Paddling 2025

I am starting to put together my 2025 paddling wish list. Here is what I have so far:

Presquile National Wildlife Refuge: This lies just southeast of Richmond, Virginia. It is roughly 2.5 hours south of Savage, Maryland. I first became aware of this on October 21, 2018. See map location.

Chickahominy Water Trail

Pamunkey River

North Anna River

Susan Constant, Godspeed & Discovery: These are three tall ships at the Jamestown Settlement. I should be able to see them if I launch from James City County Marina. I'd like to combine this with a bicycle ride on the Virginia Capital Trail.

It is extremely unusual for me to start my paddling season so late. In a normal year, I'm on the water in late March or early April. But this year and part of last, I developed some problems with my right foot. I'm not healed but I have found good footwear and insoles to help minimize the pain.

On this day, Norma, Daphne, and I launched from Southwest Area Park to access the "Little" Patapsco River. I call the section upstream of the South Hanover Street Bridge the "Little" Patapsco while everything downstream of it is the "Big" Patapsco.

I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to stand comfortably so I didn't want to drive too far away. Norma wanted something scenic and natural so I figured this was as good a spot as any. We took advantage of the flood tide and recent rain to get as far upstream as possible.

I mentioned to Norma that I don't typically see much wildlife when paddling in this area. She found that hard to believe. The narrow, tree-lined waterway looked very inviting to wildlife. By the end of the day, I ended up eating my words. Heading upstream, we saw a few muskrats.
Eventually, the water got too shallow to dig the blades of our paddles deep enough to get an effective stroke. Not being able to get sufficient power meant we couldn't make much progress against the downstream current. So we turned around after getting about 4.5 miles upstream.

I went just a tad bit further to check out what I thought might be a beach. I found myself in a space too narrow to turn around. So I backed up. My fin caught a log which caused me to fall backwards, landing on my SUP before rolling into the water. Where was Daphne? She somehow ended up on shore. She didn't appear to be wet...not sure how she managed that. I think I fall off the SUP about once every five years.

Shortly after we began heading downstream, I stopped at a small beach on the north side where a tree-blocked stream merged with the river. I went ashore and followed a muddy path that paralleled the stream. Was it paddleable? Maybe with portage. After a short distance (maybe 0.2 mile) it led to a HUGE pond. I'm not sure at what point a pond becomes a lake but if you called it a lake, I wouldn't correct you. This pond/lake does not have a name. Maybe I'll name it if I return to paddle it.

I returned to the small beach. From there, I heard a very distinct sound. I instantly knew what it was...juvenile great blue herons! A rookery was near. We paddled to the south side of the Patapsco and went ashore. Then we followed the sound. Click on the image below to play a video that captures what we heard.
I'm guessing the rookery was comprised of about 20 nests. They were hard to see because of all the leaves.
It was really difficult to get a good shot of any of these birds but I did manage to get one.
Standing under the nests, I noticed that the undergrowth was covered in bird poop.
I found a couple dead young birds and the remains of a piece of egg shell.
I paddled over to where Norma pulled over and found lots of wood ear mushrooms.
She got a little lost so I went ashore to look for her and instead found a beaver dam.
I didn't find Norma when I searched so instead I just waited by her boat and called to her. Eventually she showed up. That is an easy area to get lost but because it is bordered between the river and River Road, you can't get too far.

We paddled under several bridges including this train bridge. Notice the concrete footing for a bridge that once stood next to it. Further upstream, we found the steel remains on both sides of the river from what might have been a pedestrian bridge.
Even though it was mid-June, the air temperature was cool and there was a light rain. So I'm glad I wore my wetsuit.
We paddled a total of 9.3 miles.
Feeling hungry, we picked up cheesesteak sandwiches at Cheesesteak & Co. in Elkridge. I've eaten lots of cheesesteak sandwiches including one from a popular place in Philly but I can honestly say that this was the best cheesesteak sandwhich I've ever had.

I launched from Fort Smallwood Park. It had been a few years since I'd been there and a couple things had changed.

In the past, I've always been asked to pay an entry fee. Then I'd show some photo identification indicating I am a veteran and they'd let me in for free. But today, they just waved me through.

