Before I say anything about today’s trip, let me just say that I absolutely sucked at taking photos today. Not only was it overcast and the photos I actually did take were blah-looking, I missed some of the best moments of today.  But anyway…

beach at Bellevue landing

I paddled from Bellevue to Trappe today. The 9.3 mile journey was relaxing for the first 2/3 of the trip.  I crossed the Tred Avon River, enjoyed gazing at the houses in Oxford, and there was just enough of a head wind to be mildly challenging and still enjoyable. I felt like I was getting a workout, but not over-doing it. Until I rounded a point of land and the wind came at me and an annoying angle, MUCH stronger.  For about a mile I really struggled. Not to the point where I had doubts I could do it, but to the point where I literally had to talk myself through it. I find that giving myself a pep-talk (out loud!) actually works. “Girl, you can do this. You’re crushing it. You’ve been in much worse conditions that this.” All that gobbly-goop pep-talk nonsense. It really works. I just make sure nobody is around to hear me 🙂  I did pass one waterman during that difficult stretch that waved to me, I waved back, and he probably had no idea I was struggling. Either that, or he thought I was absolutely insane for paddling alone in windy conditions.

After about a mile, I made a turn into the creek that leads to Trappe Landing. I just paddled out of Trappe Landing last Monday so it was all very familiar. I really like that little creek. There are some beautiful homes, deep water for multiple sailboats moving through, and everyone on passing boats always waves.

my trust light post

When I finally got to the landing, I began switching out my kayak for my bike (I had locked it to a street light post on the way to Bellevue earlier that morning). I got my kayak locked to the post and was organizing my backpack for the 8+ mile bike ride to Oxford, when that same waterman pulled up in his truck. “How far’d ya row today?” (I silently chuckled at his very Eastern shore accent and the term “row”). I proudly said “just over 9 miles.” He didn’t seem impressed. Did he not understand that that’s pretty good? He just said “huh, I saw you down there around the corner.” Yup, yes you did. What a deep and thoughtful conversation.

Here’s the path I took:

I then hopped on my bike and started heading to Oxford. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this bike ride! There were hills! Actual hills on the Eastern shore. And almost all of them were downhill which was even better. The landscapes were a mix of woods and agricultural, and not as many houses as I expected. I saw a HUGE fox in a field (no photo), 4 turkeys crossed my path at one point (again, no photo, dang it), some cool whooly bear caterpillars, and about 8,423 grasshoppers. The sights and sounds reminded me of the scene at the end of The Shawshank Redemption, when Morgan Freeman gets out of prison and hitchhikes to the hayfield in Buxton. If it had been sunny, I would’ve felt like this was where that scene had been filmed.

I ended my bike ride at the ferry terminal in Oxford. It’s been about 10 years since I rode this ferry, so I was kind of excited to finish out my day with a quick boat ride, on the oldest, family-owned ferry in the country (it got it’s beginning in 1683!). The ferry took me straight to Bellevue where I parked my car several hours earlier. It was kind of bizarre to be on an outdoor boat ride and wearing a mask, which was required. Stupid pandemic! But whatever, it was just about the only time I needed to wear a mask today. That’s what’s so great about doing what I love – kayaking is very socially distant!

Oh, and I finished off the day with a delicious burrito and iced chai from Rise Up Cambridge!

Another Monday off, another 6.7 miles in the books! Today I paddled from Trappe to Cambridge. My sister, Julia, is on the east coast right now, bouncing between Baltimore County and Ocean Pines to visit with family. She was headed back to the western shore this morning after spending the weekend with us in Ocean Pines, so I took advantage of her driving west, to shuttle me across the Choptank River.

I left the house at 5:30, about 20 minutes ahead of her leaving. I drove straight to Trappe Landing, unloaded my kayak and locked it to a lamp post, and then drove to Gerry Boyle Park in Cambridge. I parked my car there and Julia picked me up and drove me back up to my kayak in Trappe – that way I didn’t need to ride my bike across the Route 50 bridge (I don’t think you’re allowed to do that anyway).

As I was getting ready to launch, I realized I left my bilge pump at home somehow. No big deal, unless this was to be the trip where I capsized for the first time. As I was about to launch, an old man (like he was pushing 90) was wandering the landing and struck up a conversation with me. “You don’t have much room in that thing!” LOL! I told him I had enough room for myself and that was all that mattered. Then he asks, “you ever fall out of that thing? I’ve seen on the television people that roll down in the water.” I told him I never have, but there’s a first time for everything! And of course as soon as I said good-bye and paddling out of the landing, I started to wonder if the universe was against me and that I was totally going to capsize on this trip!

