Warm again
last update: 03/26 @ 16:47

A bit over 80 degrees and river running 3.86 on a weekday!

Perfect time to be out. The water is still cold so I stayed pretty conservative.

But crossing the nice wave in the Virginia Chute was a lot of fun, even when it broke in my cockpit and I took on a fair amount of water. It was not enough to make it impossible to control the boat (and I stayed upright).

So it was fun. But I was not lured into the whole in the center chute. That would be a long cold swim no matter how tempting it looks. Also a lot of work to get back up to that spot.

I was warm even in a boat full of water with polypro and no wind/water breaker over that.

I saw one CCA trip coming off the river as I was heading out. And one guy with a SUP getting up to the Virginia Chute as I was heading back. So I had Anglers Inn Maryland, Center and Virginia all to myself.

Beautiful Day!
last update: 03/10 @ 16:51

You just can’t pass up an 80 degree day in March. And with lots of water in the river (back to 4.6 again), it was a great day to be out at Angler’s Inn. (This is next to the hydraulic in the center chute; I stayed out of that.)

I did see a couple of other folks on the river, but there was space in the lower parking lot — always a plus for weekday boating. I really do like this retirement thing!

It’s interesting to see who is wearing what on a warm day in March (the river water is still cold, but no more ice on the river): I saw one boater in the parking lot in a dry suit, and one just putting in wearing shorts — both ends of the spectrum. All the hikers and walkers were in shorts and tee shirts. I was happy to have my fleece, even if I was a little warm. A little water spray was enough to keep me comfy.

Chilly water on the Potomac
last update: 02/20 @ 17:37

With the snow and cold temperatures, I wasn’t sure I’d find a nice day to get on the river this month. This morning was pretty rainy but the forecasters promised the rain would move out and the sun might make an appearance.

I’m glad they were right. It was about 55, air temperature. The water was clearly much colder. Not frozen where I was but the back channel was frozen and there were small icebergs floating down the river.

Along with some other debris: sticks, branches, logs. It’s been a long time since I’ve see the river at 4.6 feet. Clearly there was a lot of debris to flush downstream.

And did I mention there were little ice bergs floating around? Also there was a lot of ice pretty much across the river down by Georgetown.

Not that I was going to go in that direction at all, sadly not anytime soon. The huge sewage spill is starting to get under control, but I expect it will be a while before the river from Lock 10 downstream is safe for recreation.

The C&O canal, below, was also ice covered, but I’m confident not thick enough to skate on. I know folks have taken advantage of the ice since the big storm to skate there — but not today; maybe not again this winter.

I owe my PTO colleagues thanks again: one retirement present was an NRS gift certificate — suggested by Sarah :) — which I used for splash pants. That made the one little breaking wave that washed over the bow much nicer — no shock of freezing water on my legs (through the polypro pants).

I’m pretty confident March will have at least a day or two this nice or nicer so I expect to see more of Angler’s Inn.

Still cold!
last update: 01/31 @ 17:44

Sarah decided today was the day to check out the ice on river.

While it was about 20 degrees it was not windy.

Tomorrow we’re due for gusts to 35mph or so — making windchills that are formally wicked cold.

Today was cold, but we were well bundled.

And while we walk by pretty much every time we head down to the river, today we went inside an open house for the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. (Not pictured, their building is just to the left and a little ways back from the old propeller in the photo on the right.)

We know them as the wooden boat builders on the waterfront. (Before it got too cold, they were working on “Dave” outside.)

They seem like very nice folks and Alexandria is fortunate to have that resource (which we knew nothing about before today).

I suspect we’ll stay hunkered down at home tomorrow — and send warm thoughts to family further south where the next snowstorm is hitting.

Thank you Sarah for the nudge to get outside, and for asking if I got a shot of the Capitol — that spurred me to take off my gloves (again) and put on the longer lens so it might be visible.

(Now I need to pay more attention to the level in the viewfinder so that the photos are straighter.)

(For those with a long memory — we did not get out the canoe today.)

