Paddle Me

Yeah, that is lame but I could not think of anything more clever. But I have been doing a lot of paddling lately. My knees have been really bad lately and I have not been up for much hiking but have been more than happy to use the upper body.

Yesterday Walter and I went for our first paddle on Lake Roosevelt. It was great. The day was warm but not too warm and I was able to get in a quick swim. We launched a Porcupine Bay on the Spokane Arm and paddled upstream (no current that I could tell). We saw a bunch of deer and I actually saw one pooping. They squat when they poo!! I was surprised. I thought they would just raise their tails like cows. We also had a weird toad thing too. I pulled up to a beach to have some lunch and there were thousands, yes, thousands of toads right along the water. Some of them jumped into the water as I pulled up but most just scattered along the beach. I tried to get a picture but they just look like pebbles. It was seriously weird.

Deer on the bank

Our lunch spot

Cool hills

Porcupine Bay boat ramp

In all I think I paddled about 10-12 miles round trip. I tend to stick with the shore when Walter is in the boat with me just in case we swamp. But I did do one open crossing of the river to check out a beach. I found some nice places to camp when the water is low. There were only a few fishing boats out, and before we put in I helped a guy get his boat back on his trailer. That was fun. I have decided that I would like to canoe the entire length of Lake Roosevelt. It is only 130 miles long. I probably will not do it all in one shot.

Last week Walter and I went camping at Lionhead on Priest Lake. We camped right on the beach which was cool, but I recommend avoiding the sites near the camp host bathroom. They smell and the fan is loud. We were planning on two nights and I had lugged along the canoe for a bit of paddling. Right before I started to unload the canoe on afternoon #2 I decided to call home and check in. Nancy has had a Baker's cyst behind her knee and it finally ruptured. It was very painful and her doctor told her to stay off her feet. That is impossible to do in this house so I packed up and headed home. But I swam a lot and Walter and I took some nice walks.

View from inside the tent

Our camping spot

Two weeks ago I took an after work kayak paddle down the Little Spokane River with Michelle and Carol. It was Carol's first time so that was totally cool. I had not paddled my kayak in a long time and since I have been doing a solo canoe I decided I like the canoe better. I have more positioning options in the canoe.

Michelle and Carol

And then the week before that, Michelle and I went to Horseshoe Lake and I finally got to see the Devils' Well. It is a big round basalt pool on the side of a hill. I am not sure if it is a vertical lava tube or if it was formed by swirling water...lots of swirling water. Anyway, it is cool and I always wondered where it was.

Devil's Well

Michelle by the waterfall

The waterfall

And then somewhere in there I took a nice trip on the Spokane River above the 9 mile dam. The water is going down already so I had to get the canoe down a pretty steep bank. Tons of birds, lots of sand bars. The current was pretty swift paddling upstream so I had a good work out. I paddled from 9 mile dam to the 7 mile bridge. Does that mean I paddled 4 miles?

High water line

One of my old swimming spots from a past life

I am not ready for summer to end. It seems like it just started. I want to go camping a few more times before it gets too nasty out, and I would like to take a paddle overnight to Kalispel Island at Priest Lake. I love Priest Lake but it is getting way too developed with too many boats. Despite protests, there is going to be a new housing development of 14 houses up by Lionhead and the Thoroughfare. Bastards.

PS Sorry about the bad pictures. I take the crappy camera in my pocket when I paddle.