Until now, all of my forays to the San Antonio Riverwalk have been on foot – walking the winding sidewalk past shops, taking in the view from atop a stone bridge arching over the urban flow, and stopping for a cocktail or snack.
But last weekend, I pushed my yellow plastic kayak into the shallow waters of the San Antonio River early Sunday morning and paddled my way through the famous Texas tourist destination.
I spent about two hours on the river, making two leisurely circuits of the famous horseshoe. I glided alongside Casa Rio, where visitors have been eating enchiladas and sipping margaritas since 1946; I slid past hotels and beneath stone archways; I watched a duck lead her string of ducklings; and I saw bars and restaurants – from the water – that I’ve visited over the years.

My kayak trip was part of a pilot program by Mission Kayak, which rents kayaks and offers kayak instruction on other parts of the San Antonio River. Since the 1970s, the Riverwalk has been off limits to paddlers. Mission Kayak owner Sarah Neal worked with the San Antonio Riverwalk Association to allow paddlers to use the Riverwalk for six weeks this October and November. She’s now working with city officials to continue the program – either on special occasions or as a continuing program.
We put our boat in at a launch site (not normally open to the public) at Auditorium Circle and Fourth Street. We brought our own kayaks and paid $15 to launch, but rental kayaks were also available for $50. We were allowed to paddle between 8-11:15 a.m., before tourist barge traffic began. (Because of Covid, the barges are operating on a more limited schedule.)
My good luck charm apparently was working, too, because San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg was out for a test paddle while we were there. Nirenberg says he likes the idea of opening the river to paddling on occasion, because it encourages locals, who sometimes consider the Riverwalk a destination for out-of-town tourists, to see their own city.
As I wheeled around another corner, I heard a holler from shore. Chet Garner, host of the PBS Series “The Day Tripper,” was visiting San Antonio with his wife and daughter, and spotted me. (I happened to be wearing a cowboy hat he gave me!)
By water, it’s about a mile from the put-in point to the start of the horseshoe. The entire circuit, from the put-in, around the horseshoe, and back to the start, is about 3.25 miles.
Paddlers must wear a life jacket, and must stay in their boats while they’re on the Riverwalk. Booze is not allowed on the water.
Neal hopes she can add some late night paddling sessions during the upcoming holiday season, so paddlers can experience the Riverwalk while it’s bedecked in thousands of lights. Stay tuned to find out about that.
“Everything just looks larger than life because you’re sitting 4 feet lower and on the water,” Neal says. “It’s an intimate way to see the city. You can feel the water each time you take a paddle stroke or someone goes by you.”
For more information, go to www.missionadventuretours.com.

Here in Austin, water skiing season lasts all year round for some people.
I’m not normally one of those people, but I did want to log a slalom run in November, so even though the thermometer read 45 degrees at daybreak yesterday, Chris and I dropped our boat into the water at Walsh Landing a little before 7 a.m.
I yanked on my shortie wetsuit, cringed a little in anticipation, and climbed behind the wheel for the cruise upstream toward the Pennybacker Bridge, where the water is smoother because it’s protected from the wind. Steam rose from the water – and from the mug of hot tea I’d brought along.
Back when I was learning how to run a slalom course about 15 years ago, my instructor would pour a pitcher of warm water into my wetsuit just before I jumped in the lake. It felt great. I didn’t have that this time, but the Lake Austin didn’t feel much colder than Barton Springs today.
Until I started skiing.

I jumped in, waited while Chris got the rope set, and took off, all without ever getting my face or hair wet. But the wind on my wet skin made turned me into a popsicle, and the longer I skied, the stiffer and colder my face and fingers got. I dropped after a shorter than normal run.
One big benefit? Stress relief. I’ve been anxious and rattled in the days leading up to the election, and the one thing that soothes my soul is getting out in nature. This worked like a charm.
The key to cold weather swimming is getting out of your wet clothes as soon as you exit the water, so I peeled off my wetsuit and bikini and wrapped myself in fleece pants, a sweatshirt and a thick deck jacket.
Now it was Chris’ turn.
He hopped in the water, didn’t whine too much, and made his own run. We passed a pair of white swans and swooped alongside some trees that were just starting to give off a hint of fall color. Again, nature works like a balm.
We saw no other motorboats on the lake, another bonus of getting out on the water when most people think it’s too cold to swim.
Now that I’ve logged a November water ski run, I’m thinking about December …

I’ve paddled the Devils River in West Texas three times in the past three years, and camped out there at least three other times.
During my last canoe trip a few weeks ago, clouds of Monarch butterflies drifted along the river corridor as I paddled through rapids and camped on islands.
I love the place. It reminds me of what Texas must have looked like generations ago, with its prickly, wide open spaces and a clear ribbon of turquoise water. It’s home to my favorite swimming hole on the planet, and scene of the great pinning of my Alumicraft canoe (thanks Indian Creek rapids!). I’ve eaten giant steaks on an island in the river, stepped over a tarantula on a ridge overlooking it, and flipped out of my canoe a time or two navigating rapids.
It’s been called the most pristine river in Texas, and I want to help keep it that way.

The Devils River Conservancy, which works to protect the river, has held its annual fund-raising event at the Witte Museum in San Antonio in recent years. Thanks to the pandemic, that’s not happening in 2020. Instead, the organization is hosting an online auction, where you can bid on items like art, guided tours, aoudad and turkey hunts, vintage drawings of Texas dams, gear, and a stay in the historic white house on Rio Vista Ranch. For $30, you can even get a Devils River Annus Horribillis 2020 shirt.
Proceeds support strategic water research, education programs, and advocacy to ensure the river remains wild and pristine for future generations.
The auction is open for bidding through Nov. 7 at Wild Devils 2020.