Towards the end of the stay at West Branch State Park, we reserved a spot for kayaking with a naturalist. The parks in Ohio are more expensive than some other states, but this is one of the benefits of the Ohio State Park system. Some states have more expensive parks with no extra benefits. This was a 10 am kayak class and adventure with a maximum of five participants. The reservoir is the body of water that the state park is built around.

We met at the “Campground Boat Ramp” in the middle right. We paddled away from shore and to the left. (That’s to the port side, for those with a nautical bent.) We paddled to the end of the little “hook” on the far left side. The round trip was about 1.25 miles.

The gathering started with introductions, waivers, safety gear, and basic kayaking instructions. After that, we were off to the water. One couple dropped out without notice, so the spouse of the fifth participant was able to join. This picture has all five people in it with no recognizable faces.

We have canoed and kayaked some, so it was less about learning and more about something to do.

We were a little disappointed in the lack of wildlife. There were no ducks on the lake and few birds. We did see a hawk of some sort and a Great Blue Heron. We also found out where all the Canada Geese hang out.

A nice bonus was that the lily pads were blooming. We have not see this much since going to the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.

A bike is not a safe place for a selfie, but a kayak is clearly safe enough.

If the sun flare was not there, the second photo would have been a pretty decent picture.

The kayak class was only 1.5 to 2 hours, so after the class, we planned to go to Triangle Lake Bog to look for Pitcher Plants and Breakneck Park to look for River Otters.