Yakity-yak

Since I take advantage of any chance I get to unplug for awhile, naturally I jumped at the chance to go kayaking again. A former coworker, who now lives in Elkton, MD, has a house on the water and recently purchased kayaks for himself and his family. Me, always wanting to have my own kayak to use on all the canoe / kayaking ventures I go on, thought that this would be the perfect time to buy one.

So having researched kayaks for some time now, my buddy and I trekked up to Philly to swing by the Philadelphia Canoe Club's Open House. My goal was to pick up a good used kayak for a decent price. I'd figure out where to store it later. But much to my dismay, the only used 'yaks were whitewater models and I wanted a "trekreation" model. After all, I use these trips to relax, not pump up the adrenaline.

So leaving with no kayak of my own, we head back to his house and decided to take his new 'yaks for a spin. I was totally and completely relaxed. And I was also sold on the exact make and model that I want after test driving his Wilderness Systems Pungo 120. Here's a shot from the bow camera.

I've only ever gone paddling in DE so navigating the Elkton waters was a surprisingly pleasant experience. I was impressed by the abundant wildlife. In all, we spotted a dozen or so herons, a crane, several ducks and jumping fish.

I also had a beaver swim next to my yak for a short time but when I fumbled around for my camera phone, he dove under my boat and disappeared. I had a small water snake swim up to my 'yak. I wasn't really thrilled about that and used my paddle to keep him at bay. Shortly thereafter he lost interest and swam away.

After this trip, I'm even more determined to get a kayak of mine own. Dover doesn't have much to do, but it is near several great paddling spots all of which are just down right peaceful. Now I'm on a mission.