Anyway, the weather guys got it wrong, again, and predicted Wash DC's cherry blossoms would peak this weekend, April 6/7. So, what's a woman with a kayak gonna do? She, and her cohorts, are going to drive to an uncluttered park with a boat ramp, launch into 15 miles an hour winds, and paddle across the river *known to eat people*, in order to view the blooms; that were barely even blooming yet. Ah NOAA, we love you guys, really. It's a good thing you are Federalis.
We were missing one paddler, we waited, she didn't show past launch time and we dropped in and took off. Later at home I read an email from her saying a flat tire had ruined her morning. Here's my response:
Glad you emailed me. I was just wondering if I'd missed a text or some worse fate had befallen you. Flat tires suck. Better luck next time.
You didn't miss too much, just a body being pulled from the Potomac, you know, regular stuff. Actually, we missed it too, by only a few minutes because we were waiting for you to show. The police boats were swarming though so we knew something was up. Thanks, by the way.
The blossoms are not peaking yet. Wish I had a chance to go next weekend. Maybe some other group will have a paddle. We saw like 45 white water (mostly) boats pulled up on Roosevelt Island. They were the Harrisburg Canoe Club, come all the way down from PA to see the blossoms on the river and not much to look at. At least our trip was shorter than theirs.
The blossoms are not peaking yet. Wish I had a chance to go next weekend. Maybe some other group will have a paddle. We saw like 45 white water (mostly) boats pulled up on Roosevelt Island. They were the Harrisburg Canoe Club, come all the way down from PA to see the blossoms on the river and not much to look at. At least our trip was shorter than theirs.
When we were leaving there were several small sets of rec boats going out. Here we are dressed to the gills and these yahoos are going out in shorts and t-shirts. When I first heard about the body I was sure it was one of the under-prepared. However, it appears they all survived.
Have a good rest of the weekend!
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| I 395 Bridge on right, members of my club taking pictures of the blossoms |
That particular section of river claims at least one boater's life every year. The 395 bridge creates a lot of turbulence and wacky currents. Combine the rising spring flow with the bridge and, splash, there goes another boater, whether in a jon boat or a canoe or a kayak.
Forget about those Freds though, and look at these pictures. We celebrated our luck at drawing a beautiful day to view our capital city from the water.
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| Paddling upriver with the Memorial Bridge in front of us |
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| The Lorax trying out a friend's boat with the cityscape in the background |
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| From left, that barely visible blob on the tree is a bald eagle, Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge |
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| Detail of the Memorial Bridge, very lovely and graceful |
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