Anniversary Kayaking on Upper Lake Clementine

Let's forget about kayaking for a minute while I introduce you to The Cyclist, Nature Photographer.

Seriously.

I could probably practice my whole life and not have such a steady hand.

Really.

Who can take such clear pictures of a smiley little orange dragonfly from 20 feet away?

With a not super fancy camera?

A digital zoom and no tripod?

Apparently The Cyclist can.

So, for our first anniversary we took a little kayaking adventure to Upper Lake Clementine.

We stopped and picnicked and while The Cyclist took nature photos, I took pictures of duck butts.

I think this qualifies as nature photography, don't you?

The water was crystal clear.

We paddled...

....and floated....

...and chatted.

It was a pretty perfect day.

And, most importantly, I kicked an item off that Summer Bucket List!

Last but not least, for those of you interested in the actual paddling, here's the scoop:

No alcohol, no dogs allowed at this lake.  There were rangers (on boat) present and ticketing.  The road down to upper lake is steep, dirt and bumpy.  We have a 4-wheel drive, so we were fine.  Although there were two-wheel drive cars at the bottom, it might be a bit sketchy going down.  You can paddle up-stream for quite a bit, but you will be getting out of your boat and carrying it over rocky areas to make it to the next section of water.  The water on the upper lake is crystal clear and it is very quiet.  Once you reach the boat-in camping areas, you will be either on or nearer to the lower section of the lake.  The water here is not as clear and there is power-boat and water-ski/wakeboard traffic.  The water was not terribly cold and nice to swim in.  Overall this was a good place for flat water paddling if you are just looking to cruise around.

Thanks for a great anniversary Cyclist! ♥♥♥