K3 River Kayak Trip

Pictures from K3 River Trip w/ Aunt Janet on Monday, August 31, 2009. We went from Momence to Aroma Park about 11 miles. It took us 4 hours but we hardly paddled. We also took a side trip down a stream. There was a tree across it and we had to manuever around it. Just outside of Aroma Park there were swans that Janet went right up to. She named them Scott and Ann. She also named two islands - you guessed it! Scott and Ann! :) We had a great time! http://picasaweb.google.com/asj405/KayakK3Aug31_2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCKirx8nh_M_REQ&feat=directlink

Yesterday

Played w/ all five kitties yesterday. It's getting very hard not to attach names especially the one's w/ the "mittens" and "socks" on its feet! My namer should be home by Monday! Can't wait!!

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August 4, 2009

Picked a lot of corn yesterday and held two of the kitties. All four of them are still there - 3 tigers and the one gray. I also registered for my first class toward getting my library science degree. I should find out if I got my spot in a couple of days.
aj

PS Saw a fox and a deer this morning but didn't have my camera set up. The fox was probably the biggest fox I've ever seen. Had me wondering if it was really a fox.

July 18, 2009

Today we got up and cleaned and got everything packed. We were on our way by noon, reached the border by 3pm and was in line at the Bear Sanctuary in Orr by 4:30pm. We paid our admission and then loaded on a bus which took us to the "magic circle" where the bears were. They dropped us off at this gated ramp where we went onto a platform and watched the bears below us. There were bears all over, probably 20-30 bears. There were quite a few babies. A lot of them were in the trees way high up! One mother had triplets and another was orphaned trying to nap in the tree. There were some huge bears probably around 400 lbs. There were volunteers down walking among the bears feeding them. It was really cool. I took a bunch of pictures and then we loaded on the bus about an hour later.




We hopped back on the road and we stopped for the night in Rice Lake at a Best Western. So far we have been very impressed with the hotel. We should be home early evening tomorrow because we got in so late we are going to sleep in and make a couple of stops on the way home.

July 17, 2009

It was another cold morning but we headed down to McCarty’s cabin to have breakfast with the Meiers. We had great french toast and bacon and even better conversation. We got so carried away talking that we realized it was noon already. When we got back to the cabin we started packing and getting organized. Around 3pm the temperature got up to about 54 degrees. I was outside in jeans and short sleeves. The water looks great for kayaking but we are trying to get organized so that if it’s warmer tomorrow we will have some time to play before we hit the road at noon. It says high of 69 degrees tomorrow but I’m afraid that will not be until afternoon. It is supposed to get down to 47 tonight so I’m not quite sure how that is going to work! We worked on packing throughout the day and getting things put away. The temperature made it to a high 54 degrees. We had an early dinner and then met the Meiers, Groves, and Durbins at Kullbom’s house. There we met Julie’s twin sister Judie and visited for about an hour. When they all left to go to the Bull Pit, Scott and I came back to head out on a kayak excursion. We went out toward Paradise and it was mysting out and pretty windy but because it was quiet between the two islands so we went around Tivo and to the beach on Paradise and back to the dock. We paddled for about an hour and half. It was very pleasant. Scott caught a little northern while he was trolling.

July 16, 2009

It’s dropped down to 48 degrees and it’s pretty cold. It rained really hard for a little while and then tapers off and then rains again. The wind has calmed down some. We keep watching for an opportunity to go kayaking but it’s going to be cold. Not quite sure how I’m going to get a bath in! Scott and I played cards for awhile and had lunch about 3pm. Then we decided to go work in the wet cold. It hasn’t gotten above 50 degrees all day. We got the trailers moved to where Dad wanted them and started putting stuff away in the garage. We heard this weird animal and after watching closely we decided it was the two pileated woodpeckers. So I walked down the road to try and get a shot of both of them together and I heard some banging in the tree and spotted one working on a tree near the road. The other one saw me and they both flew to a tree in Jeff’s yard so I got ready to take a picture and right when I snapped one of them handed the other one something out of its beak. I definitely got the shot but I don’t know how it turned out yet. Scott cut down a couple more trees and I hauled them down. I raked the beach a little bit and then took all the tools up to the garage. By this time we had worked up the courage to hop in our kayaks. The wind suddenly picked up but we headed out into the waves and worked our way over to the little bay near Deer Trail. It was really calm and nice but my legs and feet were going numb from the cold. We watched a red-throated grebe protecting her little baby. We headed toward the opposite shore and I got this really eerie feeling and I looked out and saw the rain coming in. It started to spit a little so we decided to head in because I didn’t have a raincoat. As we headed in the wind picked up so we headed toward Paradise so we could ride the waves in.
When we got in we jumped in and took our baths. I could hardly stand to get my hair wet but I was okay. My legs were numb at this point so they really didn’t feel the cold. When I dipped back in to rinse my hair I got external brain freeze and decided it was time to go up. Scott was down there washing his sweatshirt and jeans and then in his swim trunks. I always thought he was a little nuts! When we got back up the cabin was 64 degrees. I’m in the truck right now with the heat blasting!!

