43rd State: Arkansas - Beaver Lake (Oct. 7, 2012)

Beaver Lake, Arkansas.  It’s beautiful here, but the sun didn’t last long and it was another cold grey paddle.

Beaver Lake, completed in 1966 and nestled high in the Ozark Mountains, is located in northwest Arkansas, the birthplace of the White River. The 28,370-acre lake is the first of the impoundments created in Arkansas and Missouri along the lengthy White River system.  From: http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=1 .

Steep cliff shoreline most of the way.

Looking for something interesting, wait, what is that???

You ask, “How did that get that cross up there?”  But the water is very low right now… and once upon a time… the water level was just below the cross.  Interesting.  And Why???

Taking advantage of the natural scenic beauty, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has constructed a variety of recreational facilities. Paved access roads wind through 12 developed parks. There are 2,008 acres of campgrounds and over 650 individual campsites. Visitors can enjoy such conveniences as electricity and fire-rings. Drinking water, showers and restrooms are nearby. Other facilities -- picnic sites, swimming beaches, hiking trails, boat launching ramps, sanitary dump stations, group picnic shelters and amphitheaters -- are also available in the parks.  From: http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=1

With 487 miles of shoreline highlighted by limestone bluffs, Beaver Lake offers a world of recreational opportunities. Marinas and outfitters are plentiful. Cabins, resorts and other lodging ring the lake, and campgrounds are also available in good number.   From:  http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=1

There are scuba diving sites around the lake.  One is the foundations of an old school house, it is in about 15’ of water, and has ropes leading to a trail of things to see, from mannequins to an old school bus that rest at 35’. Not a lot a fish life, but a good boat dive for beginners.  From:  http://www.divebuddy.com/divesite/4046/foundations-beaver-lake-eureka-springs-ar/

That would be fun???   NO????  The water here is very very clear.

A cave… there are lots of caves.

My continued fascination as to why wild critters poop on top of rocks (or in this case, an old chunk of concrete).  Wish someone would explain this to me.

And some really big houses.  Why does anyone need such a big house?  But if you need one, this one is for sale.

Another one…. this one I looked up on Google maps just to make sure it (the one on the right) was really a house and it is… at the end of Serenity Point Lane.

But it’s the natural wonders that hold my fascination… the rectangular block in the center is way bigger than my 12’ 3” kayak… and so perfectly formed.

On the left, a tree that has broken and fallen off the ledge, but continued to thrive and grow.  Amazing.

I saw few birds on this paddle but looked up to see an amazing mature male Bald Eagle flying over my head, but by the time I could get the camera out, he was higher and I didn’t have time to zoom in on him… and I watched as he got higher and farther away… just hoping he would come back down… but he didn’t.  At one point another bird joined up with him and they circled together, becoming one dot in the sky a couple times, and then continuing on their own paths.

Not a great day for photos… and the fall colors are just beginning to turn in this area.  The sky was getting darker and so once again, I cut my paddle short to get out of the cold winds and headed back toward my van…  which is one of the white dots off in the distance.

Maybe the sun will come out again tomorrow, and stay out all day????

Tonight I’m on to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge… to camp there and enjoy the big cats there tomorrow.

Next State:  Missouri

42nd State: Oklahoma - Robert S Kerr Reservoir (Oct. 6, 2012)

Finally found a place I like, the Robert S Kerr Reservoir, just wish the weather had been better.  The Sallisaw Creek Park belongs to the Cherokee Nation and it is FREE.  For more photos, click. There was one group of people there, and a couple in a tent, and there were 3 horses grazing in the campground proper.  Love it. 

I highly recommend this spot.  Unlike the Tenkiller Lake, the shorelines were natural and undeveloped.  That’s my kind of kayaking.  Didn’t see another soul on the lake.

Now, pray tell me, how can it get any better than that???

It was a cold and grey day, not great for photos, but I’ll do my best.

My rig, parked along the shore, bathrooms in background.

According to my bird chart, these are American Coots??? 
Never saw one before.

Never saw a Mullen plant going like this.

Biggest lily pad I ever saw.

Taken from shore after I got off the water.  So many kinds of waterfowl, I couldn’t even sort it all out.

