This gallery contains 31 photos.
One of my favorite times to be on the Charles River is in October, ideally when the fall foliage is at its peak. This has been a strange year — very very wet, and rainstorms most of the last several … Continue reading
This has been a frustrating October. I came down with COVID the day after my niece’s wedding and even though I had a three day weekend the following weekend, and we had gorgeous weather, I still felt crummy enough, even after a week, to not want to do much of anything. It wasn’t a serious case; it just felt like a bad cold, but it hung on for about ten days. So last weekend, I moped around the house looking out at the gorgeous weather, and hoped that it would still be nice the next weekend, and that I’d finally be over the COVID enough to be able to do something fun.
It was, I was, and I did.
Continue readingNear the midpoint of the East Bay Bike Path you pass a large pond, Brickyard Pond. The pond is large, about 84 acres, and, from the bike way seems quite wild, as it’s ringed by marsh grasses and has several small islands covered with marsh grass and trees. In fact, it’s man-made – it was the site of a clay quarry used to make bricks that eventually filled with water.
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This gallery contains 15 photos.
I took this past Monday off, and spent most of it paddling the Charles River from Bridge Street in Dover to the Natick Dam. Although the foliage was a little pre-peak, it was still a gorgeous day –clear and crisp, … Continue reading
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I took the kayak out onto the Charles in Medfield this afternoon, hoping to see some fall foliage. I’d hoped to go in at the new Medfield Charles River Gateway, but I had trouble finding it at first, and when … Continue reading
The one good thing about the rapidly shortening days in September and October is that it you can be up for the sunrise without having to wake up at some ungodly hour, like you do in the summer. With that in mind, this morning I took the kayak out for an early morning trip. I was hoping for either a sunrise or early morning fog; I got fog.
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Yesterday, I did Charles River Canoe and Kayak’s Shuttled River Trip down the Charles again, this time with my sister and brother. The weather was wonderful — beautiful and clear, dry and comfortable. The way the trip works, they drive … Continue reading
I took the kayak out for the first time of the season this afternoon. I’d put the roof racks on the car a week ago, but hadn’t actually loaded the boat onto the cradles, meaning I had to spend a fair amount of time centering them up yesterday. I also discovered how out of shape I am, and how heavy the kayak is.
I’d originally wanted to leave very early in the morning, but ended up going mid-day instead. I decided to go back to the landing in Auburndale, opposite the Newton Boathouse. I headed upstream, and stopped just short of the Route 16 dam; where there are shoals.
Once past the golf course footbridge, the current picked up noticeably; and going past the old railroad bridge, it felt like I was paddling as hard as I could just to stay in place. The payoff came when I turned around and the river grabbed the boat and I flew downriver.
Everywhere I looked, trees and shrubs were leafing out; their brand new foliage contrasting with the dead, leftover branches from the year before.
Near the Park Ave bridge, I saw this swan.
Swan
Swans can be aggressive and territorial, but this one didn’t seem too much bothered by me.
I’m still learning the ways of this boat. I must have accidentally shifted the pedal positions for the rudder pedals; with the rudder down, I kept recurving to the right. It’s nigh impossible to adjust them while in the boat, so I ended up flipping up the rudder and paddle steering. I’m getting a little better at getting in and out of the boat, but feel that I still have a ways to go.
I’m realizing that the Thule Glide and Set carrier I got to mount the kayak to the roof is not a great match for a Honda Element. The premise of the carrier is that the rear cradle is relatively slippery; you get the bow of the boat into the rear cradle, and then slide it forward. There are two problems using it with the Element: first, the car has factory mounting points, and the rear points are about three feet forward of the end of the car and secondly, it’s a tall car. It’s hard getting the boat up that high, and the kayak ends up resting on the roof until I can get onto the tailgate, lift the rear of the kayak up, and slide it forward. Last fall, I managed to put some fairly deep scratches into the roof paint trying to load the kayak; I’ve since picked up a cheap mat that I lay on top of the roof while loading and unloading. Fortunately, the Element is roomy enough inside that I can take along a small bench to use as a step stool to help me get the kayak on and off. I’m hoping to get faster with the loading and unloading process.
This gallery contains 12 photos.
I spent the afternoon in the kayak paddling up-river from Newton. It was the first time I did that stretch in my own boat, launching from the parking lot side of the river rather than starting off in a rental … Continue reading
This gallery contains 11 photos.
Of all the things I’ve had on my plate during this rather busy fall season, the thing I’ve been looking forward to most was this Sunday’s trip down the Charles. I’ve done the Shuttled River trip twice before—once last year, … Continue reading