Back on the Potomac
last update: 01/13 @ 23:18

It was a little it higher (around 3 feet on the gauge) today; just over 50 degrees. And no ice to be seen; I’ll take it :)

I saw a surprising number of other boaters out today (including Robert Gue, from Asseteague) — pretty much all in dry suits, which made me feel a little under dressed. But I stayed conservative and just played around a bit in the sun.

12 months in a row with at least one day per month on the Potomac. I had fun and feel good about being able to get out on the river.

Looking a lot like Christmas
last update: 12/18 @ 16:51

The boy is home.

The tree is up and sprouting presents.

Sadly we weren’t able to pick up this tree from our local lot and carry it home. They were running low on trees and their trees were starting to look tired.

We’d hoped to pick up a tree with Robert but after checking the local lot a couple days before he came back from Seattle, Sarah and I decided to hit up the garden center up the street.

Interestingly enough, the guy who helped us with the tree and putting it on the car, recognized us as Robert’s parents. He was the younger brother of an ultimate frisbee playing teammate.

Oh, and the water is cold enough for there to be ice on the Potomac :)

While the air was about 55 degrees, clearly the water was colder. And the river was surprisingly low (I’m starting to understand why DC is looking for options beyond the Potomac for drinking water.)

The level today was about 2.65 feet. I thought maybe the gauge was frozen and not accurate, but that seems perfectly in line with the scrapy rocks I found.

There was a very cool sound as I paddled by some of the thinner ice flows: a crinkle like breaking glass as the ice cracked from the minimal wave caused by the canoe’s passing.

This is the Virginia chute (at 2.65) with a little ice on the shady part of the rocks. The thin ice flows were closer to the beach, where there is a lot less current.

And I’ve been told I can count sea kayaking in the Galapagos for my January boating trip. This makes 20 months with at least one boating trip a month. If we get another nice day next month, I may be able to make it 12 months in a row on the Potomac.

Really looking like fall
last update: 11/03 @ 17:34

I expect with the dry autumn we’ve had this year, the leaves around Angler’s Inn are unlikely to get any better than today.

Which is fine, I think the back channel looks splendid in its fall glory today.

It was a bit chillier (low 60s, and I’m sure the water is also gradually cooling off) than the last time I was out but we did get some rain so the level was up a bit to just over 3 feet (3.03).

I did see the heron again, but not long enough to try to get a photo. I also saw a couple other boaters out on the water today.

I’m hoping for a bit more rain before I get out again, today was noticeably less rocky and the Maryland chute a bit more fun to surf across.

Of course, I also hope it’s not too cold for me to want to go out should the river come up a bit :)

Another pretty day
last update: 10/22 @ 22:34

Cooler today, mid-sixties, but the water level was about the same at about 2.7 feet.

And there were more clouds coming in.

But the leaves are starting to take on fall colors, even though it’s been a dry summer so I don’t expect the colors to be great this year.

But this spot, just upstream of the Virginia chute, was quite pretty.

Sarah was meeting with a friend so she missed out on the walk or paddle this time — but got to enjoy time with her friends, maybe a fair trade.

And, in light of my prior post (see below), this is the not too pricey waterproof camera we have that I feel comfortable clipping into my boat for a trip when it will get wet (generally not too wet, but you never know). It’s quick and easy with a little Joby tripod to snap a selfie for this blog.

Blue Sky Day
last update: 10/15 @ 17:36

I was fortunate that the only side effect from my vaccinations yesterday was a little arm soreness at the spot of the shots.

So I took advantage of the weather to head back to Angler’s Inn and the Potomac. Sarah came along to get out on the Billy Goat trail.

We both enjoyed the weekday with fewer folks out. There were a couple folks going downstream, towards lock 10, and I saw one downriver boater coming down through the rapids at Anglers.

And I think we both saw this same heron, at different times. He didn’t let me get much closer before taking off — and maybe finding a spot on the canal to be spotted by Sarah.

The water level remains low, about 2.75 feet; surely an effect of the almost drought conditions we’re in. The big storm we expected earlier this week generally stayed to our east, so still not much rain in a while.

