day on the lake

I loaded up the truck and headed for the lake...Roosevelt Lake that is. I am trying to get in shape for a trip that I will be going on later in the summer. I believe it will be 18 miles or so. This being said I need to get into rowing shape, your avg joe civilian shape is just not going to cut it.

Back to the Lake, when I arrived I did a quick fly by in my truck and gave it a quick look around, there were park employees all over the place cutting grass....actually there was 5 of them. Due to the heavy traffic I headed up to Turkey Creek Lake, which is no more then a minuet away.

I drove in to the lake parking lot gave it a quick look around and it was a ghost town no one around minus one group swimming. I decided it would be better to go to Roosevelt Lake, because it had more people and I thought that this would make it safer for me.

I drove back to the lake unloaded the yak and went to it. I went up this little cove, which I had paddle previously on another outing. This time I was amazed at how far I went back into the cove. I found a deep line in the cove and was able to follow it almost to the very end. I spent a few minutes just sitting there taking in all the sights and sounds. It was heavenly...you haven't lived if you've never been in a kayak and seen the world of water and wildlife from this low of a vantage point.

After I became one with the world...lol...I thought it time to get to work. I found a line that I could paddle from one end of the lake to the other. It was great I went down and back five times; given me 3 miles on the water. I did the up and down trips at a fast pace non-stop trying to build up my blah civilian arms. I was tired after the sprints on the water but felt very good about my effort. All together I paddle about 4.5 to 5 miles. I feel its a good start for now.

while I was there I ended up talking to some gentleman who was fishing from the bank. He was a friendly fellow and we exchanged the common complementary hi's and what not. I believe he caught one fish, which is not bad at all considering I didn't catch one single fish on my trip with my dad.

After all the paddling and socializing, yes that's right saying hi too one person from the water is me socializing. I had to load up the gear and head out. The paddle is still working well and I am still happy with my decision to purchases it. I have no clue why it took me so long to buy one...a good one. Thanks to all the readers and those of you who are reading my blog and voting. It means a lot to me to know that you take the time out of your busy days to see what silliness I have been up to. Well as always have a great happy sunshine filled day and PADDLE ON!!!

A Cool place 2 B @

I was reading a magazine on kayaking the other day; yes I know shocker!!! In the magazine they were talking about the U.S. National Whitewater Center, it's in Charlotte N.C. The place looks awesome, I hope to be able to go at some point.

It's like a kayaker's dream, they have a few different courses that I can tell of and once you finish going down the course you just paddle back to this conveyor belt and it takes you back to the top of the run so you can do it again!!! You don't have to get out of your KAYAK!!! Just sit paddle and ride....OH YEAH. This sounds like a great Vacation idea to me, what do you guys think? I bet "WB" thinks it's amazing. LOL if he doesn't yet he will!!!

Here is the link:

http://www.usnwc.org/

Hope you like it, PADDLE ON!!!

another day

Well the results are in for the latest poll.

We here at "JUST AN OTTER" feel that the color of choice for a kayak is sunrise. Others that received some attention were: Blue, Green, Yellow and Orange. No one seems to care for Red, Lime, Cloud or Pink. I was surprised that no one picked CLOUD, I think it's actually a nice looking color for a boat. J.B. must have skipped this vote because I believe he likes it.

Well it seems that this kayaking season is getting off to a very slow start and I am wondering if it will ever pick up. I really hate to go out on the water alone, its not as much fun and its not safe. However, here lately I have found that I have no one to go out on the water with, so maybe the blog about my kayaking trips was a bad idea.

Well I am heading out later.

Keep Australia On Your Left

Here is a review for the book "KEEP AUSTRALIA ON YOUR LEFT" wrote by Eric Stiller.

The book is a disaster, when you read the description of it, it sounds so interesting and seems like it would be a high energy non stop read. However its not, the book starts off slow and never picks up. I kept waiting for it to get better, "just one more chapter and this will get good" never did.

The author obviously had sponsors and is keen on making sure everyone knows who they are. He mentions them in the book and tells the process he went threw getting them. There is no need for him to do this because he goes on and on about them for a whole chapter. I wonder if that was in his contract with them. To give a whole chapter to the kayak company that gave him the boat and other supplies. I will not talk about that company here on my blog.

