Friday 03 July 2020
We are up at 6:30 or so, make coffee and breakfast and are on our way by 9 AM.
Our original plan was to paddle down and around Fishers Island then back up thru Horseshoe Canyon and back to camp. But this plan was based on us being in the cove just south of Antelope Flats, 3 – 4 miles further down lake. So we decide going down and thru Horseshoe Canyon and return, about 13 miles. I wonder about doing 2 longer-ish / hard days back-to-back but we head out. The wind and water are quiet and once in Horseshoe Canyon, it is still and quiet, with high rock ledges and evergreens; every so often the ripples of water reflect the sunlight.
We paddle around the bend and about halfway along the second the wind kicks up a gust, then relaxes. Then another and another. It seems like one or two gusts almost stops me in my tracks but I know to just keep paddling.
We continue to the southern mouth of Horseshoe, and the gusts of wind continue. Once back out into the main channel of the lake, it is windy but doable. Gary paddles over to a cove (same one as last year with Wes and Lori) but then we decide to skip taking a break for lunch and head back to camp. We turn north with a tail wind…we have 5 miles and I wonder what paddling into that would be like.
We are out of Horseshoe. There are lots of motorboats; between the waves made by the wind and the waves made by the motorboats, things are treacherous. But we are still in the gorge so the wind is sweeping in and the waves are rebounding. We continue paddling and soon are back out into the bay south of Antelope Flats and the Lucerne Valley access. The wind does seem less gusty but there is boat after boat after boat so lots of waves. I could tire of the sound of motor boats.
The paddling is challenging and it is good practice. I did not dare to pull out my anemometer to check the wind speed. Flipping is not an option.
I have the map on my deck and figure our camp is south of the most western gas line tower. Map wise…our camp is on the EAST side of the lake. We head in that direction. I see a steep face coming up and wonder if that is the steep granite face we see from our camp. We decide it is not and I steel myself for lots more paddling.
As it turns out, that is the face across from our camp and I imagine I can see the rock islands in front of our camp. I keep paddling. Gary is ahead, going between the rock islands, and I follow. We are back!
5 1/4 hours of paddling. 16 miles. A long day. Interesting, I am not nearly as tired as yesterday. We sit. Have snacks. Put up the sunshade. Finally, open a beer and have a sip. Before long, we make supper. I go to bed early, take Vitamin I and sleep really well.
Thursday 02 July 2020
It seems like everyone is up before me but finally I shake the covers off and get up. It’s around 7. We made coffee and a quick breakfast, pack up and are on our way. We stop at one of the camping spots just off Road 11 and take a waypoint and photo. To compare to the one of Gary from 2015. We also take a waypoint at road 11 and the highway. But even better is that road 11 is south of mile marker 21 and there is significant right hand turn just before road 11.
We turn south and head toward Anvil Valley, our put-in. Its only 10-15 miles so does not take long. There is another boat inspection but they wave us thru. The boat ramp is not too busy and we park.
David pulls up and we see he has a flat tire and we decide its best for him to deal with that today. We unload their boats and gear, mount the spare and they head back to town. They get it repaired at a Les Schwab in Rock Springs and are back in just over 2 hours.
By 1 PM we are ready to push off. The wind has come up as expected and we head into it.
It is windy and we are slow but press on. Gary has brought his kayak-cooler and it seems to be slowing him even more. It is a strong wind. We pass under the gas line which I always find pretty cool.
After another 30 minutes or so, we go past a cove. David sneaks in to take a look. Jud investigates a rock island. They both continue forward but are back in no time, it being even more gale-like around the corner. We decide to make camp, having come nearly 5 miles, about 3 miles short of our destination which is a cove just beyond Antelope Flat on the east side of the lake. But we all done for the day.
This spot has a nice shore with a sandy beach and vegetation toward the back with enough level ground for 3 tents with lots of space between.
We unpack, set up tents. I am exhausted and can hardly move. We have snacks, drink lots of water and eventually have a beer which Gary has hauled in the cooler. And it is cold so the cooler is a definite plus.
It’s hot. The wind is starting to die down so we set up his Noah’s Tarp. It really nice to sit under, out of the sun. Eventually we make supper and clean dishes. I head to bed, take a vitamin I and it seems like in no time I am asleep. I would note it is still light out.
