>However this >year I have found a really nice and inexpensive accesory from Voyageur - >it is a foam padded, floating, drybag style case for my GPS. I have been >using it all spring and find it does indeed solve the waterproof problem >very nicely. Now if I could find something comparable for my VHF. > I've been using a Seal See-thru Dry Bag (small size) for my Garmin for some time. I squoze it down a little to get rid of some of the air and help fix the unit in place. I've had no difficulty pressing the keys or reading the screen. JP *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Easter Sunday morning, I got up before dawn when the wife's alarm went off. She was headed for the sunrise service at the church, but I decided to give it a pass -- it's followed by a breakfast that's as loaded with sugar and cholesterol as a country church breakfast can be, and since I can't do one and try to steer clear of the other, it's probably a good idea to miss it. It was still only a half-light, but with a clear sky overhead and the horizion lost in a hazy ground fog as I hooked up the kayak trailer and headed for Lake Hudson, with a stop at a convenience store to fill the coffee mug along the way. That it was going to be an interesting day was made clear to me on the road back to the boat launch, when I drove around a corner to see two wild turkeys crossing the road. There is a small, but wary flock that hangs around the place, and while I've heard them several times, I only see them rarely -- and this was a good sighting, only a few feet away. The big birds scuttled off into the brush, and I continued on. Around another bend in the road I saw two little brown birds and a red spot alongside the road in the distance. Identification of little brown birds is not my strong spot, which is probably all that keeps me from being a serious birder, but the red made me think "cardinal". I was a little disappointed to get closer and discover that the red was the cap from a can of spray paint. My disappointment was assuaged a little farther up the road, when another spot of bright red was flying -- a scarlet tananger, not exactly the most common bird in this neck of the woods. Down at the boat launch, I could see that the lake was calm, and it was high. It's been extremely low since last summer, but we had three inches of rain a few days before, and the lake was now as high as I'd seen it since last spring. Across the way, the geese in the rookery across the point were raising a ruckus, and as I stood there taking it in an angry one launched off a little bluff at another couple swimming by, raising cain all the way -- some sort of territorial dispute, not uncommon now that hatching was here. It made a nice diversion as I put the boat in the water, getting my feet wet in the dewy grass. The lake was high enough that the little sand bar that I usually use for launching was far under water, and the best launch was right from the ramp, carefully to not scrape the boat up too bad. I got in the boat, and reached out to pick the mug of coffee up from the concrete, and place it between my thighs -- I'd skip using the spray skirt this time, although I had it with me if I wanted it later. But, that wouldn't be likely as calm as it was. It was foggier on the lake than it had been out in the country, but I could make out the point across the way, and the sun was up by now and burning the ground fog off. A few strokes and I was up to speed, heading down the usual route to the west end of the lake -- straight across to Silo Point, across the mouth of Crooked Bay, and down along Buzzard Point to the Narrows, then straight across the West Lagoon to Goose Bay. None of these names appear on any map, but I use them in my own mind to keep straight where I've been. The crossing to Silo Point was almost complete when I looked up ahead of me and saw two patches of brown move. Though still a little foggy, the sun behind me lit the deer well, a hundred yards or more off. I quit paddling, and let the speed of the boat carry me toward them as they fed on the shore of the lake. Closer now, I saw a third one, apparently a little darker, standing in the bushes up the shore a bit. I sat silently watching them until one caught a little scent of me and bounded up the slope out of sight, with the other two following behind. As I sat there watching, a hawk came flying past over my head, not five feet up. Farther on, thirty yards away along the shore of Buzzard's point, a solitary goose sat on a log, giving me the low-headed evil eye look that you get from a nesting goose -- but there was no nest around, and I wondered if hers had been flooded out by the heavy rain earlier in the week. The lake was high, and several familiar spots seemed changed by it. There was beginning to be the hint of a little breeze out of the east now, setting up some ripples that disturbed the mirror-like surface of the lake, but it was still so quiet that I