Nevertheless, I continued on my journey, knowing that I really had no choice, because I was literally stranded in Trappe and my car was several miles of paddling away.

The creek out of Trappe was delightful. The sun was just starting to make the water sparkle, and I enjoyed admiring all the fancy homes and docked sailboats along the way. Several small pleasure boats and someone on a SUP passed and waved. Such a friendly little creek!

As I came around the point and entered the Choptank the wind and chop started to hit me.  My original plan was to paddle along the northern shoreline of the river, then cut across the river adjacent to the bridge, since I felt safer from boat traffic doing that. But the wind was really sloshing me around on the north side, and the boat traffic in the river was light, so I decided to take a turn to the south and head straight across. You can easily see on the map where I made the decision to cut across:

my attempt at a pic of the sailboat in the choppy water

It wasn’t bad. The work boats in the area were nowhere near me, and the sailboats kept their distance. By the way, I think this is the first time in over 300 miles that I’ve really encountered any sailboats – hard to believe!

Once I got across the river, I had to take a minor detour due to a long jetty that was in my way. Not as bad as the detour I had to take around the Slaughter Beach jetty a few weeks ago, but it was still mildly annoying. Once I rounded the tip of the jetty, it was a short, straight shot to the boat ramp at Gerry Boyle Park (which by the way, super cute park with a pavilion, boat ramp, playgrounds, walking path, and beautiful views of the Choptank).

Oh hey – and I never capsized 🙂

Yesterday, August 17, I had the day off, the weather was BEAUTIFUL and perfect for kayaking, so I paddled from Neavitt, MD to Tilghman Island, MD – 10 miles.  There was a small chance of afternoon thunderstorms so Brian dropped Patrick off at daycare so I could get a super early start – 5:30 a.m.!  I packed up everything the night before – kayak, bike, breakfast for the road, lunch for the paddle, water, and all my kayak accessory crap – and hit the road by 5:45.

I arrived Neavitt Landing around 7:45 where I dropped off my kayak and locked it to a sign post. From there I drove to Back Creek Park at Tilghman Island where I parked the car, hopped on my bike, and started the 17 mile bike ride back to Neavitt. I am NOT a strong bicyclist at all, and was sort of dreading this 17 mile journey and feeling a bit daunted by the idea of paddling 10 miles after biking that far. But I told myself the night before that I was up to the challenge, and what better conditions to do it in – 70 degrees in the morning and light, almost calm, winds.

The ride was not as brutal as I was imagining.  It was definitely a challenge for me, but I only took one break about half way, and completed it in about an hour and a half.  If any half-decent cyclists are reading this, you’re probably rolling your eyes at me, but seriously, I suck at riding a bike! Trust me – my husband concurs 🙂

I swapped my bike for my kayak and locked my bike to the sign post. I hit the water a little before 10:00. Some much more experienced cyclists were enjoying the view from the landing and wished me a nice paddle, and we both commented on what beautiful weather it was for both kayaking and biking. As I rounded the southern point of Neavitt, I looked across the water at Tilghman Island and thought – yikes, that looks really, REALLY far away! After about a minute of paddling around the corner, more land came into view and I realized what I had been paddling towards was Cambridge! Yikes! Good thing I only paddled a minute in that direction before realizing that was the wrong direction! The actual Tilghman Island looked waaayyyyy closer and much more doable. I’ve said this in many posts before, but DANG do I get disoriented on the water sometimes! Thank goodness for GPS and my awesome GeoTracker app, or I would’ve had to hitchhike from Cambridge to Tilghman. In the middle of a pandemic.

Cambridge off in the distance

Tilghman a little closer

As I started to head across the 2 miles of open water, I was mentally preparing myself to deal with the watermen boat traffic. This is heavy watermen country and they STRESS ME OUT when I’m paddling near them. Checking their pots, or focusing on their trot lines, makes them seem unaware of where their boat is headed and if any kayakers are nearby. They also tend to erratically switch direction which makes paddling near them even more stressful. But I get it – I’m the crazy one out here, paddling alone across open water with a bunch of work boats in the vicinity. I’m in their territory, so to speak, so I’m mostly responsible for my own safety. Luckily, this trip across open water was less stressful than some other trips I’ve done. Fewer boats and none that got super close to me, so all was well. Once I got across the 2 miles, I could stay close to the shoreline for the rest of the journey, away from the work boats.