Next he talks about; complains about his yak mate. He obviously does not like him and goes on and on about how he does everything wrong and has the wrong attitude for the trip. Which in my opinion it sounds like Eric had the bad attitude.

He spends most of the time writing about how miserable he is. How much he hates being with his yak mate. He hardly ever writes about being on the water and when he does he is telling us how much he wants to get to the next town and get out of the ocean.

The author comes off as a professional complainer, which is how the book reads. I found it hard to finish the book. I really tried to force myself to read all of it but I couldn't do it. I got about half way and had to stop I couldn't take anymore. PLEASE take my advice and skip this sinking ship of a book. I give this book .............. ONE KAYAK with a HOLE.

Canoe & Kayak / Paddlefest

I ordered the magazine Canoe & Kayak a few days ago. I hope it gets here soon :)!!!

There is a festival going on soon; Adirondack Paddlefest 2010.

www.AdirondackPaddlefest.com

The festival is MAY 21-23 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

If you know someone who lives close to it or in New York, it would be a good one for you to go to...it sounds like its going to be a hoot!!! After all they say its "America's largest on-water Canoe & Kayak sale."

Well that is all I have for you today, sorry its been a bit for a post. I have been working a lot. Anyway as always have a good day and PADDLE ON!!!

Polls

All right the results of the last poll are in, man was it intense!!! I hope all of you were able to vote cause it looked like the poll was being overrun with votes.

The results are in;
50% like to Kayak
25% like to Canoe
25% like to Sail Boat

And I am sure the rest of you who did not vote were just torn between two choices and couldn't decide. lol

I will be posting a new question for the poll today, I truly hope it gets more votes then the last.

Fishing @ Jackson Lake

Today my dad and I went fishing on Jackson Lake. We started the day off early. We hooked up the boat to the truck and loaded are belongings. We made sure to bring a cooler full of...WATER, what? Were you excepting us to take beer, lol not on my worst day.

Once we got on the road we had two more stops before we hit the lake. First we had to go to Wal-Mart, yes I know I feel the same way...ugh!!! I had no choice I had to get a fishing permit. After I shopped at the super store Mafia and had gotten my permit we had one more stop to make.

On our next stop we had to go to the bait shop to get, well bait!!! :) Now that the nice older lady behind the counter gave us around 5 dozen minos for the price of 3 dozen; maybe she was thinking a bakers dozen? Who knows. We were ready to continue on Lake Jackson.

Once we got there I was shocked at how easy it was to unload the boat. This was my first time doing this and it really isn't as hard as you would think. Once we had the boat in the water Dad went to park the truck as I stayed guard with the boat.

Once Dad returned we got in the boat and hit the water. It was slow going because Jackson Lake is an electric power motor only lake. Due to this we could not use the big motor that was on the back of the boat just teasing me. I so wanted to drive the boat and you know tear it up so to speak. I am sure the other fisherman would have loved that...lol, but honestly why would I care? After all I am a Kayaker' not a fisherman.

We finally got to a spot to start some fishing, Dad showed me how to use one of his high tech reels, no seriously my Dad doesn't use your push button reels, which are so much easier. Anyway long story short I got it to work after a few tries.

Now I bet all my readers are wondering at this point, "Now what did he catch for the day?" Well let me end the suspense...." I got nothing" oh wait that is not true I did catch a few trees...yay.
Dad caught two fish, it was as he said "a very slow day." in the end I still had a blast and even drove the boat with the electric motor and probably scared Dad. I think he thought I was going to hit a tree or the bank, but not to worry I corrected the boat in time.

It was neat to experience the water from a fisherman/boaters point of view. It was very different then my normal kayak/canoe vantage point. In the end readers I will say I had a great time hanging with my Dad and hope to do it again....maybe next time I will catch a fish!!! However, I will always be a kayaker that will not change anytime soon, well unless I get addicted to white water rafting.

As always good day followers and have fun on the water and in life, remember to PADDLE ON!!!

Lake Rosevelt and friends

Well today was great ...Two great people in my life were there right when I needed them; Mark who made me smile and laugh and J.B. who almost drowned me...lol ---just kidding, he also made me laugh.

