On the James
last update: 08/16 @ 10:14

Sarah, Simon and David on the James River in Richmond.

It’s like this…

We got the Pirouette Super Sport for Sarah a long ways back. It’s a much better fit for her than the historically significant Mirage I got as a high school graduation present.

But she’s moved on to her SUP and the inflatable ducky.

(And we’re thinking packrafts are in our future; see about halfway down the notes from our Seattle trip.)

So when Sarah heard from Simon’s dad, Steve (who was part of Sarah’s Clark University crowd), that Simon had gotten interested in whitewater boating over the summer, she saw an opportunity.

The boat has not been on water in years and it may work well for Simon.

So we met at Pony Pasture and gave Simon a chance to try it out.

Admittedly, it is a tight fit. But not so tight that he turned down the offer.

So our basement is one boat lighter. That boat is more likely to see future use. And Simon has a boat of his own now.

Win, win, win.

(Oh… and we accidentally snagged Simon’s water bottle — another win for us but, sadly, at Simon’s expense.)

Head clearing
last update: 11/07 @ 18:15

We’re still very much trying to process what just happened in the elections.

Time outside is a great stress relaxer.

And getting away from screens and news and having such a pretty place to focus on and pay attention to really helps reset (or at least temporarily calm) the mind.

Another crazy warm November day (yes, I do worry we’re the frogs in the pot gradually warming up), so we got the boats back out.

I’m glad to be the recipient of Sarah’s excellent photographer’s eye, but clearly my game is slipping.

As we paddled over from the Maryland Chute to the Virginia side, I liked this view of Sarah with the fall leaves behind her.

But when we came back to the Maryland side; and saw the Heron hanging out, she saw this great shot of me under the Heron’s gaze:

Closing out the month
last update: 10/31 @ 22:17

We took advantage of with warming weather and headed back to Angler’s Inn today.

The river was about 2.8; low but still a fun spot to play in.

And the fall colors are looking pretty good.

It’s been so long since it rained that the river is really clear now. And it’s great to be able to see down to the bottom.

We scared off our heron before we could get a picture.

(That’s the center chute on the right; no boats in that picture — we had the river to ourselves.)

But we saw lot of minnows cruising over and around the rocks.

And the birds really seemed to enjoy the thermal over the river today.

It was a great way to step away from the news and goings on in the world and just enjoy the river in our backyard.

We did neglect our Jack o’lantern carving duties; but it seemed like a more than fair tradeoff.

(That the Maryland chute above and to the right.)

Home Turf
last update: 10/21 @ 20:56

Blue skies and nary a cloud to be seen!

Another beautiful afternoon on the river.

This time Sarah and I stayed closer to home and enjoyed paddling Angler’s Inn to Lock 10.

We saw herons, buzzards, ducks and some really big catfish.

And Sarah took this great picture of me in the waves at Stubblefield Falls.

Another great weekday trip!

We did see more boaters putting on as we finished our shuttle. We decided those were the after work crowd.

Finally, check out the colors: it really is looking like fall. It may not be a spectacular year for leaf-peeping, but these are looking very nice in the afternoon sun.

(Short) Road Trip
last update: 10/13 @ 19:54

The weather (beautiful 80 degrees) and water level (4.75) aligned today for trip on the upper James.

It’s been decades since we’ve been on the James.

And we don’t get to Richmond as often as we used to.

Today was truly a perfect day for the trip.

We had a lot of fun.

Easy rapids (except for that one dam — I know there is a better spot to run) and perfect weather made for a very fun day.

We saw ducks, geese, at least one cormorant and, oddly, a rowed raft.

Richmond has become quite the boater haven; there were lots of folks putting on at Reedy Creek as we set shuttle. The lower James through Richmond as more significant rapids.

The Pony Pasture to Reedy Creek run is just pretty and fun rock gardens (less the one dam).

Change in the weather
last update: 08/23 @ 17:46

A few days later…

Blue skies, warmer weather.

It’s getting back towards normal August here. And Sarah and I had a lovely time on the river (on a weekday — I’ll get over that eventually).

Back on the river with Pocket
last update: 07/28 @ 20:22

Pocket was good, she asked “When should I meet you to go to the river?” Not “Should I meet you?”

(Actually, that’s how it was relayed to me. Pocket said she was less forward when talking to SZap.)

It was hot but not horribly humid.

And certainly cooler on the water.

We paddled up from Angler’s Inn to Rocky Island — I don’t recall doing that when there was so little current in the gorge. It really is pretty low.

But there are smiles on everyone’s face.

Beautiful June Day
last update: 06/01 @ 18:30

We’re thinking more of this in our future!

A lovely June day and we headed a but further upstream to Violette’s Lock.

We realized it had been year since we were there last.

Almost exactly 4 years.

It’s a pretty spot; a bit further to drive and the paddle back up the canal can seem like a lot of flatwater — but filled with turtles this time of year.

Clearly the weather was perfect for it and we had a great time!

The ducks and herons seems to be happy to today too.

We’re less sure about the snake; but it kept to itself so no problem.

Start of summer
last update: 05/26 @ 22:32

The traditional start of summer and Sarah and I were able to get out on the river.

