For months I had observed trailer loads of canoes and kayaks traveling S.E. River Road near my home in Martindale. Where were they coming from? One afternoon I walked toward the direction that the boats always came from and discovered an old two-story house with a backyard full of canoes and kayaks. When I knocked on the door a young woman answered. Her name was Holly Orr. She is the owner of Paddle With Style – a full-service canoe and kayak rental, paddling instruction, summer lids paddling day camps, and Texas Water Safari preparation. I was impressed with her immediately. She is a hard-working single mom with 3 kids and her relatively new business is thriving.
And if you think she is a novice, think again. She grew up in the Houston area and discovered the beautiful San Marcos River when she ran the Junior Texas Water Safari at age 17 in 2000. She fell in love with our river. Since that first safari race she has run the adult Water Safari almost every year.
In 2006, she moved to San Marcos and worked for river guru Tom Goynes at his campground. She and his daughter, Sandy, have raced the Safari as a team several times.
