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paddlers?

Started by Guest_viridari_* , Apr 03 2007 02:50 PM

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21 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 02:50 PM

I'm getting more of an appreciation here that this group is not just a bunch of eccentric aquarists. :wink:

With that said, I'm wondering if there are many paddlers on the forum.

I had almost forgotten how much I loved canoeing when I was a teenager. I downloaded a british nature show off the internet (it doesn't air here) and an episode about canoeing got me going again. I went out on sunday with a rented canoe and just explored the nooks & crannies of a local reservoir to get the hang of it again.

Being able to pull up quietly to wildlife, almost close enough to reach out and touch it, is a big thrill. I'm sure I wasn't being all that quiet, or observant, as I was more focused on staying upright and working on my paddling technique. Still, I saw dozens of turtles, a beaver, and some sort of hawk or eagle (sorry I'm not a bird nut... can't give you much better than that). Going back to the pull-out I also saw a vulture that had come in to eat some other dead creature.

I did recently just move into a new house and was fired up about setting up a rack of aquaria in my home office but I find myself re prioritizing spring discretionary spending and I'm instead going to get a canoe or kayak at the end of this month so I can get out there and enjoy more North American wildlife in its own home instead of staying cooped up in my own home.

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#2 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 03:54 PM

I'd be willing to bet that many here are in general outdoor fanatics. I'm sure we have a wide range of members but the demographic here seems to lean towards a great interest in all living things with a particular fancy for native fishes, their habitat and conservation.

I'm a paddler. I still use antique Sawyer paddles handed down to me. I love being in the water but covering many miles can be difficult. A canoe will get you around faster and without all the noise and fumes from an outboard. This is the best way to cover lots of water in my opinion.

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#3 Guest_Carl_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 06:09 PM

I love to kayak! One of my favorite outdaoor memories was kayaking in Maine. I was able to paddle right up to a pair of loons and their young early in the morning. Their calls were just breath taking from 6 feet away.

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#4 Guest_arnoldi_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 07:55 PM

Drew and I canoe the rivers of VA every chance we get.
Its always good to have two people so one can park at the put-in and one at the take-out. :smile:

In fact we just collected a few little silvery things from a local waterway on Saturday. :D/

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#5 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 10:56 PM

Me too!

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#6 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 11:46 PM

My wife and I have a pair of kayaks as well, I actually just today put some J hooks on her car to make transporting them easier.

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#7 Guest_nativecajun_*

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 05:21 PM

Wild life!! You name it. Approaching 400 birds on my birding life list. I like studying snakes just to know what something is when I see it. I love fish of course and have kept turtles in the past. Used to have a kyak and about approaching wildlife close that is an awesome experience. My friend and I were paddling and went right by some fishermen and they never knew it. This was in Henderson swamp in louisiana. Awesome experience indeed. Been wanting a canoe for a long time. Seems there is always something to gobble up the money in a black hole somewhere.

Have fun,.

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#8 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 06:44 PM

I'm getting more of an appreciation here that this group is not just a bunch of eccentric aquarists.

So when are we going to open up a native plant lanscaping forum?

Yeah, people think their fish rooms are something... But I drug in 9 tons of sand to create a dune so I could keep sand specific native plants here on the clay soils in my yard that live on the Glacial Lake Warren sand ridge here to the west.

sandpile.jpg 59.35KB 1 downloads

Beat that for most obsessed eccentric! lol However, I understand one of the Botany professors at OSU did 30 tons, so I know I'm not top dog in this realm. But I'm a fish guy, dangit!

I'm instead going to get a canoe or kayak at the end of this month so I can get out there and enjoy more North American wildlife in its own home instead of staying cooped up in my own home.

Have you tried snorkelling yet? Get ready to have your mind blown.

Ahhh.... Thesis is off to committee, I can breathe again.
Todd

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#9 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 07:31 PM

As part of the threadjack, we just brought in a truckload of (unmedicated) horse poop from a friend's farm as compost for our garden expansion; some of the compost will go on my native azaelas that are part of the Confederate Generals series available locally (the Stonewall Jackson is doing well this year). So yeah, we all need more native plants wherever we live!

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#10 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 07:28 AM

Have you tried snorkelling yet? Get ready to have your mind blown.

Actually I haven't done it in quite a while but yes. I've also done FW scuba diving.

My checkout dive was at a dammed-and-flooded rock quarry near Reading, PA. I think I was about 40' down when I stuck my face into the cab of a submerged crane and a very large toothy face of some sort of big pike species was looking right back at me. I don't know which of us was more startled but I stopped peeking in that guy's home right quick. :shock:

The water temp was so close to freezing that thin layers of ice were forming and breaking at the water's surface. I had the benefit of a wet suit. It was pretty awesome to come up to the shallows and swim along with some bluegills.

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#11 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 10:19 AM

Any cavers out there?

