Change of Plans

Standing on the cold September sand at the North End end of Virginia Beach early in the morning, I was watching the dolphins swim by as I had to make the call that the North winds were still creating havoc with our days plan to run a Ocean Adventure. So after calling the clients to reschedule, I was headed home to regroup. On my way back I started to wonder if the leaves at Northwest River were beginning to change and thinking it would be a perfect opportunity to grab my rod and cast for a few hours. Within thirty minutes I went from my toes in the sand, to my toes sinking in the coffee colored mud of the launch area of Bob's Fishing Hole.

Heading off to the right, I slowly slide through the mirrored surface of this dark cypress river, passing under the old railroad bridge, I was ready to get my spinner bait wet.

After a very short paddle here you are completely "off the grid", its raw nature, not a sign of civilization to be heard or seen.

The sun was just beginning to shine onto the river and clearly i wasn't the only one soaking up the warming rays.  

After fishing a few points on the interior islands I decided to make a U turn and paddle my way back under the railroad bridge and head to the main part of the river. Once i arrived I was greeted by the same amazing scenery. The changing leaves, orange, red and green, formed the perfect early fall pallet.

 As I worked over downed trees, and overhangs, I came along a site that made me rethink the agility of the common turtle. I mean how did he do that?

Just like every adventure on the water, I was not wanting this one to end. Even though I hadn't got a single bite for hours, the perfect temperatures and conditions made me want to continue paddling for hours, but sadly it was time to turn around and head back.

I took time to take in the view for the final time as I headed back to the launch area.

As I closed in on the launch area, I passed a Great Blue Heron that was probably having much more success than me at catching fish today.

Well I'm back! Today I went from cold September sand, to warm cypress mud in between my toes. Life on a kayak! When one door closes, another is sure to open when you your taking on the world with your paddle.

Eastern Shore Trip in late September. Promise delivered!

With our decision to step into the blog world, I decided to write about our recent trip to Smith Island on the Eastern Shore. After weeks of rescheduling because of Northeast winds in the Magothy Channel and Bay, the stars finally aligned for an outing that we had promised an old friend of mine. Taking a day off from client tours we dedicated this day to relaxation and some serious shelling. The wind forecast for the day was calling for 2 mph SSE in the morning, increasing to 8mph SSE by the late afternoon. In all the excitement to get going early as we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel it suddenly dawned on me, we forgot ice! After a brief pit stop at the bridge pier for ice, we were crossing Fisherman's Island. We had finally arrived at the Eastern Shore National Wildlife Refuge entrance. Pulling into the Wise boat ramp we were greeted by the friendly park ranger with a big wave hello. After a brief hello and discussing how perfect the weather was we were eager to get onto the water. We immediately unloaded our three boats, PDFs, cooler, filled my camel back,snack bags and we were ready to go! After a brief paddle demonstration/ instructional lesson for our friend who is brand new to kayaking, we were ready to hit the water. The water was crystal clear, and mirror calm as we launched out.

With high tide at its peak, we headed south to the shortcut through the Southern end of Raccoon Island. Entering the salt marsh we were all smiles, surrounded by periwinkles, fiddler crabs and cord grass, we were finally on our way!








The water remained calm and serene as we got closer to the end of the shortcut through the island.

The approaching tree line hosting a huge eagles nest let us know we were closing in on the Magothy Bay/Channel.

We have finally all made it to the open waters of Magothy Bay. Ahead of us is a 30 minute paddle across the channel and we couldn't  have asked for better conditions with the winds light from the SSE.

Across the bay we see our destination, Smith Island. Cape Charles Lighthouse and the three World War II watchtowers line the coastline and we will be on the beach in no time.

Thirty minutes later we have all three arrived on the beach of Smith Island safe and sound.

After some breakfast we are excited to head out on foot to explore the Atlantic Coast of Smith Island.

The recent weeks of NE winds had pushed the shells up on the beach and they were literally stacked a foot high. It was absolutely amazing to see this amount of shells beneath our feet.

We walked the beach for hours. Collecting whelks along the way in a crab basket, we were on a search for the ever elusive sand dollar. 

We came along two men surf fishing the deserted island for Red Drum and we wished them well and decided to turn around. Just then the sand dollars started to make their appearance as high tide began to retreat.

Making it back to our boats we sat down and ate lunch. We had a very nice day and none of us wanted it to end but sadly we had to hit the water and head back to the launch area. We grabbed a hold of our bow lines and walked our boats until we found deep enough water to paddle back.

Finding deeper water in the channel we were off. Choosing to take the path of paddling around the southern tip of Raccoon Island and then up North to the launch. We were tired but satisfied to say the least. Yet another beautiful day spent wasting away on Smith Island. We wouldn't have it any other way.