Kayak Trips with John

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T21:47:00.001-05:00

Since it was a holiday and we all had the day off, Chuck, Pat, and I decided to go for a paddle. The weather was not as good as we hoped with clouds hanging around most of the day and more wind than we had hoped for. Once we got down to the causeway we decided to go upstream against the current and a 15 mile per hour breeze. Between the two it made for a tougher paddle. In fact, if you stoped paddling for more than just a few seconds you wuld get pushed back downstream. After going a ways upstream Chuck had to turn around to get back to Pierre. Pat and I continued upstream stopping at what used to be an island along the Fort Pierre side of the river. The distance upstream was about 2.4 miles and took about an hour. After stopping for a little while we headed back. And, of course, the breeze didn't SEEM to be as strong once it was at our backs. But, the paddling was much easier and the 2.1 miles back took only half an hour. I think the distance was less becasue we took a little more direct route and probably because we never got pushed backwards.

With this 4.5 miles I am now over 80 miles for the year. Pat, of course, now has over 100 miles.

Pat waiting for Chuck to launch.

Chuck.

The island at the turnaround.

West Bend

2009-05-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

As we continued to camp we went down to West Bend for the weekend. When we arrived on Friday night the wind was really blowing and kicking up some big waves. The river is 2 miles wide at this area and the waves can really build, much like it can up on Lake Oahe. Saturday was part of the free fishing weekend and it looked like everyone with a boat showed up at West Bend. One time we went around and counted over 100 empty boat trailers. And they kept coming. Good thing there is a lot of water for them to spread out on. Fortunately, Saturday was a calmer day than what it had been like Friday night and it warmed up - the low was around 32 the night before. I was able to park near the campground and only had to carry my boat 50 yards to a good put in. Careful to not get run over by any outgoing or incoming boats I snuck past the opening to the marina and headed north (downstream). Since I have a geocache about 2 miles from my starting point I decided to go check on it. Before getting to it I spotted something slip into the water, maybe a beaver, but he was too elusive to tell for sure. A few turtles were sitting on some large logs and also slipped away under the water before I could get their pictures.

After checking on the cache I continued another mile downstream. After paddling about 3.2 miles I decided to head back. But, by making it a straight line back I was able to cut that distance down to 2.9 miles and with pushing it a little I made the return trip in just over 40 minutes. Because of the route taken it looks like I crossed a line between Hughes and Lyman County.

Another Farm Island Paddle

2009-05-12T21:26:00.001-05:00

After supper Pat came out to the campground so we could go for a paddle. Originally we had planned to start by the polo grounds and go around the islan, but the weather forecast was not too promising. So. we decided to avoid the main channel and just start at the campground and stay between there and the island. As we headed downstream the paddling was easy so we decided to just continue down to the end of the island. There was a slight breeze in our faces so we figured it would make a quicker paddle back. That theory held for a while, but after starting the return trip the tail wind died down and then switched around to be another headwind. It looked like another storm was headed our way so about the time we decided to get back to the near shore the wind started to pick up even more. After getting back near the shore it REALLY picked up and made the last half mile of the paddle tough. And, as usual, the wind died back down about the time we were done. The pictures that follow show how much the weather can change in an hour and a half. From sunny and bright, to cloudy. All told we put another 5.7 miles on our boats.

Farm Island Campground

2009-05-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

After camping at Okobojo and Cow Creek we came back to Farm Island to camp for the week. On Monday evening there was a short storm that went through. Aterwards, I went out for a short paddle from the campground over to the island, upstream to the causeway, back down, and back to the campground. On the way down while along the island I caught glimpse of a raccoon along the water. I tried to get a couple pictures of him, but he was pretty well hidden among the branches and a bit too far away to get a good shot. And, as usual the pelicans were around, but alwys took over before getting close enough to get an good shots of them either. Since it was a late start, I was only on the water just long enough to paddle 2 miles.

The storm that passed through the campground.

After the storm. It has moved east away from the campground.

Looking toward the island. There is a raccoon in this picture.

Zoomed in on the same picture you can just see him looking at me.

