|
|
|
|
When: |
September
15th - 17th 2006 |
|
Where: |
Lake Roosevelt, Central AZ
|
|
Attendees: |
Brian, Jeff, Pat, and Me
|
| Links: |
|
I drove out to Arizona for a quick kayaking adventure on Lake
Roosevelt with my buddies Brian and Jeff from Tucson. My Dad lived very close
to there, in Punkin Center, so I could stop and visit him as well.
I got a late start on Friday because I was attending the Western Bird Banding Association Conference in Albuquerque, and didn't arrive into camp until 9pm or so. I had to stop for for a few snakes on the way in to move them off the road. One small diamondback rattlesnake and a gopher snake. Once in camp I met Brian's father-in-law, Pat, and heard how their day had went. Jeff and Pat were fishing from their kayaks and Brian had been exploring. We stayed up late, catching up and telling stories.
We were on the lower end of Lake Roosevelt where the Salt River flows in. We stayed at the Schoolhouse Campground. It was a very nice campground and the self-pay station actually had a credit card reader! Crazy...
I mistakenly overpaid because I thought my kayak was considered a "boat". I guess if your boat has a motor, that is when it is considered a boat by AZ Parks. Oh well, a few extra bucks for a well kept campground is okay.
We got up early Saturday morning and loaded the kayaks into Jeff's Chevy and we headed down to the boat ramp. Brian and I headed south toward the river and Jeff and Pat fished the structure trying to catch some bass for dinner.
Most of the pictures are Brian's, I opted not to carry my dSLR out after the morning run.
Here are some photos of the guys with 4-Peaks in the background. It was a
nice calm morning.
Brian
got some nice photos of some birds in the area. Mostly there were cormorants
and ducks around. Not the bird diversity that I was hoping for, but it was
still a nice day on the water.
A gull on the left, snowy egret in the middle, and an Osprey on the right
(Great pics Brian!)
A few water shots
That afternoon
the wind picked up quite a bit. Pat and Brian were ahead of me as we were
making our way back to the dock. The waves were starting to pick up a bit,
making things fun. I enjoy crashing the kayak through the waves. Up ahead
though, Pat had stopped for a second to mess with his fishing pole and wasn't
ready for a swell that hit him and he flipped the Dagger. Brian was there
to help Pat get to shore and I arrived right as Brian was pulling the swamped
boat onto shore. Brian and I turned it over and emptied it out and got Pat
going again. The water was warm, but the wind made things pretty chilly for
Pat in wet clothing. Luckily we were close to the ramp at this point. A little
drama, but everyone was okay.
That night at camp, Brian and I decided to take a little road trip to find some snakes if they were out. Not a mile from camp I spotted a small kingsnake in the road. We got a few pictures of the cute little hatchling and released it later.
We didn't see
any other snakes, but we did get a great look at a barn owl sitting on a post
next to the road. They are beautiful owls.
I opted not to go out again on Sunday morning, but to head north to Punkin Center and visit with my Dad, whom I had not seen in a few months. He is a cancer survivor, but as of late things have taken a turn for the worse and I wanted to spend some time with him. We had a great morning and afternoon together and I got on the road for home in the early afternoon, not getting home until late Sunday night. It was a lot of miles to drive for a weekend trip, but seeing friends and visiting with my Dad made it worth the effort ten fold.