While trying to fall asleep but failing to do so, I decided to write down my retrospective of this weekend's fishing and kayaking fiasco er festivities.
Unlike the camping trip, which took literally weeks if not months to plan out and prepare, this one kind of came together at the last minute, using nothing more than the proverbial duct tape and hopeful thinking. However, it also helped that my adventure buddy was the one providing and transporting the kayaks.
I still had to come up with my own fishing pole and supplies. Luckily, it turns out that those things are not that expensive. Unfortunately, I showed up thinking I had brought my fishing pole with me, but no, of course I left it at home. When I got there, I had to fess up to my buddy, and he was like, "Wow, you forgot the ONE THING you needed on this trip!" We all had a good laugh about it, though unfortunately, I did have to buy a second fishing pole.
Anyways, for those who are curious, this was my hotel room:
What's wild about this room is that it also had absolutely the worst view I have ever seen from any hotel. My buddy and I were laughing and joking about how I will at least be safe, because nobody is going to risk tetanus climbing through all of that, just to break into my room.
I personally don't care about the view anyway, as price was my biggest priority in this case. The room itself was decent enough.
The next day, we finally set out to do the actual kayaking and fishing. I have to tell you, not only have I never fished in my life (I technically did once when I was 4 years old, but I remembered next to nothing), but I also have never kayaked in my life. So, all of this was a brand new experience for this, and to sum it all up, it was honestly grueling.
First of all, I had no idea that it would be so easy to tip the kayaks. If I ended up falling overboard, that would absolutely be the end of all my fishing gear, phone, and whatever else is on me. Trying to get in and out of the kayak felt so dangerous.
We also had to turn on YouTube videos on our phone for guidance, as we slowly figured out how to rig our fishing pole with hook and lure. As we finally set out and started fishing, you want to see the magnificent specimen that I caught? Behold!
By the way, that's not a fish, that was my lure. Instead, my catch was what I can only describe as the Virginian brown branch. I fought it for a good 15 minutes too, thinking I caught something big.
At one point, I had to pee really bad, and while trying to get out of my kayak without capsizing, I nearly lost my paddle, and even slipped and fell back into the kayak, accidentally sitting on top of my half-full can of Monster energy drink, which caused it to soak all over my pants and underwear. There was nothing I could do but to sit in that puddle of energy drink, until I was able to paddle back to the dock. By the time I got back, I was done with the whole thing.
Because we both failed to catch any fish, we decided to give it one last shot, but to fish on land this time. Still no luck though, and after baking in the sun all day, with my groin still soaked in Monster energy drink, we finally called it off.
So was the trip a success? While we never did catch any fish, I can finally check both fishing and kayaking off my bucket list, all the while learning that I do not particularly care for either one of these activities.
Regardless, I still had a great time seeing and hanging out with my adventure buddy (and his wife who came along but stayed back at the hotel). Now to try to fall asleep and drive home tomorrow.
As a bonus, here's a Halloween decoration I saw that I thought was pretty neat:
September 27th, 2026 at 01:59 pm 1790517568
If it were me .... I'd have fallen in .... cried a lot .... whined some .... needed a snack and then want to go home!! Yeah ... that pretty much sums it up! 😮😂🤣
September 27th, 2026 at 04:41 pm 1790527282
By the way, I also saw a couple of baby turtles in the lake, perhaps about the size of two thumbs together. I was unable to take good pictures of them though. I learned that kayaks do not stay still like it may seem in online videos. Rather, they tend to wander and drift wherever they want, and I am constantly trying to re-adjust my kayak. So, between the paddling, the water splashing onto my legs, and trying to juggle a camera for pictures, it was unable to take pictures of them, though they probably would have came out as a dark patch anyway since they were so small.
September 28th, 2026 at 01:40 am 1790559615
September 29th, 2026 at 01:32 pm 1790688734
October 1st, 2026 at 04:05 pm 1790870744
Kayak's are tricky, as are canoes. Our grandson decided to stand on the kayak and use it as a paddle board a couple of years ago. Not a good decision. He went in the pond and lost his glasses. DH has teased him that we see a catfish coming to the surface wearing them.
So, now you have a pole for each hand. Sounds like a memorable trip. Glad the room was comfy. Guess you didn't pay for a view.
October 2nd, 2026 at 12:51 am 1790902317
October 2nd, 2026 at 10:58 pm 1790981933
Because I haven't used it in over 10 years and in fact earlier I gave away the roof rack, which wouldn't likely have fit on my vehicle anyway.
If you ever go kayaking again, you can get a paddle leash, which clips onto the bungee cords on the front of your boat so you will never lose the paddle if you accidentally drop it. Yes, kayaks are very tricky getting in and out of. They are very tippy. It helps to remember when climbing in one to center yourself and go low asap. The longer you are standing upright or crouched, the more likely you will tip.
If you have the good fortune of getting out of a kayak at a boat dock, then you can use your paddle as a stabilizer by placing one half of it over the dock and having someone hold it steady while you climb out.
October 3rd, 2026 at 04:57 pm 1791046666
LAL: Wow fishing in Iceland sounds wild. Must be quite a memory as well!
Patient: Well, I'm sure there's a kayak made for idiots like me, but looking at the prices of these and everything involved, unless something fundamentally changes, I don't think it's in my future anytime soon.
A paddle leash would indeed be a great accessory to have in that theoretical, fundamentally-changed future haha.
Sorry to hear you gave away your kayak? Hope someone will put it to good use and get lots of enjoyment out of it though.
October 4th, 2026 at 06:49 pm 1791139778
If there is an LLBeans outlet near you, some of them offer "outdoor discovery school adventures," where they provide the equipment and and instructor. That's how I do my kayaking, when I go. It's been a couple of years since I last went, though.
October 4th, 2026 at 08:21 pm 1791145288
That said, this still feels like a huge upfront investment for me, so... naaah. If I ever decide to do it again, I'll just borrow either my buddy's or rent one or something.
October 6th, 2026 at 06:01 am 1791266492