I think we can all agree that it’s been a crazy year and a half. This COVID stuff has changed all of our lives in one way or another. We have been very fortunate over here. The changes have been minimal, and mostly the change has been how much time we spend at home together. Who can complain about that, right? I’m so happy to see things slowly working their way back to “normal.”
One of the activities I wanted us to do as a family was go kayaking. So…last year about 2 months into the pandemic, I began researching kayaks. I read every review I could find and watched countless YouTube videos review kayaks. My favorite video was from Headwaters Kayaks in California. They have so many wonderful videos with so many details about kayaks!
The most useful one was called Five Kayaks Under $300 Reviewed: Are They Worth It? I liked this one because you can spend a lot of money on kayaks, and I wasn’t even sure if anyone would be willing to go kayaking with me, so spending a few thousand dollars on this new hobby of mine was not gonna happen!
After reviewing and reading up on all things kayak, we decided which kayak we wanted and we headed to Dick’s to pick up a couple. Guess what…DICK’S Sporting Goods did not have one kayak in their store. What in the world was going on? Well…after speaking to one of the employees, we found out that due to the shortage of bikes (everyone suddenly bought bikes during COVID), people decided to get kayaks instead.
They did not know when they would get any more kayaks in stock (or if)! I was so very sad! We came home and hopped online to try and find the exact kayak we were looking for. There were several decent kayaks out there that were available, but I had my heart set on one kayak in particular, and that one was no where to be found.
And the prices of kayaks that were available had skyrocketed! I had planned to pay a certain amount for my kayaks, and I did not want to go over that price, so I decided to wait out the shortage. Sadly, the shortage lasted a lot longer than I had hoped it would. And even now, you’ll notice in the Amazon link below, it says the kayak I have usually ships within 1 to 2 months! Isn’t that crazy?
One morning when we were out running errands, my husband and I decided to visit Dick’s Sporting Goods just on a whim (back in January), and guess what…the wall of Kayaks was 1/2 full. I was beside myself because they had the actual kayak that I wanted. And as we all know, kayaking alone is not the most fun, so we bought two.
We bought so quickly and unexpectedly, that we weren’t even sure they would fit in our Tahoe. So now we were in the parking lot of Dick’s with two kayaks wondering how in the world we were going to get these things home. We were successful, after moving some seats around and me giving up my front seat and sitting squished in the back between the kayaks, we made it home.
Since we got the kayaks during winter months, I have had lots of time to shop for all the things I “need” for my first kayaking trip. I ordered life jackets, whistles, tow ropes, and all kinds of dry bags to store stuff. I still need to get some fishing poles, because the kayaks we bought have fishing rod holders! What? Sounds like fun, huh?
While the shortage was in full swing, they did have inflatable kayaks available, but I was pretty set on the kind I wanted. Now that I’m tasked with figuring out how to get these kayaks onto the top of my Jeep to get them to the lake, I’m wondering if I should’ve gone with an inflatable kayak.
Hmmm…I guess I’ll know soon enough. Hoisting two kayaks onto the top of my Jeep might be a bigger task than I’m up for each time I want to hit the lakes!
So now that we have all of our needed supplies for a successful kayak adventure, we are waiting for the perfect weekend to drag these kayaks to the lake and test them out. After waiting all this time to go kayaking, I hope I haven’t dreamed it up too much in my head. I’ve had a lot of time to think about my first trip kayaking on Lake Lavon. Hope it’s all I have imagined it will be.
If you’re looking for a kayak, I hope you are able to find one much easier than I was. Seems like things now are getting back to normal, so maybe the kayak racks at all the sporting good stores are now at full capacity again. Goodluck finding one for your next adventure.
I’m hoping to have some pictures from my first kayaking adventure soon! Once we get a weekend without rain or baseball, you’ll be able to find me out on the lake, hopefully in my kayak!
Until next time…
