Paddled the river here in southeast MI yesterday, the nicest weather we have had so far this year. Saw far more paddlers than I would on a normal weekend, much less on a Thursday. Hard not to be socially distant in kayaks.
I am not going to say anything more about Maine. I do have a personal interest because it is where I go in the summer, and both the situation in Maine by then as well as what I have to drive thru to get there effect some decisions now. And the likelihood of people I know there being able to run various clinics and training sessions as early as they would normally plan. Even if they are under auspices I donāt currently follow, a few of these are friends and I would like to see them have a normal season for paddling.
I read the story on the daily briefing from the state level authorities and it appears they are moving to some good actions.
The Un-Drained Swamp We Paddle
Men will be men.
And so some proceed,
into the wells
where virions breed,
taking particulate,
up from a viral,
a protein of messenger
to feed deadly spiral
and ignorance, hate,
mulch of hubris for self,
takes a righteous indignation
marches sense from its health,
as these self-assured,
swab on a poultice cajole,
and in heaps not just of bodies,
failure will stockpile its roles
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Nice in SW MI yesterday too (pic) and even nicer today. Definitely more people on the water than normal weekdays. Saw my first fiberglass powerboat of the year todayā¦before today it was just outdoors people fishing out of aluminum boats. The fiberglass powerboat people always seem to be going as fast as possible to get somewhere else. Now Iāll spend a little more time getting to more secluded put-ins.
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Since inland lakes are still frozen here, it never dawned on me that there could be heavier traffic midweek. Bummer.
BTW, did you see that Detroit News article stating āMichigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw told The News Friday that the governorās March 24 āStay Home. Stay Safe. Save Livesā order prohibited recreational use of the stateās waterways.ā
Must have caused an uproar as it was quickly rescinded and now boating and kayaking are specifically allowed.
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I did not see that. To be honest I donāt watch or read much news because I find the constant real time updates on the virus pretty draining. Iāve avoided most forum threads on the topic for the same reason.
It does seem like people are making an effort to stay a (hopefully) safe distance away from others.
Most states and localities would prefer to keep parks and waterway access open. What has caused the shut downs, and could easily happen again if people donāt behave, is when state employees or officials go by to check a location and arrive to a bunch of people congregating in violation of distancing rules. Whether a place stays open, or has increased restrictions like parking, really depends on the behavior of its users. Paddlers need to be aware of this as the weather warms. Some have not been.
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Santa Cruz County in California just extended their shelter in place order, and expanded it to close all public parks and beaches. Specifically calls out kayaking and surfing as not allowed. And mountain biking.
Surfing and mountain biking are so ingrained in the Santa Cruz (the city of Santa Cruz is called āSurf Cityā, Santa Cruz bikes are from guess where) culture that I see lots of people ignoring the order.
I absolutely agree with beaches and parks being good places to get away and recreate- with appropriate precautions. I have used several trails and access points into parks and beaches within walking/biking distance from my house. While I donāt like the hunting and fishing closures (now through May 4) I donāt disagree with them. Gotta be fair to everyone.
I took some time today to move the car more than 2 miles round trip, all of 20, and visited a smallish state park in the area. It has a number of trials around two ponds and two access points, one to the main beach and buildings and another to a more informal launch spot at the other end of the biggest pond from the structures.
If it stayed the same as today no one would have a reason to complain. A couple of folks had put a rowboat in from that informal launch and I only had to step off the trail around the big pond a few times in 2.5 miles to get distance from people walking it the opposite direction.
But it was also cold and windy including a snow squall as I got to my car. Among the other walkers were people who had egregiously poor footwear for that trail. This was not something they normally did.
lf there are this many people out when full winter gear was not overkill and portions of the trail should have been labeled under water, I wonder what kind of pressure will be put on the place when it is warm. I am concerned that better weather will have the effect of shutting down options for all of us.
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LOL, it was changed again. āā¦physical outdoor activity, such as kayaking, canoeing and sailing, remains permissible. However, the use of a motorboat, jet ski or similar watercraft is not permitted.ā
And we no longer are allowed to buy paint.
You are not the only one seeing changes. I was not kidding when I said that a bunch of states made changes in the last 48 hours. I am tracking seven states worth of changes to assess possibility for some upcoming events in four of them (I have to travel thru three others) late May thru August.
What I am seeing is a moving target on all sides. A lot of the changes are extending deadlines or more firmly describing how to limit crowds. But each time they refine something they end up creating some kind of change.
I donāt see how paddling they way we have done it, people gathering in small groups, can avoid being affected for a while. Hopefully the trend can switch to make things looser by the height of summer. But it is not easy to make guess now.
I like the ban on powerboaters! I may try my lazy public put-in today to see if there are no powerboaters. Gosh Iād hate to see any of them get fined. 
Hopefully next theyāll ban idiots from public parks.
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Hurts to look at it.
On the bright side, the ice is off the lake here and a pair of loons have returned.
Iām paddling more than I ever have before!
With being off from work, I now have the opportunity to hit a local river (15 minuteās drive) any time that Iād like. I wake up every other morning @ 5:30am & I am on the water by 7. In the 3 1/2 weeks of doing this, I have only seen one other paddler on river.
I paddle nonstop for 60 minutes for a good workout. Using my new Dagger Katana 10.4 on flat water w/ virtually no effective river current, it tends to plow water @ the bow when pushed for speed. That said, the workout is welcomed 
Iām back home @ or before 9am to make sure my son gets his schoolwork started (schools are closed for the remainder of the school year here in Missouri).
On the days I donāt paddle, I go for runs 
& have started an ab routine (for the first time ever)!
Staying active. Staying sane 
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I scouted out a place to paddle from last wknd that is not a named boat launch, away from prying eyes because no houses around it and hardly anyone even knows it is there. And also very protected and safe, very low risk of needing emergency help but good springtime flowers etc. It is below freezing here overnight again so I am not going to be trying it real soon. But such can be found.
Go for it!
(When temps are more to your liking.
)
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Update for folks here in NY, NJ and CT. I posted this in the thread of regulations nationwide for NY too.
These three Governors have opened marinas in their states for recreational activity. No charter or rental, social distancing rules apply so please be careful so we donāt lose this. Restaurants can serve but take out or pickup only.
This appears to be the first coordinated action that we can attribute to the six state compact. It creates a contiguous stretch of Atlantic shoreline with marinas open across NJ and NY, and I am reading it to say inland marinas as well like up the Hudson, Mohawk and on lakes.
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I just learned that the organized group I paddle with in Maine has canceled this summerās paddles, but a smaller subset is going to try have some informal outings with social distancing rules: everyone loads and unloads kayaks themselves (no helping), no island landings, and of course anyone who feels sick or thinks they may have been exposed to the virus is asked to stay home. Thatās assuming there arenāt any restrictions accessing launches.
The launches are openā¦ Some only allow daytime parking so if you are going overnight check first. No toilet facilities.