On Sunday Stephanie and I made it out to the Russian River (my first time) to do a little afternoon paddling. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in a kayak, but I can only remember ever being in a canoe out on Wappinger Lake when I lived in Poughkeepsie.

We arrived at River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe Trips in Healdsburg around 2, pretty much at the last moment possible to start a 2-3 hour half day trip. Boarded their old-skool Blue Bird school bus and took it up to the launch point at Rio Lindo, which for the last mile went off-road, down a hill and through an apple orchard.

We used our life preservers as seat cushions (the Russian River is only knee to waist deep) brought along a cooler full of goodies, and began our long slow paddle down the meandering river. There were a few excellent moments one might call “rapids” where the river narrowed, changed directions, and dropped elevation, but for the most part it was a gentle, go-with-the-flow, stick your feet in the water kind of time.

I loved it.