Lake Oahe

2009-05-09T19:58:00.003-05:00

Cathy and I spent Friday night camped along one of the points at Okobojo Point and the wind blew and the whitecaps were bad out on Lake Oahe. Fortunately, on Saturday afternoon the wind went down and Pat came out so we could paddle out on the bigger water. The water levels of Lake Oahe have been down, but have comeback up to "normal" this fall. That submerged a lot of small trees that used to be out of the water. Starting from the point just outside the motor home we headed straight west out across the opening where Okobojo Creek empties into Lake Oahe. This is about a 3/4 mile crossing at that point. From there we continued across 2 more openings and finally stopped at a point about 3 miles away and just past Dry Creek. There, we got out of our boats and I went and placed a geocache for others to find. We kept an eye on the weather and it looked like it cold turn bad, even getting sprinkled on a few times. So, we hustled back and finsihed by covering about 5.8 miles. Not long after we got back and Pat headed back to Pierre the front came through and the wind blew and the rain came down hard. Timing is EVERYTHING.

With this, I am now up to 26 straight months of paddling and can add Lake Oahe and Sully County onto my list of paddling destinations.

Getting ready to launch.

Heading out across Okobojo Creek.

Turn around point.

Storm approaching from the west.

Big Sioux River Cruise

2009-04-25T20:40:00.001-05:00

Pictures will go in first this time:

This is what we woke up to Saturday morning. This is Eric's tent which was next to our motor home.

Part of the group ready to launch from the pow wow grounds.

Ryan.

Eric.

Not sure what Ryan is pointing to. Must be one of those Lewis and Clark moments.

The dam at Flandreau.

The pictures from here on down were taken as people
went past the campground east of Flandreau.

Into Farm Island

2009-04-19T21:51:00.002-05:00

After some rain earlier in the weekend Pat and I decided to get the boats out again. Since we haven't been down there yet we decided it would be a good day to go into Farm Island. We met at the main boat ramp and headed east along the island. There was a littel bit of a tail wind on the way back and I forgot how easily the Tempest gets turned in the wind. So, I broke down and put the skeg part way down to track straighter. When we got to the point where you can go into the island we went in and into the channel that is the farthest towards the center of the island, past the old Lewis and Clark Monument. We continued until we couldn't go any farther. Pelicans were flying around and we both kept trying to get good pictures of them, but they always seem to stay away or go by when we don't have cameras at ready. I got one picture of some as they were flying right over head by laying back on my kayak. Unfortuantely they were still a bit too high.

Naturally, the wind we fought outside the island was nearly nonexistent in the island. We thought it would be a bit of a chore to paddle back after exiting the island and into the wind. But, it really wasn't too bad. The Tempest cuts through the waves so well that I enjoy going into them more than I do having them at my back. All of the paddling effort is used for propulsion and none is "wasted" on trying to keep on track. By the time we got back to our vehicles we had put on another 4 miles. Just a short paddle, but it was nice to get back to a new spot for the year. Our timing was pretty good too. About the time we got done loading boats, paddles, PFDs, etc., the wind started to pick up.

La Framboise Circumnavigation

2009-04-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

On the 13th, the weather was so nice that Pat was able to convince me to go out after work. Not that it took a lot of arm twisting. At about 5:30 we headed down to the causeway to make a trip around LaFramboise Island. Along the main channel there is a spot where you can go in through the island. This makes the trip a little shorter, but at times there isn't enough water to paddle and you end up using your hands to propel yourself through the water. Even though this makes for a shorter trip it probably results in a trip taking the same amount of time than if you went all the way around the tip of the island. We covered 5.7 miles and were done well before dark. Sure is nice now that it stays light so much later than it did a few months ago.

First Paddle in April

2009-04-10T23:25:00.000-05:00

With the weather acting a little more like spring we decided to spent the weekend at the campground near the Oahe Dam. There were not many people camping, but there were 3 kayaks between the 2 campers along the water. With Pat coming out to join us there were a total of 4 kayaks out on the water on Good Friday. Gary, Lenise, Pat and I launched near the campground and traveled up the stilling basin. With the warmer weather and the holiday weekend we had to share the water with more motor boats as fishermen rushed back abd forth trying to find some fish to catch. From where we launched we went up to the outlets, back past the stating point, out t the main channel and back for a total of about 4 miles. The boats ranged from the 12 footers used by Gary and Lenise to my 17 foot Tempest, this being the first time it has been on the water in 2009.

Nothing much to report but the fact that I have now extended my streak to 25 straight months of paddling.

Bad River Paddle

2009-03-28T22:56:00.003-05:00

In between blizzards we had nice weather on Saturday. High temperatures were in the upper 40's and the wind was maybe 10-15 mph. So, Pat and I decided to go for an afternoon paddle. Becauase I had some other things to get done we didn't get on the water until 3:30. The ramp along the casueway was crowded with fisherman launching and landing their boats. Where were these guys in January and February??? We launched from an area next to the ramp and headed over to Fort Pierre to check out the Bad River.I have only gone part way up it once before but ran into ice in December. Pat has gone farther before until the water got too shallow to paddle.

