This is a map of the Virginia Beach Scenic Waterway. Did you know that you can paddle from Munden Point and south all the way to the bay at Lynnhaven Inlet? The River Mice did it over four different days. Look at earlier entries in this blog for the story.
The West neck Creek paddle on June 3rd will go from Princess Anne Road south to the West Neck Marina, or possibly longer.
Monday, May 14, 2007
June Paddles
These are the upcoming paddles:
Saturday, May 19th
Wild River Outfitters Demo Day
Seashore State Park 64th Street Narrows
9am-4pm
For those who are looking for a kayak of their own, a great way to start is to check out some boats here. A $5 fee (plus the state park parking fee) lets you try any of over a hundred different kayaks and canoes. It is always good to "test paddle" a boat, whether you buy it that weekend from Wild River or somewhere else. More info at this link:
http://www.wildriveroutfitters.com/usage/demoday.htm
Sunday, June 3rd
West Neck Creek
We have tried this one a couple of times, but our enjoyment of this beautiful paddle always seems to be dampened by rain, so we will try again. It starts with a narrow channel, then gradually widens into a winding creek with lots of wildlife.
Meet at 10am at the Princess Anne Road put-in between Holland Road and Sandbridge Road (pictured). If the weather looks good, we will set a shuttle and paddle between 4 and 7 miles. If not, we will figure something out to get some paddling in.
This is an intermediate paddle- the water is calm, but the distance could be on the long side, and there are limited places to pull over and rest. There may be some obstacles to get around in the water.
Saturday, June 16th
Deep Creek Locks
Jerry Found this put-in during his travels, and secured permission for us to access a new stretch of water in the Deep Creek Section of Chesapeake. Depending on the wind, and our mood, we can paddle east, towards the southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, or west, up a winding creek. More info to come on this paddle.
Thursday, June 28th
Owl's Creek Evening Paddle
7:00pm
Meet at the Owl's Creek boatramp on General Booth Boulevard at 7 for this relaxing, fun paddle. Both High Tide and Monnrise are predicted for 7:16pm this day. We will paddle around lake Rudee and among the backyards of Croatan. Once it gets dark we will check out one of the isolated creeks, and see what we can see. If you remember the fireflies from past paddles, it is something you won't forget!
Bring a flashlight that can be attached to your boat. This paddle is beginner/intermediate. Owl's Creek is a nice place to paddle around. It is a no-wake zone, and is protected from wind and waves. The trip over to Croatan can get a little choppy as we pass under the Rudee Inlet bridge, and paddling in the dark may not be your cup of tea.
See you on the water!
Saturday, May 19th
Wild River Outfitters Demo Day
Seashore State Park 64th Street Narrows
9am-4pm
For those who are looking for a kayak of their own, a great way to start is to check out some boats here. A $5 fee (plus the state park parking fee) lets you try any of over a hundred different kayaks and canoes. It is always good to "test paddle" a boat, whether you buy it that weekend from Wild River or somewhere else. More info at this link:
http://www.wildriveroutfitters.com/usage/demoday.htm
Sunday, June 3rd
West Neck Creek
We have tried this one a couple of times, but our enjoyment of this beautiful paddle always seems to be dampened by rain, so we will try again. It starts with a narrow channel, then gradually widens into a winding creek with lots of wildlife.
Meet at 10am at the Princess Anne Road put-in between Holland Road and Sandbridge Road (pictured). If the weather looks good, we will set a shuttle and paddle between 4 and 7 miles. If not, we will figure something out to get some paddling in.
This is an intermediate paddle- the water is calm, but the distance could be on the long side, and there are limited places to pull over and rest. There may be some obstacles to get around in the water.
Saturday, June 16th
Deep Creek Locks
Jerry Found this put-in during his travels, and secured permission for us to access a new stretch of water in the Deep Creek Section of Chesapeake. Depending on the wind, and our mood, we can paddle east, towards the southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, or west, up a winding creek. More info to come on this paddle.
Thursday, June 28th
Owl's Creek Evening Paddle
7:00pm
Meet at the Owl's Creek boatramp on General Booth Boulevard at 7 for this relaxing, fun paddle. Both High Tide and Monnrise are predicted for 7:16pm this day. We will paddle around lake Rudee and among the backyards of Croatan. Once it gets dark we will check out one of the isolated creeks, and see what we can see. If you remember the fireflies from past paddles, it is something you won't forget!
