Apr 17, 2009
Fountainhead Park

Our first kayaking venture of the season! How lovely it was to get the boats back in the water.

We haven't forgotten much, thankfully, altho it'll probably be a time or two yet before we're as efficient loading and unloading the kayaks on (and off) the van as we were by the end of last year. We waited till after lunch, since it's still pretty cool in the mornings, and were out on the water around 1:00 PM. The park was quite busy, and there are many people trying to launch boats at the same time. We were as quick as we could be.

Today was beautiful, some 70 degrees and sunny but quite breezy. We headed upstream, paddling against the wind and the current, hoping the wind wouldn't change direction by the time we were ready to turn around. It's always easier to have the wind at our backs when we're tired and on our way back to the launch point. We explored a couple of inlets, one near the ruins of an old dam and the other our favorite spot heading in that direction. Not much of wildlife was in evidence today. Maybe it's still too early in the season. But we did see a lot of turtles in the first inlet and a few herons, cormorants and gulls, as well as an osprey flying above us.

There's no telling when we'll get out again. The weather is still a little uncertain.

Oct. 7, 2008
Fountainhead Park

Today was another really pretty yakking day. While the trees are still mostly green, the autumn colors are becoming more apparent. It was sunny and a trifle breezy this afternoon. We got a late start, not getting on the water till nearly 1:30, but we had a couple of nice paddling hours.

We headed toward Lake Ridge. There were few critters, due in part to our route as that area of the reservoir is more heavily populated, and also maybe due to the late season. I believe most of the wading birds move farther south for winter, altho I should do a little more research on that. Of course, we probably won't be doing much more yakking this year, so I guess it doesn't really matter that much! Hopefully, we'll get out another time or two.

We made it as far as the Lake Ridge Marina before returning to our put-in point, which we reached just after 3:30. Critters today included a few herons, some kingfishers, turtles, and an eagle that flew out of a tree just after I passed under it. Definitely a quiet day on the water.

We were hoping to get out again Thursday, but the forecast doesn't look promising. We'll see.

Oct. 3, 2008
Fountainhead Park

It's been two weeks since we've been able to get the yaks out. Rain interfered last week, but today was beautiful. We've moved the yak trips later in the day to take advantage of the afternoon temperatures. Mornings are quite chilly just now, so we had a quick snack late in the morning and left the house around 11:30. Since I forgot my watch today, my estimate is that we were launched by 12:15 or so.

It was pretty breezy at Fountainhead today, but very comfortable on the water. We headed upstream, noticing that the water level in the reservoir was pretty high and thinking we'd be able to explore our favorite inlet again. Fisher-dudes in the area (there were quite a few people fishing this afternoon) apparently frightened much of the wildlife away, so we continued a little further hoping they'd be gone by the time we returned. We were happy a bit later to find that this was the case, and were able to see and photograph a few critters.

While the leaves are still pretty green, they are just beginning to change color. I suspect that a couple of weeks from now autumn will be in full swing. Hopefully, it will still be warm enough for us to get out so we can get some nice pictures. We returned to the launch point, I think, around 3:45 so we spent about 3.5 hours paddling.

Critters today included an eagle flying overhead (our first eagle in quite a while) and an osprey catching a fish. Numerous great blue herons (some in trees, some not, and some actually fishing), some ducks, a few kingfishers and turtles, fewer jumping fishies than on previous trips, and some Canada geese.

The weather next week is looking good, so maybe we can get out again Tuesday.

Sept. 19, 2008
Fountainhead Park

Today was a beautiful, beautiful day for a paddle! Breezy and cool (so cool, in fact, that I ended up wearing the shirt I usually keep tucked in a hatch) and sunny with large, puffy clouds. We got a somewhat later start than usual, getting on the water at 9:30 instead of our usual 8:00, but we had also decided to spend most of the day there.

We first headed downstream, and we paddled quite a long way before we finally caught sight of any critters. I don't know where they'd been hiding! Unfortunately, as I got my camera ready to photograph a heron, I found that something was wrong with my telephoto lens. I was really upset, fearing it was broken. Since there was no way I could check it until we got home (I just know if I remove my precious camera from its dry bag while I'm on the water, I'll drop it overboard) I didn't take any pictures today. Gene did get quite a few, tho, and hopefully there are some good ones among them.

