The Powder Monkeys Musings

Isthmus, Davis, and Shinglehouse Sloughs (Coos Bay)

2008-10-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

At 7:00 am I launched at the boat ramp at the south end of the Isthmus Slough. The tide had been going out for two hours already so I had to leave early.

My plan was to paddle approximately 15 miles. Melissa had no interest in paddling that far so I found myself on my own.

About 2 1/2 miles up the Isthmus the Davis Slough joins it. I then paddled the entire way to the end of it against the outgoing tide. With no other people around, and the water as calm as it was, relaxing was very easy.

Throughout the paddle there was the occasional large farm style house. I never saw any cars or people around the houses. It would be a shame if these houses were forgotten.

After paddling back to the Isthmus and another 4 miles of paddling I came to the Shinglehouse Slough. The Shinglehouse is half a mile shorter than Davis and a little narrower. Time to paddle against the tide again.

When I was on the Shinglehouse I came across this bird that was unusually brave. It allowed me to paddle within 20 feet of it. I got some good pictures of it including this one.

This was my favorite house on the paddle. Two stories on the river with a wrap around deck, I'll take one.

This old barge had seen better days. I don't think it was even floating. It did have a line tied to the dock, kind of unnecessary but if I owned it I wouldn't want to lose this gem either.

It was raining off and on through out the paddle but only hard enough to gather on the lens of my camera and mess up the pictures until this point.

Here is the bridge that goes over the the Isthmus Slough were it connects with the bay. I am getting pretty tired at this point but I still have about 3 more miles to go.

With the end in sight I crossed paths with this tug boat. At this point, there was no wind and no rain. When the wakes came to me they were about 2 feet which is usually no problem but the water was as smooth as glass. Since there was no texture on the wave I could not tell exactly how fast they were moving or how deep they were. It was very unnatural. After I landed I had to walk across the 101 highway to the hotel and the kayak trailer with my kayak on my shoulder. It was the last paddle of my vacation. After 15 miles of paddling and a 200 yard kayak carry I am about done.

Lazy Days (Coos Bay)

2008-10-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

The first week of our trip had been pretty eventful so we decided to take it easy. We usually need a vacation to recover from our vacation so this time I planned ahead. If we only took one week off we would have come home in need of some rest. Week two has been the the second vacation. We went for a walk on the beach Sunday. Melissa collected more sea shells than the two of us could carry with out the help of a plastic grocery bag from a passerby. Monday we rented a Polaris Razor and rode the dunes in the morning and in the afternoon we walked to two of North Bend's local book shops and an antique store with an extremely talkative owner. Tuesday, Wednesday, and half of Thursday we hung out in the hotel room, read a book, watched TV, crocheted, did word searches, did puzzles, ordered in pizza, and took a nap whenever the mood struck. In the afternoon on Thursday we were going a little stir crazy so we went for a walk around Mingus Park.

The park is less than a mile away from the hotel and is deceptively large. You can only see a small part of it from the road but once you get in it just keeps going.

I think the person who designed this park was a big fan of buffet style dinners because there is a little of everything here. A large duck pond with a walking trail around the perimeter, Asian Gardens, wooded walking trails, a small boardwalk along side a stream, an amphitheather, and a playground for kids, all in about four acres.

Here is Melissa on the Asian Bridge between the duck pond and the gardens. It is amazing how green everything is here compared to Redding at this time of year. The funny thing is they have fire season warning signs up around town.

Milicoma River Paddle (Coos Bay)

2008-10-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful morning. We launched at Dorris Place on the Milicoma river and paddled up to Rooke-Higgins about 3 1/2 miles. The banks were lined with trees and the occasional farm. A great start to an epic journey.

Melissa was enjoying herself as we paddled with the tide up river. It is an interesting experience to paddle up river with the current. My instincts could not get used to it.

On the way back the wind picked up. I told Melissa that it would be easier for her to paddle if she got out of the middle of the river and paddled near the edge were the wind was blocked by the steep incline of the bank. She must have really wanted out of the wind because she started paddling about a foot off the bank. As we paddled around a corner she encountered a patch of what she thought to be short reeds. Ignorant of this mercilessness unstoppable predator, she paddled into its waiting jaws.