July 15, 2009

We woke up this morning to rain and wind. As a matter of fact it progressively got worse as the morning went. The forecast says 64 degrees and showers all day. So we braved the wind and rain and ran down for a quick bath. Brrrr! The water is getting cold again from all this rain and wind. Then we finished off Dad’s famous blueberry pancakes for breakfast and did our Bible Doctrine. After Scott read some more of his homework and I worked on a special project we decided to head to Vermillion to fill up the truck and buy some lettuce. On our way there we decided to do some exploring. We drove back by Waldhof Bay Lodge and ran into Michael who was out for a walk. After talking to him for a couple of minutes we drove back by the Bull Pit. Then we drove out to the Bible camp where we saw a deer with two fawns. That was cool.



Then we drove out to a section called Sonderosa but it seemed like all private cabins so we turned around and headed into town. In town we stopped at Bobby’s, Coop, and had lunch/dinner (3:30pm) at the Village Corner. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t great. Now we are back home again with the heater on. The rain has quit but the air is cooler. It’s down to 56 degrees and the water has some good waves. (I’m sure glad we took our baths this morning!)

July 14, 2009

July 14, 2009
After Mom and Dad left, we went back to bed and didn’t wake up until 9am. We felt really lazy. We had breakfast and did our Bible study and then Scott went out and mowed. It was supposed to rain all day but by 12:30 it hadn’t started yet so Martha and Michael came out and we took the float boat out to Tivo Island which has been renamed Eagle Island I guess. Talk to Mom and Dee. We saw about 5 of the eagles and a few loons. Then we headed toward where the plane wreck was supposed to be but we couldn’t see it. Then we went around Paradise and headed home. It was getting very windy and there were quite a few whitecaps. We were relieved to have the boat back in safely. Shortly after that we watched the rain come in over the lake. It was weird though because the waves were coming from the southeast, but the storm came from the west. After that we had lunch and went to use the internet. Scott had to take care of some business for his class and I talked to Lou while he was on the computer. I called Mom and Dad to check in and they had stopped in Mauston, Wisconsin for the night. After that we went to the Groves for an intense game of Mexican Train. We left about 6pm and got home by 10pm. The girls almost skunked the guys. Dee took first with about 6 wins, I took second, Ron took third with one point and Scott last with zero. When we got home we watched an episode of House and turned in. It blew and rained off and on all afternoon and night.

 

 

Kayak Trip

 

 

 

 

