A paddle to remember!

I finally got to go paddling with Stephanie. We had a really good time. I've done all my paddling in water clean enough to swim in - so paddling downtown was quite an experience!! It is sad how polluted the Inner Harbor is: the trash along side the dock is plentiful, the water has a lovely smell, and there are no fish! In fact, the only living organism you’ll see is the occasional disorientated duck or seagull. Nonetheless, it was really awesome to explore the city from a kayak. It makes the city seem so small. Paddling with the Downtown Baltimore shoreline behind me Of course I didn't go paddling without my storm cloud . . . There were a lot of boats out on the water. Normally I don't mind a splash caused by the wake of a boat - but with the water as dirty as I described, I wasn't thrilled with the water splashing on me. Then, I was almost run over by a water taxi! But the kicker was when I pulled my kayak out of the water. As I hoisted it onto the deck and flipped it over - guess what my hand was touching . . . A USED CONDOM!!! Ahhhhh! I think I handled it pretty well - just because I didn't want to ruin the dinner of anyone in the waterside restaurants. But a condom?! It was clearly out in the elements for quite some time - so I'm sure there were no organisms still living in it - BUT STILL! I didn't think I needed to bring hand sanitizer just to go kayaking! Man was I wrong! I must have rubbed my hands raw when I finally got to a sink. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I enjoyed the paddle in the Inner Harbor, but needless to say, after the happy ending I won't be back! I’m going to stick to waters I know, the ones with wildlife and fish. Another day in the life of me. Smiley for the Day: