Saturday, May 2, 2015

Smith Lake

Thursday night was supposed to be backpacking with friends, but the HUGE drop in temps from mid 60's to 41 had me rethinking that plan!  They ended up getting a campsite with power nearby and we went and hung out for the evening toasting things and chatting.

Making our fall travel plans!


Monkey See and Monkey Do over there taking photos.









I threw in a can of croissant thingies and we wrapped a few hot dogs before toasting, that was yummy! 



Friday, we went to the lake to FINALLY get Matt on a kayak.  He's so convinced he will love kayaking that he's already mentally purchased several.  I even dreamed the other night that he bought so much outdoor stuff (including a truck to haul the new trailer FULL of kayaks) that he had us making $1000 a month payments for the next 10 years!  hahaha  There was a 4-wheeler, some JetSkis and of course 6 kayaks with all the gear because-who doesn't need 6 kayaks?  hehehehe




See the log in the lower left?  See the baby beaver?




I dragged these three along behind my kayak a while.  THAT was WORK.



We met up with the Chan and Alex on their boats and all floated a while.


Chan has some trash in the back of her kayak.  She fished out plastic from the lake when she was out, every time.  Then put it in the dumpster!  Go, Chan!



Emma decided they could swim faster than they were being towed, so we abandoned them in the lake to make it on their own.




It took a while!



Emma and Ben and occasionally Alex spent a few hours making and revising 'boats' to float down the small creek.  Ben's design above held up the best.



See that brown bump straight in front of Matt's foot?  Baby beaver again!  It was eating sorrel.


Matt out again!


We had burgers, portabella mushrooms and hot dogs on the grill.


More boat revisions!


I tried a cheese stick/hot dog wrapped in dough.


Chan did dough, precooked bacon and a hot dog




Matt came along with a little packet of food stuffed in his dough pouch.



We toasted starburst-YUMMY
sour patch kids-a little gross and sticky
circus peanuts-like hot plastic




After everything was packed away and the sun was down, we hung out and chatted around the fire for a bit and Ben, Alex and Chan played.

Lovely relaxing couple of days!  





Monday, April 27, 2015

Wheeler Walk


Finished up last week with 17.5 miles total!  

Yesterday, Matt and I hit the Refuge for a long walk, 11 miles in one go.  Now I just need to get 4 more this week to meet my 15 mile a week goal,  hahaha.   (update, 3, I just did a lap at the track!)




Leather Flower






Osprey nest, with mated pair!


Blue eyed grass



Blue star


Morning Star Sedge




This canal was so full of snakes, turtles and gar that it would be a good place to dump a body.

I call this one 'WWBD?'



Lobelia



Buttercups


The plan was to hang out under the bridge for lunch, but Matt could not get his hammock up.



Violets, corn salad, poison oak





The bridges are this huge monolith type things after all the wide open space.




This walk WORE ME OUT.  Way more than Richard Martin, which was a longer walk and had hills.  The going theory is that RM has a definitive turn around, so I knew how much longer we had to go.  I hate thinking I am that wimpy, but...we did start out walking 4, 5, 6 miles and then moved up to doing 10+ most weekends before I hurt myself last year and re-hurt my fool self in March.  My stamina is shot, but I am getting there!!