Not Renting Any More

I am not going to be renting the kayaks anymore now that I have a real job. I will still keep up this blog from time to time to talk about kayaking things. Hopefully someday someone will find it and decide to check out "that big lake to the west of us" as a friend of mine once called Utah Lake.

So, I have been out on the lake since the last post, but I think only once. The main problem is that the East Bay entrance is blocked by construction. Also I found out this weekend that that area is maybe better known as "the Knolls," according to my brother-in-law. I have been dying to go out there because my brother just got back from Lake Titicaca in Peru where they live on man made islands just like I want to make here. Here are some links to some pictures of the islands.

On another note, my brother went out this past weekend and said Utah Lake State park is flooded over the parking lot. I dont know if that is normal, but I definitely have never seen the water that high.

Oh, and did I mention we took the kayaks to Lake Powell?? Loved it. I just wish we had motors so we could get to some of the back areas of the lake.

Back on the Lake!

My wife and I went out on the lake last night for the first time this year! It was such nice weather and we were there well after sunset. We were going to go to the East Bay area, but the road was closed because of construction on the freeway, so we went to the Palmyra launch where I used to go for lunch when I worked in Spanish Fork. It was a great place to launch from. I had forgotten how nice it was. It had the reeds and the birds that the marshes have, but it is a lot more accessible. I'm worried that there will be too many boats there in the summer though because there was a water ski club dock just off of the landing. Either way, it was beautiful. I'll get some pictures up here when I get a chance.

Oh, I need to give credit to my brother and nephew for getting the kayaks back in shape for the year. They had been sitting out for a while, but now they look great again! Thanks guys.

Island

So, I'm building an island. Pictures and details to come, lets just say it will be awesome. It will be a cool destination and I'm planning on making a pirate map to show how to get to it. Get excited, but not too impatient. It may take a couple of months to finish.

Vineyard

Saturday we took a trip out on the lake farther than I've been before. As you can see from my map we took off at a little park just north of Vineyard (a little community west of Orem and north of UVU). The park needs some green, but there are two picnic tables and a bike path to enjoy there. It is hiding down the hill from the road, so it can be easily missed even if you are looking for it. The bike path is paved and had a number of families enjoying the summer weather.

The park has a little bit of a beach right on the lake which is nice and a long stretch of shallow sandy water, but it wasn't my favorite park. I may be a little bias-my memories of it go back before it was a park to huge bonfire parties with truckloads of pallets. The fires have been banned now and replaced with a semi-manicured picnic area. Maybe if they could keep a little grass at least, but maybe the soil makes that unfeasible.

After enjoying the lake for a while we turned around to go back and found that we had drifted north (a common thing on the lake. I recommend looking behind you on a regular basis so you know where you are.) Thinking we had drifted south, I ended up missing the park and adding an unexpected loop to our trip. We ended up going nearly 5 miles in the end.

My review of the Vineyard area is pretty low. I would rather go south or stay on a river, where most of these posts are about, but if you live up north, or you want a quick way to get out on the body of the lake, this is not a bad option.

It turns out that crossing the lake is approximately a 5-6 mile trip, one way, if you go straight the whole time. Maybe that will happen next week...

Summertime!

I know summer is just beginning, but the allure of the lake is definitely back. I have been out three times already-I need to put up some pictures. I went with a friend today to the east bay marshes and saw a whole bunch of birds. I've never been one for birdwatching, but it was pretty cool to know what I was seeing. Although I'm sure there is more, here's the list that I can remember:

Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelicans (So amazing especially when they fly in a long chain together)
Beaver (not technically a bird)
Coots (my favorite because they can walk on water)
The state bird of Utah:Seagulls
Great Blue Heron
Night Heron
Paired off Mallards
Red-winged Blackbirds
Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Carp jumping fully out of the water (not very good at being a bird)

Unfortunately none of these are my pictures. I think I will start taking a camera and working on this list.

Utah Lake in the Winter

This is why I dont kayak on Utah Lake in the winter. It is REALLY pretty though, if you ever get a chance to get out on it. It will surely surprise you. Ice mountains, Huge fields of tiny crystal formations, patches of smooth clear ice. It is pretty amazing. Be careful though, it has potential to be dangerous, although through most of the winter the ice is plenty thick. Check out this guys blog for more pictures and stuff. He actually ran across the lake and back and took some fantastic pictures along the way.

Lincoln Beach

Features

• Marina directly on the lake
• Flat water in the marina
• Fun waves in the lake-weather permitting
• Covered picnic tables and BBQ pits available at the marina
• Free boat launch (for bigger boats on trailers)
• Great place for a large group get together

Directions (approx. 30 min. from Provo)

• I-15 south from Provo
• Exit 257 to Spanish fork
• Turn Left onto Spanish Fork Main Street
• Turn Right at 400N (at the One Man Band Diner)
  
• Follow this road out to the end of the peninsula (10 miles from Spanish Fork)
  

Lincoln Beach and Bird Island trip

Just a quick picture from when my cousin and I went to Lincoln beach. This really nice man took our picture as we were coming in. The trip was really cool, but kinda dangerous. The waves were much bigger than I had been in before, but fortunately were long rolling waves that did not threaten to tip us. We were searching for Bird Island, ~2.5mi north of Lincoln beach, but never found it. This is where I soaked my phone a few weeks back.

I had a renter take the kayaks here for a family reunion a few weeks back and had a great time! They were careful to keep everyone in the marina and within eyesight so everyone was safe at the end of the day.

East Bay Kayak Trip

These pictures are of a trip I went on down to the East Bay area. This area is absolutely gorgeous especially in the evenings. The section of the lake that you end up at is a shallow area with marshes all around that speed boats don't enter. Your only human visitors will be fishermen on flatboats, but more common sightings are the blackbirds singing, the fish jumping, and the pelicans flying, with an occasional swimming muskrat.

Need a Waterproof Phone

Went on one of the coolest kayaking trips yet on the south side of the lake yesterday. There were rolling waves probably 3+ feet high, it felt like the ocean. Unfortunately I drowned my phone in the process, but I'm back on line now with a new phone (and zero contacts.)  

East Bay

•1 mile river through reeds to the lake

•Features

–Most beautiful sunsets

–Marshland

•Open water area available without being in the lake with waves and big boats

–Bird Refuge
•Pelicans
•Loons
•Cranes
•Kingfishers
•Yellow headed Blackbirds
•Red winged Blackbirds
•Ducks
•Song birds
•Other wildlife

–Close to Provo (~20min from campus)

•Directions

–I-15 Exit 261

–Go west

–Turn RIGHT immediately onto the gravel road

–Drive until you see a boat ramp into the water.

–There are two boat ramps, the first is the one I like the best.

Provo River/ Utah Lake State Park

•Down river to the lake (~1/2 mile)

•Up river as far as you want

•Features

–Close to Provo (~15min from campus)

–Options for scenery (river or lake)

–Shade

–Ducks, geese, song birds and the occasional muskrat

•Directions:

–Go west on Center Street (Provo).

–Right after you cross over the river pull off onto the gravel. This is just before the Utah Lake State Park toll gate.

–Put in at the river below.

–Go down stream and under the bridge to get to the lake.

–Go up stream to enjoy the river.

Palmyra

•Open water marsh-maze along the south bank of Utah Lake

•Features

–Direct lake access

–Bird refuge

–Marsh mazes

•Close to Spanish Fork (~30min from campus)

•Directions

–I-15 Exit 260

–Go 4 mi west on HW 77 (400 South in Springville)

–Sharp right turn onto dirt road, 2750 W.

–Follow road 1.4 miles north until you see the lake.