Sviz's '09 PNW etc fotos

[svizzerams]

...its kayaking season at last. I live one block from the water and although my kayak is light weight - its still 49 lbs and awkward as hell to carry very far. So I use a small set of wheels to trolley it down to the lake:


The city has turned the shoreline along the river (the shortest river in Washington State) into a park with this nifty asphalted pathway that gets me to a close-by beach to put in...


Once you pass under the bridge you are actually in Lake Chelan - one of the deepest lakes in N. America.



Its 55 miles from here to the end of the lake, which is not accessible except via boat or airplane past about the 25 mile point. Walking in is nigh on impossible due to sheer rock cliffs and deep canyons. My kayak @ 17 feet is about the max that the ferry service will allow to taken "uplake" to Stehekin, which is the community at the end of the lake and gateway to the North Cascades National Park and wilderness areas.


Life is good........

[Jäeger]

Looking good kid. That's a beautiful lake and view you have out there.

[Woodsman]

Makes me wish I lived next door.

[projectalice]

Sviz: Great pics, great kayak (love the color), great time - and great hair! Kudos for wearing a tilley hat for sun protection too.

[coldharvest]

although my kayak is light weight

how can it be?......it looks 117 feet long

Kudos for wearing a Tilley hat

greatest hats ever.

[Vincent]

Throw another wheel on that thing and I bet it would be more fun downhill than on the water...

[coldharvest]

Throw another wheel on that thing and I bet it would be more fun downhill than on the water...

put wings on it and it'd be a glider

[svizzerams]

For two weeks I'm living/working in Yellowstone National Park....

My Office


Dinner: Fresh caught Lake Trout (think 5 to 6 1bs apiece)


Robert, the Park Ranger's Office


Robert working....I think I like his office better than mine....

[svizzerams]

Took a kayak a couple or so miles along the shore to the West Thumb geothermal complex. Yellowstone National Park is one of the most geothermally active areas on the planet. This area, West Thumb, boasts hot pools, springs and steaming rivulets flowing into the lake. My inner 12 year old is still fascinated by volcanos, geological features and strange rock formations....







This is one of the off shore features - note the perfectly round hot spring toward the far end. I also noted the thunderstorm in the distance and decided I should continue sightseeing another day. Fortunately the lightening was far away, but was pretty awesome to hear the thunder rolling across the lake.

[projectalice]

Gorgeous pics, Sviz. Did you catch the trout yourself?

[Penta]

Perfect screensaver for summer solstice.
26,000 people there this year, apparently, but as usual it was overcast.

[Stiv]

Great stuff Svizz I'm envious.

Best,
Stiv

[svizzerams]

Gorgeous pics, Sviz. Did you catch the trout yourself?

Actually I didn't - the Lake Trout were introduced into the lake about a hundred years ago and are wreaking havoc with the local cutthroat trout. You can catch as many as you want. And any you catch, even if you don't want to keep them you are supposed "euthanize" them. They are quite delicious to eat. One of the park employees works with the fishery area and had just caught 19 of them and gave us a couple.

Today went out on the boat with R. Amazing place. I'll post more fotos later.

[svizzerams]

Gorgeous pics, Sviz. Did you catch the trout yourself?

Actually I didn't - the Lake Trout were introduced into the lake about a hundred years ago and are wreaking havoc with the local cutthroat trout. You can catch as many as you want. And any you catch, even if you don't want to keep them you are supposed "euthanize" them. They are quite delicious to eat. One of the park employees works with the fishery area and had just caught 19 of them and gave us a couple.

Today went out on the boat with R. Amazing place. I'll post more fotos later.

Actually the Lake Trout were introduced to the lake in the 1980s.

[svizzerams]

This is my chief means of transportation around the Grant Village area


So the day the campground opened (closed due to bear activities until 6/21) I went exploring


I stopped to admire the view of the lake from one of the bridges crossing a stream and looking down spied this little guy:


I then walked along the stream watching the otter swimming out to the lake - they are one of the coolest animals on the planet.