We paddled up an inlet near Lake Ridge where we saw an egret (this particular inlet is one of our favorites as it's pretty long and very marshy at the end, so a lot of marsh birds congregate there), then continued to the Lake Ridge marina where we'd previously seen ducks sitting in rows on logs. Altho those logs were completely covered with water this time (the water level is still quite high) we did catch some on another log. We then returned to the launch spot, arriving there at 12:40, for a short rest and a snack before continuing our outing in the other direction.

It was a very good thing we returned when we did. An enormous group of canoers were setting out as we rounded the corner to approach the put-in spot. There must've been more than twenty canoes! And as we were finishing our snack just before 1:00, I saw them approaching again, so apparently their outing was very brief. We quickly got underway...and out of their way!

Our afternoon paddle was a little shorter than the morning one, but still very enjoyable. We went again to the inlet about 30 minutes upstream, where we saw another egret and a little sandpiper. The water level in the inlet, which was very high last time, had receded quite a bit, altho it was still higher than our earlier visits. We paddled around it for another half-hour or so, then returned to the put-in spot and headed for home. I think we spent probably 4.5 hours out today, not too shabby for us old people!

Critters today: great blue herons, a pileated woodpecker, kingfishers, an osprey, two egrets, a really neat (and very large) turtle with a red shell, a sandpiper, lots of jumping fishies (as usual).

I'm not sure when we'll be yakking again, as we have an appointment on Monday. Oh, and my telephoto lens isn't broken. Yay! There's a hood attachment which is extremely tight in the bag, and that had come loose from the lens but was easily replaced. However, for yakking, I should just remove it entirely so everything fits much better.

Sept. 16, 2008
Occoquan Regional Park

Today was different in a couple of ways. I'd been wanting to try Occoquan park, so we went there today. And we got a much later start than usual, waiting till after my water aerobics class, so we didn't get on the water till about noon. This later start will probably be more common as the days become cooler.

I have to say (and I think Gene will agree) that this was our least favorite of the launch spots we've tried. The park is immediately opposite Prince William Marina and diagonally across from the town of Occoquan, so the area is quite heavily populated. And busy. And dirty. It doesn't help at all that the launch fee was quite high, $10 to launch the two boats. Still, a body doesn't know what to expect without trying.

We took a right out of the park, heading upstream toward the dam and passing under Rt. 123. We passed the town and an electrical power plant on our left, and a quarry on the right. Even with the heavy industry, we spotted a heron fishing, but it wasn't long before we turned around and made our way toward Belmont Bay, passing the marina and some houses.

We did see a few birds--more herons, a kingfisher, a bunch of Canada geese, and an egret. And we passed under I-95 and Rt. 1, which was probably the most exciting part of the adventure. Frankly, I can't imagine choosing this spot for regular yakking when Fountainhead is so close. But to each his or her own! I've seen other yaks there and a friend who works in Occoquan says she often sees kayakers on the river.

This was the last of the very local spots. We might look around to see what else is available a little farther afield, but I doubt we'll launch from this particular park again.

Sept. 11, 2008
Mason Neck State Park

Today was our longest venture yet. We've been building up to an outing at Mason Neck State Park. The conditions there are very like Pohick, open water with waves and wind and current. And motorboats. And water plants. But the area is a wildlife refuge, and we hoped to see more and varied critters, and we took our cameras with that in mind.

We arrived around 9:00 and unloaded our boats at the canoe/kayak launch spot, a much easier one than at Fountainhead. The surface was level so I didn't need to worry about my ladder tipping me over. And the launch point is sandy, so it's easier on the bottom of the boat. We headed left toward the Potomac River, planning to paddle as far as we could, then turn around and return to the launch point for a quick snack and head the other direction after that.

Trying to take pictures in the bay was difficult, even tho we remained close to shore. And the birds at Mason Neck seem a lot more skittish than they do at Fountainhead, so we didn't get very many good shots. But we were delighted to see an eagle as we approached the first point, then several more within just a few minutes. One was apparently a juvenile and hadn't developed the distinctive white head and tail, but it was as big as the more mature birds and I didn't know of any other raptor it could have been--no others that I know of are that big. (Subsequent research confirmed my hunch that it was an immature bird.)

