Thinking of Kayaking

I was cleaning out some old magazines and came across my next to the last issue of Canoe & Kayak magazine, so naturally I started to think that it would be nice to go kayaking again. Not right now, though. I think I can wait until the weather is a little better. Last summer we were planning to run the Delaware from Milford to Dingman's Ferry. It usually takes about three hours, but on the day we had picked, the river was running very high and fast. We decided it wasn't a good idea. A ranger told us that if we tried it then we would do it in about an hour, if we didn't turn over before we got there.

I want to do some fishing this year too, being retired and all. The big craze now is kayak fishing which gives you the maneuverability of the kayak, yada, yada, yada. People buy a sit-on-top kayak with rod holders and built in bait wells, attach an electric motor (with heavy deep cycle battery), add a fish finder (with battery), tackle boxes, poles and something to keep the catch in until you might as well just stick with a canoe or aluminum boat. I want to keep my recreational pursuits as simple as possible and as inexpensive as possible. We do have two kayaks (three if you count the Folbot) and a canoe, so I don't really need another boat. The canoe is fine for fishing and what's wrong with using the sit inside kayak. For all the fish I'm likely to catch, I don't think I need to go crazy.

So, anyway, I was thinking of kayaking all by itself, which is an enjoyable pastime without cluttering it up with extra equipment. I'm not talking about boofing or playboating, just gentle lake or river kayaking. I would like to expand the list of places where we kayak, but you have to consider where and when green flies and black flies and mosquitos will be out looking for you. Green flies are the worst. I guess I will just lather up with deet, sun screen, put on a cockpit cover and paddle off into the sunrise. That's what I was thinking about on this last day of the year, now maybe I'll think about something else. Let's see, what other magazines are there. Here's one about extreme snow skiing. Ugh!