Oahe Trip Day 8, Sunday, May 22
0600-41F/30F. Even colder today, below freezing!
Again, I got up and lit the propane heater and immediately jumped back into bed to let it warm up to something reasonable inside the cabin. Solar is 76%
0830-Began prep for departure after my morning coffee and breakfast.
0900-Got delayed when the local rancher observed the boat and came down with his two young boys (6 or 7) to check me out.
I invited the boys to come aboard to look around. They acted like they were full of caffeine and practically bounced off the walls, grabbing everything in sight, and asking rapid fire questions. I finally got them off the boat and subtlety closed the door so they could not get back in, though one of them grabbed the door and tried to go back in anyway! Fortunately, his dad stepped in. Obviously, the two boys had few social skills living on an isolated ranch and perhaps discipline by the parents was lax too.
I had just untied the boat and was ready to back away when they showed up. I just kept the motor in gear so it would hold the boat while I did the impromptu tour of the boat. The dad was very cordial and we visited a bit. They were out fixing fence, a chore that never ends!
The boat was stuck in the mud so they all helped push the boat off but in the process sank up to the tops of their boots in the mud. I commented about that, but the dad just said mucking around in mud was normal for them!
0945-Finally I departed but soon discovered there must be some kind of fishing tournament going on. Boats were everywhere along my route. I observed at least 25 but had not seen but two boats in the last week! Quite a contrast.
It is a Sunday but nevertheless, there were too many boats for just local activity in this sparsely populated ranch country where everyone has higher priorities than fishing, especially in spring.
A little later I discovered my tracking on the Zoleo satellite communicator was not functioning. I turned it on twice already and had to do it a third time. I brought my phone into the cockpit to ensure it stuck this time. Unfortunately it will be confusing to those following me since there is a break in the track from yesterday.
1200-Traveled a total of 14.4 miles and arrived at the new site. I tied up to shore and walked around a bit to take some pics. Lots of firewood around.
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| Leg 5, Day 8, 14.4 nm |
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| Destination - Leg 5, Day 8 - Low Water Levels (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Note Dry Ground Area - Estimated Water Level Is About 25' Down (Click to Enlarge) |
1245-I was hungry so I made a boat lunch and had some chocolates for dessert. May take a nap before doing the dishes. 70F/59F. Windows still closed. Charged up the Zoleo and the tablet.
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| Rocky Shoreline - Waves Were Coming Into Inlet (Click to Enlarge) |
1400-Got up from a nice nap. Should do the dishes and maybe take a shower later. Warmed up more than I expected given the low early morning temps. 72F/60F. Forecast last night was 41F but it got down to 30F at 0600! Quite the rise in just a few hours.
1500-Dishes are done. Will work on dinner after 4 pm or so. Had to move the kayak ashore because the north wind is coming into the inlet and was working it against the boat hull, irritating, and hard on the kayak. Too cool and breezy to set up the shower.
I'm a little upset with the wind direction since I deliberately chose this spot due to overnight winds clocking E through SW. I was protected from SW winds, but now exposed to N winds! I did not anticipate waves this strong on my stern from that direction.
Note To Self: Because winds are the greatest problem on this Lake, always consider un-forecast conditions and potential adverse wave action.
1720-Finished dinner. Grill was not working well due to the strong breeze. Chicken took 20 minutes and should have taken only about 12-14 minutes. Haven't decided what to do this evening.
2000-Took a walk up on the hill to see if I could get a cell signal and get my music back. Success! Got a good signal and I am back in business.
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| Walking In Sandals I Had To Be Careful! (Click to Enlarge) |
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| On Ridge Above Boat Looking WNW (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Looking Down From Ridge Top (Click to Enlarge) |
Had a nice evening walk among the prairie hills. Came back and put my chair on the foredeck while I listened to music and glassed the slopes looking for evening wildlife activity. Turns out there was a lot of action!
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| One That Didn't Make It! (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Feeding 1/2 Mile Away-1200 mm Handheld (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Periodically Watching For Predators (Click to Enlarge) |
Then I observed a hawk hunting the slopes to the south. Followed by some type of plover feeding and preening on some of the big drift logs.
Later I picked up the antelope again, she had moved and the reason why she kept looking north became obvious. Turns out her fawn was hidden in that area and she was keeping an eye out for predators that might go after the fawn. As I watched through the field glasses the fawn suckled off and on but seemed half hearted in his effort.
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| Antelope Hill (Click to Enlarge) |
While I watched the mother and her fawn three mule deer walked into the field of view about 3/4 mile out. They were just beyond the antelope and fawn on the same hill complex. I tried to get a photo of the antelope but with a 1200 mm zoom lens, hand held, they are out of focus.
Finally I came in after sunset since it was approaching dark. I listened to music for a while, then my audio book, before heading to bed.
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| End Of The Day (Click to Enlarge) |
I did some computations and decided I need to average about 8 miles/day over the balance of the trip to return to Spring Creek Rec Area on schedule since I'm about 42 nm from the launch. This location is my turn around point.
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