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#12 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 11:31 AM

Any cavers out there?

Yup....

images.jpg 4.06KB 0 downloads

Since I'm contributing to the derail of the derail :smile:

I thought I'd just get it out there that I'm also an heirloom vegetable and flower gardener as well. Might save an extra post down the road.

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#13 Guest_edbihary_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 12:06 PM

What's an heirloom vegetable?

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#14 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 01:19 PM

What's an heirloom vegetable?

I knew I should have kept my mouth shut :smile:

In short, heirloom varieties are open pollinated. In other words, they grow true from seed (no hybrids). This allows seed to be handed down from generation to generation while the grower carefully selects the attributes they want from the fruit or vegetable. Mass agriculture tends to favor pest resistant, long shelf life foods with thick skins for shipping while not bothering to take notice of how horribly flavorless the product is. Heirlooms are full of flavor but usually have thin skins and don't last very long on the shelf. I also find the history behind the vegetables interesting.

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#15 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 01:54 PM

Actually I haven't done it in quite a while but yes. I've also done FW scuba diving.

My checkout dive was at a dammed-and-flooded rock quarry near Reading, PA. I think I was about 40' down when I stuck my face into the cab of a submerged crane and a very large toothy face of some sort of big pike species was looking right back at me. I don't know which of us was more startled but I stopped peeking in that guy's home right quick. The water temp was so close to freezing that thin layers of ice were forming and breaking at the water's surface. I had the benefit of a wet suit. It was pretty awesome to come up to the shallows and swim along with some bluegills.

I've done quite a bit FW scuba diving and many times more snorkeling. There are some great dives to be had in the springs and caves of Florida. Saw my first bluenose shiners, mullets, and hogchokers that way. Heck now that I think about it, Brian and I have actually done some dives together, not that we could probably even see each other from a foot away most of the time. I had a similar check out dive in a quarry the first week of April in Ohio. Blew a filling the water was so cold (42 F). Sorta back towards a fish note, I like to collect old books. I just got passed down a first edition (1908) Trout Fly Fishing in N.A., and little to my surprise it goes for up to 1,500 dollars.

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#16 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 13 April 2007 - 12:49 PM

I just picked this up this morning. Going to use it tomorrow to do some garbage cleanup along the Neuse River in Raleigh.

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#17 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 13 April 2007 - 06:19 PM

I just picked this up this morning. Going to use it tomorrow to do some garbage cleanup along the Neuse River in Raleigh.

Looks nice - what type of canoe is it? Touring, Expedition, or what?

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#18 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 13 April 2007 - 06:22 PM

I just got passed down a first edition (1908) Trout Fly Fishing in N.A., and little to my surprise it goes for up to 1,500 dollars.

There is quite a collector's market for fly-fishing books - I'm not surprised.

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#19 Guest_viridari_*

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Posted 14 April 2007 - 10:09 PM

Looks nice - what type of canoe is it? Touring, Expedition, or what?

It's a Mad River St. Croix. It's a little over 14 feet long, shallow V hull, about 70 lbs. I paddled solo today on the Neuse River and this boat is definitely much more at home on the river than it is on still water. I recently had rented a Mad River Explorer 14tt to paddle on the Wake Forest Reservoir and it is the exact same boat as the St. Croix just with a new name. The rental boat was manageable on still water but just barely as it succumbed to weather cocking very easily when the wind picked up and was a little challenging to track straight requiring frequent correction and a good J-stroke. I'm happy with how it performed on the river today, though.

I managed to pull quite a haul of trash out of the river today. Litterbugs appear to favor Mountain Dew and McDonald's. There was also quite a lot of sporting equipment, tires, and even a wood shipping pallet. It was a good opportunity to see how well the canoe handles solo with a lot of ballast up front (she did great).

I did get to see some cool wildlife in and around the river but the water was very silty and visibility in the water was about nothing so no fish sightings to report (other than some gamefish coming up to snap bugs from the water's surface).

The Neuse River is famous for its mismanagement and pollution, which has really screwed up the native fish populations here. The situation is turning around now, thanks to the vigilance of groups like the Neuse River Foundation (who organized the cleanup event today). But from what I could see today, there is still much work to be done.

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#20 Guest_edbihary_*

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Posted 15 April 2007 - 10:05 AM

The Neuse River is famous for its mismanagement and pollution, which has really screwed up the native fish populations here. The situation is turning around now, thanks to the vigilance of groups like the Neuse River Foundation (who organized the cleanup event today). But from what I could see today, there is still much work to be done.

Thanks for the warning. My brother moved to Raleigh last year, and now lives on a hill above the Neuse River. I was thinking of going down for a visit and collecting trip. So much for that. It kind of takes away the incentive for a visit, since he comes up for holidays and at other times (and stays with my parents) anyway. I see enough of him without traveling.