There was a clear blue sky and warm winds yesterday, so I headed out to the Columbia by the Portland International Airport (Govt. Island) and got in most of the day on the water. No recreational boats out, I saw maybe three working tugs the whole day. This stretch of water is big and open, maybe a mile across at some points. Although it's in the heart of the city on both shores, Govt. Island is pretty much 4 or 5 miles of game preserve. (OK. . . the I-205 bridge *does* cross over the top of it at one point. . .) But there's the view of Mt. Hood, the sunshine, a few of the home owners on the Washington shore were out working in their yards. A couple guys greeted me from their boat as I cruised through one of the small marinas. . . and I sat on a log in the grass on Govt. Island, in the sunshine, just up the beach from a gaggle of about 200 Canada geese. Bagels, a couple pears, big bag of granola, some juice. . . If this ain't heaven, I don't want to go! It's nice to have a list where we can share these experiences. Geo. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
Yes, it is good to see reminders of why we paddle. Over the weekend, I went down from New York City to Washington DC to participate in an on-water protest over a development on the Potomac. The location is a spot called Smoot Cove on the Maryland side of the Potomac, just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge that carries 495/95 across the river. A developer, moving real quickly has cleared several hundred acres of land for a stripmall. In the process, they destroyed some prime bald eagle habitat. About a dozen kayakers paddled over from Alexandria and about another 80 people were on small motor boats and bass boats carrying protests signs. What amazed us all was to find that some bald eagles had managed to still hang on, on the edges of the cleared land. There was some TV and press coverage, or at least reporters were there. The trip was led by a fellow I met on a four day Potomac Water Trail trip last June. So I got a chance to meet some old friends including several paddlers from the Chesapeake Paddlers Association (CPA), where in lies another raison d'etre. The CPA group is super safety conscious group of paddler whose criteria is more stringent than my own and what we are used to seeing up in the Big Apple (while they are south of us and therefore in warmer waters, their insistence on coldwater protection runs through June 1 whereas we up here say May 1 more or less; and they won't have any organized trips under CPA auspices in the winter at all). All were equipped with PFDs, wet or dry suits, neoprene hoods, whistles, flares, the works. It is the way they paddle period even on a one mile crossing of the Potomac. But other paddlers on the protest had not the foggiest idea of the dangers of paddling in just fleece and jeans in 35 degree water. I know one CPAkayaker who almost had kittens seeing the others and how ill-geared they were. It was a day in the upper 30s-lower 40s in air temperature but with about a 15 mile plus wind. We did some talking with those paddlers who didn't understand what might happen if they were to go into that cold water. Not too preachy but calmly. Several of those unaware type now know something they didn't and some are joining CPA where they will really have the fear of God implanted into them. So, I found myself involved in three aspects of what PaddleWise is all about. Enjoy oneself in paddling with friends, try to do something about preserving the paddling environment, and getting other to start understanding how to paddle wise. And all of this with the Washington monument in the distance and the sun playing wonderful varying light on it and the Capitol Dome while bald eagles flew overhead! ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
Ralph, Great story! And some fine reminders. We warm-weather paddlers here in Maine are already getting antsy about getting out on the water and it's only February! Bill Ridlon Southern Maine Sea Kayaking Network At 11:28 AM 2/3/98 -0800, Ralph Diaz wrote: >Yes, it is good to see reminders of why we paddle. Over the weekend, I >went down from New York City to Washington DC to participate in an >on-water protest over a development on the Potomac... >So, I found myself involved in three aspects of what PaddleWise is all >about. Enjoy oneself in paddling with friends, try to do something >about preserving the paddling environment, and getting other to start >understanding how to paddle wise. And all of this with the Washington >monument in the distance and the sun playing wonderful varying light on >it and the Capitol Dome while bald eagles flew overhead! > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net ***************************************************************************
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