Something new to think about

Remember when I had those brown water problems at Tamarac last summer?  When I left there, I thought my water problems were over.  Then in Casa Grande, I struggled to figure out my lack of water pressure.  It turned out to be broken brand new pressure gauge.  In the meantime, I bought a new hose.  Fast forward to Imperial NWR, and I thought I was safe in the water department.  Ha!  That miserably bumpy entrance road not only broke one of my drawer latches, but once again I have a leak in the fresh water tank.

I just can’t fully close the valve that operates the empty tank thingy.  I push it in as far as I can, but it just won’t shut all the way, so the fresh water in the tank slowly leaks out.  I think maybe it’s a problem with the cable, but who knows?  Wasn’t a real problem until there was a power surge yesterday which means the refuge water pump goes out.  It took a while to get someone to reset the pump, and in the meantime, I, of course, had no water left in the tank.  What a pain in the neck!

Anyway, I finally did get the bugs washed off of the front of the rig from my journey here before the power surge yesterday.  As I was finishing up with that, several of the other volunteers asked if I’d like to go with them to Meer’s Point on the refuge.

They are all kayakers, and Meer’s Point has access to the Colorado River.  I hadn’t been there before so I jumped at the chance.

There’s also a very nice picnic area with bathrooms that is maintained by the refuge (volunteers) at the access area.  It was another beautiful blue sky day with cooler temps.  A great day for a paddle.

I used to have an inflatable canoe/kayak, but I gave that away to John and Bridget at Tamarac.  I was never very comfortable in it, and figured I’d never use it again.  It was hard for me to maneuver, and any slight breeze just blew me around.

Norma and Doug have what I think are called sit upon kayaks, and Gail and Greg have kayaks you sit down in.  As you can tell, I don’t know anything about kayaks.  I just came along to watch.

The next thing I knew, Gail suggested I try her kayak.  Cool beans!  I’ve never paddled a real kayak before!  I was nervous and much less than graceful getting into it, but get into it I did.  Wahoo!

                               Here’s a pic that Greg took to prove I actually made it out onto the water. 

It was so quiet and peaceful as I glided along.  I’ve been a canoe person all my life, but I think I liked this better.  I didn’t want to bite into their time on the river too much, so I soon headed back to the launch site.

That’s when Norma headed into shore too, and suggested I try her kayak to see the difference between the two different kinds.  How cool is that? 

As you can see, I’m more up on top in this kind of a kayak, and there are foot braces.  It’s also a heck of a lot easier to get into and out of for an old fart like me.  I just really had a good time.

It’s like I was at one with the coot. (Can you find him?)  So the thing I’m thinking about is whether or not I could haul a kayak myself.  Sherry, can you get yours up on top of Ruby by yourself?  I’d also like input on the pros and cons of both types from any of you experienced kayakers.

I’m looking forward to some more possible time out on the water as two gentlemen that volunteered here last year have left their kayaks at the volunteer village.  They will be managing one of the RV parks in Yuma (for money) this winter, and have left their kayaks here to use when they come to visit.  Not much kayaking in town I guess.    They have also said that other volunteers, like me, are free to use them when they are not here.  How lucky can I get?

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy