Joy and I paddled from 973 in Del Valle to Little Webberville park on Wednesday. The air was a bit chilly in the morning so I put on my long sleeve rash guard and tights under my shorts. By the time we got on the water it had warmed up and it was beautiful on the water. About 10 minutes into paddling we were both sweating. It has been awhile since I have been in the canoe and it felt nice to feel the glide of the boat on the water. Paddling with Joy is effortless, we just move together with smooth strokes and an occasional 'hut' to switch sides. November is a beautiful time to be on the water. The birds of prey, hawks, osprey and eagles are migrating through and flying up and down the river. We watched as the birds glided in the wind gusts and circled overhead. I am forever amazed at the beauty around us.
This stretch of the river is not very far outside of Austin and the river is impacted by city run off and trash. It is sad to see how much stuff ends up in our rivers. We really need to work together to maintain our waterways and keep as much trash as possible out of the water. At one point we came across in intake that was spewing white foamy soap looking substance into the water. We did not detect any smell in the substance but it was a fairly intrusive pollutant.
Despite the trash and weird soapy substance on the water the rest of the trip was clear and beautiful. We had moments where the water was crystal clear and we were able to watch the fish swim under and around the canoe. At one point we had a gar swimming directly in front of the canoe darting back and forth until it turned and swam into the deeper water.
All in all it was a "Another perfect day on the water!"
