Sunday on the River

Sunday July 17, 2011
Utah Lake State Park
Lake Shore Campground site 25
Provo, Utah

We’d decided yesterday that we
would get out on the lake and/or river
to do some kayaking today in the early morning.

We haven’t been kayaking since the flooding
in Arkansas and Tennessee brought it mostly
to a halt and then we moved into the desert
where there was no water and then to the mountains
where the kayaking is white water.
I’m what is known as a binocular kayaker.
Mostly flat water in which I can use the foot
pedals on the rudder to maneuver the boat
while I have my eyes glued to my binoculars
pointed at the shore or the trees or the reeds.

So there was a lot of gear to get reorganized.
David made some lunches, I got all the gear
out of the car (our towable garage)
and we set about getting the kayaks on
their carts so we could walk them over to
the launch at the marina.

Ready to go.  Handle in hand.

We put carts in the boat compartments.
Time to get launched.

Pushed off into this gorgeous scene.

Not even the sail boaters were out yet.

We paddled over to check out the flooding more closely.

That’s the rest rooms and information kiosks

Some of it was actually pretty funny
and we can laugh since no one was hurt and
no property destroyed.  Just VERY high water.

 

Passing the rest rooms on my way to
the picnic tables you’ll notice
that I am obeying the sign
and have no intention of parking.

We paddled outside the rock lined harbor
and into the BIG lake.
24 miles long and 13 miles wide.

This is the Harbor

 

Lake

We paddled over through the reeds to the mouth
of the Provo River

At this point there was no one on the river but
these folks coming out to join us

So we followed them

They seemed to know where they were going.

But little by little they drifted off to the sides
and we were left alone to find out way.

Hey Carrie,  I think I found George & Gracie!

Before long we came to this sign on a pedestrian
bridge which had a locked gate in the middle.

We decided that kayaks were not “vessels”.
That vessels had motors.
And on up the river we went.

Not long after that, we came to the
car bridge leading into the park.

 

Check out the clearance between the high water and
the bridge.

But we made it with inches to spare

 

And the river was beautiful

We rounded a bend and found the boat dock
for a private campground we had passed
on our way to the park.

They had a lot of canoes.

But this one was fabulous.  Looks like a Voyageurs canoe doesn’t it?

Beautiful skies, beautiful water….
It was just a gorgeous day.

 

We paddled as far up the river as we were willing
given its current which got stronger and stronger as we went
and then turned around and floated back.

See how hard we are both working at this point. 
:-)

This second half of the trip was more like a float.
Wonderful!

Binocular Kayaker at work

In a shorter amount of time than it took to paddle
UP the river, we were back at the high water bridge.

Under I go again -

David seems to have to bend over farther than I do.
LOL

The Sunday boaters were out by noon when
we got back to the harbor.

 

We’d paddled over 5 miles according to my Garmin
sports watch by the time we pulled up to shore
in time to see this group going out.

I think this is the captain inspecting the crew member’s work.

Out of the water, kayaks on the carts and
on the way back home.

We spent the heat of the afternoon
NINETY FOUR DEGREES
doing odds and ends and keeping cool.

After dinner I starting looking at our
camping possibilities at Yellowstone and
found that they do have a campground with some
hook ups but that they were all booked through August.

Oh well we’d thought we were boon docking and so we are.
But now I’m wondering if I need to make reservations at
the no hook ups campgrounds.
I hate reservations.

Oh well I’ll figure it out tomorrow.

Time to watch the sunset.

These were all taken from our patio and except for
the one below, I was too short to be able to see over
the wetland grasses to the mountains.
But you can just see them here barely.




 

Hope to walk over to the lake to catch the sunset
over the water tomorrow night.

Great closing to a Great Sunday on the water!

Ain’t Life Grand!!