Rough and Calm

so, yesterday morning i didn't go kayaking. our three boys were leaving for a week of camp and i needed to see them off. luckily, since that meant that we only had one kid left at home, i didn't feel guilty about going out after work. and what a day it was. when i got to the lake at about 5:30 the wind was blowing pretty strong and the water was pretty choppy. sweet.

now, there is something to be said for a nice quite trip on a calm lake. its relaxing and fun. if you want a good workout you can paddle fast and hard and get one, but if you want to take it easy, you can do that too. that being said, there is definitely something to be said about really choppy water. it is so much fun. there is really nothing like the feeling of battling the water. every wave attacking you and trying to push you in its own direction. the splash and crash of the waves over the front of the kayak. the spray in your face. that wonderful slapping sound the kayak makes as it falls back to the water after a particularly large wave. that's what it was like last night. and what a great workout. there is no taking it easy in water like that. if you do not work the whole time you lose ground fast. i was only out on the lake for 30 minutes, only managed to go 1.73 miles, and still was completely exhausted afterward. plus i was soaked. i don't think i could have been any wetter if i had just jumped in the lake. and then i met danielle and zoey at Big Moe's for diner. it doesn't get much better than that.

this morning i was out again. i was still a little tired from last night, but i figured why not. the lake was quite and calm. nothing like last night. i decided to take it easy and not push it to much today. i did 2.38 miles in 38 minutes. not to bad for a leisurely morning.

today was also the coldest morning that i had been out. the thermometer in the car registered 47 degrees as i pulled up to the boat landing. once you get moving, and especially once you get out in the water, it really isn't that bad. the lake water is always a lot warmer than the air, and being out on the lake makes a big temperature difference. but, some of my stuff was still damp from last night so that made it feel a little more chilly while i was getting things ready.

the first place i headed this morning was down towards the spillway. i went down that way the other day, but i didn't get any pictures. so, i decided to go back and get a couple of pictures of the bridges. after that, i headed back out to the lake. i took it easy and enjoyed the calm, cool quite and easy paddling  for the rest of the time.

check out the bridge pictures and other stuff in my  photo gallery