Grayson Lake Kayaking- April, 09'

Grayson Lake, KY April-2009



Kate and I went on another short trip. I took the day off Friday night so I could get some sleep before driving 3 hours into KY toward Grayson Lake. I learned of the lake through a Yahoo Group called Cincypaddlers. As we arrived it was a beautiful day about 75 degrees and sunny. We took all back roads to get there along the Ohio River, so it was very scenic going through the small towns. We arrived at the lake and decided to go get a campsite to make sure we had a place to stay when done kayaking. We picked a decent spot, and set up the tent, then headed toward the put in. We started in about 1:30 in the afternoon. The lake does not seem like any lake you would know. It is at most a couple hundred yards wide, making it seem much more like a river. The lake has many branches off it though, which is what we took. The sides of the "lake" are limestone/sandstone faced walls, where most of the time you can kayak under an overhanging wall. There were only a couple other motorboats, which had to go very slowly due to the tight bends in the lake and how narrow it was (always points jutting out into the water). We saw no other kayaks.


We got to our first falls, which they call Hidden Falls (though I didnt find it very hidden). It was a rather short, wide falls with lots of debris behind it. I maneuvered my 14.5' kayak in behind, got some pics, then went straight thru getting drenched. Kate did the same in her borrowed Otter Kayak 9.5'. After getting a thourough washing, we continued on, drying in the sunshine.





After another short jaunt further up lake, we came to the highlight. A 75 ft waterfall draining into the lake. Again, I'm able to maneuver around behind it... and play around with pics before going through it. We played around here for quite a while. After going through a couple times (filling my boat with water), and Kate joining in on the fun, we started back.

We had heard a waterfall out of sight in a little cove on the way up and decided to try to see it while we were on our return trip. We pulled our kayaks to the side and climbed out. After a 10-15 minute walking (about 200 yards) through dense forest with no trail, we found this falls (which was unnamed, but I though should be called "Hidden Falls" instead of the other one). It was about a 30 ft. falls, but not as much water flow as the previous two. We headed back, got in the kayaks and soaked up some more sun on the way back. Wonderful weather. My only complaint about the lake is that it has no sandbars or spots suitable to unload and hang out. The sides of the lake are thick brush or rock walls.

We loaded the kayaks, and headed back to camp where we got a roaring fire going. We cooked brats/mets over the fire and sat back and chilled till about midnight, going to bed. The next morning we woke up to rain. We went ahead and started our journey home. Great weekend trip.

Alaska Day 9; Kenai Lodge

September 14 - Kenai
Feb. 28th, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Still getting better. We woke up pretty early this morning (6:45 a.m.) and walked down to the lodge for breakfast. The light is so pretty early in the a.m. It rained last night, which magnified the sweet Alaska smell. After eating (nothing too remarkable - just your average breakfast buffet), we met our kayaking group - only one other older couple from San Diego. I love the small tours. A gentleman from the lodge drove us to the lake put-in a little bit early since the group was ready to go. We skipped rocks and marveled at the mountains until our guide, Mike, arrived with the boats.

We set sail around 8:30 on the incredibly calm, clear, neon teal lake (glacier-fed and about 48 degrees). We rode in a double kayak, which Justin and I had never done. We weren't sure how much we'd like it, but Mike recommended it since the singles are much narrower than the singles we're used to. Not wanting to experience any part of the freezing lake, we went with his recommendation. It was actually a lot of fun and not hard to get used to (other than the fact that we had a rudder to control our direction and didn't have to use the paddle for manuevering).



We spent the first hour or so paddling out to a beach about 2.5 miles away. We saw two bald eagles about 50 yards from each other, sitting on top of spruce trees most majestically. One flew away, and we saw him eating a salmon on the shore very near us as we paddled by. They are BIG BIRDS. Despite yesterday's forecast for today, it never rained on us. In fact, the sun even peeked out from behind the clouds a few times, illuminating big swatches of land on the colorful mountains surrounding us. Said mountains are carpeted with huge areas of wild berries, lichens and spruce trees.

