, a sleeping bag, along with a 3-inch sleeping pad for additional comfort, and two backpacks filled with packaged dehydrated meals. Macon encountered a range of conditions – from quiet lakes to marshy swamps to the salt waters of Mobile Bay. At the end of the trip, he had traveled 400 miles from Wetumpka to Fort Morgan. "I was more prepared this time," said Macon. "I was impressed that I didn't get so tired. My arms didn't feel like Jell-O when I got on the bank at night." Of all his experiences, Macon said the most frightening came the day before he returned home. He had been kayaking and canoeing on lakes and rivers for years, but facing the wind, waves and alligators on Mobile Bay was a different story altogether. "I had a conversation with the Lord all the way across that bay," Macon said. "The closer I got to the tip of the bay, the rougher the wind and water got. By the time I got to Fort Morgan, I was in really rough water for a river kayaker like me." The three locks on the Tallapoosa also presented a challenge. The most stressful experience, Macon said, occurred when he was "locked through" at Miller's Ferry. His kayak dropped 50 feet as it moved from the river into the lake. "It was kind of eerie because I could see the water level dropping, but I couldn't feel it. I was out of my comfort zone," he said. Macon said many of his most treasured memories are connected with the friendly people he met along the way. He will especially be grateful to the couple near Camden who offered a helping hand and a welcome meal. Macon was searching for a campsite when it began growing dark. He spoed a couple pulling their boat out of the water. He asked for directions to the nearest public boat landing so he could refill his water boles. The couple not only offered to replenish his water supply, but invited him for dinner. It was his first meal in days that had not come out of a package. Macon said the solitude and peace on the water bring him the most pleasure while on his river trips. "What really makes it fun is you're totally disconnected from all the life issues," he said. "Your day is consumed with: 'Where is the current?' 'Where is the shortest way across?' 'Where can I get water?' 'Where can I camp?' No decision you make has anything to do with Alabama Power, wife or kids. You enter a different world." Macon has been kayaking on the creeks around his home for nearly 20 years. Before that time, his passion was canoeing. Macon's heart was captured as a 10-year-old when his uncles took him on his first canoe trip. But the speed and maneuverability of kayaking led him to change that focus years later. Now, he owns seven kayaks, in addition to two canoes. "Kayaks are so much more maneuverable," he said. "Aer I bought my first kayak, I never went back to canoeing." LOOKING AHEAD TO RETIREMENT Macon plans to continue exploring the Scenic River Trail aer his retirement. His goal is to kayak down the Cahaba River in the spring and the Coosa River in the fall. Macon's first project will be restoring his 1965 Ford pickup. He also wants to focus on his newest hobby, beekeeping, and expand his apiaries, as well as complete several home-improvement projects. Macon said he will miss his co-workers and the bond they have forged through the years. But he is glad to say goodbye to storm duty and nighime callouts. "I'll miss the guys and the camaraderie we have had together," he said. "But the power company has changed to the point where I feel I'm being le behind. I've got an iPad, a smartphone and a computer with two screens. Our SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) devices and switches are computerized. Times are changing, and I'm less motivated to keep up. Let a younger man take over."

• Cover