There were numerous kingfishers, very few of which would sit still long enough to be properly photographed. *rolling eyes* A few great blue herons were in evidence, but really not nearly as many as we expected. Near our most distant point of the morning we saw a red fox running along the shore. That was pretty cool! Finally, we found ourselves in water too rough for us to manage comfortably and we agreed to turn around. We saw more of the same birds on our return trip, two eagles in the same tree and an osprey. Gene saw a small snake in the water, which caused us to paddle very quickly for a while. We were back at the launch point around 11:30 and had a quick rest break and a snack, then reboarded our boats and turned right, intending to explore Kane's Creek.

Water plants are abundant in the creek and paddling thru them requires an effort, but the trip is well worth it. We went down a small side-creek and saw an egret in a tree, then returned to the main part of the creek. We spotted a few herons (also in trees), but little else. Still, the creek was an enjoyable paddle. We went as far as we were able--the end of the creek is forbidden to humans as the area is an eagle nesting area, and "no trespassing" signs marked the point at which we were required to turn around. On our way back, we explored another side-creek where we came upon four (four!) egrets. We took a few pics, altho the birds were anxious and decided to fly elsewhere.

Critters today: Eagles, lots of 'em! At least one and maybe two of the eagles were juveniles. Some ospreys, great blue herons, belted kingfishers, egrets, a snake, a crawfish, and a red fox. There was a deer who stopped in the middle of the road and gazed at us as we entered the park before moving along. And there was one very interesting little bird--I have no idea what it was, but it was swimming under water, undoubtedly fishing. It might have been a kingfisher, but I need to do some research to see if they are underwater swimmers in addition to being divers.

We returned to the launch spot around 2:30 so we spent roughly 5 hours out. I doubt we'll do Mason Neck very often--the creek is a nice trip, but the bay really isn't. We definitely prefer calmer water! But it was good to explore a new spot.

Sept. 8, 2008
Fountainhead Park

I've been remiss. We made a trip to Fountainhead early in the week and I neglected to chronicle it. So hopefully I can do this without forgetting too much!

Tropical storm Hanna blew thru on Saturday, but Monday was beautiful and we headed out to Fountainhead at our usual early hour of the morning. The water was amazingly high--it had been obviously low in the weeks before this. A high-water line had been evident on the rocks, sorta like a bathtub ring. That line was nowhere to be found on this trip, and water definitely changed the topography of the reservoir. In addition, there was a lot of debris in the water from the storm.

We headed upstream, the trip I like best because it is the least developed so there's more chance of sighting critters. We didn't have a lot of time, as Monday is my glass workshop day, so we didn't go very far. There's an inlet about 30 minutes from the launch point where we've seen an egret, so we wanted to return there. The high water almost completely covered a little peninsula we saw there other times, so we were able to paddle much farther into the inlet than we had previously.

We didn't see the egret at that inlet, but did spot it farther upstream and paddled a little farther hoping for a picture. But then we were sidetracked by a green heron zooming in to land on a fallen tree and we stopped to photograph it. While we were doing that, the egret flew overhead and out of sight.

We turned around after about an hour, then did one more quick explore of an inlet we'd paddled on our first visit. Again, the high water permitted us to go farther on our exploration, then we returned to shore and headed home.

Critters: deer, kingfishers, great blue herons, a green heron, an egret, some turtles and the usual jumping fishies.

Sept. 5, 2008
Fountainhead Park

We were happy to be able to squeeze in another yak trip this morning before tropical storm Hanna starts messing with our weather. Today I decided to try my telephoto lens in the hopes that I could take pics from farther away and avoid frightening the wildlife. It turns out that the long-distance lens works very well, altho I was a little concerned about it fitting in the dry bag--it just barely fits!

We paddled downstream today, another leisurely trip, starting around 7:50. The breeze was pretty brisk, probably a Hanna forerunner, but that made the heat easier to cope with. One disadvantage of going downstream early in the day is that the sun is in our eyes until we turn around and head for home. Another is that the area between Lake Ridge and Fountainhead is apparently a training ground for rowing teams. But those are small matters. We'll cope.

