Kayaking
My passion du jour (well, probably
longer than just a day!) is paddling. George bought me a Dagger
Blackwater kayak for my birthday this year, and I've been enjoying
it tremendously. Weather permitting, I've been out on the water,
usually with Liam (who also got a kayak-a Dagger
Cypress-for his birthday) at least twice a week this past month
and some. This hobby is a good one because it gets me to exercise,
takes me to beautiful places, lets me enjoy another hobby--birding--and
also fulfills a dream of mine to own a boat. Sure, I'd like to
someday own a large sailboat, but this'll do for now! A bunch
of links I've found helpful follow:
Dagger
Canoe and Kayak--I've tried several
brands of kayaks and read a lot and I really like the Dagger point
of view on designing and marketing their boats. I love my Blackwater
and Liam can't stop enthusing about his Cypress.
Mountain
River Outfitters--These guys are so
nice! They're my local shop and I really like them. It doesn't
hurt that they discount off the MSRP on their boats and have really
good inventory. I bought my kayak and much of my gear there, and
I'm going to try a lesson with them soon and will report back
on that.
Canoeing in NJ--This site
has lots of useful information, including a very comprehensive
list of rental places and places to paddle in NJ.
USGS Surface Water Information--An
invaluable resource that will save you from driving all over tarnation
trying to find a paddleable river in a drought.
Delaware & Hudson Canoe and Kayak Club--This is a cool site with info about circumnavigation
Manhattan. I intend to try to do so sometime in the near future
and will hopefully have some interesting stories to tell afterwards.
TopoZone--A nifty site with printable topographical maps of
just about anywhere in the US. I haven't explored any international
charts yet, but they might be there, too.
GORP - Worldwide Paddling Guide--Gives
me things to dream about doing and things to do now.
E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge--A gorgeous place to paddle and go birding.