Yesterday for the first time in my life, I went kayaking. After I got out of work, I went over to Lake Wingra (a small lake, not too far from work), stopped at the boathouse and rented a kayak. I was out on the water for about an hour and I am hooked.

As I tooled around the lake, I pictured myself kayaking on the many lakes in Northern Wisconsin, where I like to camp. In fact one of my favorite things about Lake Wingra is, with the Arboretum and a wooded neighborhood along most of the shore, it could almost be a scene out of the north woods. Take away the few taller buildings near the east side of the lake, add some pine trees and that wouldn’t be an “almost.” Keep in mind this is a lake in the middle of Madison. While I was kayaking yesterday I saw a great blue heron and a sandhill crane both wading and fishing in the lake.

That will definitely not be the last time I go kayaking.