The tubing season is over and the Salt River authority has begun to drop the amount of water that is running in the Lower Salt River. Although some continue to run the river, we decided this last weekend to head out for our first trip on open water here in southern Arizona.
We got a fairly early start, but nothing like being there for the sunrise. We pulled out onto the closer to 10:30 than 6:30. Since it was not a really hot day, there were still some random parking spots, left by the smarter people who got there before the wind kicked up and the wake action from speeding boats turned the open water into the wash cycle in an oversized washing machine.
All in all, we had a nice time, and were able to cover almost 4 miles in just under two hours. Normally we do 12 miles on the river in three hours, but without the wind, the waves and with the assistance of the current.
Our initial outbound leg was much easier, probably because the wind was almost calm and our primary issue was having to slow down and deal with wake waves to make sure the kayak did not swamp. It would be easier I think for a tandem to roll, but I’ve not had much experience in big waves with a solo kayak.
Our primary goal was an small inlet that became a small stream until finally we ran out of water. Probably the best part of the inlet was the peace and quiet as all boat noise was silenced.
