Saturday, June 3, 2017 - Baum Road - Smith Creek - Chesapeake
Today we launched from Baum Road which is adjacent to Northwest River Park in Chesapeake. Sue got to get out paddling for the first time since having surgery on her foot.
We didn't want to overdo it on her first outing and wanted to go somewhere where it is easy to launch. Baum Road meets those criteria perfectly. The launch is just a small patch of gravel maintained by the City of Chesapeake. There is room for probably 6 or 7 vehicles, but I have never encountered anyone else there when I have launched in the past. And Smith Creek is protected but opens up as you get closer to the junction with the main part of Northwest River.
We came across a bunch of guys fishing from an old pier on the side of the creek. They were super friendly and polite as we passed by. Only one of them was there when we came by on the way back.
There were a bunch of turtles all along the way that we observed sunning themselves on logs. They are quick to slip into the water if you get too close. We also heard a ton of birds. They were LOUD.
The weather was perfect. Warm but not hot. A gentle breeze occasionally but not windy. Just perfect. Perfect shakedown cruise for Sue to get her sea legs back.
Oh, and this is the first time we loaded more than two kayaks in the new truck. Once we figured out the arrangement, Blue handled it with no problems. Go Blue!!!
Great day today. An hour and 25 minutes on the water and 2.2 miles on the GPS. Scroll below the pictures to see the track map.
