I had to look it up, but kayaking is still allowed in Maryland. They did, originally, say no boating at all, but they clarified that kayaking and boating for transportation or fishing for food is still ok. Maybe I should break out my kayak and head to the lake when it warms up.
It was 70 degrees yesterday, and the last few days I was able to enjoy my spring/summer Pokémon GO walks. Well, save for a dude in a blue SUV that repeatedly passed me by while he yelled who the fuck knows what at me. I hate how regular that is. But it’s still a net gain for me, as I love getting the sun and the light exercise. Unless a totally STAY INSIDE AT HOME mandate happens, I don’t see that changing.
The only other thing I was looking forward to this summer was my trip to Alaska in June. Who knows if that’ll happen now or not…
Sittin’ by a raging fire, fridge full of beer, tunes cranked way up and watching the snow fall. That’s my plan for this weekend.
isn’t that what you do anyway?
Sometimes is doesn’t snow.
So this weekend was the first really nice summer-like weekend we’ve had, and I went kayaking yesterday…awesome to get out on the water again. For anybody who may know the area, or are bored enough to Google map it, I did the stretch of the Clinton River between Cooley Lake Road and Elizabeth Lake Road in Waterford, Michigan. the current is lazy enough to go upstream, then float back to where I parked. Well, it usually is- the water was high, the current was strong, and I was out of shape. Still, I managed to make it all the way to E.L. Road, about 2 miles, then enjoyed letting the current take me back. Got some sore arms & shoulders today.
On that stretch of the Clinton River we usually don’t see many other canoers/kayakers, but yesterday it was insane- I must have seen 4 dozen or more. But it was easy to keep proper social distance when passing (easier than going for a walk and veering around people on the sidewalk). And it was nice to be able to make a bit of smalltalk-- say hey, finally some good weather, etc. to people.
Cool, but if you float say a 10 miler, how do you get back?
The 2 main rivers which are a short drive from our house, the Clinton and the Huron, both have a lazy enough current that we paddle upstream as long as we feel like, then let the current take us back (like yesterday, as mentioned I made it 2 miles upstream).
Other rivers with a stronger current where you have no choice but go downstream, like the Au Sable in the northern lower peninsula, or if we just wanted to do a nice easy all-downstream run, would require a 2 vehicle strategy.
As summer unfolds I hope the backpacking trails can safely be opened up so my wife and I (and of course our dog) can go backpacking. It will be a real bummer if we can’t do a few trips this summer but I don’t want to go if it can’t be done safely.
My wife and I walked a nature trail on Saturday and it wasn’t too bad. Sometimes we had to walk wide of the trail a bit to keep 6 feet of distance, or stand off to the side to let people pass.
I’ve been out walking on trails at the metroparks and nature conservation areas but backpacking can offer up it’s own hygiene issues. I know much of the Appalachian Trail is closed right now because it would be unsafe to share shelters and the hostels in towns along the way have had to close.
We’re not planning any thru hikes anywhere, just a few 4-5 day jaunts. I pretty much assume many trails would be safe. Last year we did the Manistee River Trail loop (it loops with the North Country Trail) and the MRT side was pretty busy and we hauled out more of other people’s trash than we had of our own trash. That’s the kind of thing I want to avoid this year.
As a counterpoint, Illinois just (May 1) added boating and golfing in groups of two only* and is reopening selected state parks. I would imagine that implicitly negates the driving-is-too-far guideline.
I’m looking forward to golfing in a week or two when the course operators have had a chance to work any kinks out of the new system (raised holes, don’t touch flags, no rakes, no carts, etc.)
*Personally, I think they should have also allowed boating and golfing by parties of more than two entirely from the same household, but as my household is only two I’m in no position to complain. 
I was sitting in our yard drinking a beer yesterday when a deer walked up to where we dump shelled corn (for deer, turkeys, squirrels, birds). I sat as still as I could sit and watched the deer eat. It was ~20 yards away from me.
I didn’t have my phone, so I didn’t get a picture, so I’m hoping to see this particular deer again this summer, as it is a piebald deer. I saw one other piebald deer in my life, and I saw that one for just a second as it ran through the woods. My gf was a little bit pissed off that she didn’t see it. She was getting me a refill.
I grilled out on Saturday for the first time this season. It was a great warm day, the first really good weather day so far this spring. Felt so good to be outside in shorts and a T-shirt, beer in hand, enjoying the aromas as raw meat slowly transformed into smoky, spicy delight. Looking forward to more in the weeks ahead, and the virus can’t put a stop to that.
That tool in the second pic. :mad: 
I’ve never even heard of piebald deer! I hope your GF sees it soon and that one of you gets a pic.
New Hampshire beaches are to remain closed at least through May least they tempt sick people from Massachusetts to come up here, says governor Sununu. Coworkers report that parking lots for trails and bodies of water are already full of cars with MA plates. This is why we can’t have nice things.
My Wife and I started playing chess about 2 years ago. Usually just weekends.
Now we play chess or cards nearly every night. It’s been nice. I look forward to nicer weather and playing on our deck.
It’s kinda odd. With us both working from home it seems like we see less of each other. Our schedules are totally wacked out too. We are both early birds, but now get up at about 3:30am. I’m not liking that so much, but it does help because we have extra internet data allowance between 2am and 8am.