Kayaking absolutely rocks.

Remember when I was going to get a kayak? Well, it seems Oshman's Sporting Goods had a 25% off sale. I saw the ad Saturday after attending the Tallahassee First Time Home Buyer's Showcase Saturday. I quickly read the ad and made sure that kayaks were not excluded in the small print. They weren't excluded...but the ad did say any merchandise ending in .97 was excluded. I couldn't remember if the kayaks ended in .97 prices or .99 but I figured it was worth a drive over to save a hundred dollars.

On the way, I started thinking that with this sale, maybe I should really go ahead and spend a little more money than I was going to and buy the kayak that was better suited for my needs. The kayak that I really thought would allow me to paddle solo or with B or with B and the wife was this one. The Perception Acadia II. Not only was it a tandem, but it came with a third seat, so B could ride between me and my wife. It also had more carrying capacity, so if all three of us were in the boat and we had a cooler, we'd still not be anywhere near the maximum capacity. Plus, it just looked so much cooler.

The Mainstream Tango kayak that I was going to settle for didn't have three seats and it didn't have seats. Well, it did have molded in seats but if you were going to paddle at all, you'd want to spend the money and buy a couple of seats.

So, I bought the Acadia. I spent a little more than I was going to, but got a far better (for us) kayak. I had been checking out a local kayaking site , and they were having a paddle Sunday. So, I left the kayak on the car overnight, got up early Sunday morning and headed to Walmart to load up on gear, mainly drinks and lunch. I also bought a big floppy hat, mainly because I left my baseball cap at home and also because B and the Wife won't let me buy one when they are around.

See, the freedom of being an outdoorsman and extreme sports kind of guy is already liberating me!

As I left Walmart, I found myself behind a VW Passat and a Ford Focus, each carrying a kayak on the roof. Hmmm. They both got on the interstate and both got off on trhe exit I took. I guessed they were heading to the same event I was. I was right and they were both very nice people. Actually, every single person I met on the trip were very nice, eager to give a piece of advice, show me the best way to paddle, ignore the thrashing about of a newbie in the creek and even to help me load and unload the boat.

The paddle itself was mesmerizing. The creek was incredibly beautiful. The Cypress trees lining the banks were huge, twisted and ancient. Moving along the creek, inches away from the water was very peaceful. It was by choice (not to mention ability) that I stayed in the back of the group. They all talked quite a bit but I wanted to soak in the creek and its ancient feeling atmosphere. That and the fact that paddling a kayak takes some experience. These guys were like acrobats, flitting and turning about. I was like a moose. In knee deep mud. With his eyes closed.

I was bushed when I got home and was in bed a little after ten. By ten thirty I was deep in sleep. Happily though, I woke up totally refreshed with no aching muscles. And yes, paddling an 80 pound kayak five or six miles is not exactly an easy thing to do.

But you can be assured I'll be doing just that a lot more in the future!

  ¶ 3:30 PM