: . . . She is prideful...if I get her to
: paddle dowstream for a half hour, she will need to paddle for an
: hour to get back to the car and she would die before asking me
: to tow her...;)

I know yo do a lot of rivel travel where you put in at one point and get out as far away from there as possible--like the other side of the country. My river travels are more like two laps. One lap upstream and another downstream so I can return to my put-in point.

Something I learned the hard way: When paddling on a river: When you need to finish your paddling by getting back to your starting point, do the first leg upstream. Travel 75% of your allowed time up stream. It may be slow going, and a tiring paddle. Once you are tired, it is always easier to get back home by going downstream-- and it takes much less time.

With open canoes, when you are traveling upstream for any distance it is sometimes easier to not paddle at all, bt rather to use a pole. Pushing against the bottom of the stream is less tiring than trying to push against water. Poling a kayak is not as easy; the small cockpit limits your movement, and standing to get a better poling stance will raise your center of gravity. Kayaks being narrower than open canoes (generally speaking) this can be a stability issue.

Similarly, on a lake I'll go out against the wind. As long as the wind doesn't turn 180 degrees, I'll have an easier time getting back to the dock.

Of course if I have the right food and drink, and a cell phone, I can always use the weather as an excuse, and just start a picnic until conditions improve. Then there is the Gilligan approach; but where ya gonna find a movie star, a billionaire and Mary Ann? :)

PGJ