An Urban Boychick Takes on the Outdoors

 I went to paddle at Mason Neck the other day not just because it's one of my favorite local places to paddle, but with several specific goals in mind: 1. Check on the geocache I had hidden on tiny Conrad Island, and do maintenance as necessary (e.g., replace the logbook). 2. Paddle at least 10 miles 3. Get some nice wildlife photos Well, #1 had an unexpected outcome, I didn't achieve #2, and I kinda did OK with #3, but could have done better if things had gone according to plan. While unloading my boat I chatted with a young guy in a Virginia State Parks polo shirt who was hanging around the launch. He told me that he was the kayak rental attendant, that the park had decided that it was too disruptive to haul someone over from the Visitor Center every time people wanted to rent kayaks and so had decided to hire someone to staff the kayak rental. My first thought was that the park must have better things it could spend its money on than this position - particularly staffing it ...