We stopped on a little stretch of beach peninsula for snacks (trail mix, Babybel cheese and crackers) and hot chocolate. Mike also pointed out fresh berries we could eat - rose hips, cranberries, red currants and black currants. After hanging out on shore for awhile, we headed back.



Like so many things here, I just can't describe the scale or beauty of the place we're visiting. I'm so glad to be sharing this experience with Justin. He understands how this place makes you feel, how it smells, how the moss quiets your footsteps, how clear the lakes are and how you can see your kayak paddle three feet into the water. It's not really something words were made for.



Anyway, after kayaking we came back to the lodge. I changed quickly and went to church with a small van of other Catholic mass-goers. We went up to a beautiful little local chapel - a log cabin church with big windows behind the altar. Mass was short - only about 45 minutes. I'm glad I could make it this week (there wasn't one on the boat last week). So after mass, I found Justin and we got some lunch in the lodge. I got the bison chili again (SO GOOD) and he got fish and chips. We decided to walk down to the Cooper Landing Cemetery a mile from the lodge. Apparently anyone can be buried there for free, and you just have to inquire at the post office.



Weird, no? Okay, when I kick the bucket, this is the kind of place I want to be buried. It is without a doubt the most serene cemetery I've ever seen. Graves are somewhat informal and accessible by small hiking paths. Most have headstones - some fancier than others - and many have huge mounds of moss and flowers and plant life over the grave area. It's so natural and peaceful. Justin found it slightly creepy, but the only thing that put me on edge was the possibility of surprising a bear or moose. One of the lodge staffers was mauled by a bear about a month ago near the lodge. She survived, but we've caught gruesome tidbits. It was bad enough that she's had to have skin grafts and a bunch of surgeries. So needless to say, I'm wary of scaring a bear into eating my face. Especially since we know there's a mama with cubs nearby.

After our trek to the cemetery, we played horseshoes (Justin schooled me) and shuffleboard (I won in an epic comeback) outside on lodge grounds for a few hours.

This is SO RELAXING! We're just chilling in our cabin now and are heading to dinner shortly. Ahhhh

***

Dinner was mahhhvelous. Justin got a chicken caesar salad and a new brew - the Denali Red. I got the Kenai Princess salad. Wasn't sure it would fill me since my stomach has been stretched roughly to the size of a small whale's over the last week. To my relief, not only did it fill me up, it tasted as good as any deliciously decadent creation from the ship. It included mesclun greens, big hunks of gorgonzola, a cinnamony sliced pear, walnuts and white balsamic vinaigrette. After our last dinner at Kenai, we headed back to the cabin for fire and sleep. I could get used to this life.

general updates on my life

Well, this may have been my longest streak without posting. After deer season, I switched to third shift, caught the flu, and been pretty dismal. Sorry. Haven't been up to anything besides attempting to get used to the slow, weird hours of night shift. It's a completely different world that time of day. But on the bright side, I have been planning for wonderful things. First, the Police Unity Tour in May. Working hard toward it. Second, I have a multi-day kayaking trip planned with Dad in the BWCA (already got the entry permit through a lottery) for late July/ early August. Third, I may be going to Southport, NC with the fam in June.
And last but not least.....my newest purchase. Oh, how I love to get new toys. Especially expensive ones. I just bought myself a brand new compound bow for hunting season this year. I bought early so I could have time to practice. It is a "Diamond" brand "Rock" model. It shoots arrows around 300 fps. So far I've been playing around in the backyard and I seem to be an ok shot. Didn't figure I would be, but doing pretty well. I will increase my distance shooting over time, but pretty groupings so far on my target. Still have to adjust the sights, too, but the guy I worked with at Bass Pro was awesome. He spent a lot of time with me helping to figure out my correct draw length and weight (which is way low right now). Didn't realize how many unused muscles you use shooting a bow. He set up the peep sight, helped me pick out arrows (which he then cut down to meet my draw length. I picked out a quick release while he added a loop closure to the string for it. I really liked how much he was willing to help/teach me. I did spend a lot. The bow itself was $499. Not to mention all the accessories I got with it. Good purchase, though. Really like the way it shoots and feels. Not like bows I shot when I was young.