First Trip on the Walhonde Water Trail

Tornado Gage Height = 10.26 Feet

As planned, I went boating on the Big Coal River with some others from the WVWA. We were supposed to do the Little Coal, but even after the rain the water level was too low. All three rivers: the Coal, the Big Coal, and the Little Coal are part of the Walhonde Water Trail. I had a great time.

By the way, I love my new spray skirt. I wish I had bought it earlier when first got the kayak.

I am looking forward to doing the Walhonde Water Trail again sometime soon--preferably when the Tornado gage height is 10.5 or higher.

Kayak Spray Skirt

I joined the West Virginia Wildwater Association this week. I am going on my first trip with them Saturday on the Little Coal River or the Big Coal River, depending on how much rain we get. I am excited about the prospect of having some kayaking buddies.

I bought a Field & Stream Kayak Spray Skirt from Dick's Sporting Goods this evening. It was approximately $52. I tried it on in the backyard and adjusted the suspenders. I am very eager to try it out Saturday.

Elk River: Small Island near Youngs Bottom

Below is another picture from last Sunday's trip on the Elk. It is of the south end of a small island in the river. I had fun exploring it. I will share more pics of the island on future posts.

Elk River: Blue Creek to Youngs Bottom and Back

Discharge = 288 cfs, gage height = 4.31, at Queen Shoals

I made it to the river yesterday, but not before it got hot. I know you are not supposed to go alone, but I did. I had no one to pick me up at Mink Shoals, my usual take-out spot. So, instead of floating downstream, I paddled upstream until I reached shoals where the water was too swift to go against.

There was an island which was quite a treat to explore. I took several photos which I will post later this week. For now, I will share just one. It is a picture of a damselfly which hitched a ride on my bow. I see damselflies and dragonflies all the time, but the dragonflies are harder to photograph. Besides, the damselflies are more lovely and photogenic. Don't you agree?

Another photo from Upper Mud River Lake

I did not make it to the river today. Perhaps I will go tomorrow for an hour or two early in the morning before it gets unbearably hot. We still have not had any rain. Consequently, the rivers are a little low now.

In the meantime, I would like to share a photo from an ealier trip this summer. This is a shot of my daughters and me at the Upper Mud River Lake boat launch. We had a blast that day.

Four Hours on Upper Mud River Lake

My wife and I got all our chores done early this week so we could both relax and have fun this weekend. She opted to spend her free time at the mall with our youngest daughter. I decided to go kayaking.

All the rivers around here are low right now. Plus, I had no one to transport me from the put-in and take-out locations. So, I opted for another trip to Upper Mud River Lake.

I went early and paddled all over that lake for four hours. I was the Michael Phelps of kayaking. I think I covered all 306 acres. I found a secluded marina. It was like a ghost town. Turns out it is a 4-H camp. I had the whole place to myself. Fortunately, they left the port-a-johns unlocked. I had packed a lunch in my little cooler. I ate it on their deserted marina. It was so pleasant and peaceful. Zen-like…

How and why I became a paddler

I have always loved water and boats. My father was an army officer. As a result, we moved around a lot. He was stationed for a time in Nuremberg, Germany. When that assignment was over, we returned home on a cruise ship. I barely remember the cruise because I was young, but I know I loved it.

He spent the last two and a half years of his army career at Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii. I remember the day he taught me to dog paddle. I remember thinking this is cool. When it was time to leave, again we went by cruise ship--this time from Honolulu to Long Beach, California. It was an enormous ship with elevators, swimming pools, and a casino. I remember stealing a ping pong ball and throwing it overboard. It seemed like an eternity from the time I let go of the ball until it landed in the water.

We moved back to West Virginia. For years I begged, whined, and nagged my parents to put a swimming pool in our backyard. They finally did. I loved it. Then, while I was in college, my father died and my mother was forced to sell the house.

I got married, got a job, and had kids. One summer, we went to Myrtle Beach. My wife and I rented a catamaran. The rental came with a one-hour sailing lesson. My wife was a little nervous, but I had a blast.

When the kids were old enough, we joined a local pool. It was great because my wife is a teacher and the pool membership gave her a great chance to bond with the kids during the summer. Then, the kids became involved in AAU basketball and Junior Olympic volleyball. So, we let the pool membership lapse.

Now that you know the history, it should come as no suprise that I turned to kayaking when my midlife crisis arrived. Last summer I was at a conference at Stonewall Jackson Lake when I had an opportunity to try kayaking. I had wanted to try it for years, but never got around to it. As I expected, I loved it. In fact, I bought myself one as soon as I could afford it, and I have been having a blast with it ever since.

Below is a shot of me kayaking at Stonewall Jackson Lake last fall. (Thank you, Tony, for capturing the moment.)

I Love It When We're Cruisin' Together

I thought I would devote a post to explain why I chose the name The Dragonfly Cruises for this blog. Take a close look at the picture I am including with this post. There are two dragonflies on the bow of my Swifty 9.5. For some reason dragonflies seem to love riding along with me while I am kayaking. Until I took up paddling, I never paid much attention to dragonflies, and never got a close-up look at any of them. I was a little surprised to find out how beautiful and colorful they are. Many of the ones I have seen this summer are bright turquoise or neon purple. Anyway, they were my inspiration for naming this blog.

Elk River: Blue Creek to Mink Shoals (Photos)

Here are some photos from my August 3rd trip down the Elk:

This one shows Canada geese getting ready to land on the river.

In this shot of the bridge(s) at Elkview, the new one hides the old.

If you click on this photo and zoom in, you will see a great blue heron (I think) flying away.

I came upon this Irish setter playing in the shoals near Pleasant Island.

I ran into this obstacle, but was able to paddle around it on the right.

Elk River: Blue Creek to Mink Shoals

Yesterday, I kayaked from Blue Creek to Mink Shoals again, 10.6 miles of paddling. That made twice now that I’ve done that stretch. The water was low, 4.09 feet at Queen Shoals with a discharge rate of 219 cubic feet per second. I will wait until it is higher before I go again. I saw plenty of wildlife: great blue herons, Canada geese, mallard ducks, deer, and--of course--fish. I even saw an Irish setter playing in some shoals.

I took a cheap, waterproof camera with me. I figured it was better to sacrifice a little quality than to risk ruining our good digital camera. Unfortunately, the cheap camera did not have a zoom feature. Therefore, I could not zoom in on the wildlife. Even so, some of the shots are nice. I will post some over the next few days. Hope you enjoy them.