Spring is Sprung

April 1 is the beginning of the warm season here in the Netherlands. We changed to Daylight Savings Time this weekend. The daffodils are in full bloom. And April 1 is when the seasonal businesses like kayak shops start having extended hours and are open on Sunday. At least that’s how it is at the kayak shop we visited on Saturday. We were trying to beat the rush by shopping a week before they extend their hours.

We did our grocery shopping early on Saturday so we’d have plenty of time for the kayak shopping. Of course, the weather was nasty – cold, rainy, and windy. But the forecast for the week was looking good, so decided to buy the kayaks no matter what the weather. We got to the kayak shop about a ½ hour drive to a small town on the other side of Amsterdam. We found a friendly store employee and he really helped us pick out the best kayaks for what we want to do. We had been looking at the brand-new one-person kayaks and had it narrowed down to a couple. But we wanted to make sure that we got the right size boats for each of us. Rather than let us buy the new boats, the guy brought us outside to look at the used kayaks. He had one that was perfect for Dennis. I tried a couple of them before I found what I liked. Since they are molded plastic, it really doesn’t matter that they are used. They don’t wear out. The guy also helped us with paddles, life jackets, a dry-bag, and all the junk to secure the boats on top of the car. They even helped us put the kayak carriers on the car! As we were doing that, the sun miraculously came out.

I asked the guy if we could take the boats out from their dock for a test drive before we took them home. He agreed and we quickly ripped the tags off the life jackets and got ready. We got out on the water without tipping over or sinking and we happily paddled for about an hour before heading back. It was too bad that we forgot the camera. But stay tuned because we’ll be sure to get some pictures next time!

We got the boats loaded onto the car with a lot of advice and help from the store guy. I was surprised that driving with two boats on top of the car was no problem. I’m sure the gas mileage sucked, but the car handled just fine. I just have to remember to go into any parking ramps with the boats on top! At home, Dennis rigged up a way to hang them from the ceiling of the shed. We now have 5 bikes, 2 kayaks, a work bench, and very large chest freezer in the shed. Maybe I should take a picture of that!

On Sunday, we woke up with sore shoulders so we decided to go for a bike ride. It was sunny, but only about 45 degrees and a little windy. We dressed warm and headed out. Our first order of business was to find a good put-in for the kayaks where we would also be able to park the car. We located a good spot along the Naarden vesting. This should be ideal because it connects to a couple of other large canals so we can really go far if we want. We also rode our bikes along the Vecht river and Spiegelplas lake and found a couple more put-ins. Can you tell that I’m totally excited about the kayaks?

After the bike ride, we had lunch and warmed up a bit. The sunshine was still holding. I tore Dennis away from his computer and reminded him that we can’t waste any sunshine in this country. So, we went for a walk in the heather. When it’s cold and sunny, the heather is more popular than the forest. The heather areas are grazing land for cattle and they have lots of walking paths through them. There are small rolling hills with heather plants growing low to the ground. With few trees, you can really soak up the sun. About the time we finished walking, the clouds came over. It’s still dry and weather forecast for the week looks totally awesome. They are predicting 60 degrees by Wednesday and no rain for the whole week. With the time change, we should be able to get the bikes and the boats out during the week. I’m just not sure how I’m going to get Dennis away from work on time so we can go out and play.