Kayaking among the lotus, Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve , VA

I have been lurking in Bob's meetup group Hiking, Kayaking, and Cultural Adventurers for a few years now, and finally got around to joining one of his kayaking trips. This was the July 2nd "Crow's Nest Flatwater Kayak Adventure Through The Lotus Flowers" on Acokeek Creek, Virginia. The prediction of inclement weather in the afternoon caused a number of people to cancel; only three of us including Bob showed up. We took off at about 8:30 am.

Being a novice (and very nervous) kayaker, I was very appreciative of Bob's guidance and Jennifer's patience as they had to wait for me to catch up in my Oru Inlet which was no match for their hard shell kayaks.

It was a peaceful 5-mile kayak on the creek; the few lotus blooms we passed posed for photos. We got back to the landing about 2 pm, and beat the storm. I wished I could do some fishing, or maybe not, after I caught a warning sign advising caution on consumming fish caught in this area. I am not sure that I would do another kayaking trip, at least not until I have a more robust kayak!

Summer in Maryland: crabbing and fishing

Was glad to be home for the summer: it was too hot to be camping in a minivan! I can handle the cold but the heat, especially sleeping without air conditioning was not much fun. Since the Winnipeg trip in late June, I have been busy. Checked out the crabbing in Sandy Point State Park, although I know it was still early in the season. Still, I managed to net 4 crabs using hand lines (threw back a lot of juveniles), it was a fun way to spend a few hours in the morning.

A few days later I took the grandson of some friends crabbing, we had no luck but caught this large eel in one of the crab nets. His grandmother cooked it for dinner, said it was delicious. I had tried fresh eel before, it was difficult to clean (very slippery) and I did not care for the gelatinous texture. Nothing at all like the grilled unagi in sushi restaurants, maybe I just did not know how to prepare it.

We also went on to Tuckahoe State Park, my favorite fishing hole, where Leo caught his first bluegill! We caught a few more, sufficient to make a meal, before it got too hot.