I finally did it after depending on the kindness of my kayaking friends to haul my kayak around for me. A friend found me a used Thule Hullavator and I splurged on the conversion kit and cross bars. The folks at Rack Attack in Tigard were so great and installed it on my Honda CRV while I had lunch next door at a Mexican restaurant with a friend. Luckily, Rack Attack did a good job showing me how the Hullavator detaches, because as luck would have it, after I left them, I went to an appointment that included parking in a parking garage where my Hullavator would've hit the concrete overhead. I calmly pulled over and took it off...rack still intact.
I'm so excited...let the kayak adventures continue! And yes, I may go this winter...YIKES!