This sign was at the entrance and I guess that’s the caretakers house in the background.  I liked the sign.

OK, OK got it’s Swankie Wammie.  On to Missouri.

41st State: Kansas - Wilson Reservoir (Oct. 2, 2012)

Boy is Western Kansas flat… about like eastern Colorado.  All my life I have heard the phrase “High Plains”  as in High Plains Drifter, etc., but never knew what it referred to until this week.  After you pass through the Rockies and emerge out the East side (Front Range)… the land flattens out, but elevation is still over 5,000 ft..  (i.e. the High Plains). 

It was windy as heck and I almost lost my bike off the bike rack.  I think someone unscrewed the bracket and tried to remove the bike, but the bike lock wrapped around the bracket/rack/bike frame hampered their efforts. I didn’t check before I began driving again, until I saw the cover flapping in the high winds… and then found the bike just resting on the edge of the rack with the front wheel resting on the frame of the trailer.  That was just too close.  Now I check it every time I stop and about every hour if I am driving longer distances.

I noticed changes in the crops… sorghum fields seem about ready for harvesting, sunflower fields look pretty dried up and flower heads smaller than I have seen them in the past.  And oil fields are popping up everywhere, along with wind turbines all over the place.  Winds… nope, don’t want to kayak in these winds.

Made it to Hays, KS and overnighted there.  On to Wilson State Park the next day… to blue skies and low winds.  Hooray… a good day to kayak. Wilson State Park is located on the south side of Wilson Reservoir.  The park is divided into two areas:  Hell Creek and Otoe.  I picked Otoe to launch from.  There are striped bass and small mouth bass in the lake as well as white bass, walleye and other fish.  I saw some jump out of the water… seemed the size of an elephant.  And, lots of waterfowl…lots (gulls, Canadian geese, Western Grebes, storks and cranes and even a Cormorant).

I launched from the Otoe Area between the Goldenrod and the Yarrow Campgrounds.  No people around.  Was greeted by a flock of Western Grebes as I launched.  

Next I saw Canadian Geese along with a lot of sea gulls. 

		Waterfowl of Wilson Lake, KS VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I headed out toward the middle of the lake and then spotted the Wilson Dam at the far end (Eastern end I think) and decided to head toward it. 

This image or file (above) is a work of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soldier or employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

See, I like to go someplace and then return, making a loop.  All together it was about a four hour paddle… and yes, I’m out of shape.  Believe I could fit about 100 of the little Meadow Lake from CO into this Wilson Lake (I’m gonna compare the sized and do an overlay of the two lakes just for the fun of it).  My shoulders and back ached before I got back to my van. 

Van?  Where is my van???  Oh, finally, there it is, the white speck on the horizon.  I thought I spotted the shoreline pretty well when I pushed off but as I headed back in, I was disoriented… thinking I’m too tired to have to paddle around here looking for my van… then I spotted it and felt so relieved.  First thing I had to do was eat lunch (at 4:30PM), and rest, then load up and head south.

Have abandoned the idea of having the kayak and gear on top of the van (just too darned much work) and loaded it all back into the trailer.  Less wind resistance that way, hence, better gas mileage.  My new kayak cover (homemade) is not holding up well to the sun and wind… so it is all better inside the trailer.

Grebes taking flight – Swankie Wheels in the background.

The strangest things I saw:  1) fence posts made out of limestone slabs and 2) eroding banks along the shoreline (100 miles of shoreline) revealing roots of trees.

		Limestone Fence Posts VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Limestone fence posts.

The following taken from ksbyways.org brochure:  Miles of stone fence posts stand as a tribute to the ingenuity of the early settlers.  Facing a lack of trees, the innovative farmers and ranchers quarried rock to creat the fences they needed, which today have become a trademark of the Smoky Hills region.

They call it “post rock.”  Today, I learned something new.

This one below was near my friend Bev’s home in Oklahoma.

Eroding Shoreline

Today I head on into Oklahoma to put the Swankie Wammie on some unsuspecting body of water for my #42 state paddle.  And today my son (in Washington state) heads into surgery for a new hip!!!!  Thinking of you Richard.  Hope your hip results are as fabulous as my knee results.

Next State: Oklahoma