Bring a flashlight that can be attached to your boat. This paddle is beginner/intermediate. Owl's Creek is a nice place to paddle around. It is a no-wake zone, and is protected from wind and waves. The trip over to Croatan can get a little choppy as we pass under the Rudee Inlet bridge, and paddling in the dark may not be your cup of tea.
See you on the water!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Kiptopeke Weekend 2006
The weekend after Labor Day, the River Mice gathered for the sixth annual Kiptopeke weekend at Kiptopeke State Park on the eastern shore. Located just three miles past the toll plaza of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, it is an ideal retreat close to home.
Camp was set up under the trees at the spacious campground. Most of our sites backed up against each other, making for a nice community feel.
The highlight of the weekend is the Saturday paddle. This year, conditions were ideal to paddle around Raccoon Island, a close-in barrier island. A large group headed out, including Bill and Cheri, Ed and Connie, George and Bev, Jeff and Chris, Jerry and Jeanine, and Peggy and Jim. Debbie and Joe arrived early in the morning, and decided to get acquainted with their new camper instead of paddling.
No matter where you are, the bridge-tunnel isn't far away. It is off to the left of this picture.
Among the Barrier Islands
Saturday's paddle had ideal conditions for exploring the barrier islands. The tide was up, and the wind was down. Those far-off islands were more inviting than ever, and most of the group took the bait. After traveling most of the way around Raccoon Island, our intrepid paddlers took off for the far point of Fishermans Island, a mile away across open water.
The trip out and back took most of an hour, with no chance for rest. Fishermans Island is completely closed to human visitors. Finally, it was time to take out in the mud. The tide had dropped about 3-4 feet since put-in. Then it was back to camp for showers, dinner, and another night around the fire.
Touring the Concrete Ships
On Sunday the group took advantage of the beautiful weather and paddled out to the concrete ships that serve as a breakwater. Yes, concrete ships. They were an experiment during world war II, when steel was in high demand. Concrete was used for the ship's hull, and yes, it floated! When the Little Creek-Cape Charles ferry terminal moved to this location, the owner purchased the ships, floated them into place, and sank them to serve as a breakwater. Now, they are one of the sights of Kiptopeke.
It was another great weekend of paddling and friendship. The weather was near perfect- not too hot, with little wind. All in all, Kiptopeke was as it should be, a perfect way to start the end of summer!
END KIPTOPEKE
Monday, August 07, 2006
Schonkathon '06
this was the scene as Moguls of all stripes gathered at John's house for a pool party on August 5th. Since John lives on the Lafayette River, the party was also a good excuse for a paddle.
Only half of the boats that got in the river are in this picture. NINETEEN boats and 21 people in all paddled across the river to explore the backyards of the creeks of Larchmont and the Riverfront neighborhood. It was a record turnout for a paddle, and several new people were introduced to the fun of flatwater paddling.
Oh, and there was this great spread of food, and a pool, and lots of good friends, but since this is a paddling blog...
Checking the Put-in
Jerry and Vonnie take a walk down the pier to identify possible put-in spots. In the end, paddlers descended a ladder and took a few steps over to a small patch of sand in order to get started. it took about 30 minutes to get the whole crew in the water.
It was a beautiful day for a paddle and a party. The heat wave finally broke, giving us a "cool" 86 degree day with lower humidity.
Lovin' it!
Teresa decided to check out the River Mice way of life, and from the smile on her face, you have to say she loves it! She is in a Jazz, a short sit-on-top model that is perfect for checking out the paddling scene. It's a little turny for some mice paddles, but just right for a social paddle like this one.
Hope you can be like Teresa and join us for a paddle soon!
How'm I Doing?
We've seen Ed on the water a couple of times, but this was the first time we got to paddle with Connie. She did great, and seemed to be enjoying herself on Crab Creek.
3 People, Two Boats
Jan and her friends take a photo break halfway through the paddle. Her friends (whose names I can't remember, but will edit in if someone lets me know,) are in a tandem boat, and seem to be getting along fine.
The pool party started at 2pm, and lasted until about 11. Some folks just couldn't get enough of the company and the awesome weather.