As we went up the river we found no ice remaining. We did spot a number of hawks, a couple muskrats, and a heron that kept just a head of us for a while until it finally flew away. We were able to go about 2 and a half miles upstream to a ways beyond the second railroad bridge. The wind picked up slightly and was a little rough on the Missouri on the return trip. Total time on the water was a bit over 2 and a half hours and we paddled about 7.5 miles. The pictures that follow are several of Pat and of the heron after he took off one of the times.

ANOTHER March Paddle

2009-03-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

With the weather being so nice again it didn't take much convincing to go kayaking again. Temperatures were up into the 60's. Pat and I again met at the causeway and headed upstream. We started along the Pierre shoreline and after getting beyond town we switched over to the west shore. The temperature was noticeably cooler on that side, near what amounts to an island. In fact, it dropped from about 60 along the east shore to about 50. The water was still around 37 degrees and the wind was nearly non-existent. The water was clear and we could see fish at different times. Which would explain why we were not alone on the water. At least half a dozen boats had taken off from the same place as us. Walkers and bicyclists were all along he path next to the river. Something we had not seen much of the other times we have been out.

There was a noticeable current so the trip upstream took about an hour and 10 minutes to get to a point beyond the island where several people were fishing. It appears that this point is about half way between the causeway and the Oahe Marina. On the return trip we took a slightly more direct route and with the current only to 50 minutes to get back. Total distance traveled was about 5.7 miles.

Here are a few pictures of Pat, the dam in the distance, some of the houses in Pierre and the railroad bridge.

Another March Paddle (already)

2009-03-08T21:24:00.006-05:00

The weather forecast for the last few days have been off to say the least. The forecast for Friday had been for highs in the upper 40's. Despite the fact that that it was only in the upper 20's Pat and I went paddling. The forecast for today was only in the 20's. But, that changed and it started to warm up by noon. So,with that in mind we decided to go out again. Chuck wasn'table to join us at 2:30 whne we planned to head out, but we let him know our plans so he could try to meet up with us at some point. The wind started out a little over 10 miles per hour and actually went down somewhat through the afternoon. The temperature was around 50 or a bit above and the water was as "warm" as 37 in some of the shallower areas.

At 2:30 we met at the causeway and decided to head downstream this time. There did not appear to be much flow, but the slight wind was at our face on the way down. A few others were out on the water fishing and a lot of people we walking along the casueway and on the island. Amazing what 50 degree weather will do. We spent about an hour going downstream and finally decided to turn around after going about 2.25 miles, figuring a 4.5 mile paddle would be enough. When we were about a mile from the dock on our way backe we saw another kayak heading towards us. It was Chuck. We met and the three of us went back to the dock.

Cold weather paddling is normally defined as paddling when the water is 50 degrees or colder. All of the paddling we have done for the past several months sure meets that definition. When asked by people about paddling in the cold weather and on cold water I always tell them that the water is only really cold if you fall in. That is the reason for being selective when choosing a day to go out and why I use my Spectrum instead of the Tempest. The Tempest is faster and somewhat easier to paddle, but it can feel a bit tippy and I don't need to get in a hurry this time of year. The Spectrum is simply a more stable boat. Proper clothing for cold water paddling is a real important thing to remember. There are a lit of different ideas about hat to wear and can go all the way to the extreme of wearing a dry suit. I don't have one and am not sure if I would need one. Layering is important. A poly base layer, fleece top, and paddle jacket along with splash pants. Neoprene boots, stocking cap, and neoprene gloves with liners finish the lineup. The only part of me that got cold when the tempreatures were in the upper 20's was my hands. Perhaps pogies or other heavier gloves would be better in those conditions. With the temperature in the 50's no part ofme was cold today. In fact, if anything I was warmer than necessary. But, that beats the alternative.

Here are some pictures from today. As usual, they are of Pat and Chuck. Anyone wanting to see a picture of me would need to go to Pat's web site.

March Paddle

2009-03-06T19:02:00.006-06:00

The weatherman predicted highs in the upper 40's for the day and with the last couple days being about that we had no reason to doubt it. So, Pat and I decided to take some timeoff from work and go paddling. Unfortunately, the temperature never got above 33 and started to drop shortly after noon. When we met at the causeway at 2:30 it was about 30 degrees and the wind was coming out of the north at about 10 to 15 miles per hour. By the time we were done it was down to 28. The next few days don't sound too good so we decided to just head upstream and spend a bit of time out on the water anyway. We continued up and finally stopped to turn around once we got to the northern edge of town. It was interesting to see what the water splashing up from the river or dripping off of our paddles would do. Paddle leashes and deck cords really took the brunt of it. The current and the wind in our face made for some waves as we made our way upstream. The trip back was a bit quicker. We spent about an hour and 20 minutes on the water and traveled about 3.5 miles. With this I have now made it out at least once in 24 straight months. With spring beginnning soon, longer and warmer days are just around the corner and the streak should be easier to continue.