But I’m not complaining about the beautiful, blue skies!

Nice to feel more like fall around here
last update: 10/02 @ 17:15

The sky was blue between the puffy clouds while the river was a bit low (reflecting the lack of rain): 2.78 on the Little Falls gauge.

That made for a nice, mellow day to take out the canoe and check on on the chutes at Angler’s Inn (this picture is Virginia side).

I didn’t see anyone else on the river; one kayaker was getting ready to go as I was loading up my boat but there were hikers on the trails and rocks.

More Northeast Photos
last update: 09/28 @ 13:34

Potomac getting low
last update: 09/03 @ 17:39

The river has fallen below 3.0 — it was about 2.74 when I was out today. The weather was lovely but it would have been nice to have a bit more water in the river.

But that’s not meant to be a complaint, just an observation. I’m very happy to be able to get out on a beautiful day like today, whatever the level.

(That’s the Maryland Chute at Angler’s Inn in the background.)

Another fun day on the river
last update: 07/08 @ 16:02

I’m taking a page from our Galapagos trip and using a rashguard/sunshirt these days. It seems to be working, I’m not feeling sunburned and appreciate a little cooling when it gets wet.

The river was about 3.6 today; this photo is from the Maryland chute at Angler’s Inn. It was hot, but nice to be on the river again. And that’s a pretty fun level for playing in both the Maryland and Virginia chutes.

Maybe when the temps drop a bit (~92 today) I’ll be more inspired to get back up the gorge and check out Wet Bottom and Rocky Island — it’s been a while.

Whew!
last update: 06/30 @ 17:28

I just managed to get on the river in June. I’m trying to see how close to at least monthly I can make it.

That should be easy but… (I don’t expect sympathy) I tweaked my back early on in the month and then we had that trip to Curaçao…

But I did get out today (about 3.8 on the gauge), it was much cooler on the river but ~95 degrees with crazy humidity is really hot! When I crossed over to the Virginia chute, I saw this family making their way upstream. I was surprised when they just paddled/ran up the wave next to the rock. Very impressive attainment skills.

I did note that my strap tie-downs are ready to be reattached. So I have some maintenance in my future before my next trip on the river. With the month of July coming up, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to make that fix and keep my streak running.

We’ve had some rain
last update: 05/07 @ 17:27

So the river is muddy and up a bit (4.6).

With a mostly blue sky (some clouds) and mid 70s it was a really nice day to be out.

I didn’t make it across to the Virginia chute — too much current moving downstream.

But I did paddle up the back channel and saw a goose family complete with a few goslings waddling around.

And the Howard County swift water rescue team was out training. When I first got there, they were all swimming down from the Virginia chute — I would guess getting used to being in swift water.

They were just getting ready to head upstream when I took that photo. When they really starting going up the current, it was pretty impressive.

You may notice that they are front loading the rafts to keep the nose down a bit as the motors get going.

Back to normal programming
last update: 04/22 @ 19:03

A perfect way to spend part of Earth Day!

It was warmer today; about 75 degrees and the water level was about 3.5 feet. The water temp seemed a tiny bit warmer than last week — but maybe that was really just the much warmer air temp.

At any rate, a very nice day to spend some time out on the river.

Chilly day on the river
last update: 04/17 @ 18:04

Sally had a friend to go visit this morning so Hank and I dropped her off and headed to Angler’s Inn. Sadly, Sarah had a conflict.

It was about 3.75 on the gauge; the water is still pretty cold (I found out with direct experience) and the air was just barely 60.

So chilly.

But look at the blue sky!

And all the trees are starting to leaf out now (some more than others).

We had to say goodbye to Hank and Sally this afternoon. They are headed back up to Hull for the spring. But we’re talking more seriously about when we could head up that way for a visit.

Cloudy but warm day
last update: 04/03 @ 17:33

We’ve have some crazy warm days lately; today was an example: almost 80. The river is about 3.5 on the gauge so a bit lower than last month. The water is still chilly but it was a very nice afternoon.

