Chatfield Reservoir is 25 miles away: why does getting there take almost an hour? Given how long the drive is and the time to set up the inflatable kayaks, you kind of want to go for a long, long time.
Next time we might try Aurora Reservoir, which isn't bounded by trees--Chatfield has trees except along the dam--and doesn't have a view of the mountains--it's farther east and in a hollow--but, crucially, doesn't allow motors (evidently excepting a police launch). I really don't like motor boats.
Three miles through water so churned up by motors that I called it practice for open-sea kayaking.