July 13, 2009

Well it was the last day with Mom and Dad but it was a beautiful day. The water was like glass and it was already into the 60s when we got moving. Dad needed to go to Dryden to pick up lumber so Scott went with him and Mom and I stayed home and did some wash and got her packed to go home. When they got back we did something special to the pontoon boat. Then we loaded up the kayaks and headed to Connaught Point. It took us about an hour to get there via Canoe Narrows. Ron and Dee met us out there in their boat. When we got there Scott, Dad and I jumped off the float boat. I swam/walked into the beach but Scott had to test the ladder so he actually jumped out twice. When we got to the beach we explored it again. Ron and I checked out the wolf tracks and then examined a track we thought maybe could be a moose track but really it was Mom’s shoe track from the day before!! Scott and I loaded up our kayaks and we all set out underway. Mom and Dad headed to the walleye hole to fish through Canoe Narrows. Ron the same but the opposite direction between Boat and Canoe Island. I took off toward Canoe Narrows and realized Scott was not behind me. He was working on his fishing pole and he ended up trolling all the way to the Narrows in his kayak. It was a beautiful paddle. We saw ducks, loons, seagulls, turkey vultures and eagles but no mooses :( It took us about an hour to get to the point of Canoe Island. With the pontoon boat in sight we headed around the tip. The rocks under the water were incredible. I was sure I was going to get hung up on them but to my amazement I skimmed over them each time. When we made it to the hole, the whole pontoon boat looked like it was going to tip over and Dad was leaned way over the boat trying to take Mom’s fish off the hook. None of us saw it but supposedly she caught a pretty big walleye. She had hooked two perch and two walleye on her magical ultralite pole. There was one minnow left so Scott hooked it on and started fishing. I casted for a while but no one had any interest in my green fake Rapala which I suppose I was a bit relieved especially since they had seen a rather large Muskie in that area a couple of days before. I decided I better get paddling after about a half hour of a break so I pointed my kayak to the middle of Tivo and Paradise. Pretty soon Mom and Dad came up behind me and told me that Scott had caught a small walleye. Knowing we had two hours before “brownie stew” on the McCarty point I told them to go ahead home and finish packing. I told them to come back for us if we weren’t back by 5:20pm. We were well over ¾ of the trip home and I was sure it wouldn’t be an issue to do it in an hour. I waited for Scott to catch up because my back was starting to hurt. As we started to paddle again the tiredness hit us like a load of bricks. I finally just laid down on my kayak. I paddled laying down, sitting up, halfway down my kayak. Paradise didn’t seem to be getting any closer. I finally asked Scott what time it was and he said that it was 6:05pm. I said, “What happened to 5:20pm come pick us up???” I was so tired I actually started to fall asleep. I was parallel to the tip of Paradise and decided that if I took my scuppers out maybe I could go faster and the water would pad my butt a little so my tailbone wouldn’t hurt as much. It was like an elephant got in the kayak with me! Bad idea. Then I looked at where I was and I was almost to Tivo – I had lost quite a bit of ground and there wasn’t even any wind! Go figure!! So I bared down and paddled as hard as I could. Scott got his lure caught in weeds so he was reeling in at the tip of Paradise closest to the cabin. Then he exclaimed that he had a fish. I paddled up and took a couple of pictures while the Northern lay still so we kind of figured he had drug him awhile. Scott proceeds to pick the weeds off the lure and the Northern fights sticking the lure in Scott’s hand and removing itself. We continue to paddle and we are about half way between the island and our dock. About this time Dad who can see that we aren’t even a half mile away decides to come out and offer us a tow. Again I say, “What happened to 5:20pm come pick us up???” He said, “Oh sorry I didn’t hear you say that.” Then he kept offering to tow me in and there was no way I was quitting that close after all the pain I had suffered.
Three hours later I was in the water taking a bath twenty minutes before the party. I was in pretty slow motion. So we all got dressed and headed down to the McCarty’s. When we arrived Kulbum’s, Groves and Meiers were there. We visited in the house for a few minutes and headed down for dinner which couldn’t have come soon enough because we were starving after our paddle. We sat on the McCarty Point and marveled at how still and incredible the water was. Dad even commented that he may never have seen it this calm. We toasted those who have passed those who were here, told old stories, told new stories and talked some sports and politics. It was a great visit. Mom and Dad left to go finish up so they could leave at 6am the next morning. Scott and I followed shortly behind promising to return after we had helped Mom and Dad so that we could see the Canadian stars. When we got back everyone was leaving because the mosquitoes were so incredibly horrible because there was no breeze. Michael wasn’t ready to leave the fire so we went down and visited with him for about an hour until we just couldn’t take the mosquitoes any more but we did see the stars and they were incredible. So many of the stars were visible that it was hard to pick the constellations out BUT I did find the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, and Cygnus the Swan as I swatted mosquitoes. Scott and I tried to sneak into the cabin quietly around 11:30pm “tried” being the operative word. I don’t think there is anything you can do quietly in the cabin. Dad was up at 4:50am so we got up and helped them finish packing and loading up. They were out by 5:35am. They called at 9:30am from Eveleth, Virginia. They had seen two moose on 502 on their way out of Canada!!!

