First Fall Paddling of 2012!

It was a lovely day to be outside. So I drove up to Riverbend Park and used my free kayak rental voucher that I got from the certification class a couple months ago.

It was very crowded at the park but I managed to find a parking right near the river. (There is an option to park at Nature Center if the parking at Visitor Center is full.)

The river was gorgeous. Not many people on the water so I basically had the river by myself. :) The fall color started to come out a bit. We got some rain earlier so nobody was allowed to paddle toward east which was toward the dam.

As I mentioned on the previous post what I love about the river at Riverbend is that there is a mix of moving and flatwater which is a perfect place for a beginner like me to fool around. I played with the rapids by trying to stay on it like I learnt in the class. (And I did! But I couldn't go pass it though. Coz of my wimpy stroke ?) I even snugged my boat behind the rock in the middle of river and had my snack there listening and watching the water running around me. :)

Anyway, it is going to be a busy paddling season! Enjoy the photos!

Click here to view these pictures larger

My First Paddling at Riverbend Park

Dear Readers,

Riverbend Park has become my most favorite place to paddle. (Did I say something like this on the previous posts ? ha ha.) Last Friday when we got the blue moon I joined a canoe tour provided by the park. We got a perfect weather and sky. The Potomac River looked all lovely. The tour started about 6 pm and lasted for 2 hours. So we saw the sunset and the moonrise in one trip.

We had two paddlers per canoe. I teamed up with the tour guide. I was a bow paddler. We paddled upstream toward the pump house. The water here was super flat and clear although our guide said it didn't mean it was clean. But once we passed the pump house we got a bit of small rapids here and there. They were not considered as whitewater. However knowing the principle of ferrying helped me a lot and of course I was glad that I still remembered how to canoe since I hadn't done it since last year.

And good news for a newbie with no boat like me. There is a boat rental here but you can't rent until you attend their tour or their classification class which I did earlier this summer. If you attend a classification class you can rent a kayak for 3 hours for free. The instructor will sign a paper and a member card for you. Don't lose them! :)

If you own a boat, the launch fee is $5 per boat as of the day I am writing this blog.

Well, don't want to bore you anymore with the text. The photos are way more interesting. (And I have 2 more blogs to finish! I shouldn't have paddled at 3 different places 3 days in a row, should I ?!)

Enjoy! And see the detail about the park and the tour below. :)

If you have a trouble seeing photos hosted by Shutterfly, please drop me a comment.

 

                     Click here to view these pictures larger

---------------------- <*)))))< ------------------------

General Information about the tour:

Riverbend Fairfax County Park Official Events Website: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/kayaktours.htm

Where to meet: near boat launch ramp (with Restrooms at the Visitor Center which is just steps away.)

How to register and make payment: Online before the event, accept only Visa and Master Card.

What are provided: boats (depending on the tour but canoes, solo, tandem kayaks and row boats are available), paddle, PFD, helmet (optional)

What to bring: water 

Riverbend Boat Rental Information:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/fishing.htm