I've launched from their boat ramp. But when I tried to do so today, I was told I could not. Instead, I had to launch from their canoe/kayak launch. This was inconvenient because you can't drive up to it. There is a road near it but it is closed to the public.

Instead of my SUP, I brought my Prijon Catalina to test out my new rudder which I installed over the winter. It worked well, though it didn't enable me to turn as sharply as I expected. Maybe it is more of a user issue that I need to figure out. Regardless, I felt it was sufficient to help me maintain better control, especially when encountering beam waves or strong wind. There was supposed to be a fairly strong wind while I was out but I did not encounter it.

I kayaked around the north point of the park and then southeast on the Chesapeake Bay. I figured I'd explore the smaller bodies of water along the way.

I passed Fort Smallwood which was completed in 1896. It was built to protect Baltimore from perceived Spanish threats during the Spanish-American War era.
I found a very narrow waterway which I paddled up until I was stopped by Bay Street, which the water flowed under. But I could not fit under the road...there was absolutely no air gap between the road and the water. I was unable to turn around so instead I retracted the rudder by pulling on a rope and backed up.

My next stop was a waterway which led to a marina. There was nothing there worth seeing and you have to be cautious about power boats entering or leaving.

At the southeasternmost point of my journey, I found a narrow waterway which Dave L. had told me about.

I paddled into this waterway to access Boyd Pond which I then explored. It was mostly natural and deep enough for paddling. I spotted a red-winged blackbird.
Back out on the Bay, I headed back to Fort Smallwood. Along the way, I found a narrow opening between some grasses on what appeared to be public land. It was about a tenth of a mile stretch between two houses on land that might well be underwater during a very high tide. I portaged across.

I ended up at an unnamed pond that had a lot of lily flowers. I am naming this pond "Lily Pond."

I was on a time crunch to make it to a doctor's appointment so I rushed back, maintaining good speed.

Here is the route I took. I got in 8.9 miles.

I joined the WatersEdge Kayak Club for some group car camping at Martinak State Park, and paddling on the local waterways on June 20-22, 2025.

I was up at 0500 and on the water by 0745 with Daphne. We launched from Villa Road Landing. I stumbled onto this place just looking at Google Maps satellite photos.
It had been probably 13 years since I last paddled in this area. A lot can change in that much time. Looking at satellite photos, I thought the narrow upstream portions of these waterways might be interesting. I figured I'd check out Miles River.

It was nice being out so early. I paddled upstream, hugging the east side which kept us in the shade. It was very humid and there was very little breeze.

I saw lots of bald eagles and a couple of green herons, along with several great blue herons. Here's some other birds I spotted.

I paddled past a wood duck box with its roof hinged open. Looking inside, I saw eggs...but not from a wood duck.
Unfortuntely, the only fish I saw up close were dead. One was a small fish that jumped onto my SUP. By the time I found it, it had perished. The second was a cownose ray. I don't know how it died.
I explored some of the narrower waterways but wasn't able to get far on any of them.
The plan was to go as far upstream on Miles River as possible. But just before it got interesting, we heard gunfire. Daphne felt uneasy and started trembling. Rather than continue, I turned around. I didn't want her to hate paddleboarding.

There was another waterway I hoped to explore but there was a small dam and a road that I could not paddle under. But even if I could, I don't know if I would have. The water on the other side of the dam did not look healthy. There was a lot of algae blooms.

Talbot County has a lot of residents with money, especially along its waterfront areas. But one mansion had this metallic boat at their pier. AI says:
A 78-foot Naval Yachts XPM 78 can cost between $1,490,000 and $5,260,500 USD.
We were out for almost four hours and paddled 12.1 miles. I was feeling unusually slow. The heat index was about 92 degrees when I landed. I think I'm out of paddling shape.

After paddling, I did some scouting. I started by visting Miles River Bridge Landing. I had forgotten that I launched here before.
Next, I stopped at Tunis Mills, a place I had never been to.
I doubt I will ever launch here. There is no parking. Why would the county purchase land for a launch site if there is no place to park?

It took quite awhile to get home, but that's not unusual for a summer Sunday afternoon on the eastern shore. On highway 50, I saw a watermelon truck. I figured he would lose some fruit if he tried driving through Savage which has more than its share of speed bumps.
When we were out paddling, I made sure to give Daphne several dunkings to keep her cool. Now that we were home, it was time to give her a bath.

