Paddling the Occoquan Reservoir

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Hi Blog!

After a busy week of puppy sitting and hanging out with William, we are back to our regular RVing. Today we took the kayaks to Fountainhead Park in Northern Virginia to access the Occoquan Reservoir.

In the 1950's, two dams were built on the Occoquan River by the Alexandria Water Company. The first was a 30-foot-high dam constructed in 1950 impounding 55 million gallons. Then in 1957, the company built a 70-feet high dam upstream to impound almost 10 billion gallons. The Occoquan Reservoir runs from the confluence of the Occoquan River and Bull Run, down to the town of Occoquan.  Eventually, below the dam, the Occoquan River joins the Potomac River and empties into the Chesapeake Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean.

After talking with two fellow kayakers pictured below, we decided to see if we could reach Bull Run. They indicated it would be about a two hour paddle. Kathy was ready to head upstream.

(Take note: the boat launch at Fountainhead Park has black rubber mats which make launching and retrieving your kayaks a dream.)

We couldn't have asked for a nicer paddle day. The sky was clear and the water calm.

This heron looked down on us as we glided by:

We spotted these turtles sunning themselves on a fallen tree.

This guy let us get up close. He appears to be admiring his reflection in the water.

Occoquan Reservoir is 2,100-acres and straddles part of the boundary between Fairfax County and Prince William County. It is know for excellent bass fishing, fat crappie and bluegill. The winding river basin and a multitude of coves create over 40 miles of shoreline to explore and fish. The overhanging brush make a perfect place for fish to hide and fisher folk to loose their bobbers!

The Occoquan River valley contains several types of herons. We mainly saw great blue herons, although we spotted one tricolor heron and one green heron.

There are also grey herons.

Most of the north side of the reservoir is made up of a series of parks and preserves. However, there are a few grandfathered properties like this $1.4 million estate on the banks of Stillwell Creek.

Large granite outcroppings caused the river to take a sharp turn. Kathy heads off to see if she can spot the deer she saw on the far bank.

The foliage along the banks makes a great resting spot for herons. We seemed to run into one every few yards.

After two hours of poking up streams and in coves, we needed to get out of our kayaks and stretch our legs. We found a nice spot and decided to have our lunch. With temperatures climbing, we decided to make this our turnaround and save reaching Bull Run for another day.

After lunch, we headed back downstream. Kathy noticed a tiny little hitchhiker. This baby praying mantis somehow jumped on her kayak while we were tied to shore. After some careful encouragement, Kathy managed to get the little critter to jump on some grass hanging from the bank. 

He wasn't the only creature we helped today. A bumblebee fell into a drainwell on Kathy's kayak. Dave carefully fished out the wet bee with a tiny stick. The bee  grabbed the stick and held on while Dave moved it over to his kayak, where it rested in the sun and began to dry out. Once the bee seemed dry enough, Dave offered him the little stick, which he eagerly climbed up; then Dave gently placed the stick on a fallen tree, where the bee dismounted to finish his drying process. Another life saved!

As we made our way back toward the boat ramp, we noticed a family of geese. Usually, goose parents would quickly do an about-face and take the babies into the brush, or across the lake in the opposite direction. This family, however, seemed very curious. Dave sat still as mom and dad led their troop right by. At one point, dad had to coral the curious kids as they tried to approach Dave's boat. 

After such a cool encounter with the goose family, the bright yellow buoy seemed boring. However, the night light does help fishermen return to the boat launch after dark.

We noticed this structure on the way upstream, but decided to save exploring it until the way back. Our GPS indicated it was the old Ryons Dam. 

 

We later learned that Colonel Fred B. Ryons, who served in the US Army Corps of Engineers in World War I, decided to go into the hydroelectric business in the 1920's. In 1928, he purchased land on the Occoquan River upstream of the town of Occoquan, then built a dam between the lower Davis Ford and Wolf Run Shoals Road. He designed the dam to include six generators, but only four were installed. The hydropower generated at Ryons Dam was sold to customers in Prince William County, because the Bull Run hydroelectric dam near modern-day Hemlock Overlook served Fairfax customers in the Clifton area. Ryon generated power from about 1930 to 1947, when what is now Doninion Power began to provide cheaper electricity generated at larger facilities such as Possum Point. When the Occoquan Reservoir was built and then expanded in the 1950's, most of Ryons Dam was submerged. Today it serves as a reference point for crew teams and boaters on the reservoir, and a reminder that technological change can result in significant land use changes.

Or for us, a fun place to play hide and seek. Kathy tried to hide from Dave. It does't look like she was successful!

While the main channel of the reservoir can reach 122 feet deep, the sides near the banks can be quite shallow. We often had to work our way around fallen trees. This one, in particular, appeared as if it was some type of sculpture protruding from the depths.

We finished up just in time to get our kayaks off the boat ramp before a herd of high school students on a paddle board trip swarmed the dock area, heaving boards, paddles and life jackets in every direction. We barely escaped!

And so ends another adventure. Tomorrow, we plan to meet up with some RV friends, Ron and Dee Stuebing for an afternoon of wine tasting and chuckluck.

Until then, stay thirsty my friends!