We paddled as far as the Lake Ridge marina, roughly 3.5 to 4 miles one way. During our last trip in that direction, we spotted some logs where whole families of ducks enjoyed catching some rays. The image of seven or eight ducks lined up on a log was too cute, and we hoped to get some pics of them today. We did get photos of a pair of ducks (Gene took an absolutely super shot of them), but not the entire flock--maybe another time.

On our way downstream, we saw what we thought might be an eagle at the top of a dead tree, but it was too far away to tell for sure, and the sun directly behind him didn't help. We figured we'd check again on our way back to see if he might still be there. We were enormously surprised to spot him in the same general area on a lowish branch very near the water, and we stopped to take some photos. Thanks to my telephoto lens, I was able to get a few decent shots. I didn't want to disturb him by going too close, so the pics aren't as good as they could be, but I'm still reasonably happy.

Critters spotted today include a few herons (not very many today, maybe because the downstream area is so much more heavily populated), ducks, a flock of Canada geese, the eagle, some ospreys, a kingfisher (of which we'll probably never get a pic--he's just too fast!), the mystery water mammal (I'm more than ever convinced that this is an otter--I just haven't seen any evidence of beavers), a pair of deer, and a turtle or two. Not a bad turnout!

We were back on shore by about 11:30. By the time we reached the launch point, the reservoir was crawling with fisher-people. Definitely time to leave!

We're hoping to try Mason Neck soon, maybe next week.

Sept. 2, 2008
Fountainhead Park

Today we went back to Fountainhead for our first yakking trip in more than a week. It was expected to get pretty warm today, but altho the temp Sun. and Mon. was supposed to be more pleasant, we heard that the park was very, very busy. We greatly prefer having the reservoir to ourselves (call us antisocial!) and will happily put up with the increased temp to avoid our fellow humans. Just us and Mother Nature, that's pretty much the way we like it.

Last week we received the dry bags we ordered for our cameras! Excitement! We've been eager to try to get photos of the critters ... and each other, sort of as proof that we're really doing this kayaking thing. *laugh* I imagine there are people who can't believe we'd actually squeeze our aging bodies into these itty-bitty boats. And I have one friend who got a little bug-eyed at the thought of our crossing a choppy bay in a small boat, as we did the day we went to Pohick.

Anyway, we headed upstream this time. The usual cast of characters was in evidence--lots of great blue herons, some ospreys, jumping fishies, some enormous turtles (I couldn't get a pic of the biggest of them--he slipped into the water before I could get the camera focused on him but he had to have had a shell more than a foot in diameter), a belted kingfisher darting about too quickly to photograph. He was really cool! He was sitting on a branch above the water looking very intently down, then just dropped like a stone into the water after a fish. We saw a beautiful egret, a lovely snowy white wader, and Gene got a great pic of him. New this time, a groundhog (we think--I need to do some research on this critter). And the egret and one of the herons actually were fishing! We haven't seen any of the wading birdies fishing before, but I saw the egret pick up a fish and drop it on the ground, then pick it up again and swallow it. No eagles today.

We paddled in a very leisurely fashion today, stopping a lot and taking loads of pictures, so after two hours we found ourselves only a few miles upstream. We turned around and did the same slow meandering back, which probably took as another 1.5 hours. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny and warm but with a nice breeze. We stopped, after reloading the boats on the van, to chat with a guy who is considering the same model kayak we have. We really sang this model's praises--I just loooooooooooooove my boat!

Next trip, we hope, is Friday.

Aug. 22, 2008
Fountainhead Park

We've been really hoping to spend more time on the water. Our 2.5 to 3 hour paddles have been delightful, but there's only so far one can go in that amount of time. And generally a restroom break is in order at about that point. So we checked out the Lake Ridge marina, which is roughly 3 miles from our usual launch spot, and they do have a public restroom. Our plan for today, then, was to paddle south to Sandy Run and explore there, then head back and stop at Lake Ridge for a quick break and maybe a snack.

We arrived at the park early enough to be out paddling by 8:00. There was mist on the water and it was a little cool in the shade, but it turned into a beautiful day, warm but breezy. We took our time, as we like to, paddling the four miles (roughly) to Sandy Run and then headed up that little creek for about another mile until it turned marshy just past the Hampton Road bridge. It was lovely and very quiet. Saw the usual herons and jumping fishies. One of those fishies was enormous!