Although I’m pretty familiar with the Tilghman area since I worked in Tilghman and ran a boat to Poplar Island every day for 2+ years, I was excited to see the southern tip of Tilghman. I never actually took a boat out in that direction, and I was interested in seeing the famous “Black Walnut Point Inn,” a seemingly mysterious B&B that you can’t see from the main road and has a gated driveway so you can’t just go see it while exploring Tilghman.

Black Walnut Point Inn

Well, I was highly disappointed by Black Walnut. I was expecting some grandiose, luxurious, old farmhouse with beautifully landscaped gardens and space to hold large, fancy weddings. Incorrect. Not even close. While it was cute, and I would still be interested in staying there one day, it was not at all what I imagined. The house seemed a bit more modern than I imagined, definitely way smaller, and honestly there seemed to be too much random “junk” in the yard that was not kept up super well. It also had some random trailer/cabin looking things that didn’t have the homiest feeling in the world.

Anyway, enough about Black Walnut, I then rounded the point and paddled straight up along the shoreline to Knapps Narrows. I was pretty beat after a 17 mile bike ride and 9 miles of paddling, so the last mile or so was definitely challenging, particularly since I haven’t done a great deal of long distance paddling this season (yet).

Now 6 years ago, I paddled from the other direction (from Claiborne) and planned to end at Back Creek Park, but I couldn’t quite find the water access point at the park, so I ended at the Knapps Narrow Inn instead, which it right next door to the park. I chose to end at the inn again so I could officially “connect the dots” on my overall map. I never got approval from the staff at the inn to get out here, but nobody onsite seemed to question or care that I did.  Once I got out, I left my kayak on the edge of the water, walked to my car, and drove around to the inn and loaded up.  I then headed back to inspect this Back Creek Park to try and find the kayak launch it was supposed to have. Turns out there is one, but it’s a good 1000 ft from the parking area – way too far to carry a kayak – and it’s down some stone steps and there’s almost zero beach to launch from at the bottom of the steps and it’s all overgrown with phragmites. It’s a terrible spot for a kayak launch in my opinion!

Overall it was a challenging, yet enjoyable day.  Here’s the path I took:

It’s been way too long since I paddled a post-worthy trip, but I definitely logged some miles today.  It would seem that I’d have more miles logged seeing as though my workload decreased and I worked from home for over 2 months, but with a little one at home and Brian and I trying to juggled our schedules, “me-time” was pretty nonexistent during the COVID-19 “quarantine.”

Now that Patrick is back in daycare and I’m working a much more normal schedule, Monday is MY day and I was able to go paddling once again today.

After checking weather and tides, I decided the best spot to paddle was from Slaughter Beach to Big Stone Beach in Delaware. Since it’s pretty much impossible to bike between the two towns without riding on Route 1, I decided to do an out-and-back.  This looked totally doable since I measured the distance to be about 4 miles one way, and 8 miles is totally feasible.

I arrived at the Slaughter Beach boat ramp a little before 9:00.  I estimated the time it would take me, and then texted a coworker to tell her I would meet her at our offices in Dover to pick something up around 11:30-12:00.  The tide was going out so I cruised towards the bay.  As I approached the inlet, I realized there was a jetty.  A REALLY LONG jetty.  A jetty that was a mile long!  A mile in the OPPOSITE direction I needed to go.  I did NOT see this jetty on Google Earth when I measured the night before!

gazing down the loooong inlet

the jetty that i didn’t see on google earth

As I finally got to the end of the jetty and turned north, the wind was against me.  Although this was expected (and I planned on it so it’d be at my back on the way back), it was a little choppier than it would’ve been had the jetty NOT been there, and I had been able to paddle closer to land.  But whatever, I pressed on as it was still pretty early in my trip.

great beach-combing here!

After about a mile or so back towards land, I pulled up on the beach just north of the jetty to see if it was feasible to safely portage my kayak over the jetty.  Good news!  It appeared there was a sandy area to drag my kayak over and launch into the river on the way back – shew!

I got back in my kayak and kept heading north.  It was dead low tide and I had to drag it across a span of mud flat and old marsh peat before I could actually climb in.  Since I was still heading north, I was still going against the wind, and since I haven’t paddled long distances lately, I got fatigued way sooner than I used too (or I’m just getting old).

