Hidden in suburbia

[Celeste]

What has become my most common paddling location is a drinking water reservoir 20 minutes from my work, and 5 minutes from I95, just north of Washington DC.  Because it is drinking water, there is no swimming, no water sports that has your body in contact with the water for extended periods of time, and no gas motors.  It is a dammed river valley that is narrow and deep, maybe 7-8 miles long with the surrounding area undeveloped and protected.  Rockey Gorge Reservoir is a secluded largely deserted slice of relatively undisturbed nature in the middle of the Baltimore-Washington corridor.  I often only see 2-3 fishermen and 1-2 kayaks paddling.  The protected land around requires a permit to use as does the water, so the number of people are well controlled.  There are lots of coves with hidden secrets, this one I paddled past several times thinking the noise was traffic from a road, then one day i paddled up to the head waters.

Quite a delightful surprise to find it wasn't traffic.  The irony is that only in the fall is it visible, because the rest of the year, the water level is to high, and submerges it.  You can kind of see the high water level.

True to its name, there are lots of rocks that deserve investigation, and some that point to an interesting and violent geology.  Here the rock is twisted like burled wood

[supthecreek]

Last picture... my first thought was: Oyster shell

Celeste, that's a beautiful spot. The kind of place where SUP magic happens!

Very cool, going to be beautiful in foliage season.

I am excited about this new category... it opens up a whole world of SUP for us to explore, enjoy and share.

[ADKSUPr]

Very cool!  It's amazing how you can be in the middle of suburbia and feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.

[SUPpaddler]

Very nice.  Just west of there are a couple of my favorite flat water spots -- Little Seneca Lake (Black Hill Regional Park) and Clopper Lake (Great Seneca State Park.)  Very clear water, great scenery, no power boats.

[suprbowl]

What?! No fair! I live up the street from a similar reservoir that interconnects to miles and miles of water that no one, and I mean no one but those fishing with DEP approved rowboats can access. Glad for you, though.

[ADKSUPr]

Me too suprbowl. Must be a NY thing.

[TEX_SUP]

You are very lucky.  Out here in Kalifornia all the reservoirs have banned SUPs.  I need to find an environmental lawyer and show how little body contact occurs during a normal paddle.  That and maybe some donations to the local Greenpeace and maybe I can finally do all the eco paddles I have been hoping for.