We wanted for quite some time to kayak in Arizona but due to limited opportunities were never able to book a kayak before it got either to hot or cold. Today we finally were able to find a spot in the afternoon, after work, and the temperatures looked ok so on we went to explore Canyon Lake. At the office it is surprisingly busy and we find out that without booking our specific sunset tour they are not renting out this late in the afternoon. Luckily we are on the list and are then sent to a pier to get our kayaks and life vests and on we go.
The guy that rented us the kayaks explains to us a bit what we can do and we choose a canyon that he mentions is less popular with our nemeses the motorboats. For that we have to cross the lake weaving between motorboats and trying to survive the wakes from the faster ones.
Soon we see the entrance to the side canyon from where, what else, a motorboat is powering out. We survive the wake and then enter ourselves and hope that it is an exception and not the rule.
Soon we understand that it is quite popular with all kayakers, not surprising given the fact that it is the easiest accesible side canyon. Also we like it that here all motorboats are going at the lowest speed or even sitting motionless while the owners are fishing.
In this more relaxed atmosphere we take a look at the canyon walls looking for bighorn sheep and finding only a Great Blue Heron on top of a cliff, not something we expected.
The further we go in the more adventurous the canyon becomes. Soon whenever there is shade we see kayaks resting sometimes with the people climbing the rocks for better views or just to enjoy the late afternoon. But we are curious how far we can go so we push through slowly making our way through the progressively shallower water.
And then we are a the end of the canyon, for kayaks. You could go farther on foot but there is literally no more water for a kayak. Surprisingly even with the shade there is no one else here so we decide to rest ourselves at the end of the canyon before returning.
We spend about thirty minutes here just looking at the birds and squirrels all around us but unfortunately soon it is time to return towards the pier. The return is quite different than the way in due to the sun being significantly lower, the colors of the canyons are more intense and the shadows longer, quite magical.
Reaching the main lake we are soon encountering the first motorboats at higher speeds but with a bit of luck are able to cross the lake without an incident and then we follow the shore and enjoy the birds on our way to the pier.
We reach the pier about ten minutes before our alloted time which is great as it seems we have planned it perfectly. At this point everything including the kayak office is closed so we enter the car and return to our home after a nice afternoon on the lake.