It was pretty cool to see more of the Delaware Bayshore that I haven’t seen before.  I always think “crowded” and “heavy traffic” when I think of Delaware, but that’s just the resort towns.  The bayshore is pretty cool and always takes me by surprise as to how remote it is.  At one point I couldn’t see any man-made structures except a container ship far off in the distance.  I also saw some huge planes circling from the Dover AFB, and several times I temporarily panicked because I thought it was thunder.

Another thing that I found interesting was how shallow the water was, even 50-100 yards from the shore.  I realize it was low tide, but there were spots where the old marsh peat beds extended 100 yards or so out into the bay, making some areas 2 inches deep and completely impassable.  I really had to read the water and the waves to make sure I didn’t run aground.  If I ever paddle this stretch again, I’ll be sure to wait for high tide!

Big Stone Beach

After what felt like forever paddling against the wind, I pulled up onto Big Stone Beach – a tiny town that consisted of maybe 10 house, several of which looked abandoned.  Here’s the path I took (that random straight line is NOT an error – that’s the spot where I paddled along the jetty)!

It was already 11:15 and there was no way in hell I was going to make it back to my car and drive to Dover by 11:30!  I called my coworker to let her know I’d be super late.  I also called a friend that lives nearby to see if she was available to drive me back to my car.  Like I said, I haven’t paddled long distances in awhile, and I already added 2+ miles to my intended trip because of that damn jetty.  Unfortunately she was not working from home and it would have been too complicated for her to figure out how to get away from work and give me a ride in the middle of the day.

So I took a deep breath, pulled up my big girl underpants, hopped back in my kayak, and started heading back south.  Luckily the wind was at my back, and I knew I could portage near the jetty so I wouldn’t have to paddle around it again.  The first half of the trip back south was smooth sailing and the wind really helped.  But about 2 miles down the beach, the wind seemed to die out and I was struggling.  I was only 2.5 miles from the end but I was BEAT.  I honestly started talking to myself and giving myself a pep talk to get through it.  My arms felt like jell-o.

I finally pulled up on the beach next to the jetty back at Slaughter Beach and began to drag my kayak over the sandy part of the jetty.  The tide had gone out even further from before so I had to drag my kayak further.  Holy moly I forgot how exhausting it is to drag a kayak over land!  I almost wished I had paddled around that dang jetty!  Well, almost, but not really.  I even got to a spot that was super muddy, nearly lost my shoes, had to back track a little so I wouldn’t drown in marsh mud, and then I had to drag my kayak across 50 yards of tall marsh grasses.  Not fun.

I finally got to a spot that I could safely get back in my kayak and paddled the final stretch back to the boat ramp.  All in all, I paddled 12 miles (instead of the 8 I originally planned on)!  Here’s the path I took to get back – if you zoom in you can see the squiggly line of my uncomfortable portage:

This past Monday, October 21, I had the day off from work and decided to squeeze in another paddling trip before the weather gets too cold. I typically go first thing in the morning, but because a storm was clearing out of the area, the winds were predicted to be significantly calmer in the afternoon, and out of the NE which was perfect for the area I chose since I’d be headed in a SW direction most of the way.

I unloaded my kayak at the Madison boat ramp and then drove to the Taylor’s Island boat ramp on Slaughter creek. From there I unloaded my bike and started biking back up to Madison. The 5-mile trip was pretty, crossing a few creeks and passing along the boundary of Blackwater NWR. I usually only take photos on the water, but I actually remember to snap a few during the bike ride:

I do apologize though, our waterproof camera is so scratched up and now takes horrible photos. Add a new camera to the Christmas wish list! Or better yet, maybe a GoPro. 🙂

The first stretch of the paddling trip was into the wind, which was expected, so I concentrated on paddling for the first mile or so.  As soon as I turned west to round the bend, the wind should start to be at my back, and eventually get even easier as I continued and headed SW. Or so I thought. As I turned more to the west to round the bend, the wind was even stronger! The wind was blowing directly out of the NW, not the NE as NOAA had predicted! I kept the camera tucked away and kept concentrating on paddling. The water and air temperature were both around 62 degrees and with waves and wind, it was a bit unnerving for about a mile. I was getting splashed more than expected, and worrying about getting too cold (I do worry too much though).