No water on the lens this time just because this was early in my time playing around the chutes.

75 degrees
last update: 03/19 @ 22:35

I can’t turn down a 75 degree day :)

The level was pretty close to the 3.8 from last month — surprising with the lack of rain we’ve had.

But I’m not complaining. It was very nice out (water still chilly, but air was warm).

And I would say the water on the lens is proof of a good time :) A little bit of time both on the Maryland and Virginia chutes and some fun in the center chute as well.

Let’s see how long I can claim the cold water is keeping me conservative on the river…

Nice Day!
last update: 02/26 @ 21:00

I couldn’t let a day like today go by without getting out.

The Potomac water was cold but the air was over 60.

And the sky as blue as could be.

It was a very nice change from the polar vortex that we’ve seen a couple of times this winter.

The water was cold enough that I was happy to be very conservative and mostly stay dry.

Let’s see if I can get out at least once a month the rest of 2025.

Sarah says I can count time in a kayak on our Galapagos trip as boating, but I’m not sure I’ll let myself get away with that. (Seems like salt water shouldn’t count.)

(At about 3.8, the Virginia chute wave was really calling to me; but I only surfed across once — I really didn’t want to flip today.)

Warm end of the Year
last update: 12/30 @ 22:18

With late December temperatures in the mid 60s, I couldn’t stay home.

I took the canoe (and the cool weather gear as the water is pretty chilly) to Angler’s Inn.

Early afternoon on a Monday and I had the river to myself — along with a couple ducks.

As I was heading back towards the car, more folks were showing up.

The river was about 3.3 and I think they were heading upstream to Rocky Island.

Clearly leaves are off the trees now.

I think this makes it look colder than it really was.

Happy Birthday to me
last update: 12/10 @ 17:42

Back from unusually sunny Seattle to…

…Foggy DC.

But not a bad day to be on the river. It’s about 2.8 and I had Angler’s Inn all to myself this afternoon.

I really liked how still it looked at the beach.

And the (low) water was plenty clear to see through, but I didn’t see any fish today.

And surprisingly few birds as well.

It was a bit cool. And there was a bit of rain yesterday and the forecast is for more tonight. So maybe the birds were all curled in warm in their nests.

Speaking of warm, thank you PTO: I used part of the NRS gift certificate for Endurance pants which made the enviable splashes much less shocking.

I even decided to treat myself to new wetsuit booties — my toes are sticking through the ones I have now. It’s likely the first time I’ve worn them this fall or winter.

I’m looking forward to getting out more with my new cold weather gear.

I bet I can even find a pretty, blue-sky day (even if cold) in the next few weeks.

Head clearing
last update: 11/07 @ 18:15

We’re still very much trying to process what just happened in the elections.

Time outside is a great stress relaxer.

And getting away from screens and news and having such a pretty place to focus on and pay attention to really helps reset (or at least temporarily calm) the mind.

Another crazy warm November day (yes, I do worry we’re the frogs in the pot gradually warming up), so we got the boats back out.

I’m glad to be the recipient of Sarah’s excellent photographer’s eye, but clearly my game is slipping.

As we paddled over from the Maryland Chute to the Virginia side, I liked this view of Sarah with the fall leaves behind her.

But when we came back to the Maryland side; and saw the Heron hanging out, she saw this great shot of me under the Heron’s gaze:

Closing out the month
last update: 10/31 @ 22:17

We took advantage of with warming weather and headed back to Angler’s Inn today.

The river was about 2.8; low but still a fun spot to play in.

And the fall colors are looking pretty good.

It’s been so long since it rained that the river is really clear now. And it’s great to be able to see down to the bottom.

We scared off our heron before we could get a picture.

(That’s the center chute on the right; no boats in that picture — we had the river to ourselves.)

But we saw lot of minnows cruising over and around the rocks.

And the birds really seemed to enjoy the thermal over the river today.

It was a great way to step away from the news and goings on in the world and just enjoy the river in our backyard.

We did neglect our Jack o’lantern carving duties; but it seemed like a more than fair tradeoff.

