Kayaking 2010 (Alexandria, Great Falls, Occoquan: dangerous, moving to, rated)

[FairfaxGuy73]

You may already know this but tidal areas can be white knuckled as you start moving out into the Potomac estuary. There are some good canoe club sites that discuss how to manage your trips with tides, such as the Chesapeake Paddlers Association. There is plenty of flat water out there in the world. I'm jealous. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[GreenGene]

We went out again yesterday - same place, but this time we headed upstream in the direction of Bull Run Marina. Same body of water (the Occoquan), and generally the same conditions - sunny skies, calm breeze, relatively smooth water.

And once again, we saw multiple bald eagles - at one point, we saw three flying overhead. Over the last two kayaking seasons, we routinely would spot a (i.e., one) bald eagle during our paddling on the Occoquan, but it was only when we went to Mason Neck and Pohick that we saw multiple bald eagles. I'm really hoping this means that they are making the Occoquan their home.

Here's a picture of the first bald eagle we spotted shortly after launching from Fountainhead:



As usual, there were plenty of blue heron around:



And (again, as usual) plenty of Canada geese:

[GreenGene]

We went out kayaking again yesterday - it was our 10th paddle this season - and once again we put into the Occoquan at Fountainhead Regional Park. It's our favorite place to kayak for a number of reasons, including economic: there's an age 55 and over discount (50% off launching your own kayak, and 25% off boat rentals).

We tend to make our decision on which way to go - downstream, towards Occoquan, or upstream, towards Bull Run - based on the direction of the wind. If it's windy (like yesterday), we head into the wind, figuring (1) we have more energy at the beginning of a paddle than at the end, and (2) the wind will be at our backs on the return leg.

The first is always true - kayaking, even the leisurely paddling that we do, is a workout, and we're always fresher at the beginning.

But the second ... well, it may sound good in theory, but it doesn't always work in real life. Yesterday was a great example. The wind was blowing downstream (more or less to the east), so we headed into the wind going upstream (more or less to the west), hugging the shore to avoid some of the stronger winds.

However, the Occoquan has plenty of twists and turns, and heading in a (more or less) westerly direction means paddling north or south at times as well. So we had the wind coming at us from various directions depending on where we were on the river.

And, as happens much of the time, by the time we turned around and headed for the barn, the wind had shifted, and once again we were paddling into the wind.

There must be some perverse law of nature at work here that says, if start your paddle into the wind, that's the way you'll end your paddle!

I think I have convinced my wife that the next time we get out on the water and it's windy, let's go with the wind, since there's no way to know what the wind will be doing when we head back.

All that aside, my God it was a beautiful day!

[Caladium]

GreenGene, your photos are awesome! Thanks for sharing them. We have a canoe but don't take it out that often. Some of the waters here aren't ideal for canoes. Kayaks are much more fun. One of these days I'm going to get one.

[normie]

Wow! The photo of the heron in flight is majestic. You could frame that and put it over your mantel.




We went kayaking at Riverbend this morning, and saw a huge number of heron. We must have had a heron baby boom around here this year. Also, a flock of pink birds I've never seen before. They looked tropical. I wonder where they came from and if they've altered their usual migration route for some reason.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by normie

Also, a flock of pink birds I've never seen before. They looked tropical. I wonder where they came from and if they've altered their usual migration route for some reason.

Did they stand real still? I saw some plastic pink flamingoes at the garden shop a few days ago.

[normie]

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Did they stand real still? I saw some plastic pink flamingoes at the garden shop a few days ago.

Ah, of course! Silly me, why didn't I see the notice that today is National Take Your Pink Flamingo To The Park Day?

[normie]

By the way, the Loudoun Times just printed this great list of places to rent kayaks:

River & Trail Outfitters
Canoeing, kayaking, rafting, tubing, bike trips. Harpers Ferry Rafting Canoeing Kayaking Tubing Hiking Biking Climbing Team Building West Virginia

Jon Boat kayak Rental & Tours
Riverbend Park
www.fairfaxcounty/gov/parks/riverbend/kayaktours.htm (broken link)

BTI Whitewater
Purcellville
Rafting, tubing, canoeing, kayaking
Harpers Ferry Rafting, Tubing, & Kayaking on the Shenandoah & Potomac River

River Riders
Harpers Ferry
Rafting, canoeing, kayaking, tubing
West Virginia white water river rafting Harpers Ferry, tubing, kayaking, canoeing, biking, team building and fishing, Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers

Jack's Boathouse
DC
paddling tours
Jack's Boathouse

[Caladium]

Don't they have rentals down near Fountainhead Park, too?

[normie]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Don't they have rentals down near Fountainhead Park, too?

Oh, I'm sure they do. This list was fromthe Loudoun Times, so was probably geared for places near Loudoun.