Saturday 04 July 2020
Now its Saturday.
The plan is to paddle back to the Anvil area, set up camp across the lake from there and watch the fireworks.
Our destination is the camp we stayed at last year with Wes and Lori.
Gary is up before me and working on packing up. I get up at 6:30, pack my gear, get dressed and am out the door, bringing stuff down to the boat and starting water for coffee. Things are moving along. We make a quick breakfast, do dishes, finished load the boats and are on our way by 9:15…a record for me and Gary.
It is a wonderful day, calm and not hot! We head north, and surprised by how close we are to the gas line. Seems like we paddled for hours the other day to get beyond it. We continue north and keep to the east side of the lake. It only takes a couple of hours and we are at camp and setup. Dave and Jud decide to bivy. We setup the sunshade. I start writing in my journal but take a dip. Then more writing. Listening to conversation. And more writing.
This is a cool place. I need to write about what I see (instead of taking pictures). The visual and verbal, both facets of this experience. I make a cup of coffee at about 2 PM and thus stay up for the fireworks and there are lots. A display to the north is expansive, almost like a city display…but we can hear them so they can’t be too far away and there is no city close by. Eventually the fireworks dwindle and I go to bed.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Fourth of July 2020
Wednesday 01 July 2020
We finished final supply shopping at whole foods and were headed out of town by 11:45, north on Hover into Larimer County and took “the back way’ to Taft Hill Road, thru Fort Collins, and on to Hwy 287 then north to Laramie and the boat inspection. That task was completed at 1:30 then we were headed west on I-80. I think we were at the Flying J just past 3:30, then on to Green River, getting there about 5 PM. We see David and Jud getting unto Hwy 530 so perfect timing for meeting at the Maverick, just this side of the Green River.
Our next stop: Forest Road 11 (just past mile marker 21 on Hwy 530) for camping. This has been our first-night-at-flaming-gorge for several outings now but we camp at a slightly different place each time. The first time was at a spot we still have not re-discovered, where we watched fire works from that were set off at Lost Dog. Other times, just pulling off Road 11 itself was good. Last year, with Wes and Lori, we took a right turn and headed down a side road till we were just above the lake…though I am not sure my Subaru could have gotten back up that road.
This time we go right down to the lake’s edge. David had his CRV and had no problem getting down or back up the next day. Always nice that Gary has the truck and we can take on roads without know their exact condition beforehand. Our camping spot is pretty primo, on a nice grassy area, maybe about a football’s length from the edge of the water. We setup our bivy quickly . Then have a beer. It is pretty calm. The sunlight dances on the surf and the land across the lake takes on a reddish-golden hue.
Even with taking the day off work, I feel the need to relax just a bit before undertaking the next task. My beer of choice these days is a whiskey barrel stout so that is on tap for this evening. Canned beer for the trip is an IPA from Station 26 in Denver, a new (to me anyway) brand and an IPA which turns out to be another good choice.
After a beer we setup for supper, sushi and cocktails, ymmm-ymmm.
For the first time here at Flaming Gorge, there are some bugs. But we are down close to the lake and it is warmer than usual. But there is a bit of breeze so that helps. We see a few geese down at the lakeside, a couple of pelicans and 3 or 4 antelope.
We are more north and west of Longmont so its light pretty late. Despite it still being light out, I give up and crawl into my bag. There are a few mosquitos but not too bad and they do not last all night. I sleep fitfully and have a nice view of the stars after the moon sets.
In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Sunday 05 July 2020
Our last day. Jud and David are up and paddling away by 7 am. We do a more leisurely but then decide to skip breakfast (but not coffee) and are paddling away at 8:30. The wind is already picking up so a good idea to get a move on.
The wind is coming from the north and we are going west so we have 2 miles of being parallel to the waves. Good practice. I did not take a reading but I would guess the wind is no more than 1o mph. Perhaps less.
It seems like forever, but finally the buoys are getting bigger. We pass by the island that buffers the Anvil put-in and finally we reach shore. We climb out. Gary runs up and gets the truck while I unload the boats. It takes about 90 minutes to pack up, hoist the boats up, and tie things down. We are on our way at about 11 and arrive at my house around 5 PM, so again 6 hours.
A wonderful trip!
A side note: more than once a small prop plane flew by underneath the gas lines. I wasn't quick enough to get a photo.