Cranberry River, Day One paddling

Continuing the Lake Superior trip story, here we are back, looking at some yummy images of the Cranberry River, ice-cold as the lake, and our trip out of our bay, which looked massive upon arrival, and around a few points.





We stayed at a tiny resort in Herbster. It was old-fashioned, and plain, but you could step our your front door and toss a baseball into the water. We left our kayaks in the yard of the place, the walked down and launched from a rocky beach, down the shoreline.

We stopped up the beach, crossed a spit and up the river we went. It was spooky, as the bar owner in Herbster said, "You go up the rivers, you'll see some bears."





The river was glass, and there was no wind, so it was pretty spooky, but alas, no, we spotted no bears.

We came back to the lake, then headed out and up around the point to the south of town. The rock formations were nice, not sea caves, but easy-access. We rounded the point and the lake was glassy, nice. It really picked up waves-wise on Sunday, but the locals said the Herbster bay remained calm.

I have to admit, we'd have taken more photos, but there's a sense of power on the big lake, and all that cold water, that even in good conditions, I was not feeling too cocky. But it felt so good to be back on that massive, icy beauty.



JCB

The Slough

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Laura and I made a trip to Herbster, Wis., over Labor Day weekend, and we were out in boats three times on three different bodies of water. On our second day, we hit the slough that sits just off Bark Bay, between the towns of Herbster and Cornucopia.

The slough was the site of our only let-down: We paddled it in hopes of moving into Lake Superior itself, but the sun was setting and we were hoping to avoid a take-out in the dark.

So we came close to paddling out of the slough, but did not make it. Only regret on the whole trip.



Even this slough was crystal clear, cold, and a bit on the intimidating side, we were expecting a bit more swamp, but hey, this is northern Wisconsin.

We did paddle over a lot of lilies and had a good time, just checking it all out. A turtle and this heron encouraged us to go forward.







We'll have more on our river trip and our lake paddles, asap.

Jarett

Back to Big Water

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Laura and I ran off to Herbster, Wis., last weekend. We made a number of cool paddles and we'll be tossing up some pix asap.

You can visit Flickr, I'm on there as Iron Bieso and all my photos are public, so check 'em out.

We'll post narratives etc. with the pix very soon.

Cheers,

Dos Biesos

James, we thank ye

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Laura and I joined about a dozen SDCA members, along with some other paddlers, on Aug. 24 near Mitchell for our first run on the James River ... EVER!

It was a perfect day, and a great crew, and my goodness, with no wind and 75 degrees, hell, it felt like California weather.



Jay Heath, Larry Braaten, and Laura all had fun, and we had a great crew, including Steven and his wife, Sarah, Ryan S. from Sioux Falls, a couple from Vermillion, another from Pierre, John Adler from Pierre, Pat Wellner, naturally, one of the most gung-ho paddlers in the state, and a number of other cool cats and enthusiastic paddle mavens.

The route we took was about 12 miles of river, and from the Highway 38 bridge, there's a sweet take-out four miles east and four miles south (all paved) so no one who wants the James should complain about the arduous nature of figuring out where to start or stop.





There wasn't much for wildlife, lots of frogs if you paddled near the shore, and a great blue heron was constantly landing, then leaving, then landing again. He was probably getting tired of us following him. Laura and I heard one "barking" as it flew away, pry grumbling that we were harshing his or her mellow morning.



Jay Heath gave mad credit to me on his blog for the organization of the event, but in reality, it wasn't me, I just put it on the calendar. John Adler and Pat Wellner had GPS info for us and kept us on course, and Adler had scouted it out so we had little if any headache in terms of getting on the water and enjoying a beautiful August outdoors event.

Jay has plenty of photos on his blog, and Steven D. posted some on the SDCA site. Speaking of the club, we kicked around the idea of a September cruise, perhaps Yankton to the starting point of the May cruise on the Missouri River. All we need is some possible dates and a little bit of enthusiasm and we'll get it done, ya'll.

Peace,
Bies

Lein Park to Big Sioux Rec Area

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

With back-to-back Sundays of paddling fun, I have fallen behind a bit. But on Aug. 17, I joined my buddy Brian in Sioux Falls and we hit the slow-and-slim Big Sioux River for a late-summer trip. It was a good time, but we took our time, and in all, really enjoyed the day on the water.



We started at Lien Park in Sioux Falls, located just down the hill from the "North Cliff" area of Sioux Falls. Yes, we were just south of the waste water basins, and yes, just across the street from Johnny M's, but for some reason, no stink!

Brian paddled my QCC fiberglass boat, and I took our semi-new Current Designs Sirocco, so we were pushing 34 feet of kayak down this narrow river.



We got underway near mid-morning, and the wind was mild but the temperature was a bit on the hot side, not true Sodak hot, but not pleasant, either. We enjoyed a few breaks along the way and had no trouble finding spots to get out and stretch.