It took us about 2 hours to get to the end of Sandy Run and then we headed back. We did stop at Lake Ridge for the rest room, but the boat ramp is crawling with Canada geese. Apparently, local residents tend to take their kids there to feed the birds, and geese aren't stupid about taking a handout. So we elected to postpone our snack (we did avail ourselves of the comfort facilities, however) as we really weren't hungry anyway.

We made our leisurely way back to the launch point and arrived there around 12:40, so we spent over 4.5 hours yakking today and traveled roughly 10 miles (maybe a little more) in total including our explore of Sandy Run and another inlet we'd poked our noses into last time. Wildlife in addition to the great blue herons and fishies included an osprey, numerous turtles, flocks of ducks, green herons, some sandpipers, and a hawk. No eagles today.

All told, a very satisfactory experience. It was nice to know we could paddle that distance without wearing ourselves out! I'm not sure when we'll be getting out again as we have some appointments next week that will interfere. Perhaps Friday.

Aug. 18, 2008
Fountainhead Park

We didn't go kayaking last Friday as we'd planned. A questionable weather forecast and my yucky tummy kept us home. It turned out that the weather didn't get ugly till about 2:00, but an upset stomach in the middle of the Occoquan Reservoir wasn't to be thought of. So we stayed home, figuring the water would still be there when the weather was more certain and I felt better.

I think we're about as good as we're going to get loading and unloading. We headed off to the park early in the morning and arrived around 7:45. We were on the water by 8:00 and headed south this time. Because of my glass workshop in the afternoon, we didn't go as far as we would have on Friday, but it was a lovely, leisurely paddle. The air was cool under the trees but warmed up pleasantly on the water, and the sun was happily bright. We probably traveled 2.5 miles downstream, altho an explore of an inlet may have added another mile to the trip.

Among the wildlife were the usual suspects--great blue herons, jumping fishies, turtles and several deer. We also saw a green heron and a belted kingfisher, an osprey, and the mystery water mammal. A very large raptor was too far away to identify, but could have been an eagle. And new this trip were several hummingbirds. I don't know how we spotted them among the trees on shore, but we did!

We were back at the put-in point around 10:45, probably traveling a total of 5.5-6 miles. We loaded the boats and our gear and left for home some 20 minutes later. Hopefully we can get out one more time this week, maybe going somewhat farther south to explore a very long side-creek. Next week is probably going to be kayak-free due to appointments, so unless we do go Thurs. or Fri. it'll be a bit before we can do any more paddling.

Aug. 11, 2008
Fountainhead Park

It was another beautiful morning for yakking. We arrived at Fountainhead shortly before 8:00 and were on the water at 8:10. We've become much more proficient at loading and offloading the boats, thankfully.

The water was like glass with little wisps of mist rising from it. While it was cool on land under the trees, once we were out it warmed up a bit. We took off upstream again, our plan being to paddle quickly to our previous furthest spot and then continue in a more leisurely fashion from there. It took us about a half-hour of continuous paddling to get to the "leany-out tree" mark where we turned around last time.

For about another hour (maybe a little more) we moseyed on, spotting many great blue herons (mostly not in trees this time) and jumping fishies. There was a whole herd of deer on the bank which took off at our approach. We also saw several ospreys, an egret in flight (what a pretty bird!), a belted kingfisher, a green heron, and another bald eagle. What a sight he was! I wonder if I'll ever get used to seeing them. I can't imagine saying, "ho-hum, another bald eagle--the place is crawling with them" but I suppose it could happen.

I'm generally pretty careful about any debris around me and studiously avoid trees that have fallen in the water. So I was surprised to be paddling along and find myself snagged on a barely submerged log out in the middle of the reservoir. *puzzled face* This when Gene is happily getting as close to shore as he can. *grumpy face* But I did, and it took me a good bit of effort to get off the thing. We gave that area a wide berth on our way back.

After almost two hours of paddling upstream, we spotted some sort of river mammal in the water. We have no clue what it was--we think it was either an otter or a beaver--but it was only a quick glimpse as it surfaced and dived again. We stopped and watched for it, but didn't see it again. So we can add the Mystery Critter to the list of creatures we saw and hope maybe to see it again more clearly another time. After that, we turned around and headed back for the launch point, as I had a glass workshop in the afternoon and didn't want to miss it.