July 12, 2009

Today it was windy off and on but not too much to keep us off the water. We headed out to our new fishing hole late morning and fished there for about an hour but we didn’t have much luck. Mom and Dad both caught very small walleyes. Scott caught the little motor and but it chopped his line. After that we headed through Canoe Narrows and had lunch in the nice quiet waters as we watched an eagle and a seagull. Everyone else fished and I took pictures. We trolled around the tip of Canoe Island and up to the beach on Connaught Point. We made a pit stop there and I took pictures of a loon with a baby. The beach was beautiful! Then we headed around Boat Island and even went in to look for the stream that goes up to the top of the lake. Then we bundled up and again and Dad took us through the Back Channel and toward Blind Bay. We stopped and casted at the entrance of Piskemon Bay. Mom caught a 29” Northern and then made a mess of Dad’s pole so Scott took us up and down the entrance with the little motor while I took pictures and watched for moose. As Dad was cleaning the weeds out of the motor we saw a deer on Boat Island. After that we headed out to the Paxton Islands and trolled around them a couple of times with no luck. The wind really started to pick up so we decided to head back. We stopped at Connaught Point on the way back and all got out and walked on the beach. We saw wolf tracks and deer tracks it was a lot of fun. Then we went around the point and did some casting Scott caught one but it got away. Then we stopped just before the peninsula of mainland where Dad caught his walleye the other day. After that we headed in and worked on organizing the boat. Then Scott, Dad and I took our baths in the lake and as we were putting together some chicken wraps for dinner Janey stopped by for a visit. She updated us on all of her news then we gulped down dinner and took off to Deer Trail Lodge for the sing a long that Ruth asked us to come to. We went and sat around the fire while two guys played guitar and sang a bunch of songs. It was very nice. We got home about 9:30pm and pretty much all went to bed but not before singing another rendition of “I’ve Got Joy”.

July 11, 2009

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. It was really windy. There were whitecaps almost all day. It slowed down a little by evening so Dad, Mom and Scott took the pontoon boat out to the muskie hole on paradise and I paddled around the island. It was a hard paddle on the windward side especially since I was sore from working on the beach all afternoon. We racked and chopped and dug up lots of weeds. Mom took many bucketfuls of gross stuff up the hill to dump. Mom caught a baby northern. When we got back in Scott and I took a bath. The water is getting warmer but it was still cold and the air was even colder! Needless to say it was a quick bath. Around 8:30pm we continued our Mexican Train tourney and we were so tired that we were starting to get slap happy. Dad kept trying to play dominoes that didn’t even match. We quit after three and I went to bed.

July 9-10, 2009

The last two days have been pretty uneventful. It rained the first day in the morning and then it was windy and cold. Mom and I did a couple of things around the cabin but mostly read, talked and played cards. Dad and Scott built the ramp for the float boat. It didn’t stop the guys from going out fishing around 6 pm. Dad, Scott and Ron went out to our walleye hole and about a half an hour into it Dad caught a big walleye and as he was reeling in they noticed a glint in the water behind it. Soon they discovered it was a large muskie following up the walleye keeping with its every move. After watching it for a while Dad decided he better get his walleye in before the muskie stole it because it looked like a keeper. Turned out to be a 22 inch walleye which you can’t keep. They had a lot of fun and came in with crazy stories – much more exciting than my retelling of the story.
The next day we went into Dryden because they finally emailed us the inspection form for the trailer. We went to the library first so that I could print it. Then I stayed at the library for about an hour and checked my emails and sent some postcards to Grandma and Janet. Dad bought us all subway and we stopped at Walmart on the way home. Later on we tried to take a treat out to the eagles but it was just too windy. Mom and Scott trolled a little. Scott caught a small northern and Mom caught two or three. We are still joking about how it was the same northern every time. After that Scott and I went out kayaking. It was fun in the big waves and not too bad temperature wise.