The river was low, but we did not have any issues with finding the channel. There were plenty of birds to see, a few fishermen, but nothing too crazy. We did see a family of deer, but then they saw us, and poof, they were gone before our digital lens could catch them.



This stretch of river is about 12 to 13 miles long, riverwise, and we did see a few other paddlers toward the end of our journey. There were a few "slalom" areas where we were avoiding debris, and a few quicker (shallower) spots where the water seemed to be moving, but in all it was a lazy day on the water.

Safe to say both of us needed those breaks, mostly to keep our legs from getting numb. Brian was new to my boat, and the Sirocco is still new to me, so we were not racing nor attempting any sort of speed record on this stretch.

As the photo shows, the Big Sioux River gives a paddler a nice view of eastern South Dakota farmland, actually a unique view, since most of the time, people see the fields and farms from the road, not from the river.



Seeing the bridge at the Big Sioux Recreation Area was a relief, we had enough paddling for the day, and for folks who want a good long trip, try the Lien Park to BSRA trip, it's worthy of attention. The least cool thing about the trip is the long hike from the park's lot to the water, it's a good 250 meters, with a climb over the berm, so bring your portage wheels, and some good shoes, before you get your paddle on, ya'll.

A freshy-fresh post on the James River op Laura and I did on Aug. 24 is coming up soon, so keep checking back!

Jarett

Take a Friend to Benton Day

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

A friend I've known since high school came up to visit Saturday, and we headed over to Lake Benton, Minn., for a nice trip on the water.



The conditions were nearly perfect, albeit a bit hot, but no wind, few boats, just an ideal time for a first-paddling experience.

Kent tried Laura's 15-footer on our way out, then we swapped boats for the trip back. He seemed to enjoy it.

We saw a lot of pelicans and some shore birds. We put this video into the mixture as well.

Lake Benton is a dandy trip, about 80-90 minutes north and east of Sioux Falls. Not a good place to swim, though, the lake is choked with algae, so don't bring the kids to the beach unless you plan to hose 'em off afterwards.

Peace,
Bies

Big water, Kingsbury County

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Greetings, friends!

Laura and I loaded up Sunday morning and drove the 52-mile route along U.S. Highway 14, then south down to Lake Thompson, the largest natural lake in the state.

We explored the northern end of the lake and had a good time doing so, this is one of those lakes that would have nearly endless places to discover for a paddler or two. The lake was pretty much ours, but like I said, we were only exploring the northeastern corner.

From Highway 14, we went west through Brookings, Volga, Arlington, and Lake Preston, then drove south down to the lake. The road we were on will take you to either Lake Whitewood (to the east) or Thompson.



The winds were northeasterly, and we had little trouble navigating our way along the shoreline. We did find a channel that runs into some ponds to the north of the bigger body of water. There was enough wind that we didn't want to head too far south (into the main lake) and end up struggling to get back to the car.



These photos may have a bit of a "haze" to them, that's my new toy, I bought an Aquapac waterproof case, it's basically a fancy silicone bag for P&S digital cameras, it works well, and it'll give you "underwater" pix if you want, but alas, it does produce a bit of haziness. Probably best used in heavy seas.



As mentioned, we did go north into a pond, but it was so full of carp (they startled us over and over again) and so shallow, we were not afraid of drowning, but we the fetid stench of the mud made us dread the idea of tipping in such a place. We didn't make much of a dent in the pond system 'round the north of this lake.



After the cruise, we returned to the car, cleaned the boats free of sand, and loaded up. Had we more energy, or a bit of sunshine, we might have explored Lake Whitewood by boat, as it was we just drove by it. This big prairie lake was utterly abandoned, save for a few pelicans.



On our way home we noted a number of sloughs and other smaller bodies of water that'd be worthy of a paddle, of course many were completely inaccessible, save for a wade/waddle through the muck. No thanks.

Lake Thompson is gigantic, and it does have some remoteness to it, so there's some wildlife. Next visit we make will be to explore the southern end. Of course a paddler or paddling duo could put in where we did (14 to 441 south to 212 west) and make for the southern end, but you'd need all damn day to circumnavigate that bad boy, it's huge!

Jarett

More photos from the night paddle

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

As you can see, it's darn hard to shoot with a P&S camera in darkness, but this is about the best one of the "moon shots" we took.

More coming.

J


Here are some additional photos from our night paddle. The lake was glass, and once we got clear of the Norwegian Creek Campground that's located on the northwest side of Lake Benton, we were out into real dark, it was great.





We found the "night portrait" setting on our Olympus worked pretty well for the photos, but one does have to hold it steady for a considerable time to make the images proper.