After work, Daphne and I launched from Green Haven Wharf and explored the northwest side of Stoney Creek. I have a co-worker who lives in the area and I thought it would be nice to show her photos of the birds that live near her neighborhood.

Stoney Creek and Cox Creek on its north side have a lot of black-crowned night herons. I figure there must be a rookery nearby, though I've never found it.

I also saw a juvenile black-crowned night heron. I generally find these to be more camera cooperative than the adults. Maybe they stick around because they can't fly as well or perhaps they don't realize that humans are a threat.
Great egrets are a common sight.
One bird I was not expecting to see was a little blue heron. I've seen a lot more juveniles than adults. This one is mature. I could not get it to cooperate with my camera.
I typically paddle early in the morning, partly because I like to be out when there are fewer people. But being out late has its advantages. In the morning, during the summer I dread the sun being high but in the late afternoon, I look forward to the cooler temperature with the sun being low. It is nice to end the day on a good note.

Here is our route. We got in 10.5 miles.

I was hoping to have six of us plus Daphne on this shark tooth hunting trip but it ended up just being Marla, Daphne, and me.

I was up at 0420 and on the road an hour later, arriving at Mallows Bay at 0645 to find Marla all ready to go. We launched at 0700, paddling south on the Potomac River.

There were a few reasons why we started so early. Low tide was ~0830. Starting early was also important because the water is more likely to be calm from both the boat traffic and the wind. The temperature would be cooler too. Calm water wasn't just important for paddling...it makes it easier to actually look into the water for fossils.

We pulled ashore in the Purse / Nanjemoy Wildlife Management Area (WMA). I tend to stop in places not near trailheads which makes it less likely that we will encounter others looking or shark teeth. But this morning, we had no such luck. Even far from any paths, we saw quite a few others. These were likely hardcore fossil hunters. They beat us to the area and cleared out the easy finds.

Here's Marla ready to look for fossils.
We paddled to three places to search. While we looked, Daphne lied in the shade on the beach. It was a perfect day for her to do so. It wasn't too hot or humid and because the shoreline faced west, Daphne always had plenty of shade.

There was some headwind on the return paddle along with lots of boat wakes.

I ended up finding 121 shark teeth. See photo at the bottom of the page. Marla found 45, though I think hers were, on the average, bigger than mine. We also found turitella casts, pieces of ray dental palate, and my personal favorite, a piece of fulgurite! I've found similar things in the past but this was the first time I was confident it was a fulgurite because it was hollow. Marla agreed with me. The long thing below is the fulgurite. It looks smoother than a lot but I think that is partially because of the wear and tear of being on the shoreline.
Here are some the best teeth I found that day. Notice there are no serrations. I find teeth with serrations on the Chesapeake Bay side, not on the Potomac. Here in Charles County, the teeth are older and less diverse.

After fossil hunting, I took Daphne for a short walk, maybe a half mile. I found a hole where there had been what I presume were turtle eggs. I don't know if they hatched naturally or if a predator got to them.
I generally think of Independence Day as being when wineberies are ripe. I found and tasted them. Some were ripe and others could have used a few more days to ripen. But I did not find many, which led me to think that many had already ripened and had been eaten or picked.
I was reminded of why I hate driving to Charles County. The trip down was fine but heading back north with traffic, I found that if you drive normal speed, you will hit almost every red traffic light on Indian Head Highway (Route 210).

After purchasing recreational passes to use the Rocky Gorge Reservoir (aka T. Howard Duckett Reservoir), Norma, Daphne, and I started from Brown's Bridge and then walked west on a trail that ran mostly parallel to the Patuxent River. We were looking for wineberries and chanterelle mushrooms. In the past, we've found a lot here. But today, the berries were mostly picked over and we didn't find chanterelles. We think the hot weather caused the wineberries to ripen more quickly than normal.

Thinking we could at least have a nice hike, our hopes were shattered the mosquitoes found us. We had sprayed down and I was also wearing a long sleeve shirt and long pants both sprayed with permethrin. But these flying vampires were ready to attack any square inch of clothing or exposed skin that was not treated with repellent. I've spent plenty of time in mosquito-infested places but this was by far the worst I've encountered. Why was it so bad? We did have a lot of rain recently and it was also hot and humid. In past visits, mosquitos were an issue but never this bad. It didn't take long before we raced back to the car.

