Category Archives: Sea Eagle 370

Floating down the Snake River

Posted on by
9

It took three cars!

After hiking we decided to take a kayak float down the Snake River.  Jane and Ron each had their own kayak and John and I were going in John’s kayak.  We were all getting in a the Dam at Jackson Lake.  The plan was for John and I to float down to Pacific Creek and get out there.  Jane and Ron who are more experienced kayakers would then continue on down to Deadman’s and exit the river there.

That’s where the confusion starts.  Jane and Ron drove their car with their kayaks down to the dam where they unloaded them.  Ron stayed there to watch the kayaks.  John and I both drove our cars to Dead Man’s.  Then Jane drove from the dam to Dead Man’s where she left her car.  She hopped in John’s car and I followed him to Pacific Creek where I left my car.  Then off in John’s car to the dam where we started our float.

Here we are at the dam.

DSCN3028

DSCN3029

All these pics were taken by Jane as she has a waterproof camera.  I didn’t want to take the chance of ruining mine.  I guess a waterproof camera is on my wish list when I get to Amazon this winter.

You hardly have to paddle at all since the current carries you downstream.  You don’t even realize how fast you are going until you look at the bank.  Very cool!

DSCN3046

Spotted a bald eagle!

We were really fortunate to spot a bald eagle.  It caught a fish and took it back to it’s nest just next to the river.  Then it proceeded to feed it’s young.  We couldn’t see the babies but we could tell it was feeding them.  That was really an amazing experience.

DSCN3042

This is a pic of John and I watching the bald eagle in it’s nest.

DSCN3040

Ron brought his fishing pole with him and did some fishing while floating downstream.  He did catch a small fish but threw it back in.

DSCN3057

DSCN3034

DSCN3046

We estimated we floated about 5 miles and then got out at Pacific Creek.  What a great time we had.  Jane and Ron floated further down to Dead Man’s which took another 2 hours.  It was a perfect day to float down this beautiful river.

On the way back to the campground we took the inner road through Grand Teton NP.  It had spectacular views of the mountains.

 

Pawdicure on the way to Gros Ventre, WY

Posted on by
3

Chica’s Pawdicure

After leaving Riverside campground we headed to Idaho Falls, ID for a couple of things.  I had to stop in Walmart to pick up a prescription and supplies and Chica needed a pawdicure.  She last had her nails trimmed in Mesa, AZ shortly after we found each other.

They were getting too long so we headed to a Petsmart where you didn’t need an appointment.  I also mentioned in my last post that she was going to get her teeth cleaned.  That was wrong.  She was only going to get a breath freshener.  Here she is waiting to get her nails down.

Am I next Dad?

Am I next Dad?

It took quite a while and two people to complete the job.  I don’t think she was too happy at the time.

I thought this was a pawdicure not a two-on-one wrestling match

I thought this was a pawdicure not a two-on-one wrestling match

On to Gros Ventre

After the pawdicure and the stop at Walmart we made the drive to Gros Ventre campgrounds.  It is northeast of Jackson, WY.  I figured I may be able to fill up with propane there.  No way Jose!  Jackson was slammed with lots of traffic, both cars and campers.  I decided to head on out to the campground as I had enough propane to last me a few days.

John and Linda had talked to the camp hosts and they were reserving a spot right next to them.  The cost of camping here is $21 per night, but only $10.50 with the geezer card.  This is a bit more then I have been paying, but they have the beautiful mountains and lots to do as well.  It is really a great bargain.

The next day John and I drove into town to fill up my 5 gal. tank with propane.  On the way we saw this herd of bison crossing the road.  They had been down to the river and were no heading up to graze.  Needless to say it stopped traffic.

IMG_0320

IMG_0321

Kayaking on the Snake River

The following day seven of us decided to go kayaking.  It was a long drive to where we started and we had several cars.  It was really great fun even though I started off facing the wrong way in my kayak.  DUH!!

This is where we put into the water.

DSCN0153

DSCN0154

John and Linda with all the inflatable kayaks blown up and ready to go.

DSCN0157

This is John and Linda on the water.

DSCN0158

It was a great time and it gave me a chance to practice my kayaking skills. ???

Farmer’s Market in Jackson

The next day was spent checking out the fabulous farmer’s market in Jackson.  John and Linda drove me around Jackson and we walked around the downtown area.  The farmer’s market was held in a park downtown.

DSCN0162

 

The entrance to the park was made entirely of antlers.  How cool!

DSCN0163

 

Let’s Party!!

On Friday everyone got together for a party with lots of great food and conversation.  We invited the camp hosts in our campground as well as Shannon, who is another camp host at Jenny Lake.  She and I worked together at Amazon last winter and saw each other at Apache Junction last spring while she was camped there.  It was really good to see her again and we had a lot of catching up to do.

After dinner, we all sat around the campfire and Ally roasted marshmallows and made us all Samores.   It was a great time.  I also saw Tony who I had also worked with at Amazon.

DSC_0141

DSC_0143

DSC_0145

DSC_0147

I plan to stay at Gros Ventre until after Labor Day.  There is lots of great things to do here and terrific friends to do them with.

 

Kayaking on Caddo Lake

Posted on by
4

I have been carrying my kayak around ever since I began RVing.  Since it is too big to store in the available storage areas I decided the best place for it was next to me in the overhead bead.  I literally sleep with my kayak.  Of course it is not a hard shell kayak but an inflatable model that I purchased from Inflatable Boats 4 Less.  They are rather inexpensive and they build a real quality product.  I purchased the 370 model it before I started my trip but only blew it up once just to see what it looked like.  Yesterday was the first day I had it on the water.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!  One reason was many of the campgrounds I have stayed at do not have a lake or river.  The other reason was that I was just a bit nervous in that I am alone and if something should happen I would be literally up a creek (only with a paddle).  I know! Neither of these excuses are acceptable.

Anyway to make a long story short I decided to make my maiden voyage with my Sea Eagle 370.  It weighs 32 pounds so I didn’t want to carry it down to the boat ramp to launch it.  I disconnected my electric/water and drove down to the boat ramp, unloaded the kayak and proceeded to blow it up with the foot pump that is part of the package.

In less then 15 minutes I was ready to launch.  Not bad!!  Here is a pic of my Sea Eagle 370 ready to take off from the shore.  That is my rig in the background parked at the boat ramp.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

I launched it without mishap and headed off in to open water.  Around the boat ramp is a “no wake” area so I decided to stay in that area until I got more used to the kayak.

Here I am headed down stream in my kayak.  It is extremely easy to handle and I got the hang of it right from the start.  What a blast!!!

The temperature at the campgrounds was 102 degrees so needless to say it is even hotter on the open water.  I did take plenty of water with me, but I still wanted to find a shady spot under the trees.

I found this beautiful spot upstream from the boat ramp.  By the way I had no problem traveling upstream in my kayak.  I moved along at a pretty good clip.  I am very surprised how easy it is to maneuver.

This was a great spot for just kicking back and relaxing.  What a life!!  LOL!!

Today I added another dimension to my RV’ing lifestyle.  I am so pleased with myself for 1. Purchasing this great Sea Eagle kayak at such a great price, (be sure to check out their site for discounts).  2. Finally getting it out on the water.  3. Realizing how easy it is to maneuver.  4. RELAXING!!! (Naturally the best part).

I can’t wait to get it back on the water again to hone my kayak skills (and my relaxing skills as well HA!).