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Urban Paddling

As I looked out the front window of my parent’s Seattle, Washington home, from the glimmer of the sun on the lake and the lack of other boats, I could sense that it would be a grand day for some urban paddling.

So, I loaded up my Prijon SeaYak on top of the Subaru, gathered my paddling gear and headed down to Lake Union. I parked my car by Ivar’s Salmon House, portaging at the park just next door. Paddling solo makes getting the boat to the water a bit of a tedious process, but with a little maneuvering of the switchback path, my boat was nestled in the water waiting for my skirt to comb the rim of the cockpit.

With the skirt on and my Werner paddle in hand, I shoved off from the northern shores of the Lake. A couple of strokes later, slicing through the slips of sailboats, I looked to my right noticing that a large vessel was missing. The “Air Stream” of boats was gone. An old passenger ferry, better known as the “Kalakala”, had seemingly run its course.

After a moment of mourning, I was off again with some solid strokes and heading west towards Fremont. Paddling on the lake is a serene experience and always a surprise. One never knows what boats or planes will be out, and sometimes the forward course must be changed in a matter of seconds. As I paddled onward, I came upon Gas Works Park and noticed a number of folks enjoying the weekend relaxing. While I was tempted to join them, my drive to keep paddling was greater. I decided to continue farther on.

After passing the Park, my next scenario included the channel past the Fremont Bridge. Here in the channel, my final adventure included a short observation of the multitude of birds nesting and basking in the area. Also, while in the channel, I had the luck of being the only paddler at the time. A rare moment seldom found.

At this point it was time to head back towards the car. A calming feeling arose the whole way back, and with nothing but sunshine and blue sky, no complaints were to be found. It was a short paddle, but enjoyable nonetheless. As I pulled up to the launch I had left earlier in the day, thoughts of other adventures came to mind. All in a days paddle.

Bennett Barr
NRS Customer Service

Note:
Photos taken at
Gas Works Park