What constitutes a perfect day? In Hawaii, I had what I would consider a “perfect day” all time. The whole “he la nani keia la” attitude. The Kama’āina aren’t really obsessed with money, material possessions, or the whole rat race, and that combined with the laid-back, Hawaiian Style way of life and Aloha spirit made most days perfect. Here, not so much. In fact, in the past several years, I’ve only had a handful of good or great days. But yesterday was pretty friggin’ close to perfect.
Friday, I finally made it Rock/Creek for the new boat, and it’s great. Far more stable than my other boat, bigger, with lots of storage, which is a big deal to me, since I carry everything but the kitchen sink when I trek. Considerably more expensive than my other boat, but well worth it. Saturday morning, I put it in the water. I expected the water would be quite cold, but it really wasn’t – no shock to the system when I waded in at the Market Street launch.
First stop, a quick paddle up to Maclellan Island. This is one of my favorite places – generally deserted (although I made a new friend; a woman, her daughter and their dog who had camped there overnight). The island isn’t very big; the hike around the perimeter is only about a mile-and-a-half. But it’s a nice little hike, and very few people have ventured out there. Sometime this summer, I’m going to camp on it – maybe just a hammock and a fire. There’s a cabin you can use, but it’s a little Blair-Witchy for me – I’d rather be under the stars.
Following the hike, upriver. I made it all the way up to South Chick Creek, and up the creek to the new pedestrian bridge on the recently-opened Riverwalk extension. It was really interesting to see the Riverwalk from that perspective; as often as I’ve walked and cycled it, seeing it from out in the river in the context of other landmarks and buildings was very compelling. It was a tough paddle at first; some wind, some chop, but the new boat behaves very well. No issues with wake from the power boats, and in some cases, the bow broke under the waves; something I wouldn’t have been comfortable with in my other boat. The other boat is completely safe, it’s just not designed for a more hard-core paddler, which I guess I’ve become.
Anyway, the paddle back was nice and relaxing. Heading back downriver, the current handles most of the heavy lifting, so it was a leisurely maka’ika’i, just taking in the scenery and enjoying the sun. Twelve miles round trip – not a personal best, but very close. And really, just about as perfect a day as I can expect. Just me and the ‘aina. The visits to the tanning place have paid off as intended, as well – no sunburn!
Next trek: Harrison Bay, to explore the ruins of the town that still exist on the islands formed by the flooding that was created when the dam was constructed back in the 1930s. I’ve heard that it’s very interesting, and on the still water of the lake, it should be a great paddle.
As for today, the boys have told me they want to get out, so I think we’ll take a quick walk downtown. In fact, they are both sitting here, staring at me in eager anticipation. OK, pups, I’m working on it.