I struggled with the wind out of the NW until I got well into Slaughter creek and had some protection from Taylor’s Island.  At this point, I finally had a chance to take some photos and enjoy the scenery.  I even saw people on the shoreline fishing and enjoying the sunset.  They waved, and I waved back, but I always wonder when I see people (watermen, people on their docks, etc.) what they think of me. Do they think anything? Why is she out here all alone? Where did she come from? Where is she going? How far is she going?  Maybe they don’t think any of those things, but if I were sitting on land, I certainly would be questioning a solo kayaker in a random, remote part of the bay!

I wasn’t able to take any quality photos, not only because our camera is so worn, but also because I was paddling directly into the sun for a good while.

this was my view for a while…

As I neared the ramp on Taylor’s Island, I tried to navigate by memory to where the ramp was actually located. I launched at this same ramp over 7 YEARS ago, so paddle down to Hooper’s Island. I saw the bridge (Route 16) crossing the creek, and I could even make out my car in the distance, but honestly, NOTHING looked familiar. It’s amazing how some launches I haven’t seen in years look so familiar, whereas others have completely left my memory. I guess I’m getting old!

As I paddled up to the ramp, I passed a man that was working on his docked boat, getting it ready for waterfowl season. I again waved, and he waved back, but I still couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of this kayaker – where she came from, and where she was going.

My staycation continues with yet another kayaking trip. This time was an out-and-back. Not my favorite thing to do, but it’s nice not to have to pack the bike and shuttle between the start and finish. I also crossed the mouth of the Little Choptank so if I had done a one way, I would have had to bike 23 miles (feasible, but not enjoyable for me).

The nice thing about doing an out-and-back is that it saves time which was perfect today because I was able to get some paddling in, and still make it to a meeting I wanted to go to (Mothers of Preschoolers – woot woot!), although I was still late getting there.

In order to time with the meeting I had to get up at 5 a.m. Funny how if I had to get up at 5:00 for work, or to go to the gym, I’d have a heck of a time getting by butt out of bed, but when I get up for kayaking, it’s totally different! I was on the road by 5:15!

I got to the launch just in time for sunrise. There was not a soul in sight, which I was not expecting. Not event a truck and trailer parked in the lot. Usually there’s a waterman working on his boat, someone working in a fish house, or at least evidence that someone had already launched their boat for the day. Nothing here, which was even more surprising because this ramp is not far from civilization. Many of the ramps I go to are practically at the end of the earth, but there are still people there.

Although the wind was only around 5 knots, it was coming out of the WNW so as soon as I got up north of the marshy area and away from the launch, I was surprised by the size of the swells coming in from the bay. Not huge, but bigger than I would have expected for 5 kts. I actually didn’t need to use my GPS at all to navigate on this trip. Maybe I’m getting better at identifying what I saw on the map before I left? Or maybe this was just a super easy, straight shot over to Ragged Point.

I was also expecting a decent amount of boat traffic, given that I was in what I thought was watermen country. But not once did I have to worry about boat traffic. The paddle was actually quite relaxing and quiet! I zipped across the mouth of the Little Choptank and paddled until I hit land near Ragged Point. There is a boat launch further north of where I hit land, but whenever I end up launching from that ramp in the future, I will be headed south and will intersect the path I made today, so no sense in going all the way to the ramp (plus I had a meeting to get to, so no time to be wasted!).

can you spot the eagle?

I saw quite a few bald eagles flying and fishing, and one perched in a tree. I also saw TONS of GIANT sea nettles! So glad I wasn’t swimming. These things were seriously monstrous! I wasn’t able to get a photo though. By the time I saw one, I was right on top of it and didn’t have time to get by camera out (and didn’t feel like turning around to look at a dang nettle).

Another weird thing I saw was this striped bass. I spotted it from yards away. First I thought it was a water snake, but as I got closer, I thought maybe a muskrat, maybe a turtle, definitely a ray, no definitely a shark… nope. A fish. Chillin’ on the surface. He was totally alive, but I imagine not doing well. What fish just hangs out with its fins out of the water? (sorry, don’t know why I can’t get a clear photo. Of like, anything!)

I hustled back to the ramp and made good time – 3.79 mph (that might be a record for me, although I haven’t really kept track)! With all of these back-to-back paddling trips I’ve been doing on my staycation, I’ve become super efficient and packing up all my crap and loading my kayak on top of the car. From paddling to driving was less than 10 minutes! And I made it for the last 45 minutes of the MOPS meeting 🙂

Here’s the path I took – 3.8 miles. I only tracked one way, but if you really wanted to see the full out-and-back paddle, just draw a line on top of the one you see here:

Two back to back days of paddling? I think it’s been 4 years since the last time I did that! Well, not counting kayaking for work or just putzing around locally. Today I headed down to Virginia to connect two trips I had done back in 2013 and 2014. I figured today would be easy compared to yesterday since it was a shorter drive, a much shorter bike ride, about the same distance of paddling, and way less boat traffic.