The temperature was certianly summerish: high 80s.

But the water was still cool.

And not too low.

We had a good time at Angler’s Inn.

Both in the waves and surfing across the channel.

There were a few other folks out on the river including one paddle boarder at the Maryland chute who was clearly having a good time.

We hung out there for a bit.

Then paddled across to the Virginia side.

And generally welcomed summer for 2024.

I look forward to more afternoons like this :)

And I’m sure the Potomac won’t disappoint us.

Another nice day on river
last update: 08/20 @ 18:25

Blue skies and warm temps.

But low water.

Still fun though.

SZap opted for the duckie this time.

We got to paddle with Pocket!
last update: 08/14 @ 19:35

Pocket said she’d like to join us on the river this summer. It’s taken until now for both Sarah and I to feel healthy — pesky summer cold.

So we paddled up to my new favorite selfie spot — but that rock ledge needs to be more level…

Our heron was further downstream for this trip.

Playing in Angler’s Inn
last update: 08/14 @ 19:34

David and his canoe running the Maryland chute (photo by SZap).

It was pretty low, about 2.9, making it pretty much perfect to introduce Pocket to this part of the Potomac.

She’s done a lot of flat water boating (she joined us in storming the castle a while back) and expressed an interest in getting more comfortable in rapids.

Sarah opted for her paddle board for this trip.

Fortunately, the electric pump she picked up a couple years ago continues to serve us well.

It would have been hot work to pump up both inflatables in the 90 degree heat.

Fortunately, the water was still cool and the sky a perfect blue!

Keen eyed observers will note that Sarah’s and Pocket’s runs are both the Virginia chute.

We pulled the boats over the rocks to paddle up to the gorge, came back down and they ran the Virginia chute an extra time before we headed back to the Maryland side for one more run (after a brief portage).

Another pretty day
last update: 09/25 @ 11:32

We paid attention to the weather forecast and headed to the river yesterday to avoid the possible rain and thunderstorms today.

With the quick shift to fall weather over the last day or two, it was much cooler than it has been but still a very nice day.

We opted to paddle up the gorge rather than just stay around Angler’s Inn this time.

Always good to see how pretty a spot that is.

Also clear from these photos: the low, fall water level.

2.85 is not unusually low for this time of year.

But clearly (looking at the bathtub rings) lower than the year round average.

We took the easy way out and carried the boats over some of the rocks to get up to what was left of Rocky Island before turning back around to go with the flow.

It was a really nice way to spend the first fall weekend day of the year.

We’re looking forward to more (before it gets too cold).

Another pretty day on the river
last update: 09/18 @ 23:16

It was another beautiful afternoon.

Sarah and I headed to Angler’s Inn

Just to play around.

We were not the only ones out there.

But there was plenty of fun to be had by all.

We played abound a bit in the Maryland chute.

(I said it was hard but not impossible to flip the inflatable.)

And headed across the river to play around a bit in the Virginia chute.

We even got to see someone’s first descent.

He was on a paddleboard and did OK.

Well, it’s a forgiving spot.

He fell off the paddleboard above the drop.

And he fell off the paddleboard below the drop.

But he was having a good time and carried back up to run it again.

We enjoyed watching him learn to respect the current.

And we enjoyed playing around in the current ourselves.

It really was a lovely afternoon.

I’m looking forward to many more.

Back on the Potomac
last update: 09/04 @ 21:53

With Robert settling in to his new routine, Sarah and I headed to the Potomac this afternoon.

It’s been a while since we’ve run Anglers to Lock 10.

This time, with two cars, no need to wave down a taxi or Lyft for the shuttle.

That helped to make sure I had my paddle this time.

The water level was a bit low.

But we still had a fun time on the river out on a pretty day.

It was fun to see what we could see at low water.

And I have to confess to missing a brace at the end of Yellow Falls.

But I went back out play there. Thank you SZap for the excelleng photo.

I expect we’ll do more of this with Covid fading and Rober doing his own thing on the other coast.

We can have fun outside too
last update: 10/03 @ 22:12

Robert had volleyball on Saturday.

That meant homework on Sunday.

Well… He also was hoping to watch the Talladega NASCAR race. But really he had homework.

Which meant he could not join us on the river.

Sarah borrowed his inflatable and we headed to Angler’s Inn.

It’s close, convenient and fun.

And it lived up to all three.

Great weather too!

We played a bit in the Maryland chute. Then headed across the river to the Virginia chute.

It was late enough in the fall day that the Virginia chute was in the shadows and a bit cool.

But very much fun.

We saw a lot of paddle boards. And a couple flotilla of kayaks. We even some some slalom boats — including a C1 — headed upstream.

Sorry, we only took selfies, so you have to trust us about the others.

Rope swing!!!
last update: 10/11 @ 13:32

The weather, ahead of Hurricane Delta, was cloudy but pleasant yesterday. We took the boats to the Potomac. And with the help of a rental car for shuttle, paddled Angler’s to Lock 10.

It may be the last time for the season when the rope swings seem inviting.

On this trip we passed three: The first had a big tree just underwater, close to the landing zone.