I have had people ask how long we need to paddle to count it as an outing. While it is possible to go out 50 feet, turn around, and call it a day, that has never been considered by Pat, Chuck, or myslef to be enough. The minimum we have ever gone out and counted has been about an hour of paddle time.

February Outing

2009-02-05T20:18:00.005-06:00

With the temperature forecast to be near 50 degrees with virtually no wind, Pat and I decided it would be a great day to get out on the water and get February under our belts. I took the entire day off from work and did a bunch of little chores in the morning. Pat took the afternoon off. We met at the LaFrambise Causeway at about 1:30 and were away at around 1:40. The clarity of the water was amazing. You could see down to the bottom in water that was probably 8 to 10 feet deep and we could see fish swimming around. That would explain the other boats out on the river. They must not have been able to decide where to fish because they seemed to be rushing back and forth between Fort Pierre and to points downstream. Fortunately, no matter how warm it is (apparently it got to 54), the water temperatures of 34 to 35 degrees keeps the jet skis in storage. After paddling around for a while and breaking through ice around the ramp we continued downstream. As it ended up we went down to the end of the island and back. Total time on the water was just short of 3 hours and we traveled about 6.8 miles. Not bad for February.

And with this I am now up to 23 straight months of kayaking. While this winter kayaking is fun, I would not go out alone. All of these winter trips are taken with Pat, Chuck, or both. And, until the water warms up a bit I will continue to use my Spectrum instead of the Tempest. But, the days are getting longer and it will come down from the rafters before too long.

Here are a few pictures from today. The calmness of the day is clear in the reflections. Seems like I often end up with good pictures of Pat or Chuck on my site. For more pictures, including ones of me, check out Pat's site. (http://www.piratesofthemissouri.com/)

22 Months

2009-01-26T22:20:00.006-06:00

Yes, I am now up to paddling in 22 straight months. With temperatures predicted to be in the upper 30's on January 11th, Pat, Chuck, and I decided to go out on the water. Our usual launch site on the causeway to LaFramboise Island was iced in so we had to go over to the Fort Pierre boat ramp to find open water. When we arrived we had to chuckle. There was a boat on the trailer just being pulled out of the water by some brave fishermen. The amusing part was that because of the ice they had to use a tow rope to hook a second pickup to the one trying to pull the boat and trailer up the ice covered ramp. They thought we were crazy for going out, but I reminded them that we would be able to launch and land unassisted. With the weatherman missing the forecast and it hovering at only about 30 we only spent about an hour on the water, traveling up stream under the highway and railroad bridges, continuing upstream a little further and returning. Now, to watch the forecast in February to try to keep the streak going.

December Paddle

2008-12-15T22:54:00.000-06:00

With decent weather Chuck and I decided to go paddling on December 7. Pat wasn't able to join us. This completed the year and we are both now able to say that we accomplished one of our goals of paddling at leat once every month this year. With good open water we were able to launch at our usual location, the ramp along the causway to LaFramboise Island. After crossing over to the Fort Pierre side we continued downstream to the mouth of the Bad River. Since it was still open we continued up the Bad to see how far we could get. As we continued we started to run into a little ice. It started off as just a little along the shore and finally went entirely across the river and got thicker as we went up. I lead the way breaking through with my Spectrum, with Chuck following in his Tsunami. I take great pleasure in clearing a path for him to follow. Finally it got to a point where it was just too thick to continue and we had to back up and get turned around. After taking a few pictures we went back downstream and returned to Pierre content in knowing we made it out every month in 2008.