This one was just a flash shot but it shows how calm the water was on our trip.
Laura really liked the trip, and it was a good way to just get out and paddle without worrying about wind and all that daytime nonsense.
Plus summer will end some day, and we don't want that day to come without putting a few night miles on our boats.


We didn't spend too much time on the water, and the nice light by the dock (and all the noise from the campground) guaranteed our safe return to the car. This photo's a bit blurry, but it showed the nice sandy beach from where we launched.

If you haven't night paddled this summer, do it before it's too late, and always do so on a lake. Sweepers, debris, and other challenges on a river would be way-dangerous in the darkness.

Peace and love,

Jarett and Laura

Night boat to Lake Benton

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Cue sax music, but only if you know the Madness song on which I copied our post headline this time out.

Saturday, July 19, we night paddled Lake Benton. It was a great night to be on the water, with lots of moon and mirrored glass. In all, it was a hoot. More photos to follow, these certainly show us in the dark, it was a great jaunt.

Jarett

Lake Shaokatan, Minnesota

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

Laura and I got up pretty early on Sunday (for us) and headed east and north to Lake Shaokatan, a small lake about 10 miles north of Lake Benton, about five miles from the state line.

The lake is a bit hard to find, but if you were coming from the interstate, take the Brookings exit, head east on Highway 14, keep going into Minnesota until you reach County Road 1, go north about nine miles, then east on County Road 15, that'll put you at the southwest corner of the lake.

We accessed it on the north side, at this dock in the photo.

The access point is nice, featuring an outhouse style restroom and plenty of parking. We had the place to ourselves as we prepared to go.


We hugged the northern shore, passing cabins on our way to the far eastern end of the lake.

What happened when we cleared the shoreline wind break? Well, weathercocking took Laura out into the lake, and we were suddenly facing a crossing or other unpleasant choices in the windswept waves of this once-seemily harmless little lake.

Paddling the Current Designs Sirocco, I found myself longing for my QCC, the Sirocco is fast, sure, and stable enough, but it's still so new to me that I was not feeling much confidence.



This is about the only "out there" shot we took, as we were struggling to get straight on the waves and wind. We decided (in part because of a dumping we took on Lake Benton a while back) to reverse course and go down the shoreline again, to see how our luck would hold on the other end of the lake.

We made it there, and we could hear the wind screaming through the trees, but between the milfoil and the biting flies, plus all the wind and waves, we decided to make it a shorter trip than we had planned.

We did see a few ducks, but for the most part, the section of lake we explored was cabins and quiet. It felt good to get back on the water, and we're going to be full-on exploring for the rest of July and August.

Jarett and Laura Bies

Yes, once a month is lame

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

For a kayaking couple's blog. What I mean is the last post was ... a month old. Sorry.

With our only rack-equipped car in the shop, the holiday weekend, and sundry things, it's been weak, our postings and outings. But we get the car back soon, have a second set of racks - we'll be blogging about the "make a ladder rack a kayak rack on a pickup topper" soon - coming for the truck, and we're jonesing laketime.

Here's a photo from the quartet paddle on the BSR that I did June 26. It was admittedly a semi-lame route, i.e., we had done this area before, and the weather was shite that day.

We did go down past the bridge, and the area is wide, but in high winds and this sky, we said, "let's just take it in to the end."

Mad props to Pat Wellner and his pal, Arnie, who both drove beaucoup to take part in the trip.

I'm gunning to hit Lake Shakotan in MN Sunday, if not sooner. We will be dialing in some lakes 'round Brookings County asap.

Don't forget Saturday's deal @ Grass Lake (www.sdcka.blogspot.com) and the July 26 "Down to Klondike" trip as well.

Peace,
Jarett

Oak Lake on June 7

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Originally uploaded by Iron Bieso

I traveled north to Oak Lake today, it's about 20 minutes from my home in Elkton.

Conditions for paddling were near-perfect, with mid 70 temperatures and light west wind.

Oak Lake's put-in was a muddy swamp, but it did not seem to slow folks down. There were seven or more trailer/truck rigs parked near the primitive launch and on the road close by.

But for a paddler, the launch is a perfect shallow beach of gravel, with no large rocks or branches. I put in there, then headed down the near shore.

Oak Lake has a few cabins and farms upon it, but it is mostly a haven for fishing enthusiasts. I counted 10 or more boats, and even two personal water craft took the lake in the wonderful summer sun.

I saw a few pelicans, and scant turtles, but for the most part, Oak Lake is nothing "wow" inducing. It had clean water and decent scenery and on a less-busy day it might have more bird life.

It took about two hours of paddling, slow paddling, esp. at the beginning, before I got to the far end of the lake and back again. I did travel up this channel, but it was a dead-end. I paddled the CD Sirocco and it was a good late afternoon on water, I must say.

Bies for peace


P.S. - Check out the pocket kitty!