Not willing to give up on our foraging endeavor, we went to Schooley Mill Park and walked the trails there. Mosquitoes were not a problem. Unfortunately, there were almost no wineberries or chanterelles. There clearly had been berries but other foragers or critters beat us to them. In the end, we had just a few wineberries and even fewer blackberries to show for our morning effort.
The three of us stopped for lunch at Pepperjack's Subs in Laurel.

We rested up at home and then were visited by Teresa and Bob, who tasted what we picked. Then we returned to the reservoir.

Making use of our one-day recreational passes, Norma dropped me and my kayak off at the Brown's Bridge ramp while she returned to the trail. This time, she was wearing a mosquito head net.

It would have been nice to have Daphne with us but she got in plenty of exercise with us in the morning.

I was on my Prijon Catalina because SUPs are not allowed on the reservoir. The following (bulls**t reason) is from the "Watershed Regulations FAQs" website:
WSSC Water's watershed regulations prohibit surfboards, stand up paddleboards, windsurfers, or any craft which facilitates frequent body contact with water in the reservoir. This decision comes from the fact that WSSC Water's reservoirs are not lakes with gently sloping sides and flat bottoms, they are deep reservoirs with steep drop-offs and submerged hazards that contribute to the number of accidental drownings that occur on the watershed. The purpose of our reservoirs is to provide a secured source of drinking water for over 600k of our customers, and we are obligated to protect them.

It was a good day to paddle. The water level fluctuates quite a bit at the reservoir and today it was high. I was able to get further upstream in certain areas than I had in the past.

I passed the remains of an old bridge foundation at the power lines.
I found Tucker Lane. I might have paddled under it if I was on my SUP but I don't think I would have gotten far.
I paddled under Ashton Road (Route 108).
I pulled over and found a raccoon footprint.
While the reservoir is open and wide, just a short distance upstream from Brown's Bridge on the Patuxent River is narrow, cool, and shaded late in the day. Mosquitoes were not an issue on the water.
I paddled an easy 5.9 miles.
Norma picked me up at the ramp. She didn't find much in terms of wineberries or chanterelle mushrooms. But she said the mosquitoes were still horrendous.

The next day, Norma made waffles. I figured out why they have pockets. It is to hold wineberries.

Daphne and I paddleboarded on the Rhode River, launching from Carrs Wharf. This was the fourth day in a row that I was on the water. Needless to say, it was a good weekend.

Always cognizant of Daphne's well-being, I pulled over at two beaches where I let her sniff and roll around.
Exploring on shore, I found the burrows of several antlions. These are also known as doodlebugs. I've only seen the larva once in my life, when I was a kid.
At another beach, I found a dead blue crab. If it could talk, I think it would say, "Welcome to Maryland."
The green heron is my favorite local bird. It has beautiful colors which are really brought out in bright sunlight early or late in the day. They typically don't like to pose, but today, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), I was fortunate enough to find one that did.
I got in 6.6 miles.
I spotted a black vulture perched on the Carrs Wharf sign. I don't know if it was an indicator of welcome or warning. What do you think?
I got home with plenty of time to mow. In our back yard, I stopped to admire our Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) flowers at the west end of our property. This one has a pollinator inside.

This weekend, I am dogsitting Mia, who is Daphne's biological sister. I've taken her out paddleboarding with Daphne and really enjoyed having her along. So I jumped at the opportunity to do it again. Shortly after her owner, Richard, dropped her off, I took both Mia and Daphne out to Green Haven Wharf where about ten of us launched onto Stoney Creek.
I saw several familiar faces, including Ellison, Lisa, Chip, and James. I also met a new person by the name of Howie.

Here's about half of the group.
Chip took this shot of me with Mia and Daphne.
I pulled over briefly in Big Burley Cove at a beach so the girls could dig, sniff, roll around, and pee.
This trip was somewhat similar to my recent trip on July 3 but unlike that trip, in the second half, Mia, Daphne, and I ventured out on our own to explore the south side. I saw two black-crowned night herons but I was unable to capture them on film.

I ended up paddling 4.8 miles. Here is my route.