The second, seen here, was just about perfect.

By the time we got to the third, we were getting comfortable again and decided to just keep paddling.

That’s Robert’s splashdown above.

David on the left.

Sarah below.

All in all, a great way to spend an October afternoon. Good leaf watching from the river, no crowds — but there were folks on the shore and even a few other boats on that stretch.

Fall day on the river
last update: 09/05 @ 22:30

Another beautiful day on the river.

But the new camera is not yet used to us.

Or we’re not used to it.

We’ll see if the self-timer pictures get better over time.

This picture of Robert turned out well.

He’s been having so much fun playing in the wave, surfing this one and a bit at Maryland and Virginia chutes, that he’s talking about getting back into a hard boat to have more fun.

We may be back on the river tomorrow. Maybe the self-timer will work better then….

Back to the river
last update: 06/28 @ 11:08

We went back to Violette’s Lock yesterday to get out of the house, on the water, and remain socially distant.

There were some folks swimming where the rope swing used to be — note the steps up the tree. And they took this great photo. Thank you!

Sarah elected to go with a kayak for this trip because we start on the Maryland side and paddle across the river to the Virginia side above the dam and then back to the Maryland side below the rapids. A fair amount of a cross current ferry moves.

The weather was hot, but it was much cooler on the river, especially when the cool front/storm clouds blew over. We made it back home before the rains started.

The storm clouds are behind the camera for this timer picture on our way back to the Maryland side to paddle up the canal to our car.

A very nice summer outing.

Perfect Day!
last update: 08/11 @ 22:43

We had a perfect afternoon on the river.

The level was low but not too low; the Maryland chute was fun and it was easy to get back up and even drag the boats over the rocks and paddle down.

And the humidity has broken for the weekend — truly amazing to have such perfect weather for a weekend in August.

We packed up the boats and headed to Angler’s Inn.

And we even got a parking space before we were completely unloaded.

I guess we happened to time it all just right today.

There were others on the river, including a river dog, but mostly they were in one spot and we were in another.

Speaking of spots, I didn’t get a picture, but golf ball is huge now. Space for two or three helicopters :)

We’ve likely seen the last big water for the year, so it may stay huge until next spring.

After a day like today, I’m sure we’ll be back to check it out.

Summer in earnest
last update: 06/23 @ 11:04

We took our flotilla back to the river on Saturday. We had plans to actually paddle downstream: Angler’s Inn to Lock 10. In the modern age, we figured Lyft could be a part of the shuttle.

Unfortunately, when I tried to get a lyft back from Lock 10 to meet up with Sarah and Robert at Angler’s Inn, they were having credit card processing issues.

Fortunately, there happen to be a Barwood taxi driver who was enjoying the day at Lock 10. He was just leaving when I was giving up on Lyft and so that was perfect, urban boating — taxi for shuttle.

Unfortunately, I carefully left my paddle in the car at Lock 10, and realized it as I was walking to the river, waiting boats and Sarah and Robert at Angler’s Inn.

Fortunately, there are only a couple rapids on that stretch. After trying out Robert’s beach shovel as a paddle, I decided to hand paddle instead.

Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of flatwater, but the downstream breeze helped keep those of us without a paddle moving.

Fortunately, we discovered that rafting up, we could have the two outside boats paddle while the inside one held on.

It was a fun day on the water with an extra dose of adventure tossed in.

And a ropeswing break; Robert dropping in above; Sarah showing off below.

Feeling a little like fall…
last update: 09/10 @ 22:34

We headed back to our standard Angler’s Inn stretch of the Potomac.

Sarah borrowed Robert’s new inflatable (to show him how it’s done).

And then Robert followed in her footsteps.

I missed Sarah running the Maryland chute on her SUP.

And I had the camera with me when I ran it in the canoe.

It was a very nice end to a pretty weekend (in our part of the country, anyway).

Another pretty day on the river
last update: 08/20 @ 18:44

Today we decided to actually go downstream.

So we put in at Angler’s Inn and headed down to Lock 10.

I swear there have been way more open boats on the river since we got back from Idaho. We saw two in parking lot.

There was a handy rock for the camera and it’s timer just past Offet Island. I’ve Got to remember to bring a dry towel to wipe the lens with :)

We found the rope swing again. This time, the water was a much better temperature and so we all took several swings.

I’m biased, but I think I got the most distance.

Robert got the most splash.

And with our new addition to the fleet, we all paddled back into Yellow (or is it Stubblefield) Falls a couple times.

It really was a beautiful day on river. And a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I’m sure we’ll do it again soon.

Addition to the Flotilla
last update: 08/06 @ 21:18

On our last day in Lewsiton after the Salmon trip, we drove up to Moscow, home of NRS, and picked up an inflatable kayak.

(Moscow Idaho is way closer than the more well known Moscow.)

Robert chose green over blue. It’s very green.

We call it the Green Machine.

It’s a lot of fun.

And we discovered it’s very stable.

Which is an interesting look on the river.

Robert and Sarah are now fighting over who gets to paddle the Green Machine.

Or, should that who gets to stand on the Green Machine?

Our silly standing boaters showing off :)

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