About Roof Rack

Aug 21, 2012

We always learn a lot from an expert. Don't you agree ? I start testing a couple boats belonged to the school last Saturday and also revisit the roof rack research. Again Mike, my kayak instructor, gave me a great suggestion. He suggested me to look at an inflatable roof rack called HandiRack by Malone. It gets pretty positive reviews. And it's over $ 400 cheaper than the permanent roof rack and still does its job. Honestly I am 70% sure I am going to go with this rack. I could put more money toward the boat and gears.

A couple things to be careful are 1) scratches created by the rack. Many users suggest putting the towels underneath the rack. 2) water leaking through the doors which can be avoided by not leaving this inflatable racks on when it's rain.

3-door Volk Polo with HandiRack

Mini Cooper with HandiRack

Now my car is a 3-door Volkswagen Golf not a 5-door. So how to install the rear rack ? I found the photo above. I probably need to put a couple foams on the roof as a support toward the back. HandiWorld provides a great photo gallery of their product. You might want to check it out.

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May 11, 2012

Yesterday I took a free 1.5-hour class at REI about How to Select a Kayak led by Mike, the owner of CKAPCO, and a staff at REI (I think she is the head of the paddling department, an avid paddler and she is smaller than me at 5'-2"!) The part that I was excited most was about how to load a kayak to the roof of a car by yourself. Loading from the front or back of a car using bath mats was my favorite. ha!

This is a photo of Volk Golf 3-door from online. I have this car too with the exact same antenna!

So I couldn't help visiting Thule website again. I love their Fitting Guide feature which made my life much easier since I knew nothing about a roof rack. I didn't grow up with one and nobody in my group was crazy about paddling.

So once you are on Thule website you select your vehicle, model, year and roof feature (if that is a case). Thule will ask if you would like to select a base system (the roof rack) or other accessories which vary by type of activities or usage such as cargo, snowsport, bike or watersport. I had nothing so I started with the base system. 

Thule will list options for each component, the foot, the bar, etc, for you to choose from. You can look at the price, the detail of each piece, photos or download PDF of the installation guide on a pop-up window.

Once you complete your base system you can keep adding item in my case I add accessories for watersport. I found that their "compare" option doesn't work for me though.

The feature I like most is that you don't have to buy all these from Thule. (The price is MSRP which means expensive.)  You can print your complete list and go shopping at local dealers or online stores. If you pick an online store, it will export this list to your cart automatically. I got much better price from my favorite store, Amazon with free shipping on most of the items.

Anyway, I am so excited about this and just want to share with other newbies out there.

Lake Audubon, Reston, Virginia

Taking off at 9 am!

The forecast said that we would get few shower on Saturday morning so I didn't want to drive far to other boat rental places. (But we didn't get any. Got a lot of sun instead. Brownie me.) I decided to ask my instructor if I can try some of the school's boats to explore Lake Audubon when the class took place. I had been wanting to explore this lake since it is so lovely in fall.  My request was granted so here I was. Paddling.

Houses

Lake Audubon is a bit bigger than Lake Anne and surrounded by higher-end housing but no boat rental available. The launch boat here is very active and no fee is charged. I took some photos and I hope you enjoy them. (You can check out more photos on my new photo page on Shutterfly. I am in a progress of moving my photos from multiply.com as it is closing down its photo sharing service.)

Aww there is a little cove to explore here...

A pedestrian bridge number 37 over Snakeden Branch.

The prettiest setting for a storm drain I've ever seen so far.

Heading back to the lake

I scared him/her and a couple turtles today. 

Houses around the lake and a lovely sky

Who doesn't love flowers ?! (ok..I was stuck.)

Water can have a pattern too.

Sleeping Duckies

Jackson Journey 13.5, my ride in the morning.

I also took this opportunity to paddle (and carry) 2 kayaks, Jackson Journey 13.5 and 14. And of course practiced paddling strokes and maneuvers. I'll write about them on a separate blog. Yep! I am on the search for a boat. We'll see if I decide to keep renting for another year instead.

Oh well I am sore. (good sore) I ended up paddling for over 3 hours instead of 2 hours as planned. My instructor talked me out of it with by asking a very simple question "Did you practice all your strokes ?" Eww.

Anyway, I would say you can paddle around the lake for fun in less than 1 hour. 

Until next paddling. If the schedule works out, I'll be canoeing at Riverbend! :)

Low Brace and High Brace

I spent over 3 hours on the lake today. My instructor let me try his Jackson Journey 13 and 14 to fool around while he was teaching others. I enjoy doing series of strokes and maneuvers. Love the feeling of the boat gliding through the water. But when it comes to bracing...ugh. Probably because I am uncomfortable with being on the edge of capsize. well...I know they're essential.

And let's not talk about wet exit practice. I am so bad at flipping the boat back. I haven't successfully rolled either but I do think about taking pool rolling class during winter...just to keep my paddling spirit high. :) (Yesterday I saw a video on how to do sweep roll and I feel like I want to try it. I guess that's a good sign!)

So next time I am on the water I am going to practice bracing. I promise!



Oh and I won't believe the weather forecast anymore. It said we would get few showers. It was so sunny that I turned brown.

