Boat Trips #1 & #2

#1  The Porter River is really just a muddy back water thing and not a river at all. I learned a bunch of things there in one hour.

• The wind is really important.
• Going under the bridge isn't really as fun as you think.
• Don't go at low tide because it's all muddy and gross.
• Bring a pillow to sit on.
• It's really hard to keep stuff dry / It's really hard to deal with an ipod in a kayak.
• Even though it's harder, it's nice to go into the wind because it keeps you cool and makes it SEEM like you're going fast.

#2  Islands!

I learned a couple more things.

• You end up talking to yourself when you're out in the water.
• Important things: Sunscreen, Hats, Sunglasses. 
• The Salem Harbor is kind of like a highway except there are no lanes or rules.

There is a writer named William Least Heat Moon that writes these amazing road trip books..one of them is called Blue Highways and it is great..and he says that you should go out and find things that you don't know the name of and give them your own name and that by doing this you form a bond and begin to know a place, or a thing, in a way that is deep and meaningful and unique to yourself. So I named this island GROSS ISLAND, as in, "Hey want to go hang out at Gross Island? NO I DON'T BECAUSE IT IS GROSS."