I organized a club day paddle for today. I was the only one to show up. Sigh... I did the usual thing when I paddle alone - gunkholing and then taking off to see what I could see. I saw something unusual in the haze - it looked like an oil drilling platform with a HUGE flag on it. As I got closer, I realized that it was the perspective trick that haze (and fog) play on you when you're on the water - it makes things look larger and further away that they are. It turned out to be a dive boat with a bunch of divers getting their open water certification. I paddled over to say hi and then paddled back to the put-in. On the way, I saw what looked like a big bottle floating on the water. As I got closer, it got bigger and then I saw that it was a mylar, helium-filled balloon that had lost most of its helium and was floating on the surface. There was a logo on it I recognized - that of an auto dealership in New York State that advertises on the Buffalo NY TV stations (seen here in Ontario on cable TV). That balloon had drifted all the way across Niagara and Lake Ontario - almost 100km. Interesting how far the wind and (presumably) lake current could take it. The lake current is running in the opposite direction, so it must have flown further east than I found it. I tied it on the back deck to dispose of later. Paddling further toward home, I found another balloon in the water. This one was a birthday ballon, which I assume was from a local house. I tied that one on the back deck too. However, it dragged in the water and eventually pulled off its string. So I backpaddled and grabbed it. Not wanting to waste time, I pulled out my rescue knife and BOOM - no more balloon. All hell broke loose! I hadn't realize exactly how many Canada geese were in the water to my left. With the pop of the balloon, they all took off like they were being shot at! I could hardly paddle, I was laughing so loud. When I got to the put-in, I dragged my stuff to the car - only to find it was _covered_ in seagull poop! So I learned my lesson - those seagulls work for the geese! Mike PS - I just remembered that the busted balloon is still inside my kayak. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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