Immersion Research 2008

How do you get to work?
We here at IR have all kinds of fun ways to get to work that don’t involve fossil fuels. There are the traditional methods of walking and riding a bike, but paddling a kayak is the transportation du jour here at IR. Jon Harmon and Cody recently scored an apartment near Friendsville, MD, and it is about a half of a mile from Yough Lake. Yough Lake is formed by a dam in between Friendsville and Confluence, deep in the heart of whitewater land. Once or twice a week, Cody, John and I paddle from work to their apartment, and it is a little less than a 2 hour paddle. We then turn around and paddle back in the morning. It is a beautiful place to paddle as it winds through the verdant Youghiogehney River valley.
The evening run consists of some interesting sights as there are plenty of pontoon and power boats to keep an eye out for, as well as their occupants! The paddle, however, ends with $2 22oz beers at the Old Pike Inn.
The morning run is a completely different story, as the valley is blanketed by thick fog and accompanied by the sounds of serenity and morning bird songs.
I am the envy of the crew with my super sleek and efficient Impex Force 4, Jon paddles a Perception Captiva and Cody is currently paddling a slightly battered Phoenix boat.
The first picture captures the intriguing beauty of the places where engineering and nature collide. The second and third pictures are evening scenes while the fourth shows the heavy fog that makes the morning paddles both alluring and difficult to navigate.

Send us your comments and photos of the fun and interesting ways that you get to work!