July 8, 2009

Yesterday we went into Dryden. We left around 10am and didn’t get home until about 4:30pm. Mom bought me a Tilley for my birthday and Dad was mad at her because they are so expensive. We had to listen to his Tilley jokes all through lunch at the bakery which was okay but not really worth the price. Dad and I got a chicken wrap that was dry and they costed $8. At Canadian Tire Mom bought Scott a bunch of fishing stuff for his birthday. Dad found a $10 imitation Tilley hat and Mom got a new pink visor. It was a long day. When we got home Dad and Scott fixed the window pane – well sort of. They aren’t done yet but it is in the window. I hope a strong wind doesn’t come along. Then Mom and Dad took a nap while I reheated up soup from last night and Scott worked on stringing his new birthday pole. After dinner we headed out to the spot that Richard and Dale caught a 25 & 27 inch walleye in after we left yesterday. We were all dressed in our new hats. Dad and Scott had new $34.99 poles that they got for $10 and we had our chartreuse jigs. We were ready to catch dinner!! We hadn’t even had a bite when Richard and Dale showed up. I was the first one to get a bite. I had caught a northern. Dale caught a small northern and then Richard caught a small northern. When he threw it in a seagull snagged it and was fighting it and we were watching the battle positive that the northern would get away when all of the sudden the seagull gulped the entire live northern down hole!! It was incredible!! We watched him try to fly away but he didn’t go very far. He kept flicking his tail feathers and would kind of jump every once in a while. We wondered how long the northern would stay alive in there. Then I caught two small walleye so we got distracted. When we went to check on the seagull again we couldn’t find him so we aren’t sure what happened to him. Mom was still worried about him when we got back and were in the cabin that night. I’m pretty sure the northern just took a big jump and drug him under with him!  Then Mom caught about 4-5 small walleye. We were having a wonderful time. Mom and I were mocking the guys giving them fishing advice that they always “yell” at us. Then we were riling Dad because he told me that he would be in his grave before he would spend $70 on a hat. So I was telling him that when he died I was going to use my inheritance money to buy him a Tilley and bury him in it but then I remembered that wanted to be cremated so then I told him I was going to buy one and put it on top of his urn. Mom and I were laughing so hard we were bent over with tears coming over our eyes. I think that Richard and Dale thought we were a little nuts but we were the ones catching fish! After that Dad finally caught a couple. Then Mom caught a perch and a couple more walleye. She was using Dad’s ultralight pole and kept talking about how awesome it was because it didn’t hurt her arm and shoulders. Then Scott finally caught one! Then we were all catching but we ran out of minnows. As Richard and Dale were leaving I caught the biggest of the walleye – a 14 incher. Dad put some plastic wormy thing on his once his minnow was gone. Mom lost hers on a bite and then put a fake minnow on. At one point Mom got her line stuck in some rocks and Dale yelled not to pull the plug he didn’t want to walk home. I didn’t get it and Scott had to explain to me that he didn’t want her to pull out the rock and drain the lake. I laughed really hard then! Then Mom said she didn’t get it yet so Scott was ready to explain it to her but what she meant was that she hadn’t gotten it unhooked yet. We all busted out laughing again. Scott caught another small walleye and was fishing with a minnow head. Scott caught another walleye with his minnow head and didn’t even lose it. Dad announced that we had three minutes before the sun went down and that he was going to go through the hole one more time. I had a bite but lost my minnow. Just at that moment Dad caught something big. We all reeled in and watched in anticipation. It really fought and our first view of it we thought it was mammoth. It had a big ole mouth and a scary toothy smile. Dad fought it for a while and one time it even flipped way up in the air. When he finally got it up Scott snagged it with his glow in the dark lip grippers and measured it. It turned out to be a 27 ½ inch northern. Then we headed home and Dad and Scott filleted 5 of the walleye on the dock in the dark with Mom and I swatting mosquitoes off of them the whole time. I took a bath during that time and Dad and Scott took one after they were finished. By the time we got everything back up to the cabin it was after 10pm so we all headed to bed.

July 7, 2009

Happy Birthday Lou, Lou!!!!! Miss ya!