I started the day by driving to “Ann’s Cove” which is a county ramp. I always get a little anxious as I’m driving to a water access point that I’ve never been to, particularly when it’s in a remote location (which most of them are). The roads get rougher and narrower the further you get from the main roads, and the closer you get to the water. Sometimes I feel like I’ve made a wrong turn, thinking “there can’t possibly be a public landing down here!”  Many times I’m unfamiliar with the area I’m driving, and some of the neighborhoods are pretty rough around the edges. I sometimes see some sketchball people and get a bit nervous to be driving to a dead end road, alone, with no cell service, and god knows what creepy people might be around!

This is how I felt today as I drove to Ann’s Cove. I’m sure everyone that lives in the area is super nice and nothing to be afraid of, but sometimes I just overthink things! Maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of Dateline or watched too many murder mystery-type movies?

I noticed the wind was a bit stronger than I expected so I decided to unload my kayak, drive to Hopkins (Johnson Landing), and ride my bike first, rather than paddle first.  The wind was coming out of the east so I figured it would just push me out into the bay, rather than fight it back in. Only 3 or 4 cars passed me as I biked the 5 miles back to Ann’s cove, but I couldn’t help but wonder what they thought of me. I can’t imagine many people are just biking through this area.

Ann’s cove boat ramp

View from the landing

Once I launched, I headed straight for Guardshore beach which was right around the corner.  This was the first of several beaches I got out and walked around on this trip.  The next stretch of paddling was super fun. The wind was pushing me in the exact direction I needed to go and I was even about to surf some tiny waves along the way.  As I rounded the first bend out into the open bay the wind was still pushing me pretty good, barely had to paddle. Check out this video, I didn’t paddle at all while taking it, and you can see how fast the wind was carrying me:

DSCF2366 from Laura Baldwin on Vimeo.

The thing that really caught my attention during this paddle were the beaches! Soooo many sandy beaches.  I got out on a few and saw many more. This is something you don’t see that much of in other parts of the Chesapeake, or even in the coastal bays. I’d be curious to learn more about what makes this area so beach-heavy. Currents? Bathymetry? Prevailing winds? Geology? Anyway, the beaches came in handy later. As I continued to round the marshes and beaches, I eventually had to start making my way back east – directly into the wind.  The beaches and small coves gave me several opportunities to take breaks.

The last mile or so was killer. Directly into the wind. Dang did I burn some calories. I was so freaking happy to see my car at the end as I was exhausted! I was also thrilled that I had already done the biking leg. The thought of getting on my bike after that windy paddle just sounded awful!

Another 8 miles in the books. And GUESS WHAT?! I’ve officially surpassed 300 miles of my goal! Only 300+ miles to go. Yikes. Here’s the path I took:

Today the weather was looking a bit iffy on the lower shore, so I decided to head up to the mid-shore to paddle. The whole day was a little bit of a trip down memory lane as I spent 2.5 years living in Talbot County back in 2010-2012.  As this was another one-way paddle, I started by dropping my bike off at the boat ramp in Bellevue, which is also the ferry terminal for the Oxford ferry.  I then drove to the boat ramp in Neavitt which was 17 miles away – 17 miles I was planning on biking after I was finished paddling.  I was already dreading it since I struggled so much on the 10.5 mile bike ride on Deal Island!

Before I even launched, I had the most notable wildlife encounter of the trip – fish! I was greeted by hundreds of some kind of minnow; maybe mummichogs? Peanut bunker? Mullet? I couldn’t quite tell, but they were swimming in the coolest spiral patterns. I took some video – if you squint, you might be able to see them!

The water was like glass which made for very enjoyable paddling. The most frustrating thing for the first 3 miles of the trip though, was boat traffic! Watermen traffic. It’s one thing to deal with the pleasure boats – people traveling from here to there. But work boats are a different story. Their direction and turns are super unpredictable as they are either emptying a line of crab pots, or heading from end to end of trot lines. And most of the time they aren’t paying much attention for lone kayakers, and steering from the stern, rather than at the helm.  My blood pressure always goes up a little when there are work boats near me. Not sure if it’s because I’m stressed they’re going to run me over, or if I’m just frustrated. I get it though – they have a job to do, and I’m the foreigner in their everyday world.

