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Paddle Bob

Wake-up call

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As I paddle past groggy, grumpy herons, I see an osprey take flight at the entry to Duck Cove. I hopeĀ  this means they’re nesting somewhere in the trees up on Saltpeter Bluff.

It’s a perfect morning. Sunrise is shooing away the fog that settled on the water overnight, and I realize how long it’s been since I’ve been on the water at daybreak. To my mind, it’s without a doubt the best time to paddle. Dorsal fins slice through pollen-stained water. A muskrat swims parallel to me along the shore. Kingfishers, titmice and swallows percolate overhead. To think, I almost opted for another slog on the elliptical instead of going down to the dock and dropping the kayak in the water …

I decide to paddle over to Prater Flats, crossing the main channel of Loudon and hugging the south shore until I reach the entrance to the Flats. From there, I head up to International Harbor Marina (not sure what’s international about it) in Friendsville. I paddle around Prater Flats for a while before deciding to head home. All told, it’s 9.7 miles of bliss. I can’t wait to do it again.

Here’s a GPS/Google Earth image of my route …

loudon_paddle_05_13_2010

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Paddle Bob Uncategorized

Homecoming paddle


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Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz

I finally dragged my kayak and rack down to the dock this week and took advantage of that fact to get out on the lake this morning before the storms moved in.

I paddled several nearby coves, cut across the lake and then did a wide circle past Saltpeter Bluff (on the right) and back into Duck Cove.

Hard to believe, but it’s the first time I’ve paddled on Loudon since I returned to Knoxville last October. I’m hoping the weather will move on so I can start making up for lost time …