Kayaking
News ·Sunday September 30, 2012 @ 20:04 EDT (link)
I went back to Lettuce Lake regional park again—just me this time—to kayak for the first time. $2 entrance, $25 kayak rental. I had to let them hold on to my driver's license, and picked up a paddle, life jacket, and key at the entrance station. I put the paddle in the trunk but it stuck out so I used a tie-town. Walk down to the launch, unlock the kayak, put it in the water; about the same as a canoe, as was getting in: it's all about staying low and maintaining balance (after I cleared out or killed the large spiders in the back of the kayak). (This was a sit-on-top kayak.)
There really wasn't much to it: grasp the paddle with the concave edge of the blade toward you and alternate left/right strokes. Sometimes I'd double-paddle on one side to help turn, or back-paddle; but it later became easier to take a stronger stroke on one side to turn while maintaining rhythm. I was out for a couple hours; I went past most of the boardwalk, including the lookout. Saw several wading birds and ducks close-up; no gators; no other kayaks out, but a few canoes. Altogether a good experience.
