Monday, August 08, 2016

Kayaking for the summer

The wife thought we could use water transportation and so we got a matched set of Pelican Maxim X100 Kayaks from Canadian Tire. These babies were on sale when we picked them up and we also needed the roof racks and J-hooks to get them on our car. Also to keep them safe I found some perfect locks that had a straight cable that you can feed through the canoes and lock them to the rack.
We were a little ambitious and decided to combine a day of roller blading and kayaking with a trip down to Hamilton/Burlington Beach where the parking, beach and asphalt pathway are all very accessible by car. First we bladed and I do love the extra wide path and how smooth it is, the City even sends the sweeper around the path every now and then.
Pulled up on Burlington Beach along the Hydro towers

The day was windy and the water was a little choppy. It turned out to be too choppy when we passed the canal to the inner harbour and a speedboat didn't slow down and sent up some big waves that sent me down into Lake Ontario. I couldn't get back in the kayak so Ann started pulling me and the kayak back to shore which was difficult with the waves and the wind. Helpful guys on the canal put down their fishing rods and tried to help us and found some rope, however by that time they had attracted a passing boat that came by and helped me get back in my kayak. Kayaks are not the most stable boating platform so you do need to practice and wear all safety gear and keep to shallower water when you are just learning. Remember to tie things down and use waterproof containers and cases for valuables like smartphones or cameras.

We took the boats up north to the Dorset area for our annual cottage stay and enjoyed the waters of Kawagama Lake.
The Pelican Maxim X100 sit in kayak
Today we went to Rockwood Conservation Area with their reservoir created by damming the Grand River. The water is full of nooks amd crannies along with a few small islands. Herons fish along the banks and the geese float around pooping over everything they can.

Kayaks are a great addition to keep yourself active in the great Canadian outdoors. There are a lot of lakes and rivers just made for exploring on a kayak.

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