By this time, the wind had picked up and it was a little choppier altho nothing like our Pohick Bay Park experience. While it was sunny and warm, it was quite comfortable, especially with the breeze. We probably made it back in about 45 minutes of moderate paddling, then loaded the boats and headed for home.

I'm not sure when we're going out again. Hopefully Thursday or Friday.

Aug. 8, 2008
Pohick Bay Regional Park

This morning we went to a different park with our yaks, Pohick Bay Regional Park. It was a beautiful morning and the park was practically empty, probably because we got there pretty early--I don't think it was 8:00 yet, which was nice because the gate wasn't staffed so we didn't have to pay to get in.

I think the body of water is actually called Gunston Cove (so why is the park called Pohick??) and it is a very short distance from the Potomac. We launched our boats and paddled ... lemme think ... west? Maybe northwest. Anyway, we decided to go that way because the wind and current were pretty strong in the other direction, and we thought our most difficult paddling should be at the beginning of the trip rather than at the end when we were tired. The bad part was that going that way (inland) we found the water pretty crowded with water plants, sometimes so tall they broke the surface of the water. They were very difficult to paddle thru. So we took off across the bay at a narrow spot. There were still lots of water weeds, but it was a little better. After paddling on that shore for a while, we recrossed the bay. By then the wind had really picked up! We got splashed with wave spray! After we returned to our side, I looked back to see whitecaps on the water! Definitely a rough day! But it was still fun. We paddled the other direction for a little while and then turned back. I think our total excursion today was only about two hours, but they were two hours of an exceptional workout.

Saw loads of neat birdies today and a tiny little turtle sunning itself on a log. Among the birds were herons (some in trees, some where they were supposed to be), an egret, several ospreys, some terns of one kind or another (haven't been able to identify them yet) and a real, honest-to-goodness bald eagle! I was beside myself with delight. He flew close enough overhead that I could definitely see the white head and tail and his yellow beak. And later I saw him dive to catch a fish. Utter coolness!

Other wildlife spotted included two raccoons as I was on my way to the restroom and, as we were leaving, we saw a deer grazing by the side of the road.

If the weather is good on Monday, we plan to go out again. I'm not sure where yet. This is just sooooooooooo fun!

Aug. 1, 2008
Fountainhead Park

We took another wee paddling trip at Fountainhead this morning and it was still way cool. (Okay, actually, it was pretty warm--good thing there was a nice breeze!) Putting the boats on the van went much better this time--no false starts, so we probably were almost as fast as we could get. Not that it's a race.

Got to the park just after 8:00 and were afloat by 8:25. We paddled upstream this time and went much farther than last time, altho not as far as I hoped. Maybe three miles, including all the little inlets we explored. Did you know herons could perch in trees? These are big damned birds! And they're waders! They should be in the water wading and looking for fishies! Gene pointed out this strange, enormous bird in the tree and I told him it sure looked like a heron but I wasn't sure...until it squawked at us and took off. *shaking head* We saw many more in trees, which just seemed so bizarre. Also saw a kingfisher and some turtles. I saw one in the water and thought Gene was about to hit a rock, until said rock swam under his boat.

It was surprisingly busy at the park today--much more so than on Monday. There were several kayaking parties and a big bunch of people in canoes. I'll bet that landing gets really nuts on weekends! As it was, three couples (including us) converged on the landing at about the same time when we were leaving. I'm tempted to avoid Fridays if it's going to be like this, but I'm not really crazy about my Friday water aerobics class so it's a good one to miss (the instructor isn't great, so the workout is kinda boring). Still, I suppose six yakkers at the landing at the same time isn't really all that busy.

I'm not sure when we're going again--hopefully some time next week. We've agreed to try a different spot next time. Yesterday we drove around and checked out several nearby watery places, so I guess we should pick one!

July 28, 2008
Fountainhead Park

On Saturday our kayaks (henceforth known as "yaks") arrived. Gene's is 12.5' long and "mango" (which is a kind of graduated orange, light to darker) and mine is 12' long and a lovely robin's egg blue. We spent Sat. making adjustments to them (foot pegs, thigh pads, seat back) and putting up storage racks in the garage. We hoped to go out yesterday to Fountainhead Park to break them in, but the weather was questionable. We saw different forecasts everywhere we looked, so we decided to wait till today. As it turned out, yesterday morning was beautiful and we could've gone then. Oh well!