(That the Maryland chute above and to the right.)

Home Turf
last update: 10/21 @ 20:56

Blue skies and nary a cloud to be seen!

Another beautiful afternoon on the river.

This time Sarah and I stayed closer to home and enjoyed paddling Angler’s Inn to Lock 10.

We saw herons, buzzards, ducks and some really big catfish.

And Sarah took this great picture of me in the waves at Stubblefield Falls.

Another great weekday trip!

We did see more boaters putting on as we finished our shuttle. We decided those were the after work crowd.

Finally, check out the colors: it really is looking like fall. It may not be a spectacular year for leaf-peeping, but these are looking very nice in the afternoon sun.

Starting to feel more like fall
last update: 10/07 @ 22:37

The weather is starting to feel more like October now and the water from Hurricane Helene has dropped a bit.

The river was still higher than I’ve see it in quite a while, about 4.3 today. I played around in the current, ferrying across and getting pushed around a bit.

I wasn’t able to get up to the Virginia chute, but did take a peek at Difficult Run. At water levels I’m used to, it’s hard to get back in there.

Also, I poked up the back channel to see what I could see.

A Heron, a duck, some turtles and lots of buzzards today (along with a couple hikers and a kayak or two).

It was a nice day to be out; I don’t know if we’ll get any really good colors this fall, but clearly we’ll know pretty soon.

Another beautiful day…
last update: 09/10 @ 23:20

… water level was a little low; just under 2.8

But temperature in the low 80s.

Blue skies.

Weekday, so plenty of parking spaces.

And only one class of SUPs on the river.

So plenty of fun.

I left the class in the Maryland Chute and went to play on the Virginia side. When I came back, they were just heading downstream so I had Maryland Chute to myself.

And I’ve never seen deer crossing the back channel before.

I also saw turtles, heron and an egret.

And lots of little fish, every time I looked down.

Change in the weather
last update: 08/23 @ 17:46

A few days later…

Blue skies, warmer weather.

It’s getting back towards normal August here. And Sarah and I had a lovely time on the river (on a weekday — I’ll get over that eventually).

Break in the heat
last update: 08/20 @ 23:21

It was like an early fall day today.

Cool, but not cold.

And the water level was OK, a bit low but not summertime low.

And exactly what I had hoped for in retirement: the weather was perfect for a quick trip to Angler’s Inn and I was free to take advantage of it.

The sun did break through the clouds now and again. But I’m very happy to have the cooler weather, even if it’s just for a couple of days.

Fun day on the river
last update: 08/16 @ 22:41

Steve and Helen have landed in Alexandria on the tail end of their trip around Lake Superior.

And they brought boats.

So Sarah and I introduced them to Anglers to Lock 10.

We did paddle up to play in the chutes a bit before heading down to lock 10.

New to me (weekday paddling): we ran into a summer camp trip from Calleva. They had a fair number of kids in kayaks, on SUPs and in rafts. They all seemed to be having a good time and they were very nice to our four boat party at the take out.

Steve and Helen may have some Facebook posts later.

And Sarah is likely in the market for a longer padde after playing with theirs.

As expected
last update: 08/13 @ 18:21

Beautiful day.

Good water (much of the Hurricane Debby water has receded — not all but most of it).

And I got on the river.

On a Tuesday :)

Saw one other boater on the river and had no issues with parking spot. Seems like I could get used to this.

Less than 90 degrees
last update: 08/04 @ 17:04

I got out this morning apparently during Cabin John VFD swift water rescue training.

It didn’t look like there was anyone being evacuated, and I got the sense they were checking out where the rocks are with the low water to better know how to get up and down the river.

I enjoyed my time out; I saw a couple kayaks and some SUPs in addition to the rescue rafts.

But no heron today.

Back on the river with Pocket
last update: 07/28 @ 20:22

Pocket was good, she asked “When should I meet you to go to the river?” Not “Should I meet you?”

(Actually, that’s how it was relayed to me. Pocket said she was less forward when talking to SZap.)

