July 9, 2004

Friday Paddle

First the kayak took me out to Conrad Island so I could scoot across the narrow channel there. Then south past Deephole point and on toward Featherstone Shores.

On days like today I feel like a battery being trickle charged by the sun. Gathering energy as the sun fills my body, and like a battery, building up heat as I'm recharged. After a while I tip over and feel the water pull the heat out of my body. I hang out there for a few seconds and then roll back up and begin paddling again.

A breeze came up out of the west, and as I paddled across the western side of Occoquan Bay, it blew in clouds to give me a little shade. My blue sky slowly disappeared, first behind the clouds, and then behind trees as I paddled back in to Farm Creek.

A tree was across the creek near the mouth, but with some determination I managed to pull the kayak over it. Some small birds were hanging out in a tree by the water and all took flight as my kayak passed under.

Before long I reached the limit of the creek from this end - the creek covered with water lilies and limited me from going any further. I turned around and headed back toward the launch, taking a more direct route.

On the way out I had seen a green buoy that I had never seen before - very close to a red buoy, so I decided I would cross the channel there. When I go close the buoy appeared to be a temporary type and I could see it was really there to mark a large piece of pipe that was sticking just barely above the water.

The 6 inch steel pipe looks like it must have fallen off a barge and jammed into the sandy bottom at an angle. For a boat this pipe would easily rip out the hull if one were to run over it. At low tide nearly 4 inches was visible above water. At high tide it would be an accident waiting to happen if not for the buoy.

Back near the launch I rolled a few more times to cool off again and then went ashore. The solitude, sunshine and peacefulness recharged my mind and soul...at least for a little while.

Woody