George's Big Splash
The highlight of the party, aside from the perfect weather, was George's entry into the water. With years of experience in whitewater, he made it look easy. He also made the fully-clothed back-flop into the pool look easy!
Thanks to John and Jan for putting on an awesome party!
END SCHONKATHON '06
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Heat Wave on the Hague!
August 3rd, 2006 was the hottest day of the year, with temperatures topping out at 102 or 103 degrees. This thermometer reading was at 6:05pm, a few minutes before six mice put in at the Hague for our second evening paddle of the season.
Yes, you can put in at Ghent! We started in front of the Chrysler Museum, close to the footbridge. It was oppressively hot on land, but once we got on the water, things cooled off a bit. It was still hot, but not nearly bad enough to stay home. There was actually a nice breeze that helped alot.
On the Elizabeth River
Our Paddle took us down the Hague, past the PETA building, and into the Elizabeth River, where we turned left. We passed the battleship Wisconsin, Nauticus and the new cruise terminal, Town Point Park and Waterside before stopping just before the Berkeley Bridge. In this picture, the bridge had just closed after opening for a rather tall tug. Jim and Peggy think the opening was for our little group!
Note how relaxed Peggy is.
Sunset Paddling
After we turned around, we were treated to the setting sun and some neat colors in front of Waterside. This view looks towards the Waterside Marina, and just left of center, the Huntington Tugboat Museum. The Portsmouth Naval Hospital is in the distance.
Turning around put is against the wind, making the paddle just a little more pleasant. Despite the haze, the sun did get in our eyes a little, though!
Fun on the Water
Does this look like a group of people who just spent an hour and a half in misery? Of course not! Peggy, Jerry, Jeanine, Chris and Jeff have smiles on their faces after another great paddle. Photographer Jim was smiling too.
After the paddle, everyone gathered at Chris's condo nearby for some delicious snacks and beverages, as well as some great conversation. The flank steak and bean dip were delicious! Thanks for hosting us Chris!
END HAGUE PADDLE
Princess Anne Road Paddle- Dark Skies
Six Mice showed up July 20th at the Princess Anne Road put-in, hoping to get a paddle in before the skies cut loose. They got their wish, paddling down Upper West Neck Creek for about 45 minutes before hearing some distant thunder and deciding to turn back.
This picture actually shows the skies AFTER the paddle. It started to drizzle when the boats were tied back up and we were ready to leave.
Rainy Day Paddlers
Jim, Barb, Brad, Jeanine, and Chris pose for the camera before the group disbanded for the day. Despite the paddle being cut short due to potential bad weather, they enjoyed the paddle.
Princess Anne Road seems to be the River Mice's jinxed paddle. For the second year in a row, the paddle was affected by rain. Hopefully the next time we try will be better- the West Neck Creek is really a beautiful paddle!
END PRINCESS ANNE ROAD
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Hague Paddle- RESCHEDULED
We were rained out of an evening paddle once again, so we are trying next week!
Thursday, August 3rd, 6:15pm, THE HAGUE, in Norfolk. We will meet on
the north side of the Hague, along Mowbray Arch, between the Chrysler Museum
and the footbridge. This is a relaxed, after-work social paddle. We will
explore the Hague, and perhaps venture into the Elizabeth River for a little
while.
Chris Hoyland will host some snacks and beverages afterwards at her place, a
block north of the Chrysler Museum.
Then on Saturday, August 5th, it is the 2nd annual John Schonk party. Among other things, you can paddle the Lafayette River in Norfolk. Bring your boat, or borrow one for a while.
Air Power Park Paddle
On June 24th, four daring mice snuck into Air Power Park to paddle the Back River from a dock located inside the park. Actually, we got permission from park personnel, but had to heave our boats over the fence and drag them about 50 yards to get them to the dock for put-in. Here, Jeff, jeanine and Chris do all the heavy lifting, while Jerry snaps a few pictures.
With the jets and rockets nearby, this was definitely one of the most unique put-ins we have ever used!
On the Back River
This wasn't the paddle for you if you wanted to get away from it all. we did see herons, muskrats, and surprisingly, orioles! But a look at the top right of this photo will tell you that we were never far away from the rest of the world in Hampton.
The Back River is more of a creek and a drainage channel when you head south from the park. Aside from the roads, there is always a decent buffer of trees and grasses between the water and development.
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