It was hot but not horribly humid.

And certainly cooler on the water.

We paddled up from Angler’s Inn to Rocky Island — I don’t recall doing that when there was so little current in the gorge. It really is pretty low.

But there are smiles on everyone’s face.

Angler’s Inn
last update: 07/07 @ 21:30

Another hot day on the river.

The level continues to drop a bit as we’ve not had much rain.

But we’re still taking advantage of the river in our backyard.

We heard that yesterday the river (at least the parking log) was pretty full.

Today, parking was easy.

We did see a few other folks out on the river.

But not very many.

On theory: all the Fourth of July visitors were on their way home.

We did see a couple of these guys.

I believe that’s a northern water snake or banded water snake.

Nonpoisonous but, we’ve been told, bitey.

It was hot enough that they were stretched on the rocks just under the water.

When it’s cooler, they sun themselves on rocks (sometimes).

Lower water…
last update: 06/29 @ 22:24

… Still plenty of fun

Sarah and I made it back to Angler’s Inn this morning. It was hot but not nearly as hot as last weekend. And while the river was a bit lower, it was still very nice to be out.

This evening, we were able to watch the Seattle Cascades win their Ultimate game which sets them up for the post season.

Great Falls
last update: 06/08 @ 17:52

Sarah’s brother David happened to be in town this weekend (congratulations on the award).

And he had some time free so we picked him up and headed to the Billy Goat trail.

I know Hank and Sally and I did this as well, but it had to be 30 years ago.

It was a picture perfect day.

Perfect for us and the Heron!

I’ve forgotten the view of the Falls from the Maryland side. Really pretty impressive (even if the straight Virginia drop is hidden behind the rocks.

And the while we shared the trail with many other families and folks — we had the benefit of someone to take our picture for us.

There is a bit of a scramble up the rocks at one point on the trail, and I’ve often watched folks slip a bit there when I paddle up the gorge. Now I know why :)

It was great fun to see David and show off one of our favorite spots to him. In a way, returning the favor of the Eastern Washington hike he took us on earlier this year.

Now we just need to get him in boat…

Beautiful June Day
last update: 06/01 @ 18:30

We’re thinking more of this in our future!

A lovely June day and we headed a but further upstream to Violette’s Lock.

We realized it had been year since we were there last.

Almost exactly 4 years.

It’s a pretty spot; a bit further to drive and the paddle back up the canal can seem like a lot of flatwater — but filled with turtles this time of year.

Clearly the weather was perfect for it and we had a great time!

The ducks and herons seems to be happy to today too.

We’re less sure about the snake; but it kept to itself so no problem.

Start of summer
last update: 05/26 @ 22:32

The traditional start of summer and Sarah and I were able to get out on the river.

The temperature was certianly summerish: high 80s.

But the water was still cool.

And not too low.

We had a good time at Angler’s Inn.

Both in the waves and surfing across the channel.

There were a few other folks out on the river including one paddle boarder at the Maryland chute who was clearly having a good time.

We hung out there for a bit.

Then paddled across to the Virginia side.

And generally welcomed summer for 2024.

I look forward to more afternoons like this :)

And I’m sure the Potomac won’t disappoint us.

Potomac again
last update: 05/19 @ 22:26

The water level was a bit higher.

And while it was cloudy in the morning (and rainy yesterday), the sun broke through and it was a lovely afternoon.

I saw a few kayakers but at least as many paddle board folk out enjoying the weather.

Sarah will be with her peeps when she next comes out to play on the Potomac.

Back on the Potomac
last update: 05/04 @ 16:08

It’s been a busy spring, but I got back to Angler’s Inn today.

The weather was crazy during the week, a new high record (91) set Thursday; Friday just perfect with mid-70s. Last night the rain and cold front came in.

Of course, not well represented in the photo is the layer of fog just above the river. The river water was warmer than the ~50 degree air temp.

And the rains held off while I got to play in the waves a bit.

I’m sure this will just be the first of many trips as the weather warms up. And I’m sure Sarah will be joining me on many of those.

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