New Obsession

Jared and I have been talking about buying kayaks almost since we started dating. Problem is, they are rather expensive. They are also surprisingly hard to find used. But they aren’t really cheap to rent, either, ($14 a piece at Lake Hope), so we’ve been seriously looking at buying some since spring. We went to a couple of kayak demos and narrowed down what we wanted in a kayak, but were still leery of the prices.

Then, I spotted an amazing deal on eBay. Two kayaks, in exactly the brand we were considering, were for sale in Toledo. They were demos--meaning they’d spent all of one day out on the water, so they were practically brand new and deeply discounted. Since they were for pickup only, we actually had a chance at winning them. Which we did--mine even went for the starting bid.

The best part? They are blue and orange.

Hence the reason for last weekend’s detour through Toledo. We found time to stop on our way back to Athens and put them out at Lake Loramie for a couple of hours, which was fabulous. We were on the quieter side of the lake--far from the rumbling “floating patios” that seem so popular there.

Lake Loramie started out as a feeder lake for the nearby Miami-Erie canal system. It’s hard to believe that before the Civil War, this lake was part of a water transportation hub that ran the length of the entire state of Ohio. The trains eventually usurped the canal system, but Loramie survived as a recreational lake.

One hundred and fifty plus years after its important role in moving goods and people across the state, it now serves as a place for people to go. . . . .nowhere in particular. Life can take very unexpected turns sometimes.

So if you’re tired of hearing about my cycling adventures--never fear! Stay tuned for all new kayaking adventures. :o)