River Playlist

Not so often, but occasionally, I’ll listen to music on the river. 

Here’s my playlist.

Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens was present in a couple of different aspects of a whole summer’s worth of listening while paddling awesomeness on the Conestoga River. Amazon Music mix of his songs would pretty much be the same from time to time, but there’s nothing wrong with hearing a song so much you can actually sing along. He was on during a stretch when I was filming entire paddles and after some basic graphics and edits posting them to YouTube. I had threatened to post a fantabulous night float with Sufjan’s music providing the soundtrack, but never got around to it. Could probably recreate the playlist though. 

YES - Starship Trooper

I love YES. A gift from a childhood listening to KGON - no doubt the best classic rock station ever. Of course there was too much Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles, but from there it was solid. Boston, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kansas, Jimi, Janis, Neil. Oh, wait! And Pat Benetar and Heart! Better than a Farrah Faucett crush. Anyway, Starship Trooper. 

WAR - Low Rider

Rain and Low Rider. JBL.

Ween

Leigh and I went out on a night moon float a while ago and had Ween and whatever else with us. That was a nice float. So fun. Actually, floats with Leigh are always the best ones. She likes her some paddleboard in the summer. Feet in the water, cooler in the back. Jeff’s on there sometimes too. Not all that into the inner tube, but Leigh has the record for the number of times tubing in these parts. Ain’t no 3-hour warrior, either, yo! And kayak - she does that too. 

Other stuff that I can’t remember right now. 

That music’s good, too.

Low Rider

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