Kayak Trip #58, Chain O' Lakes, 11-22-12

It's Thanksgiving Day... in Wisconsin... where we often have snow on the ground. Well... NOT THIS YEAR!!! We had a record high temp of 64 degrees! What better way to burn off some of those big-dinner calories but to hit the water?!

Seeing that the water temperature is cold, we thought it best to find a calm spot to paddle, and it was a bit windy as well, so we headed for the relatively sheltered Upper Chain. Starting out at Knight's landing, we headed north to Knight Lake and Lake Orlando. Since the water levels were up from last summer, we decided to try going downstream through Beasley Creek to Beasley Lake on the Lower Chain. It wasn't too bad until we got near the end of the creek and started dragging bottom. Since the water was so cold, neither one of us wanted to get out and pull our kayaks, so we "wheelchaired" it through. I actually took my paddle apart in the middle and used each piece like ski poles to propel myself forward. lol Once we got onto Beasley Lake, the going was easy.

The only wildlife we saw were a couple pairs of ducks. There were some kids playing football on the shore, but the lakes were mostly abandoned this time of year except for the year-round homes.

Going back upstream on Beasley Creek proved to be quite difficult. Using the ski pole method, it took us quite a long time to get to water that was paddleable. I have to admit that my arms are rather sore tonight!

Anyway, I never dreamed that we'd have the opportunity to kayak this time of year, so this was definitely a bonus trip!

Here are a few photos:

***********************

UPDATE 

on the following morning,

11/23/12:

SNOW!!!

Kayak Trip #57, Upper Chain O' Lakes, 10-24-12

Unseasonably warm temperatures brought my husband home from work itching to get out on the water one more time before winter. Even though it was getting dark and was very cloudy, we headed out to the Upper Chain O' Lakes for a quick paddle. It was dark by the time we got back, but I had a head lamp and used the flash on my camera for some of the photos. Not great pictures, but nice memories for the end of a great season!

Kayak Trip #56, Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas, 10-21-12

This trip wasn't exactly in the Waupaca area... but we were on a family vacation in Arkansas and couldn't pass up the chance to take advantage of the warm weather. We rented kayaks from the marina at Lake Fort Smith State Park and paddled the reservoir. Because of the drought, our preferred destination of the Buffalo National River had to be put on hold because there wasn't enough water. Maybe next trip...

Lake Fort Smith was quite lovely, set in the Ozark Mountains. The day was overcast and hazy, so the autumn colors weren't quite as bright as we had hoped for, but it was still beautiful. Our two daughters were with us, so that made the day even more fun. The drive through the mountains was pretty, too.

Going through a tunnel in the mountains.

Lake Fort Smith

Kayak Trip #55, Little Wolf River at Big Falls, 9-30-12

Well, the weather has cooled considerable the last few weeks, but Sunday was nice enough to get the kayaks out again and head north to see some beautiful color!

We put in at the boat landing at the park at Big Falls, and paddled upstream to the Dells where the current is too strong to paddle against it. We took a break on the rock ledge overlooking the Dells. An absolutely gorgeous day!

A Bald Eagle!

You can see lots more pictures in this slide show put to music:

If you enjoy looking at the beautiful fall colors in the Waupaca area, you might also enjoy this slide show that features scenes from the Crystal River area, including the town of Rural, the dam at Little Hope, the Red Mill, Covered Bridge and Chapel in the Woods, as well as Spencer Lake and Shadow Lake. While we didn't have our kayaks along, we did meet some kayakers who had just made the trip from Knights Landing, through Long Lake, down the Crystal River to Parfreyville. They said it was beautiful.

Kayak Trip #54, Mt. Morris Lake and Emerald Lake, 9-15-12

Today, we headed south to Mt. Morris. Our neighbors, Cliff, Lisa, and Ian joined us for this trip. We put in at a city park on the northeast side of the Morris Lake at a boat landing. We paddled down to the dam and back, and then under a bridge to a stream connecting Morris Lake with Emerald Lake. 

Heading back into Morris Lake, we encountered quite a bit of boat traffic. Everyone was courteous and friendly and gave us our space. We did enjoy riding a few waves left by the speed boats.

The trees are beginning to show color. Summer is almost over! We do look forward to seeing some fall color from the water and hope for enough warm days ahead to do so.

It was a fun afternoon, and we enjoyed the company of our friends.

Kayak Trip #53 Waupaca River, Anderson Rd. to Brainerd's Bridge

We had a good rain the other day, and after scouting parts of the Waupaca River, we saw that the water levels were up a bit, so we decided to revisit the segment between Anderson Rd. and Brainerd's Bridge Park. We hadn't been there since our two trips in June, (#21, and #28), so we weren't sure what we'd run into.

For the most part, the water was high enough to keep moving. We did get stuck in the shallows at one point, but didn't have to get out and walk. The class I rapids along the way were pretty fun. The trip takes about an hour.

Just upstream from the put-in at Anderson Rd.

Going under the Anderson Rd. Bridge.

A fun dock along the way.

The highlights were seeing three sandhill cranes and a Great Blue heron, and navigating through several rapids. Look for them in this video:

Kayak Trip #52 Upper Chain O' Lakes, & Feeding Fish at Whispering Pines, 9-5-12

This afternoon, we headed back to the Upper Chain, this time armed with a bag of oatmeal! Last time we were there, we saw lots of fish at the dock by Whispering Pines Park, and decided to go back and feed them.

I have lots of memories of feeding the fish when my parents took me to this park as a little girl. At that time, the park was privately owned, and there were all kinds of fun things to do there. The dock had little vending machines that dispensed oatmeal when you put in a coin. This was pretty cheap entertainment for our family with 5 kids. I think my folks probably brought their own oatmeal to save a few cents. :)

Here is an interesting article about the history of the park from the Waupaca County Post. Whispering Pines is now part of Hartman Creek State Park as it was willed to the state in 1975. I also found some awesome photos and old postcards from the early days HERE.

Ducks on Lake Orlando

Underwater shots of bluegills.

They were just inches from my camera,

and in fact seemed quite interested in its bright, orange color.

Underwater video of fish.

Hubby feeding fish from the dock.

Fish coming to the surface to feed on oatmeal.

A green heron at the next dock. Also saw a large turtle.

Kayak Trip #51 Jordan Pond and the Plover River, 9-1-12

We packed up our gear and headed down the road a bit toward Stevens Point to kayak on Jordan Pond, at the county park there. There's a nice kayak/canoe launch, so we put in and headed out.

The wind was quite strong and the water was choppy.

We paddled down to the dam (which is why there is a pond here on the Plover River).

We paddled all the way back against the wind toward the north end and the access to the Plover River.

We headed up the river.

This is not an alligator.

Some fun upstream:

Saw this sandhill crane on our way back to the dock:

Back at the dock, a man came by just as I pulled up. He mentioned how he had difficulty getting out, and just as we were talking about it (while I was trying to get out), I tipped over. Great... Nothing hurt but my pride. Made a mental note to pack dry clothes in my tote bag next time...

We found a great place for a picnic (and drying out) and enjoyed our lunch.

On the way back to the vehicle, we passed this pretty bridge that connects the parking lot to an island with campsites for canoers/kayakers. 

It's a nice county park, and a pleasant place to spend a Saturday.