The Lit River

Poked my head over the ridge when we were driving back from the bowling alley recently and saw the lights in the back of a house at the bottom of our bend. Sort of crazy to put together the scene on the other side of the trees and up the ridge from a part of the Conestoga River I’ve been on quite a few times. 

There are other places on the river where I have a pretty good idea what lies beyond, especially on the stretch we do from the house, but for the most part it's a mystery. 

But this was somehow going to get on the subject of lights. We’re here…

I’ve been doing a lot of night kayaking. Partly because sunset is at 5 pm, partly because we just went through a full-moon cycle. I try to get out on the full-moon every month, but this November I hit the moon more than usual. 

In the middle of the winter when the leaves are all off of the trees and the full moon is high, you could read a book out there. Not that it’s not cool in the summer, too, but it just isn’t as bright. 

It’s especially not as bright (well, it’s as bright, but..) when folks have flood lights on high beam. It’s a bummer. I’m sure that they would tone it down if they knew that in the summer the bugs just aren’t as happy with the lights and that in a neighborhood where everyone is sort of keeping an eye on things, security doesn’t seem to be an issue. Most of the folks along the river get it. They’re dark. No lights.

This issue sort of concerns me relative to the proposed development on Sunnyside Peninsula. The air b and b’s already built by the same developer are lit. Lights all over. If the new places are lit like these, the usual darkness present at night on that stretch of the river is gone. Sure, I don’t know how far away from the banks the new places will be, but there is potential. Yeah, the lights will put a damper on the absolute awesomeness that is a night float and that’s a super lame thing to be concerned about with all of the real bad in the world, I know. 

So, there’s gotta be another better reason why the river should remain dark. While I’m no biologist it would seem like the animals, insects, fish, birds and plants would agree with me.

Full moon...maybe

First Winter Paddle

I’ve got a couple of other posts in the works, but I just wanted to write in celebration of this season’s first winter paddle. It’s probably not even winter but tonight had that bite in it that I associate in a turn in the weather. It was cold-ish, windy, overcast and rainy. Had some of those over the past few months, but, well, not the cold part. 

This is probably the first of a few firsts for the winter. First snow paddle. First cut against the waves paddle. First driving rain paddle. First ice paddle. Well, I told myself the next time I hit ice that I will turn around. Had one ice adventure and I’m not sure I need to do that again. Not that I was about to die or anything, but a swim would have at least meant a cold walk home. Probably could have smashed ice to the bank, but do I want to tempt fate with a second go? Not really.

That day I hit the ice down past Rocky Springs and while it was really thin at first, it thickened and by the end I was spiking my paddle in the ice and pulling myself forward over the sheet so the kayak could break the ice with its weight. Some of you understood that. Ha.

Anyway - to cut to the chase. No ice.

Winter's Here

The Route

The route… 

Imagine a “U.” We live at the upper right of the “U-bend” that the river makes. The take out is at the end of the upper left part. By river, it is around 1.4 miles to the take-out from our house. 

Depending on conditions, what boat you have and how you decide to paddle, it can take from 13 minutes to three hours. The 13 minutes came when the river was around 9 feet (3.2 is normal). I also took the fastest boat and paddled the whole way. The slowest was a tube float in the middle of the summer when the water was super low. That trip took so much more time than what is normal, we began to think that they missed the take out. These days, with the water around 2.9, a slow paddle/hang is taking an hour or so. Again, faster if I paddle. Because the rocks at the end of the route are exposed, I’m limited to the stubby, slow boats since the fast ones are really long and harder to weave in the rocky part. 

Anyway…Because of the bend, it only takes about 10 minutes to walk from the take-out to the house. Grab the truck. Pick up the boat and you’re done. 

The convenience of getting the boat back is a huge factor in my ability to go out as much as I do. I go out a lot and if it were a pain in the neck to make it happen, I just wouldn’t be out there as much. Even having to shuttle or deal with two cars would be enough to put a damper on everything. In the years that I lived close, but not on, the river, I only went out a few times. 

I will say that paddling our stretch has inspired me to check out other places around here. I’ve done parts of Mill Creek, Pequea Creek and the Little Conestoga. Oh, and the Susquehanna and Speedwell Forge. So much more to check out. 

This stretch pretty much does it though. It’s the bomb.

Little Conestoga Creek