July 7, 2009
It was the best day so far because I got to talk to my Lou Lou on her very special day. I remember 12 years ago when she was born. I can’t believe it has been that long but I grow to love her more and more each year! I especially love that she loves to learn about God. We didn’t get up until later today so we did our Bible study and then did some yard work. Scott cut down trees and the rest of us hauled to the burn pile and then Mom and I each took turns clipping some little trees. Then we had Chicken Tortilla Soup for lunch. Dad, Mom and Scott took naps so I went for a kayak ride. Today I went around the island the opposite way. I saw our eagles and I scared a deer. At least I’m pretty sure it was a deer. I saw a tan butt and then heard a “crashing run” with a bunch of snorting. After I got around the far point I took out my binoculars because I thought I saw an eagle on the rock. Through the binoculars I could see that there were actually eight eagles sitting on the rock. It was really cool. About that time, Mom and Dad showed up in the canoe and we headed back to shore. When we got in Dad and Scott started chopping weeds and picking up stuff off the beach while I started to rack the grass out of the water. Then Dad, Scott and I went into Vermillion Bay to buy chartreuse jigs that are supposed to be the best walleye jigs. Richard told Dad and Scott that Dale had them at the Coop and they are so popular that he keeps them stock piled. When we get there he’s out of them! Then we went to Bobby’s and bought minnows. Mom was at home making sandwiches for our late night trip but when we got home she was trimming trees again. We also noticed that Ron and Dee were back from an entire day in Dryden so Dad called Dee and asked them if they wanted to go and they jumped on it. So around 5-5:30pm we headed out. With the extra weight it was even slower but it was fun because we visited and got our poles ready. When we got out there just north of canoe island, we all six put in our poles. It was not a very fruitful day. The weather was great. The lake was beautiful. We saw a white pelican flying. I was shocked at how graceful it was and how high it could fly in the sky. It was just soaring. We also saw 5-6 eagles flying from island to island. Dee caught a perch, Mom caught a small keeper walleye, and Dad caught two small walleyes. On the way home we trolled Tivo Island and saw quite a few eagles again. Then we ended the adventure when Ron caught a good sized northern. When we got home it was almost 9pm. Dad and Scott started a fire and Mom was watching them out the window. She saw Dad reach in his pocket and hand Scott a peanut and then they would shell their peanuts and throw the shell in the fire and start the process again. Scott took a bath in the dark around 10pm. I went to bed!!

July 6, 2009

We decided to take the floatboat out for a test run. We packed burgers and stuff to grill somewhere on an island. We invited Ron and Dee along. Dad wanted to tow the big boat behind since it was our first time out. Scott and I decided just to follow them in the big boat. Scott had to go back up for more gas so the floatboat headed out. They were stopped by Tivo Island so as we headed toward them I noticed an eagle flying, then they yelled to us to look at the eagles. It was incredible! There were at least 6 eagles, another bird that we are still arguing about what it was and about 4 vultures. They were fighting and swooping down to pick up fish entrails that someone had left. I grabbed my camera and took over a hundred pictures. Scott kept moving the boat around to get me as close as possible. It was one of the top nature experiences in my life so far. We finally pulled ourselves away and headed toward the mainland where we trolled all the way to the east side of Boat Island. Across from Boat Island was a peninsula of an island that was already setup to have a campfire and lunch. I named the Island “Hamburger Rock Island” but on the Garmin it is called Hamburger R because we grilled burgers there. After lunch we headed back and Dad decided to stop south of the reef and throw in some minnow bait. His pole wasn’t in for more than 2 seconds and he snagged a nice little walleye. Of course we had to try to get some more there so we all circled the area for a good half hour and didn’t even get another bite. Mom was driving the pontoon and I was driving the big boat. We didn’t even crash! Close to 3pm we decided to head back the wind was picking up and the water was getting a little rough. The pontoon boat went back to the cabin but Scott and I stayed and trolled around Tivo Island. Actually I took pictures. I’m pretty sure there were at least 11 eagles hiding in different trees around the island. One time I was taking pictures of eagles and looking for them in the trees and I felt something staring at me so I turned around and there was a loon about 3 feet from the boat. He popped back up about 3 times posing for me to take his picture. After his first appearance Scott discovered that his minnow was gone so we are very suspicious that psycho loon took it. As I took his picture he would turn his head for a new pose! When we got back Mom and Dad had already taken their baths in the lake so Scott and I took ours. We took the one entrails out to the rock but didn’t have any luck.

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