Should we bring them or not

Well it’s about time.  When we left Florida this past March, we decided we would carry the kayaks and bikes with us instead of storing them in the utility trailer with the motorcycles.  That: the trailer and motorcycles, would stay in our friends’ backyard awaiting our return.  The bicycles were mounted on the 5th wheel’s ladder and we rigged some bars on the truck and figured out how to transport the kayaks there, while still having room over the bed of the truck for the 5er.

We’ve not had much opportunity to use the kayaks or bikes yet and had been questioning whether our decision to bring them with us this year was prudent or not.  While passing through Maine in late May we purchased a rack system to transport the kayaks in a better manner than what we had been doing. (read my Malone System Blog). Even with a better transporting system, we still weren't using the kayaks as we had hoped.

In April, we spent a month at a campground in MA that had mostly hard packed dirt roads, but they were always filling in holes, leading to soft patches. Chuck and I would ride our bikes, but I didn’t use the pet jogger we picked up in FL with Rugby too much. No place to kayak there.  May was spent traveling up and down the I-95 corridor.  Between the birth of our first grandchild, location and or weather, we didn’t get in any biking or kayaking.

Now we’re in Canada and have been hoping to get out on the kayaks.  Weather has been our primary deterrent; cold, wet and raw.  Today was the winner.

Our campground has access to the Baddeck River which leads into Bras d’Or Lake, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.  The sun was out, the temps were about 20 C (aboot 70 F to us Yanks).  There wasn’t much wind.  So off we went.

The portion of the lake we paddled was enchanting.  Off in the distance, the highlands region; forest covered, with some farm land clearings was spectacular.  Along the shoreline of the lake, several camps or clearings for future cottages.  Above us, blue skies and white clouds.

We had to deal with some winds while paddling, thus our intentional direction of going in to the wind, allowing us to take it easy on the paddle back.  Shore birds of various sizes flew by, some even squawking at us as we came closer to the marsh they were in.  And above us glided a spectacular bald eagle.  Because of the wind and the waves, my photos of the eagle did not come out as well as I wanted.  My boat was rocking and the wind kept driving me in a different direction, but I still got some images.

Hope you enjoy our day.