One Square Mile of Hope

They did for Guinness record last year in New York. It's called One Square Mile of Hope. 

I would love to be on one of those boats! I would never capsize. (But if I did, it would be very scary too!)

Don't be careless on the water

I read a post on a forum on Chesapeake Paddlers Association. today. It's so worth reading as a reminder not to be careless when you're on the water no matter what.

Thomas Lighthouse  -- A Near-Fatal Incident Report

My Morning Kayak Tour at Algonkian Regional Park, VA

Our boats for today

Algonkian Regional Park is the only park in the area that doesn't have a boat rental at the moment. (They're working on the insurance and hope to have it next year. :) ) So for now you need your own boat or join their tour like I did this morning. :) I am sure once they have it set up it is going to be so popular. It is so close to the city.

I love the cloudy sky.

We couldn't even see the edge of the water.

This is why I love the cloudy sky.

This is a 4-hour tour starting from 8am-12pm. (I think I am getting better!) I was a bit anxious this morning if we were going to get lightening storm but we didn't! And the best part was the lovely cloud through out the trip.

After signing all the liability form and reviewing the basic (repeat...paddle with your torso. :)) we headed out onto the Potomac River. We had 7 people total. The youngest kayaker is 11-year-old boy. The paddle was too long for him but he handled the trip very very well.

The water here is so flat that I got scared. ha ha. Because it means everything depending on your paddling...only.

The impact of the heavy runoff. Notice the sharp cutoff bank.

Our tour guide, Rob (if I heard correctly), used to be on IT business and got tired of being a cube all day so here he is...on the wide open river. He led us to the creek, the polluted area and mentioned that he will try to set up a clean-up day. He also expressed his concern about the heavy runoff in the area. I read about a runoff for my LEED exam but never really witness the impact or the damage of the heavy runoff until now. 

A view from the island

Another great thing about paddling here is there are a bunch of islands you can hop on and off or have a long break. You can also get onto the trail on Maryland side without driving on the beltway. You also have creeks and coves along the river. I feel like a little explorer. (ok...The islands are not that big and I know we're still in a city.)

Some flowers on the island

And some froggy

He needs my ride. :)

Don't want to bore you all with my writing. Just try to paddle here if you can get a boat. Or just join the tour. (Please see the link below.) But you probably won't see me next month because I am going to see all the canoe and kayak celebrities at Deep Creek Open!

Until next paddling~

Check out more photos from the trip here. (Please note my photo sharing host is closing down their service. I am testing Photobucket and Shutterfly at the moment. Let me know what you think.)

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General Information about the tour:

Algonkian Regional Park Official Events Website: http://www.nvrpa.org/park/algonkian/events
Where to meet: Boat ramp (with Porta Potty Restrooms only)
How to register and make payment: Registration is required, over the phone only, accept only Visa and Master Card.
What are provided: Boats (single-person kayaks for sure. You may need to ask the staff over the phone about others.) paddle, PFD

What to bring: lots of water, snack, sunblock bug spray (I don't need one. :) )

Deep Creek Open

If you're in DC area, you might want to drive up north and see this! I am going there (to watch) for sure. Deep Creek Open and U.S. Nationals Canoe/Kayak Slalom– September 8-9, 2012

A Night Tour at Fountainhead Regional Park, VA

I finally got back on to the boat again yesterday for a 3-hour-long night tour at Fountainhead Regional Park. Well...it's dark. Very dark that you could see lots of stars. Unfortunately my knowledge in astronomy is zero so I couldn't tell you what I saw. We're lucky that we got a very clear sky as well. The water was very calm that I think you could just float your air mattress on the water and stay there all night.

It's quite different from the tour at Pohick Bay since the water here is wide open. We visited a couple coves not too far from the boat launch and came across deers, birds, frogs, submerged concrete structure with spiders, etc. The paddling was relaxing. All you can hear was the paddle hit against the water which was very loud when you had 15 people on the tour. (ha ha I could see my instructor clutching his head.) If you just want to paddle away, here is your place.

The moon rose above the trees line about half hour before the tour was over so it's rewarding.

Meanwhile you can check out the photos I took last year by clicking here. It's really pretty in fall. I am sure I'll be on a boat for hours here later this year.

Stay tuned for a tour at Algonkian Regional Park next week. I promise some photos since it's a morning tour!

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General Information about the tour:

Fountainhead Regional Park Official Events Website: http://www.nvrpa.org/park/fountainhead/events
Where to meet: Marina boat rental building (with Restrooms)
How to register and make payment: Registration is required, over the phone only, accept only Visa and Master Card.
What are provided: Boats (single-person kayaks, tandem kayaks, canoes - for the tours, more options for rental) paddle, PFD, headlight
What to bring: water, bug spray (I don't need one this time. :) It's breezy.)

Interview: Scott Parson, Olympic Kayaker

He seems pretty honest with  his interview. I am sure we all could get confused and feel lost sometimes as well.



Watch him at Olympic on NBC!

Inspiration: Transporting your boats

I am collecting these photos as an inspiration that I can put a boat on my Volk Golf. (Some were emailed to me so I don't have the reference, sorry!)

Not sure if this should be done.

My boss sent me this photo.