Sometimes the trips are short...

The boys wanted to kayak and fish Sunday morning, so I loaded up and undertook the long paddle upriver. Its about 1.5 miles to the “special spot” as Drew calls it- just below the Hug Monster Bridge.

The way up- shirt on

There was a lot to see on the way up. One of the local Great Blue Herons has become very brave, and let us pass within 20 feet. The boys were impressed with how big he looked from so close. The river was covered with leaves- the first time it’s looked like this. As much a result of the extraordinarily dry weather than fall approaching. Fish were everywhere, very visible. The boys pointed them out as I paddled.

After the hour or so it took to paddle up, Drew stood up in the kayak and immediately fell in the water. It was less than a foot deep where we sat, so he just popped right back in. But it scared him, he was not happy. And it was pretty cool. Not cold, but nothing like it was two weeks ago. It was very warm out, so I told him to take off his shirt so he could dry off. He did, and he warmed up quickly in the hot sun. But it scared him enough that he had no interest in fishing. He just wanted to sit and nibble on snacks- which was fine with his brother.

So I got to fish a bit, and the boys enjoyed watching the fish fight- and of course they had to touch each one and ask the same questions every time. “Can I touch it?” (yes) “Does it have teeth?” (yes, but they are very small) “Can I throw it back?” (sure)

We got our money’s worth out of the kayak this summer, that is for sure.

The paddle back- shirtless and bashful.