Once I crossed Broad Creek, the boat traffic died down and I was able to realize the drastic change in scenery on this trip, in contrast to the recent trips I’ve taken. Trees! Wooded shorelines with big oaks, maples, sweet gum. Yeah, many of the waterfront properties had hardened shorelines full of rip rap, damaging the surrounding ecosystem, but it was so nice not to be staring at marsh grasses the whole time!

Another change in scenery were the houses. When you travel up and down Route 33, you don’t realize the number of giant mansions that are in the area because they are all set way off the road so they can be waterfront. Some of these homes are beautiful, and some are just downright ridiculous.

As I rounded the last point and headed towards Bellevue, I was greeted by the Oxford ferry.  I will likely take this ferry next time I head to this landing to paddle (I’ll probably go from Bellevue, to Oxford, to somewhere in Cambridge).

After a quick snack and locking up my kayak, I hopped on my bike to start the 17 mile journey. I took it slow and steady as to not wear myself out.  It was still overcast and very calm winds, so before I knew it, I was in St. Michaels! I even rode the little 1.3-mile bike path on the west side of town.

The wind was still at my back as I headed beyond St. Michaels and down towards Neavitt.  The last 3-4 miles were definitely tough, but by the time I arrive back at Neavitt landing, I was still not nearly as beat as I was when I was biking at Deal Island. Thank goodness! Maybe I’m not as out of shape as I thought I was!

Another 7.8 miles in the books! Here’s the paddling route I took today.

I’m taking two weeks off from work! Yes, you heard me right. Taking some time to burn vacation days, get stuff done around the house, and go kayaking!

Patrick’s first day of Pre-K3 was yesterday so as soon as I dropped him off at daycare (he takes the bus to pre-k in the afternoon), I headed out to Deal Island to paddle.

Once again, I embarked on a one-way paddle and a bike ride back to my starting point, so I dropped my bike off at Champ Wharf first.  It had been over 5 years since I paddled from this spot, but it was still familiar. I then drove down to the boat ramp within the Deal Island Wildlife Management Area to launch my boat.  About two years ago I ended a trip here and biked up to Dames Quarter boat ramp, but I had sort of forgotten the 2+ miles of gravel road, and already started to dread riding my bike over it later in the day.

Anyway, I set out on my adventure.  The weather was perfect. 5 knots and 75 degrees.

After about an hour of paddling, I saw a sandy beach to take a quick break on. I don’t normally take a break just to stretch my legs, but I really wanted to take in the silence of the marsh and bay. I could not hear anything man-made. No boats, not aircraft, no cars. Just the soft breeze and occasional laughing gull in the distance. Plus it was a nice spot for a few photos:

After a few moments of soaking in the view, I hopped back in my boat and continued on.  Once again, thank goodness for my GPS tracker app! I have such a hard time looking at a map, and recognizing what’s what when it comes to marshes and tidal creeks.  If you zoom in on the map, you’ll see a few divots in my path – that’s where I thought I was headed in the right direction, but pulled out the GPS and realized I was going off course and had to correct myself.

Champ Wharf

I finished up the paddle in just under two hours – a total of 7 miles.  The wind did pick up a little out of the NE at the end as I was headed into St. Peter’s Creek, so I definitely got a workout! I felt accomplished when I got out of the water (as always), but I knew my adventure wasn’t over yet!  I had a 10+ mile bike ride ahead of me, I’m not a super strong cyclist, and I was dreading the last 2 miles of gravel!

The first few miles were nice. Back roads, one of them not even maintained by the state, cool old abandoned houses, with plenty of shade and protection from crosswinds. I loved this intersection so much I stopped to snap a pic. If this isn’t a Maryland intersection, I don’t know what is!

And then I entered the main road (363 – Deal Island Road).  And it was not nice. No shade, wind was picking up, trucks driving by me really fast, and it was now HOT! I powered through until I got to Dames Quarter to take a quick break, grab a drink of water, and catch my breath. I figured the worst was behind me – how bad could that gravel road be?

BAD. So, so bad. I was exhausted from paddling and biking, and now my brain was rattling inside my skull with every damn pebble I rode over. Now I know what mountain bikes are for! I had no choice but to keep chugging along and finally I came to the group of trees next to the boat ramp (I couldn’t see the boat ramp because the trees were blocking it). Shew.  Finally, almost there.