could hear several types of bird song over the raucous honks of the geese around the lake. I ghosted through the narrows, and out onto the West Lagoon. My presence caused some irritation to a pair of geese far across the lake, and I could hear it in their honks. While I like the sound of goose music most of the time, sometimes I wish they'd just shut up so it's possible to hear other things. Ignoring the geese, I paddled on across the lagoon and made the turn into Goose Bay. There's a long, narrow island right by the mouth of the bay that's actually a spoil bank from when a drainage ditch used to run through here. On my last trip out here a couple weeks before, I'd noticed a goose nesting at each end of the island. Both nests were now empty, and I couldn't tell whether it was because the brood had hatched, or whether the nest had been abandoned in the heavy rain, although both were high enough to not have been flooded out. Several other geese were on the nest here and there, several that I hadn't noticed on the last trip here, so it's possible that these two had been on the nest early. I quit paddling, laid my paddle across the deck, and reached between my legs for the coffee mug that I'd parked there earlier. By now the little breeze had grown a bit, and it was taking me straight across the bay, so I was content to sit there and watch for a moment, sipping coffee and taking it in. There were a number of geese around the bay, and once I'd been there silently for a while they settled down and I could see other things. A hundred yards off, a pair of geese and three or four coots were easing along, when all of a sudden a bass jumped clear of the water right in the middle of them. I would have thought that it would have sent the whole gang of them off in a huff, but apparently not a feather was ruffled, much to my amazement. At the back of the bay, there's a little channel behind an island that's only passable when the water is high, and I realized that if I was going to sneak down it this year, now was the time. As I paddled back to the mouth of the channel, I passed several other nesting geese. A goose floating out on the water was irritatied enough at my presence to take flight, and since he couldn't get up altitude enough back among the trees, he came right past me, a few feet up, the swish of wind in his flight feathers punctuated by the squaks. It's not wide enough in the channel to use a two bladed paddle, so I broke down my takeapart paddle, put half of it in the paddle park, and canoe-paddled up the narrow passage. Partway through the passage, I could see a flash of white glide by in the distance, and wondered if we finally had swans at the lake -- visitors are occasionally seen, but I've never seen a nesting pair. Out in the open, though, it proved to be another treat -- an egret, only the second one I've ever seen there. Once I had the paddle put back together, I sat and watched for a minute, sipping on my coffee. I set the cup back down, and prepared to get going again, when I noticed two more deer off on the north bank. What a photo that would have made -- the deer, a number of geese, an egret, and a flock of coots, all in the same frame, but it would have just have to be recorded in the photography of the mind. It was getting to be time to be getting it on, if I was going to make it back in time for the morning service, to make it up to my wife for missing the sunrise service. Leaving the glories of the bay, I had another couple close goose encounters, and resolved to get moving -- which I did for most of a mile, when I took a breather and finished the last of my coffee, which was getting a little cold, now. There was still a little fog around the point, and the launch area was dark and indistinct in the distance, but the glint of the sun off of the outhouse roof gave me something to steer for. After a few minutes more paddling, the launch area became clear in the distance, and it was getting brighter. Off more or less toward the sun some distance in front of me, a silhouette of a solitary duck floated in the water. I didn't think too much about it, since I'd been seeing coots and mallards all morning, but when it upended and dove perhaps fifty yards off, it set me to wondering. We don't have a lot of divers at this lake, and I mentally explored possibilities as I stopped paddling. Still, it was a surprise to have it pop to the surface not ten yards away, and now I could see that it was a loon -- if there were any question, it's evocative cry settled it a few seconds later. I only see loons here rarely, and this was easily the closest I'd ever been to one in the wild. It paddled serenely off, emitting another couple of cries, and finally, I paddled off too. A few minutes later, the kayak was on the trailer, and I spent a moment watching the territorial disputes in the goose rookery across the way before I headed for home. I put the kayak trailer away, and went up to change clothes. "We had a real good sunrise service," she announced. "So did I", I told her. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Great trip report, Wes, though I was having a hard time figuring out how you managed teh coffee mug. Still, your report argues well in favor of two things that I almost never do - wake up earlier than I have to and paddle alone. Joan *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 05:05 PM 4/23/00 -0400, volinjo_at_juno.com wrote: >Great trip report, Wes, though I was having a hard time figuring out how >you managed teh coffee mug. Still, your report argues well in favor of Not a problem -- it's one of those Aladdin cups with a cap. I just set it on the floor of the kayak between my legs, then don't use a spray skirt. Of course, this is on water that's pretty flat. For a while, I used a cupholder that normally would hang from a car door, bungeed to the deck up with the deck lines, but it proved more trouble than it was worth. >two things that I almost never do - wake up earlier than I have to and >paddle alone. I'm not much of an early riser myself, but once in a while it's worth it. On the other hand, I frequently paddle alone, since there aren't many other kayakers in this neck of the woods. My regular kayaking buddy lives 50 miles away, so we don't get together that often. I have on occasion reflected on how many of my trip reports come from solo paddles -- I guess it shows that things make more of an impression on me when I'm by myself. -- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Some time ago, when I tolerated religion as a comfort for the weak, I went for a sunset paddle at low-tide. Murky water, mud and birds seeking small creatures in the mud. I squinted into the setting sun and everything had turned golden. It was an epiphany of general revelation. I could not view that scene as some sort of hydro-carbon-molocule-crapshoot. It was too perfect. Floating in the middle of sea and shore, life and light is a doorway to the Spirit. Bob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Wes, Having started with a kayak in Michigan [Jackson] I can well understand your situation with a lack of near-by paddlers. As you indicate however, flatwater lakes [and rivers like the Grand-surprisingly good fishing for Walleye just north of wate water treatment plant in Jackson btw] are, with a firm understanding of the basics, a very nice way to paddle solo. I was just directed to a very close-by local lake [Kitsap Lake] and am considering possibly going that route perhaps-for the INITIAL paddle this season. Your comment about your trip-and how you handle a coffee cup, makes me think that perhaps on the Lake, I will choose to do the same.<g> Your post also got me maybe, missing Michigan a bit, so I did the next best thing, and "called home..." <G> Um... if the weather forecast is accurate, tomorrow may be my chance... Take care, Tom... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I thought everyone had coffee on morning paddles. I have a stainless steel vacuum bottle that holds 16 ounces. Just the right size. I stick it under a bungee or drop it in the cockpit. Find a nice spot, park the paddle and drift for a coffee break. ----- Original Message ----- From: "TomW" <gadfly911_at_earthlink.net> To: "Wes Boyd" <boydwe_at_dmci.net>; <volinjo_at_juno.com> Cc: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2000 4:38 PM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Sunrise Service Your comment about your trip-and how you handle a coffee cup, > makes me think that perhaps on the Lake, I will choose to do the same.<g> *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Wes Boyd wrote: > > On Easter Sunday morning, I got up before dawn when the wife's alarm went > off. She was headed for the sunrise service at the church, but I decided to > give it a pass -- [snip] > That it was going to be an interesting day was made clear to me on the road > back to the boat launch, [snip] > A few minutes later, the kayak was on the trailer, and I spent a moment > watching the territorial disputes in the goose rookery across the way > before I headed for home. I put the kayak trailer away, and went up to > change clothes. "We had a real good sunrise service," she announced. > > "So did I", I told her. Nice piece, Wes. You have the journalist's talent for clean, descriptive prose. Many images from not many words. In your rejoinder to someone else, you noted that solo paddles make for more detailed trip reports -- as if you pay more attention to your surroundings when you paddle alone. When I solo paddle, I find myself painting word pictures as I go -- without someone else to talk to, I seem to be making images for later release -- often as a trip report. Must be the gregarious gene needs satisfying. Let's hear it for safe solo paddling ... -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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