Missouri River Trip from Yankton

2008-10-15T20:19:00.024-05:00

On Saturday, October 11, Pat Wellner and I took a trip down the Missouri River starting just below the Gavin's Point Dam north of Yankton. We both arrived the night before and stayed at the Chief White Crane Recreation Area. Me in my motor home and Pat in his tent. OK - I didn't exactly rough it. We launched at about 10:00 am from an area near Bubble Beach, next to the Chief White Crane Recreation Area. A good current pushed us downstream at a good rate. As we got close to Yankton the new bridge was about ready to be dedicated and was open to pedestrians. This new bridge is a replacement for the Meridian Bridge, built back in 1924. After passing Yankton we took a short side trip to check out a boat that appeared to abandoned. Shortly after that we made a quick stop to stretch and then headed back downstream. At around 1:00 we stopped at the ramp at St. Helena for lunch and to take a few pictures. After a little over an hour we were back on our way. The day was cloudy and cool all day and we got rained on for a while. When the rain came up we decided to continue paddling. Whether we went to shore or continued to paddle we would have gotten wet. After 10 or 15 minutes of hard rain it quit and we continued along. We considered finding a place to spend the night somewhere in the Bow Creek area, but never found a good place to stop.

Throughout the day we had been monitoring our weather radios and learned that the forecast for Sunday was not promising. With that in mind, we decided to push on and get closer to our ending point, the Clay County boat ramp. At a little after 5:00 we reached a spot near the upstream end of Goat Island and got out to look around. Not finding any good spots to camp we got back in our boats and continued downstream along the island. At a little after 6:00 we found a good place to launch and a suitable camp site a few hundred feet from the shore. Since it gets dark early we hustled to set up camp and have some supper before it got too late on us. With a few stops, about 8 hours after we started we had traveled about 24.8 miles and were only 4 miles away from the Clay County ramp. The night went well, with a little rain around 5:00 am. We got up early, broke camp and were back on the water shortly after sunrise. Well, at least it was getting light. With the heavy cloud cover, the sunrise was not visible. Just after leaving, we rounded a corner of the island and ran into a pretty healthy headwind and some waves up to 2 feet high. With the current and strong paddling, we still maintained a 6 mile per hour pace. The final 4 miles took only 49 minutes and we were at the Clay County ramp and had to unload the boats and head back to Chief White Crane.

A lot of lessons were learned on this trip. We found that a 20 mile trip with a current is not at all difficult. In fact, with a little push, an earlier start, or a little longer day we could have covered the entire 29 mile trip in less than a day. We both had more water and food than we needed, but it is nice to not run short of either important item. We were able to easily carry all of the necessary items in our boats. Both boats run somewhat lower in the water with the loads, but handled well. In fact,I think my Tempest rode better with the longer waterline.

Can't wait to do another trip like this.

Pat getting ready to take off

Pat approaching the bridges at Yankton

A bald eagle resting in a tree along the river

Abandoned boat downstream from Yankton

Near the St. Helena ramp

Our boats on the St. Helena ramp

Looking towards James River Island

Between St. Helena and Bow Creek

Near Bow CreekNear Bow Creek Near Bow Creek

Near Bow Creek

Camp site on Goat Island

Ready to head out Sunday morning

Approaching Clay County

Boats at Clay County

Looking upstream fom Clay County

James River

2008-08-27T22:24:00.002-05:00

The South Dakota Canoe and Kayak Association held an event on August 24 on the James River. The trip started at the South Dakota 38 bridge and ended along 416th Avenue. By road it is 8 miles / 4 east and 4 south. By water it is about 11 miles. A total of 16 kayaks were there. Pat Welner and Chuck Kevghas also came down from Pierre. Chuck was joined in his tandem Northstar with Diana.

Part of the group launching

A small deer watching.

Bird (heron?) with a fish.

Pat catching up at the first bridge.

Chuck and Diana near the finish.

Minnesota River

2008-06-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

On June 18 I took a short 5 mile trip on the Minnesota River just downstream from Granite Falls, Minnesota. Without anyone around to help shuttle I had to use my bicycle to shuttle myself. After dropping off the kayak and gear at Memorial Park I drove down to the landing at Kinney Landing and rode the 2.4 miles back so I could kayak. The trip included a short portage along a route on the right bank around a dam.

Namekagon River

2008-06-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

Took a 10 mile trip on the Namekagon River in Wisconsin. Started at the County Road K launch site and traveled to the Whispering Pines canoe launch. This is north and west of the town of Trego. The Namekogan is part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. This trip was 9.9 miles in length and with one stop took 2 hours and 10 minutes. Other than the group of people camped at one of the group camp sites along the river, I never saw another person during the trip.

February 16, 2008

2008-02-16T23:12:00.000-06:00

Another trip from the causeway out onto the river. Spent most of our time in the main channel paddling up onto the ice flows.

January 5, 2008

2008-01-05T23:02:00.000-06:00

Spent a little time out on the Missouri River, taking off from the causeway and going over to Marion Gardens near Fort Pierre. Chuck and Diana were in his Northstar tandem boat and I used my Aquaterra Spectrum. River is open, but some pretty good ice in the canals.