On Saturday, July 22, about 26 people participated in Marshall's Eastern Neck Island Kayak Camping Trip. The paddling was great as always but what really stood out about this trip was the food. Here is but a sampling of the great food we enjoyed on this trip. To the left is a photo of Marshall's strawberry shortcake, Ralph's blueberries and Marshall's homemade whipped cream. We also had grilled salmon, grilled marinated shrimp, homemade herb bread, fruit salad, many different kinds of vegetable and pasta salads, sushi, brownies, cookies and wine. For those who came to the paddle but didn't stay for dinner, you missed out. It was a feast! And all the food was consumed before the thunderstorm hit the campground.



All day long we fought the odds with the wind and rain. As Shannon and I drove on to Eastern Neck Island the sky was dark and crackling with thunder. Along the way we ran into Ralph, who reported that a severe thunderstorm had been spotted on radar and was heading our way. I really didn't think the trip would go as planned but when we got to the put-in we found that most of the kayaks were loaded, ready to go and people were anxious to get on the water. Because of some of the crazy adventurous things I have done in previous lives (hiking around the rim of active volcanoes, backpacking through Central America, ... ) I figure I've already used up about six of my nine lives, so I carefully choose my adventures. Thunderstorms make me nervous. Shannon and I debated the odds. Shannon seemed anxious for some serious surf action so we decided to join the group and venture out on what looked like a potential thunderstorm paddle.


Because the wind had picked up and we had such a big group Marshall redirected the trip to paddle up Church Creek which was more sheltered from the winds and growing waves. Brian and Saki, who like to paddle fast anyway, led the group, scouting out the river and potential lunch spots and communicated with Marshall by radio. Leading such a large group with so many different skill levels is not a small task. Through the combined efforts of Marshall and others keeping tabs on the group with their VHF radios, the group stayed together and no one fell behind.

We stopped for a quick lunch along the shore of Church Creek but the wind was picking up and Marshall decided we should head back to the put-in at Bogles Warf. Some of the stronger paddlers assisted the slower paddlers who were having trouble with the wind by towing them back to the put-in. As we were paddling back, the sky would darken and the winds would tease us. But except for a few light sprinkles the rain that threatened never came.



When we got back to Bogles Warf, Shannon, who is still trying to decide on her next kayak, decided to test paddle and roll Peter's red Anas Acuta.



She did several rolls and I tried to capture them with the movie feature on my digital camera. To see Shannon rolling in action go to the Movies page on my website. I combined all the rolling clips into one. Also this is the last photo we have of Shannon's paddle. She left it at the put-in and when Marshall went back to look for it ... someone had already taken it. It was a nice paddle and hand-made. It will be missed it.

We got to the campground around 2. The sky continued to tease us with these big rolling black clouds. I set up my tent and headed for the shower. Marshall had pulled three picnic tables together for the group dinner and the food preparations began early. We were all afraid that the sky would break loose any minute. So we had an early dinner a little after 5. Ralph brought out his ever powerful Mojo wand which doubles as a marshmallow roaster. See photo to the right. But even with the power of Ralph's Mojo we were not able to keep the rain away.

It was around sunset when the sky really darkened. The combination of the sunset and the heavy storm clouds created an orangish pink glow on the horizon. A group of us headed for the deck which overlooks the bay on the west side.


The wind had really picked up and whitetops were forming on the water. We stayed for a while watching the lightening light up the sky. And then someone pointed to a band of showers approaching us from the distance. I decided to make a run back to the tent. About 10 minutes after I had settled into my tent the thunderstorm hit. I don't have a watch so I don't know how long it lasted but it definitely pushed my tent around for quite a while.



I had forgotten my sleeping pad so I was sleeping on an old blanket which was really no different from sleeping on bare ground. It was a fitful sleep. I had really strange dreams all night long. The next morning Shannon, who enjoys relating dreams almost as much as I do, recalled her dreams which were even stranger than mine. I won't reveal the intricacies of her mind, but I will say that in my dream someone was stealing my shoes.

The rain drizzled throughout the morning. I delayed getting up until I absolutely had to. Fortunately there are some early risers and someone had made a fresh pot of coffee. Ralph cooked up the turkey sausage he had brought for dinner but never cooked. And those with heartier appetites feasted on a sausage breakfast. I had another cup of coffee.



Some people took off early Sunday morning. But about 12 of us headed back to Bogles Warf for another paddle. This time we would make it all the way around Eastern Neck Island. The wind was calm and the sky was clearing. We took one break about half way around the island. Shannon went for a swim while the rest of us took a break on the beach. We got back to Bogles Warf sometime around 1. Shannon and I drove to the office and visitor center to see if anyone had turned in her paddle. No paddle. We can only hope that whoever took it recognizes it as a kayak paddle and doesn't mistake it for driftwood or worse ... firewood.



Thanks to everyone for a great trip. And especially thanks to Nancy for organizing the group dinner, all the kayak herders with VHF radios and to Marshall who continues to organize these great kayak adventures.

-Susanita