J.b. and I hit the lake today around 6:30 p.m. to try out his canoe, which he had gotten from his father. It was his first time using it. I also brought my kayak and J.b. brought some fishing rods to fish.

We went to put the canoe in the lake, we were using my canoe paddles; bright ORANGE and his long canoe, which is kinda red and and missing some paint. Its cool, looks like a tank that has seen a few battles.

Well back to the entry of the water, once again as usual I am the small guy, I was in the front of the canoe and J.b. was going to push us off and jump in. Let's just say the smooth push and jump did not work for us...it was so funny. Before I could brace myself I knew I was going to be getting wet and yes, oh yes did I get wet. The water was a nice cool chill of the Arctic to wake me up. J.B. had gotten a little wet as well.

However, after that fun tip and a much needed good laugh. We turned the boat to the side of the bank to be horizontal with it, instead of going straight out with a push. We had J.B. hop in the back seat then I got in the front and we were able to push of and enjoy a great time on the water.
We did this for a lil while and then we went back to the bank and I got my kayak and J.B. went out on the water in his canoe. We paddled together for a bit and then I went off on my own as J.B. went back to shore to get a fishing rod from his dad, who we just happened to run into at the lake. J.B. got back in the canoe and began fishing as I wondered all over the place. I run into a nice couple from Kentucky who were on the edge of the bank and they to were kayakers' and we chatted for a bit while I was still in my kayak. They were very nice and pleasant.

J.b. and I met on the water and got the rare and amazing chance to watch beavers play and swim. It was such a fun filled lovely trip to the lake today. I hope I have more days like this to look forward to this summer.

I am also very lucky to have such close friends and loved ones, who can make me laugh and have such a great time.

Thanks J.B. and Mark, it was great to talk to you guys.

Turkey Creek Lake

I went to Turkey Creek Lake to use the new paddle...it was a dream :) money well spent.

A shout goes to Mark for becoming a follower, thanks for joining us.

Paddle On

Kayaking paddle

I am going out on the water to try out my new paddle....PADDLE ON!!!!

Book and Plans for tomorrow

I finished reading "Wild Shore" a book about a man kayaking Lake Superior, a review will be posted on my blog at a latter date.

I hope to get on the water tomorrow and try out my new kayak paddle. :)

In the spirit of keeping my blog fun I have a question for all my readers; lol all four of you!!!

If your kayak happened to run a muck upon a desert island and you were stuck for 2.5 months what mp3 player would you want with you and what band or artist would it have on it?

I would go with the ipod itouch, and I would have the POLICE and DMB.

Mag and Reading

Here is a magazine that I find very helpful and enjoy reading. It is "Canoe & Kayak"

web site; www.canoekayak.com

There are interviews, product reviews, stories of journeys taken, advertisements for kayaking companies that you didn't even know existed, and travel tips and reviews of places.

I love "canoe and kayak" and I would like to thank Tim for giving me a copy of it and getting me hooked on it. It is such a good resource. I give this one 5 KAYAKS


I am almost done with "Wild Shore" by Greg Breining. I have nine more pages to go, hopefully I will finish it today. I was planning on kayaking, however it is raining here in Ohio. Well I hope you have a great day and paddle on.

Book Reviews/ Ratings

I will be doing book reviews/ratings as another part of my blog. These reviews will be over books that deal with the outdoors. Some of them will not take place in or around the water.

Today's is "Small Boat to Freedom" by John Vigor

I love this book for several reasons, it is a true story about a family; father, mother and son. They have to flee their home due to the uprising in South Africa and head to America where June ;the wife is from. They have to flee the country by ocean to be safe, however this presents its own dangers. The ocean can be a pretty nasty place and you will read about some of the amazing things they had to endure and encounter on this voyage.

Another aspect of the book is that you will get to learn a little about sails boats, John gives you some terms and knowledge of how a sail boat works threw out his writings. He also gives you a history of how he learned to sail.

If you are a history person then this book should be right up your alley. It tells and teaches you about the hardships that are going on in South Africa at the time. Tells you about the political struggle that is tearing the place apart and how unsafe it is. If you were a history teacher and wanted to give your students a true up close personal experience about how the apartheid was affecting South Africa in 1987ish then this is the book to give them.

