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Traveling all over the world is fun and exciting for us, but sometimes it’s just as fun to find little gems of places to go to and do things right in our local area. A while back, David and I took a kayak class/adventure series LL Bean offered near our home in Illinois. If you are looking for something fun to do, check out LL Bean Outdoor Discovery Programs. When we went last year, the classes for the whole month of June were FREE!! However, even when they are not free, the classes seem to be quite reasonably priced. We decided to spend a Saturday morning seeing what it was all about.
Available Classes
In our area, the different series LL Bean offered included kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, and archery– just to name a few. It was super simple to sign up online and participate. When we arrived at Busse Park, and once everyone got there, we had a quick safety lesson in the parking lot with our instructors. The “class” was approximately 12-15 people, ranging from ages 8 to maybe 70. The instructors were very informative and went out on the water with us, as our class had every level from beginner to advanced recreational kayakers. We launched in a shallow area of the lake, and since we had kayaked before, we did not have to stay with the instructor while on the water. We were able to explore on our own. David and I really enjoyed our time on the water. The adventure lasted approximately 2-3 hours, and once back on dry land, we thanked the instructors and headed home. We were given a 20% off coupon to use in store or on another “adventure”. One thing we thought would be interesting was their “Sunset Kayak Tour”. We will definitely be looking into that for another fun time when we are home for the weekend.
LL Bean Outdoor Discovery Classes 
David striking a pose
The Adventures in Kayaking Continue
Due to Covid-19, like everyone else, we have been “grounded” from flying for a while but still felt the need to have some adventures this summer. While on a trip to St. John, USVI last year, David and I were snorkeling at Maho Beach and saw a few people with an inflatable kayak. This really piqued our interest, as we rented a glass bottom kayak while there, and had fun exploring a few beaches using the kayak as our transportation. The inflatable kayak, however, was something we had never paid much attention to before, and we wanted to know more. We watched as the kayak was easily set up using a small pump, and once inflated, it looked to be a two person kayak! It seemed to be easy to get into and out of, and looked like it glided through the water with no trouble at all. We both agreed to put this info into our “research later” notebook.
Inflatable Kayak Owners
David and I are now the proud owners of two inflatable kayaks!! After much research, we decided we each wanted our own kayak, and we wanted to be comfortable, so we bought these kayaks. I will post in a separate blog the step-by-step instructions of how to set up and take down the kayak, including pictures, so you can see just how easy it is. Here is a picture of what TWO-2 person kayaks look like in the back of our SUV: They fit very nicely, along with our small cooler and bag of towels, etc for later.
Skokie Lagoons
We found a nice place to kayak in our county recently, called Skokie Lagoons. It is approximately 30 minutes from where we live, and doesn’t cost anything to park or launch your kayak. Pre Covid-19, they had canoe and kayak rentals. They also have a trailered boat launch for canoes, kayaks, rowboats, sailboats and boats with electric trolling motors. You could also fish, hike and picnic there. Some of the activities are not allowed now due to social distancing, and capacity restrictions, but I am sure they will be back to doing all of those things in the near future.
After setting up our kayaks it was very easy for us to carry both kayaks at the same time down to the water. One of us gets up front and grabs the handles, while the other is in the back holding onto the handles. Super lightweight and easy to carry together. Since they are inflatable, and not hard-sided, we didn’t want to “drag” them on the ground to the water. There is an art to getting into and out of the kayaks, and let’s just say I am still learning this art. David, of course, does it with ease–but this girl needs to take a few more yoga lessons/ learn more balancing poses before I can say my entry/exit is perfected! We do wear “swimmie shoes” (this is what I call them) as we assume we will get at least our feet a little wet depending on where we take the kayaks. We also either wear or keep in our kayak these vests, too. We just keep them in a separate drawstring bag and throw them in the back of the SUV with the rest of our things for the adventure!
Nature at It’s Best
While kayaking on this “lagoon”, we saw nature at it’s best. It was so peaceful to paddle a little bit, then just sit and watch the birds, or the fish jumping every now and then. We even found a little “water-fall” area. We saw several groups of geese, and we followed around a crane for a bit as well. There was a sailboat on the water, and we even saw a home-built wooden skiff/rowboat that looked pretty neat. There were several fisherman on the banks of the lagoon enjoying their time at the water too. There were several families out enjoying the day, and it looked as if everyone seemed to be having a nice time, in spite of the pandemic that has currently wreaked havoc on our world. We think that one good thing that has come out of this time is that families are doing more things together–getting back to nature and exploring this beautiful world we live in! I know it has given David and I a new appreciation of all the things we just didn’t “have time” to do before the pandemic hit. We now include kayaking on our list of favorite things to do whether at home or out traveling the world! We challenge you to either rent a kayak or buy your own and get out there too!!
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sailboat on the water 
David enjoying the waterfall
