Pelicans, Osprey, Ducks and ... Sea Eagles?

POST BY JOE:

Ever since Michael, the kids and I have been coming to Grand Lake, we've always spent at least one afternoon each summer on kayaks with the Walcott-Rounds family. Callae's brother-in-law Tom took us fishing our first summer on Monarch Lake, and subsequently, we've put in either at the marina on Shadow Mountain Lake where Callae and Ed keep their pontoon boat, or on the beach near downtown Grand Lake. Last summer, Michael and I wanted to buy our own kayaks but the expense of finishing and furnishing the house left us tapped out.

We've been doing research on kayaks this past year, but we kept returning to the issue of transportation. Callae's family has a big red pickup that used to belong to her father, and when they're here, we just pile kayaks in the bed and drive over the hill to the marina. With the Lexus only, it's a bit more complicated. We looked at tandem roof rack systems but they're very expensive.

Our friend Peggy Payne had told us about her inflatable kayak, a Sea Eagle, which she regularly paddles on Jordan Lake back home. At first we worried about punctures, submersion in mid-lake, drowning and death. The hefty price tag for hard kayaks-and-roof-rack overcame our concerns, however, and we found two-person Sea Eagles on sale at Costco and bought a pair. We also bought an air pump you connect to your car battery to make life simpler.

We'd been saving this past Friday afternoon for our maiden voyage and it turned out to be the best day we've had so far this summer: clear, sunny and still. We decided to start out with one kayak only and drove down to Pine Beach on Shadow Mountain Lake, about five minutes from our house. From start to finish, reading directions for pump and kayak, figuring out which nozzles to fit on the pump hose and which valves to use on the kayak, it took us 25 minutes to inflate the Sea Eagle. Here she is, ready to put in.


We were a little nervous climbing into the kayak, but two minutes on the water and we felt we'd made the right choice. There is definitely more yaw (side-to-side) motion than in a hard kayak but nothing serious. We set off for the wild bird refuge nearby, about five minutes of paddling away.

These small islands and peninsulas are a protected habitat for nesting osprey, and the summer home for pelicans, ducks, geese and other migratory birds. Here's a photo of an osprey perched on a tree.


We paddled for about an hour, then I took the Sea Eagle for a short spin by myself. Although these are billed as two-person kayaks, there's not quite enough leg-room for two, and we're relatively small people. Next time, we'll bring both kayaks.


Two minutes to deflate, a few more to repack and we were on our way home. That evening, we sunbathed on the deck, ate dinner outside and admired the sunset, so typically Western in its pinks and oranges. All in all, a perfect day.