First kayak trip of 2008

This entire week has been abnormally warm for this time of the year, the temperature has ranged from 60 to 70 degrees; the buds and flowers are finally blossoming due to the early sun. Mornings are almost at the point where it feels like Summer- that atmosphere of the sun basking over your face with a warm breeze flowing around your body carrying songs from an orchestra of many different birds.

Yesterday Robin and I watched the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race at Six Mile Falls; we arrived at the point where all of the paddlers were just coming over the falls. The water this year was not as high as last which is why not many people flipped, I would say probably 20 out of 200 people that we saw come over the falls actually flipped as opposed to last year 90% flipped. There are a few attractions to the race, three of which are the flamboyant paddlers who either stand up while paddling or have funny items on their boats, the flips and seeing people you know.

After the race we installed my new Thule rack system that I got for Christmas last year and loaded the Kayaks on, it’s very sturdy and very easy to hook and unhook the kayaks.

On Sunday evening we headed to Brewer lake about an hour before the sun was to set and paddled up a stream with shore shrouded in Pussy Willows. These bushes/trees were covered with Red Winged Blackbirds that are very outspoken and curious. Along the way we witnessed for the first time in person two adult Bald Eagles diving for fish as well as two Osprey; Osprey dive differently than an Eagle, they actually dive completely in the water and come back up with their prey- it was very interesting to watch.