In World War Two, the Marines fought in the Pacific using a military tactic called island hopping. This forced them to take islands inhabited by the Japanese so that the Marines could eventually make their way to mainland Japan. I'm writing this blog in a fun way to honor my fellow jarheads who participated in this campaign.

Today, I took two devil dogs with me to Saint Michaels for an island hopping trip. Daphne and Mia were the dogs in question. We launched from Back Creek Park / Chew Street Park.

Directly across from the launch site, I heard the distant sounds of a great blue heron rookery. But dense foliage prevented me from getting visual confirmation on any nests. A listening post was the best I could do. I did, however, manage to spot this bird.
Once I got home, I confirmed the presence of nests via aerial reconnaissance (a satellite photo).
The three of us made our way south on San Domingo Creek to our first amphibious landing at Leoni Island.
Continuing south to Broad Creek, I scouted for suitable beaches where I could pull my landing craft ashore. Here we are at one such place on Hambleton Island.
I spent a lot of time wading in the water to get pictures of the girls. In doing so, I got a lot of sea nettle stings. Not exactly Purple Heart worthy.

Island hopping our way even further south, we came to two unnamed islands. Little remains on these tiny patches of land which were almost certainly a single island not long ago.
At one of the unnamed islands, I shot (with my camera) a green heron.
After accomplishing our mission, we returned north. Along the way, we made another stop at Leoni Island on a different beach.
Here I am with Mia and Daphne at Leoni Island.
Back in San Domingo Creek, it was easy to take a wrong turn. Fortunately, I had my GPS to keep me on track. One thing I learned is that when returning, take the waterway to the left of the water tower.

Near the launch site, someone decided to improvise, adapt, and overcome to grow vegetables in an area where they could maximize their sunlight.
I ended up paddling 6.7 miles. Here is our route. It is similar to "2. San Domingo Creek to Hambleton Island" at St. Michaels Kayaking Tour.
After paddling, I took Mia and Daphne on a death march via the Saint Michaels Nature Trail. Actually it was a casual stroll, only about a mile long. The loose connection to "death" was that we walked through part of Saint Lukes Cemetery.

Today was Mia's last day with me before she went back to her family. So I took her and Daphne out to Marley Creek. We launched from Solleys Cove Park at 0700.

It was great being out so early when the wind and water was calm.

I saw several birds.

I also saw a variety of flowers.

This is an area I've paddled often but things were looking different today. It seems the narrow part of the creek flowed a little differently near the big pipe. I also noticed an elevated nesting platform which might be new. I wonder if it is intended for a specific type of bird.
Additionally, I saw a mallard duck nesting tube, also known as a "hen house." These structures are designed to provide a safe and secure nesting site for mallards, helping to increase their breeding success compared to ground nests which are vulnerable to predators, livestock, and disturbance.
Far upstream on Marley Creek, I saw several blackberries. I ate some and offered Mia and Daphne a taste. They declined.
The high tide helped me get very far upstream, where I saw what I initially thought was a large muskrat. But then it slapped its tail on the water, making a loud "smack." At that point, I knew it was a beaver. Nearby on land, I found its lodge. I expect it may eventually build a dam and reshape the layout of the land.

Paddling downstream, I spotted a wild persimmon tree. The fruit won't be ripe for a few more months.
I came across this boat wreck which has evolved into a large plant pot.
The plan was to stop at sandy beaches to let Mia and Daphne explore. The problem is that it was near high tide, and most of the beaches were underwater. But I did manage to find this tiny patch of sand so they could stretch their legs.
Near the beach, I found a great blue heron rookery. I wan't able to see any nests, but the distinct chatter of the juveniles left no doubt in my mind what was there.

We paddleboarded 8.5 miles.
After loading up, we took a drive out to Fort Armistead. Along the way, we saw this mural, built by Roberto Marquez, to honor the six workers who perished in the 2024 Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster. For more information, see The Baltimore Sun - Mural artist shapes pain and grief into shrine to Baltimore bridge workers

I hadn't been to Fort Armistead since the bridge fell. Seeing the void of where the bridge once stood was seemed surreal.

Walking on the east side, I saw more blackberries than I could shake a stick at. Perhaps I'll return for a foraging adventure.

On the way home, it poured.

I joined the WatersEdge Kayak Club for three days of kayaking at Tangier Island on July 18-20, 2025.