So this morning we got up early to get the yaks on top of the van so we could go yakking before I had my glass workshop. Lemme tell ya, getting them properly secured was a trip! We had a couple of false starts before we finally were successful, so I'm sure we spent easily twice as long on the task as we should have. But in the end, they were good to go...so we did.

We got to Fountainhead around 8:30 and were able to remove the boats much more quickly than they went up. By 8:50 we were afloat. We headed south and paddled for probably an hour, catching sight of the occasional blue heron, lots of jumping fishies, and a green heron. The water was very calm today--it was a great day to go out! It took less time to get back to the launch point so we went beyond it to a little inlet we'd explored on our last visit, and we saw an osprey! (I didn't know that's what it was till I got home and checked my birdie guide--at first I thought it was an eagle.) It was so cool to see birds we hadn't seen before.

By the time we got back to the launch point, it was almost 11:00. We did a much better job of loading the yaks--I think we did it in about 20 minutes. And then we came home and put them back in their little home in the garage. All in all, a very satisfactory first time out in our own boats.

These boats, btw, are great! Small enough to be manageable (the ones we had in our class were much longer and I didn't really like them much) and went where I pointed it (the last ones we rented didn't track well at all--mine kept swinging right). And comfortable! Paddling seemed almost effortless. I'm really pleased with this purchase.

We're planning another outing later this week, probably Friday and probably Fountainhead again altho there are several other nearby bodies of water. Such excitement!

July 27, 2008

Our yaks finally arrived, and we were going to break them in this morning. The uncertain weather (different weather sites told us different things) made us decide to wait till tomorrow. As it happens, we could've gone today since the thunderboomies didn't show until mid-afternoon, but the boats and the water will still be here tomorrow.

We spent yesterday, after the boats were delivered, adjusting the foot and thigh braces, altho I imagine we'll have to do that again after we've paddled around a bit. And we put up the storage brackets in the garage so they'll have a place to live when we're not using them. Once we're comfortable with the boats, we'll be taking our cameras with us (we also have to acquire the appropriate dry bags for them--I refuse to take my precious camera out in a boat without one) so we'll take some pix of our excursions. Last time we were out, we saw manymanymany herons, an egret, a turtle sunning itself on a log, and a deer having a snack by the water.

July 17, 2008

Our boats have shipped, and we should have them by Wed. Guess what we're going to be doing next week. I wonder if we have some champagne around somewhere for launching our maiden voyage.... (To bash over the boats, not to drink--if we have any, it's so old it's probably turned to vinegar by now!) I'm too excited for words! *dance* *bounce* *dance* *bounce* *dance* *bounce*

July 10, 2008

Today we ordered our boats. I'm beside myself with excitement!

July 2, 2008
Fountainhead Regional Park
rented boats

Gene and I have been kayaking again, this time at Fountainhead park. We explored a very small portion of the Occoquan reservoir and saw a bunch of wading-type birds, as well as a deer and lots of jumping fishies. It was really fun, and we're eagerly anticipating getting our own boats--renting them is something of a pain, as rentals are intended to "fit" the greatest number of people. But in doing so, they aren't always a good fit for us. So after extensive research, we've picked out what we think will be very good boats for us. Once I get my new LL Bean credit card (my old one is with a bank that no longer associates with Bean) I'll order them along with paddles and some emergency equipment. I'm very excited!

June 27, 2008
Accotink Creek
LL Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools

Gene and I went kayaking again this afternoon, just for a short time. LL Bean does a "discovery" series that provides a little taste of certain activities, and kayaking is one of them. It was great fun and it was very nice to be able to practice some of the stuff we learned at our lesson two weeks ago...minus the capsizing and rescuing stuff. It was very inexpensive ($15 per person) and the only real down side was that we weren't able to test-drive one of the boats we're considering buying. Well, that and the AC on the shuttle bus needed help--it wasn't as brutal on the bus as outside, but it was pretty warm. With that aside, it was lovely to be on the water again, and we saw several different wading birds up close and personal, as well as some turtles sunning themselves on logs. And even tho we couldn't test the boats we were hoping to use, we did determine a good length for us (these things come in all kinds of lengths) so it was still helpful.

