Friday Date Night?

Well sort of.

The last few years I have been kicking around getting a canoe or a kayak and always get notices from Rutabaga paddle sports for all the sales etc.  Plus I always liked canoeing with the scouts and even did a 6 day excursion in Canada half a lifetime ago.

So a few weeks ago I signed Tracy and I up for a recreational kayak class. Better to try it instead of buying an ill fitting boat, do it wrong and never use it or worse yet make it a miserable experience.

Friday around 3 we left for Madison and got to Rutabaga around 5 PM.  Beautiful day for sure. 83 degrees light breeze calm water.  Perfect.

Met Mary our instructor and the group of 7 went through on land instruction.  Fitted with 12 ft kayaks, paddles and PFD's it was time to hit the water.

Tracy, she prefers a pool or smaller confines of shore.  From the time she went snorkeling in the Keys and had that agoraphobic type attack in that wide open water, shes been slightly apprehensive about the whole thing.  That and not wanting to tip over etc.  Which are all valid concerns.

Came time to get in the boat and the first lady totally misses and falls ass first into the drink.  It was right on shore but a wet butt is a wet butt.  Tracy looks at me with that face.  I assure her she is much more coordinated and more physically fit than the small plump woman who somehow though she was sitting in the kayak but missed.  Sure enough the rest of the class has no problems at all.

We practice all the strokes, leaning, turning, proper posture and hand positions paddling around the pond, it was time to hit real water.  Out on to the Yahara river that connects lake Monona to Upper Mud lake.  Some open water paddling under the hwy 12/18 and into some nice quiet stretches of river.  Mary mentioned that in a few places where we stopped normally we would be sitting on ground, but because of all the rain this summer has we were in at least 2-3 ft of water instead.  What was incredible was that 300 ft from the one of Madison's main arterial highways you were now in this lush river-way and couldn't hear and cars or see any sights of the city like power lines etc.  Incredibly peaceful.  This is what I like. This is the reason I would do this.  Put in and have a few hours of relaxing outdoor time.  Maybe do some fishing, sightseeing, photography.  

During this time I kept some distance from Tracy, catching up with her every now and then.  She doesn't need me hovering, she is a little stubborn and likes to figure it out without me. Which is good, I am not the expert and can only provide some words of encouragement.  All in all the round trip out and back was just a shade under 2 miles.  Pretty good for a  bunch of beginners.

We get back, unload and put the boats back.  We do a quick change of clothes and bam! ready for a nice late dinner.  Madison is a nice city, a little hippie for me but it has a lot to offer.  So we hit Vintage Brewing Company.  Had a nice late dinner and house tap.  We were so close to calling the kids and telling them we were not going to be home, grab a hotel and come home tomorrow.  If we had a few more things I think we would have.  Grudgingly we opted for the hour and forty-five minute ride home.

Well am I going to run out and get some boats?  Probably not, but I did get a great experience and maybe next year will look a little harder.