October 30, 2004

Contrasting Colors

So 15 minutes later I end up at Leesylvania. I park behind a pickup with a bumper sticker I recognize but I can't place who it belongs to and get on the water. It is a bit foggy, so I stay close to shore and head north toward Neabsco creek.

The water is high and I scrape the bottom of the kayak over a bunch of rocks covered in wire mesh I didn't notice. Seeing now a few more of these things near shore I move a few more yards out. At the marina I cut though on the inside of the breakwaters and then swing back out and back close to shore. The leaves are in full color though here and I don't try to break any speed records as I move along the shore.

There are people fishing from the pier so rather than swing out wide I check for lines off the side and cut through close to shore. An elderly man is fishing on shore so I head back out to avoid his line, which he is reeling in. As I pass in front of him he cusses me and then tosses out his line, the weights falling about 25 feet away and an even distance from shore as my kayak. I guess he couldn't wait 30 seconds for me to finish moving through the area. For a moment I think about going to shore and 'discussing' his anger, but knowing my temper decide it best I ignore him.

As I round Freestone Point I remember coming out here to play in some waves after an aborted river crossing some years back. The wind that day was blowing hard and after failing a roll I had to wet exit. I blew a re-enter and roll and a few paddle float rescues before I finally made it back in. The wind rushing against the point and the reflected waves made it very difficult to get back in and I forever after gave this area the respect it deserved when windy.

But today was nice and calm, and what little wind there was came out of the SE. Looking up in the trees I see a mature Bald Eagle so I pull out the camera and take a few pictures before I decide to leave him be and move off.

I moved closer to the railroad bridge and cross the channel coming out of Neabsco between two channel markers. and passed a few fishermen before heading back into Farm Creek.

The colors were even more intense in the creek. I paddled back a short distance until I found a large number of geese hiding along the shore. Not wanting to disturb them I turned around and headed back.

The fog had cleared a bit so I head out further from shore and cross the channel at the outer markers. After passing the pier I crossed outside the breakwaters and headed back in to Powells Creek.

As I passed under the train tracks I noticed a bunch of young girls in double kayaks. I paddle along the south side of the creek to avoid them and work my way back in to the creek. The creek quickly narrows and I twist and turn further and further back in, occasionally flushing a duck or two. But under the power lines I see I can go no further so I spin around to head back to the launch.

At the launch I can see the girls are now putting the kayaks away in the shed. I carry my stuff up the little hill to my car and get everything ready to put the kayak on the car. By the time I'm ready to tote the boat most of the people have left and I toss the kayak up on my car.

After tying everything down I decide to take one last look at the water to see if I can see the owner of the pickup I noticed earlier in the morning. Across the mouth of the creek is a small image that I can just make out is using a Greenland paddle. As he gets closer he stops and rolls a few times and I can tell from the painted bow that this is Greg Welker, testing his gear before calling it a day.

Greg and I chat a few minutes before I have to rush off. Greg had planned to paddle from Mason Neck as well but also found it closed. For my own benefit, here are the closure dates (for paddling) for 2005:

# 4/23/05. Elizabeth Hartwell Environmental Education Day.

# 10/21/05-10/22/05. Fall Festival: Halloween in the Park.

Pictures...

Woody