paddling

Paddling: Pontiac Bay to St. Edwards Park

Victor Lazlo — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:17:06 -0600

I am often inviting family and friends along for a leisurely afternoon paddle, so I'm always on the lookout for rental locations. When taking the scenic route home along Sand Point Way, I'd noticed a building with a half dozen brightly colored plastic kayaks propped up on the roof, as if to say "we rent kayaks here!". A little sleuthing and I discovered that, indeed, Seattle Raft & Kayak has an outfitter and rental shop in the Magnuson Park complex.

Paddling Gig Harbor On a Gorgeous Day

Victor Lazlo — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:18:13 -0700

I hadn't been out of the house in tha last 24 hours, except for a short, moonlit walk after the feeding. Thanksgiving was excellent, but I was so preoccupied with enjoying the time with my family, getting lost in a book, working a puzzle with Oma, snoozing, relaxing, getting stuffed that, well... you get the drift. I was lazy.

Paddling on a Sunday afternoon

Victor Lazlo — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:32:43 -0600

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.

Paddling: Portage inlet, Vancouver BC

Victor Lazlo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:58:42 -0600

This paddle trip took place during the summer solstice of 2007. The wife and I were traveling through Victoria, BC and spent our last day there exploring by kayak. We were staying near Chinatown and found the Harbour Canoe Club (450 Swift Street) had some basic single and double kayaks for rent at a pretty standard price. It was an ideal place to launch because you could take a couple routes, either out to the main harbour to watch the seaplanes take-off and land or travel further inland through Portage Inlet. Our tracking map follows the Portage Inlet inland.

Paddling Portage Inlet

Victor Lazlo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:34:43 -0600

The inside passage is one of the premier places for kayaking, because the geography consists of thousands of little inlets and coves, some of which are only accessible by canoe or kayak. Well, being that it was our last day on Vancouver Island, we didn't have the time to go on a major tour. We were able to paddle our way up Portage Inlet and explore some wetlands. Once we passed the trestle bridge and the industrial area, the inlet became quiet and blissful.

Paddling: Washington Park Arboretum

Victor Lazlo — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:29:24 -0600

There are a number of reasons I frequently paddle around the Washington Park arboretum. It is an easy route that anyone can do, it is fun to paddle under the freeway to access a wetland full of plant and animal life, I can invite anyone to come along because there is a convenient kayak rental at Agua Verde and after a couple of hours exploration I can get a beer and a taco at Agua Verde's Mexican cafe upstairs! What I usually do is find a parking spot at the paddle club and unload my boat while my friends get a rental. There is a (very small) public launch adjacent to the paddle club.

"Een persoon kanoing" in Broek in Waterland

Victor Lazlo — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 08:34:50 -0600

We were capable of rising at a reasonable hour, and so we did. It was a nice morning to walk up to A'dam Centraal and wrangle up some bicycles. Mac bike took care of our needs and called me a pussy for wanting hand brakes. So, we took our bikes and turned our wheels toward the ferry to North Amsterdam. In no time we were bouncin' along the bike paths through the parks and directly into the countryside to Broek in Waterland. A quick side trip and we came upon Waterland, where we each rented an 'een persoon kano' from the outfitter.