Paddling on a Sunday afternoon

There are a million things I could have been doing on a Sunday afternoon - chores, house projects, etc. Instead of doing any of those things, I found myself renting kayaks down at Agua Verde Paddle Club for an afternoon of delightful exploration of the Washington Park Arboretum. The arboretum is the default route for anyone renting at Agua Verde, but it is also one of the most unique paddling experiences in the Seattle area, because you are not only floating through a protected wetland, you are paddling under the Hwy 520 bridge. It is great for the beginner, but just as entertaining for the expert paddler.

The best part of the tour was getting an up-close encounter with a Great Blue Heron, which was preening itself in a little thatch of swamp grass and cat tails. When I mentioned it to one of the hands at Agua Verde, she stated that has been their breeding spot for over a hundred years! We also encountered a type of waterfowl that was very agitated by our presence, and seemed to be aggressively corralling us. We later realized that there was a nest nearby and that it must have been defending its turf - what a display though.

After returning the kayaks, we took advantage of one of the best reasons to use Agua Verde over other outfitters - they have a Mexican restaurant upstairs. We ordered some tacos, chips & salsa, and margaritas (I had horchata frese, instead). It was a nice treat after paddling back against the wind. Sometimes you need to shirk your chores and do some living. After all, the chores will wait for you to return, but the sun won't.