June 15, 2008
Ft. Washington, MD
Atlantic Kayak Co. on Piscataway Creek

Gene and I, after exposure to kayaking on a couple of recent vacations, found that we really, really enjoyed the activity. We decided it was something we'd like to do frequently after we retired, so our plan is to acquire ourselves a pair of kayaks and associated equipment. We're fortunate that Northern Virginia is loaded with little creeks and rivers and other good kayaking spots. New England, where we'll be relocating when the housing market picks up, is also kayak heaven.

One thing I wanted to make sure we did in preparation for safe kayaking trips was to take a class, particularly so we could rescue ourselves (or each other) should we find ourselves in the water rather than in the boat. So I scoured the 'net and found a relatively near company that offered an all-day class in basic paddle strokes and rescues. I showed the info to Gene who agreed (with reluctance--he doesn't like the water and isn't a good swimmer) and I signed us up a couple of months ago.

Saturday, June 14, was The Day. The weather forecast wasn't great--potential thunder-bumpers in the afternoon, but we set out anyway figuring we'd at least get the morning portion of the class. We took our lunches and our enthusiasm, and our class of seven students began promptly at 9:30. It was hot and humid, and we couldn't wait to get out on the water where it was...hot and humid. We donned our PFDs (personal floatation devices--called life jackets when I was a kid), collected our equipment, and after some orienting info ("this is a kayak, this is the hull, this is the deck, this is how you hold your paddle" etc.) were afloat.

During the morning we learned various paddling strokes, practiced the correct technique (lemme tell ya, there is a whole lot more to this paddling thing than you'd think!) and were surprised to find how quickly the time passed. Three hours were gone before we knew it. We all improved remarkably, including one woman who couldn't get the boat to go where she wanted it at all when we began the morning. (Unfortunately, in spite of her marked improvement by the end of the morning, she decided it wasn't her thing and left after lunch.) We stopped for lunch around 12:30 and were back on the water around 1:00. We paddled across the creek, a little less than a mile, where the water was shallower to learn and practice rescues.

Bear in mind that the only way to learn how to rescue someone (or yourself) who has capsized their kayak is to, well, capsize the kayak. Back in my sailing days when I was a teenager we regularly had what we called capsize drills, where we would intentionally tip the boat over so we could practice recovering from it. This was no different except that were a sailboat tips on its side and floats sideways in the water, a kayak turns completely upside down. It is either upright or it isn't. Gene swore that he was not going to turn his kayak upside down--he maintained (and I can't argue) that there is something very wrong about tipping over a kayak that's floating properly. (I have the same feeling about people who parachute--there is something not right about jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. But I digress.) So anyway, I was worried about him. As I said, he doesn't like the water and he doesn't swim.

He was a real trooper. He capsized his boat before I had my turn and, while he didn't do a perfect job, he got out of the boat and didn't lose his paddle, so I have to say it was a success. And he did it two more times that afternoon. Me? I love the water and I do swim well, and of course we were all wearing our PFDs, so I was confident that I'd manage okay. I found myself in a small panic when I capsized my boat (these things are surprisingly easy to roll over!) and forgot pretty much everything I was supposed to do, but like Gene I survived the experience. The whole capsizing thing does get easier--when you know you've done it successfully once it goes better on subsequent tries. Still, sitting upside down in a boat isn't natural and I didn't do as well as some of the other students. We did several capsizes and two different types of rescue scenarios. I feel fairly confident that we can save ourselves if we need to but it's probably something we'll need to practice once in a while. Like any skill, you need to use it.

At the end of three hours, we paddled ourselves back to the pier. I don't know about the other students, but I was very tired. That mile of creek looked and felt like a lake, and I struggled to keep up. We all finally landed and pulled our kayaks out of the water and the day was over. I'm a little scorched in spots I missed with the sunscreen and I was so tired that I went to bed before 9:00. But it was loads of fun and I feel much more confident now that we can safely navigate some of the local gentle waterways. Gene agrees that it was important and a good experience. *whew!*

Look out water! Here we come!

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