After nearly a year of disability I was able to put my shoulder to the test. For those of you that know me or have been following, I had major surgery on my right shoulder August last.
My arm is still not 100%. My physical therapist cleared me to kayak (not white water) as it is good exercise to help return full motion to my arm.
It is the very end of snowbird season here in the East Valley, so we ventured out to the lakes today. Weekends are usually tough as the locals come out to play. We decided to come out in the afternoon rather than try the early morning, hoping that the early risers would be leaving as we arrived. Our plan paid off, as there was plenty of parking available.
Boulder Creek and Canyon Lake were full of weekenders. On the drive in we passed snowbird after snowbird towing their boats out. Hasta la vista, baby.
I finally had the chance to try out my new camera – not the Nikon D70, that is too expensive to risk a drink in the lake. I bought an inexpensive Polaroid ISO48 compact waterproof point and shoot. At less than $40, it would not hurt so bad if it ended up at the bottom of Canyon Lake. And it takes surprisingly good photos.
I still have to figure out how to change the date stamp. And since it takes two Double-A batteries, you would do well to have a lot of spares if you are planning on more than a couple hours on the water.
The operating instructions are a bit convoluted but for $40 what do you expect? I am happy with the maiden voyage.
The water level on the lake and creek were much higher than I’ve seen in the past. Ducks swam past us, unafraid of people. My guess is that they get fed a lot. Fish jumped from the water around us.
The water was a bit choppy, and gusts of wind made for an interesting afternoon. All in all it was good to be back on the water after well over a year.