[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

I usually bring my little point and shoot, a Kodak Z1285, 12mp. For the same reasons your talking about I dont' want to risk taking my SLR.

I got one of these cases for my BlackBerry and wear it around my neck when yakking:
AQUAPAC Waterproof | Official Site | Waterproof cases for camera, iphone, ipod, ipad; Waterproof backpack, drybags

I tend to take it out of the case to take photos but I can also shoot right through the case if it's splashy out.

[BickleTravis]

Originally Posted by MRVphotog

I usually bring my little point and shoot, a Kodak Z1285, 12mp. For the same reasons your talking about I dont' want to risk taking my SLR.

Regarding Dead Creek you can only boat north of Rt 17 from that access point, it's not a big section but still worth paddling. There are a couple of other boat access places between Rt 17 and Lake Champlain to hit other sections of the designated wildlife area.

I saw your pics and figured it had to be an SLR. My point and shoot is 3.5 mp...
Are the trails worth an SLR with a tele lens, for eagles and loons?

[Sherylcatmom]

Here are things my spouse and I would like to know about water we're considering paddling:
- What time of year is good (versus, e.g., covered in algae)
- Are motor boats allowed, and if so is there a size/speed limit
- Pull-offs/put-ins, "official" or otherwise

I'll just keep listing things we wish we could know in advance about some of the places we've been. Enjoyed that small Reservoir Pond in Ludlow again today. Lots of cabins and houses but lots of nature to gaze at and overall a sweet paddle. So very convenient to get to. (Why am I writing in sentence fragments? Must be sun-baked.)

[Sherylcatmom]

Floating beside a general store-type place on Route 100:


I will get a better photo of the beautifully decorated water's edge of this property:

[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by BickleTravis

I saw your pics and figured it had to be an SLR. My point and shoot is 3.5 mp...
Are the trails worth an SLR with a tele lens, for eagles and loons?

I would get a point and shoot with maybe 10/12mp and an optical zoom. Lots of good ones at $150/200.

Heading to Caspian Lake tomorrow.

[BigAirSkier1580]

Both my wife and I just purchased kayaks actually. The appeal was an outdoor activity that we both enjoyed that we could do together as well. I'm into skiing and mountain biking. My wife enjoys to cycle and ski occasionally, but not nearly the same way I do, and the intensity level is far lower than my preferred level.

We ended up renting at Plymouth State Park a few times before we decided that we really loved it. Ended up buying a kayak for her and paddles for both of us at Mountain Travelers (great shop with a great owner who is really, really helpful) and I bought a kayak on sale at EMS for a great price.

So far we've been out to Chittenden Reservoir. Had an excellent evening on the water last night. Water as smooth as glass and got to see a River Otter swimming along from around 30 feet away. It's really a great way to get exercise in a peaceful, great setting.

Likely hitting up Woodward Reservoir on Route 100 tomorrow afternoon.

[Sherylcatmom]

Our paddling has a lot of overlap! We love the places you just mentioned. Maybe we'll wave at each other on the water sometime.

Mountain Travelers is great. If we'd been able to paddle his boats we'd probably have bought from him.

Originally Posted by BigAirSkier1580

Both my wife and I just purchased kayaks actually. The appeal was an outdoor activity that we both enjoyed that we could do together as well. I'm into skiing and mountain biking. My wife enjoys to cycle and ski occasionally, but not nearly the same way I do, and the intensity level is far lower than my preferred level.

We ended up renting at Plymouth State Park a few times before we decided that we really loved it. Ended up buying a kayak for her and paddles for both of us at Mountain Travelers (great shop with a great owner who is really, really helpful) and I bought a kayak on sale at EMS for a great price.

So far we've been out to Chittenden Reservoir. Had an excellent evening on the water last night. Water as smooth as glass and got to see a River Otter swimming along from around 30 feet away. It's really a great way to get exercise in a peaceful, great setting.

Likely hitting up Woodward Reservoir on Route 100 tomorrow afternoon.

[BigAirSkier1580]

Originally Posted by Sherylcatmom

Our paddling has a lot of overlap! We love the places you just mentioned. Maybe we'll wave at each other on the water sometime.

Mountain Travelers is great. If we'd been able to paddle his boats we'd probably have bought from him.

The boat my wife was interested in was the same we had rented out at Plymouth, so we had in effect tried them. It was a Perception Prodigy 10.0, and they gave us a great price at the store.

My boat was a gamble as I had not tried it. I could have rented it, but time did not really allow and reviews were pretty consistent. I ended up in a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 120 12-footer. Overall, very satisfied with it. Good glide, and reasonable speed. Plus, it was 20% off for a short time so I had a small window to get in on it at that price.

[MRVphotog]

I'm starting to think that the number of places to paddle in little ole Vermont seem almost endless.

Just before the big storm hit last wednesday we did a paddle around Caspian Lake just outside of Greensboro. There are camps and a few fancy homes around the lake but we always paddle in the middle of the week so only a couple of boats cruising around.

The sky was just starting to look abit ominous as we were taking the boats out, hit rain in Morrsiville and a couple of miles north of Stowe traffic was stopped and we waited 1.5 hours for crews to clear the road of trees and wire.

Anyways, it was a great morning on the lake, here are a couple of creatures enjoying the lake as well. That Loon was the largest Loon I had ever seen and he let me get within a few feet. He dove and then would pop up a few feet away on the other side.

[Sherylcatmom]

We're friends with a couple who want to rent kayaks and join us for paddling. One criterion: They want somewhere good for swimming, too, so no Dead Creek, for example. They live in South Burlington but are willing to drive pretty much anywhere in the state. Is Colchester Pond good for paddling and swimming? Other places?

Thanks!