He also gives a up-close look at the ports that they visit and the fun times to be had. I give it a 4 Kayak rating. We use kayaks here instead of stars. :)

Youtube

First off I would like to give thanks and a shout out to J.B. for becoming a follower.

Also I would like to take this time to let you know that he also has a blog. The address is ---

http://jbkoch17.wordpress.com/

J.B. is in the pic @ Big Darbby Creek

I am going to try to post a youtube video to the blog every now and then. I am not in the videos, its just video that I find interesting. If you have found some that you like feel free to let me know or put them in the comments section.

Today's video is a few kayakers' in white water and going down water falls. FYI the music in this video is very good. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5oLCh6nEuo

I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think on the comments section.....have fun paddling :)

Thanks to readers, Kayak paddle

I would like to take this time to thank two viewers:


Matthew "guitar god" for being the first reader to become a follower


Mark "WB" for being the first to post a comment to the blog.


It is viewers/readers like this who take an active role in the blog that will make it a success!!!

Also a shout out to Amy for becoming a follower as well :)

Things that are going on in the world of paddle. J.B. just informed me that he and his dad have completed his canoe rack for his truck and that he just got two PFD's. He is almost ready to hit the water. All he needs now is canoe paddles.

I received my new kayak paddle today, for those of you that are wondering it is a Carlisle Magic Plus, 220 length with sunrise as the color. Yippee, oh happy day!!!


It has been brought to my attention that I did not offer "YACHT" as an option on yesterdays poll. Allow me to take this time to apologize to those individuals; MARK. I was thinking that I would gear this site toward the smaller water craft. I will see if I can fit in yacht's every now and then seeing as they are in such demand :).

Web Site and Poll

Today is a simple day,

I have provided for you a poll on the left of the page. Hopefully well we be getting some votes and when the poll closes I will try to post the results in one of the blog entries. I am going to try to do a poll every two weeks. If you have any ideas for a poll question please let me know.

I have also put a Web Site on my blog it is also on the left hand side of the page. The site is Paddle Ohio. It is a club that is out of Columbus Ohio. This page will provide you with other paddlers in Columbus and surrounding areas. They also post outings, which they welcome anyone who wants to come out and have a fun day on the water. If your new to kayaking or just need someone to go with you on trips this is a good spot for that.

Here is the link; http://www.meetup.com/paddle-ohio/

It also posted on the left and will remain their. Thanks for reading have a wonderful sunny day.

MY FIRST BLOG

This is my first entry on my blog page. Not for sure why I am going to do this, but here I am typing away into the vast world of nothingness. My blog is going to be dedicated mostly to my time spent on the water in my kayak!!!

It will cover the places I will go to; rivers, lakes or oceans, the people that go with me and the stories that may occur on such journeys into the world of kayaking.

March 30 2010

This was the start of the kayak season for me. I went to lake Roosevelt, its a small lake, but a good one to just get out for the day and have fun. Maybe try out new items that you just purchased.

Due to it being early in the season the dock was not set up yet. This meant that I had to push off from the ledge. This was a fun time indeed, upon my entry into the lake I almost flipped. Once I started pushing off the bank, my kayak went down and down and down again. I was starting to worry that the kayak was going to keep going down in the water and not flatten out on the surface. Lucky for me right as the water line was about to hit the entrance to my kayak, it leveled out and I was in the clear...no sinking today for me or tipping.

While on the water I wanted to go investigate a bridge that was near the area where I had entered the lake. I paddle over to the bridge and proceeded to go underneath it with no problems. Once I had passed under the bridge I was heading up a little tiny stream. I only made it a few feet then had to trun around because I was starting to bottom out.

I found a nicer place to exit the lake on the other side just a few yards up from where I had made the big plunge into the water. I left the water with out incendent.

April 1, 2010

Today was a great day. I didnt get to go on the water in the kayak, however I did get a new paddle. I finally got me a 220, which is the correct lenght for me. My old paddle is way to long, its a 240. For those of you that dont know that is like me trying to kayak with a flag pole. I now have my new paddle and I am ready to get out there and take on the world of water.

Well this is what has happend so far for me this kayak season of 2010. I hope that I will be able to go on a good number of trips, have lots of fun and interesting stories to tell you.