And then I biked around the edge of the trees and realized I had OVER A MILE left of the gravel road. The trees I thought I had just passed were WAY far down the road! I wanted to cry.  I could see the glint of sunlight reflecting off my car and it just seemed so far away.  But, I had to keep going, despite having just finished my last bit of water. Nobody was coming out here to save me, that’s for sure.  After a quick break in a tiny patch of shade, I mustered the energy to get through the last stretch. Holy moly. I was slightly sun burned, exhausted, out of water, and now had a throbbing headache from 2.2 miles of biking on gravel. I cranked the AC in my car full blast and nearly collapsed. Once I cooled off and caught my breath, I was able to disassemble my bike, load it inside the car, drive back to Champ to pick up my kayak, and head home.

I had just enough time to unload all my crap, hose down my PFD & paddle, and get a quick shower before picking up my elementary schooler!

How sweet is this boy??

I went on another solo kayak/bike adventure on July 29. The theme of yesterday’s paddle was NAVIGATION FAILURE. No matter how skilled I get in kayaking and spending time on the water, I still get disoriented and can’t always match up what’s on the map to what I’m actually seeing!

Looking at this map, I think it’s pretty obvious that I made an error. My plan was to paddle directly (as possible) from Crocheron to Wingate, but when I rounded the tip of the little peninsula, the water got pretty choppy and I was unable to take my phone out and check the GPS to make sure I was headed in the right direction, but seriously, how hard could it be? I decided to wing it. And you want to know what’s funny about winging it?  The tiny “town” of Wingate is not pronounced win-gate, as it would appear. The locals pronounce it as WING-IT. Well clearly my attempt to wing it led me astray and when I was finally able to stop paddling in the choppy water and pull out my phone, I realized I had paddled a good 1-2 miles out of my way. And not only is that frustrating, but it was also incredibly difficult paddling across that stretch from Crocheron to the tip of Hooper’s Island. I literally yelled at myself and may have dropped a few 4-letter words. I was already exhausted and realizing I just added 2 miles to my trip was soul-crushing.

But I did it.  I survived, and I was never in any danger.  Just tired.

Other than my failure to navigate, it really was a pleasant paddle.  I started the day super early (got up at 5:00) and drove Wingate, which felt like the end of the earth – do people really live down here?! When I got to Wingate I unloaded my bike at the public landing and locked it to a telephone pole (they have phones and electricity all the way down here?!).  I then continued down the road about another 4.5 miles to the boat ramp in Crocheron and set out on the water.

Once I corrected my navigation mistake, I completed my 11.2 mile journey back to the landing in Wingate (which should have only been 9.5 miles). I paddled up to the ramp which had a boat on a trailer just sitting on the ramp, a few feet from the water, with no driver in the truck. There was still plenty of room for me to use the ramp and get out, but the driver’s side door was hanging open and I could hear the truck dinging like the keys were in the ignition. What really made it challenging was getting out in a NASTY ramp.  Grass clippings and fish carcasses were clogging up the waterway – so much that it was difficult to paddle the last few feet to the ramp. So gross.

As I picked up my kayak and carried it up out of the way of the ramp, the owner of the boat and truck came out of the fish house that was next to the ramp.

“You by yourself?” he asked, in his THICK Dorchester County accent.

“Yep.”

“Gotta be careful out there.”

I smiled, and was tempted to be like “Yes, it’s cool, dude, really. I am a certified kayak instructor, I used to have my 6-pack captain’s license, and I have a bilge pump, paddle float, PFD, VHF radio, cell phone with GPS, a float plan left with my husband, extra water, extra snacks, a first aid kit, and even a headlamp.”  But I didn’t say all that.  Just, “thanks, I know.”

I gathered a few valuables (cell phone, radio, wallet) in my bag and then hopped on my bike and pedaled the 4.5 miles back to the Crocheron landing. From there I loaded up my bike, drove back to Wingate, and loaded up my kayak.

This time the waterman offered to help me load my kayak and I was tempted to say “dude, you think I’d drive to the end of the earth to paddle 11 miles with all the proper safety precautions and equipment, and not be able to load my kayak on top of my car?!”  But I didn’t.  Just, “no thanks, I’ve done this before!”

Aaanndddd I don’t have any photos of this trip.  My camera had some issues and I wasn’t able to transfer the photos to the laptop.  Dang it!  Here’s the only photo that I have, since I took this with my phone when I got home.  However it IS my favorite photo of the day – first time I used the roof rack and bike rack at the same time!