In less than two weeks I have now paddled in both countries; the United States (Minnesota) and The Netherlands.
Still reeling from jet lag the hubby and I headed to our seasonal campsite at Camping Spijkerboor this morning located on De Kaag lake.
Seasonal Camping site at De Kaag
In our rush to get out the door this morning we forgot coffee (key item for Dutch coffee time), and some of the tent poles for our camper tent. So we sat… we watched the other campers… we made new local friends (more on that another time).
The forecast was for sun. I heard it was sunny somewhere in the country but not at our seasonal camping site! The overcast sky was making it less than desirable for sitting outside our caravan.
The weather did not stop me from launching my kayak for a short paddle to check out our new camping site from the water. Thus, making it my first kayak paddle of my Dutch paddle season. Hopefully we will have Cedar, our canoe, out on the water in the next week.
Photography of me in the kayak compliments of the hubby.
The boat launch at the camping
I was distracted by birds flying overhead
First paddle strokes of the Dutch paddle season
Heading into De Kaag lake
The camping shoreline has a protective barrier from the lake
On De Kaag lake, paddling towards the island.
Heading across the shipping channel to the island
The Kaag is a large lake located between Amsterdam and Leiden. This lake is linked to the North Sea, Amsterdam, and Leiden by a series of canals and the old Rhine River.
We have paddled this lake several times in Cedar but usually that has been on the North part of this lake.
I first paddled across the bay to one of the marsh islands where I was able to spot a windmill on the other side of the lake near the town of Sassenheim.
Boat landing on the island with a windmill in the distance
As I turned the kayak around I was surprised to see a canoe paddling past.
A canoe paddling by
I headed back towards the camping shoreline to investigate the surroundings. There are opportunities for several paddle routes for the upcoming summer.
Dutch sky, Dutch reeds, and tons of hidden birds
Total paddle kilometers = 2.9 km
© The Cedar Journal, 2019, all rights reserved.
The Cedar Journal 
Like a large version of the Norfolk Broads 😀
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I had to look it up… but you are correct. Years of peat harvest created many of the connecting waterways. I learned something new too.😊
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Wow! Within the time frame of two weeks to go paddling in the US and the Netherlands, that is very impressive indeed. Nice little camper you have! Greetings and best wishes from Canada!
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Thanks Peter.
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Luckily we don’t have a definite “paddling season” in Southern Australia, but we are heading towards winter so it’s time to find the warmer paddling gear and perhaps take some good hot strong coffee along 🙂
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Sounds nice. 😊
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Okay, finally some shots of slightly rough water, so I my theory about how calm it is over there was apparently wrong (as you had corrected me on previously). Do they allow campfires in your campground? Looks like the perfect place for a tasty S’more.
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No campfires.😕 That isn’t even close to rough but you are right most of the past pictures were pretty calm. S’mores would be great only I can’t buy gram crackers here, marshmallows are hard to find and I would have to use Europe chocolate. Maybe you can supply all that in a box to us? 😂 Thanks as always for the comments.
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I can definitely handle the ingredients care package, but last I checked the post office here frowns on me sending fire through their delivery system – prudes. For the record, a country without Marshmallows is a downright travesty… then again, without a campfire to product a golden gooey mass of goodness with, maybe it doesn’t matter.
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I do think the USPS would not appreciate fire being sent.😬 We do get marshmallows from time to time (strange colors) but they are really not the same. But, you are right camping just isn’t the same without a campfire and S’mores.
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[…] Our first canoe paddle of 2021. You can read about our other first yearly season paddles here, here, and […]
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