"Um, I might be to close to the bank." she said as the reeds began to slow her progress. "Why would you think that?" I responded as I snapped the second picture of the epic battle unfolding before me.

"Because its getting hard to pad, hey, why are you taking pictures of this? Stop it." She said in laughing frustration as she began to realize the true cunning of her unsuspected foe.

As the kayak came to a demoralizing halt all she could do was hang her head in shameful defeat. Normally I, being the great hero that I am, would have come to her rescue but upon seeing her distress was immediately attacked by a fit of laughter and was unable to paddle to her aid because of the camera in my hands. Alas, she was a good wife, I will miss her.

Cape Argo and Shore Acres State Parks (Coos Bay)

2008-09-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Cape Argo and Shore Acres State Parks today. This area of the Oregon coast is very dramatic. Waves breaking into 100 foot cliffs is definitely something worth seeing.

At Shore Acres State Park there are amazing flower gardens that Melissa really wanted to see. I am confident enough in my manliness to say I enjoyed the afternoon in the gardens.

Here is Melissa as she looks for the next photo she will take. She filled her entire memory card and killed one battery taking pictures of the gardens. Apparently, to say she likes flowers would be an understatement.

I spotted this tree hiding out of the way behind some other pines. The root system was huge and I thought it looked cool.

My turn to be in a picture. Fine, if I have to.

This Asian pond was one of my favorites at the Gardens. If a guy enjoys himself at a botanical garden he better be married or he is too in touch with his feminine side. Ha Ha Ha

South Slough Paddle (Coos Bay)

2008-09-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

Ever carried a kayak 200 yards by yourself? How about two? This whole "I'm pregnant" thing is really working out for Melissa. This is the dock that we launched from.

The Coos Bay sloughs are very calm in the mornings allowing for some pretty awesome photo opportunities. I think that the reflection in the water is one of my favorite things about kayaking.

Paddling though the Estuary Reserve was pretty spectacular. It was so quiet you could almost hear the silence. Occasionally a water foul, and there were many different breeds, would take off and start squawking and the sound would carry and echo for quite a ways.

The banks of the South Slough are lined with trees making for a beautiful paddling location. This tree stood out because of how distinctly red it was.

The South Slough Reserve walking trails come down to the water even though you can't really see it in this picture I promise it is there. It is a cool picture anyway. So I am not a professional photographer, give me a break.

I think that this is the best photo of the paddle. I don't see why more people aren't into kayaking when there are things like this to see.

Here I am in my Avocet after lunch. Time to go back. This is, so far, the high light of the trip. If you find yourself in Coos Bay with a kayak or not the South Slough is a definite must see.

South Slough Research Reserve (Coos Bay)

2008-09-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

After getting up early, going to the farmers market, the mall in North Bend, a stop at Cranberry Sweets (locally made candy), Safeway to get gas, and visiting the Charleston visitors center we arrived at the South Slough Research Center.

There are cool walking trails on the reserve that we decided to walk. Did I mention it was raining off and on and fifty degrees? Thank goodness for Icebreaker.

The paths through the forest are something out of a novel. Right when your eyes start to get comfortable with the boardwalk through the forest, the path emerges out of the dim light to give you a view of the estuary for a bit and then back in again.

At the end of the trail we chose we came to a two level viewing deck for the estuary. The deck was pretty cool but the trees blocked the view. Oh well the path down was worth the walk.

This tunnel in the trees and shrubs made me think I might see a few Hobbits in it. It was amazing to walk through forty yards of a living tunnel. I want one in my yard.

Melissa and me on our way back to the car. After this a walk on Whiskey Run beach and then Bandon for fish & chips and more shopping.

Coalbank Slough (Coos Bay)

2008-09-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here is Melissa with her new boat and paddle. It was a little early in the morning for her but she was still a willing participant. Little did she know what was to come.

The morning was perfect. There was a mist coming off the water which we really enjoyed. The water was perfectly still allowing some awesome reflections.

About a mile in we came to a fork in the slough and being the curious explorer I decided to take the smaller less traveled path. At the beginning of the path it was about twenty five feet wide. No problem, we can do it. Half a mile more it narrowed and split around islands diverging and reconnecting. At that point I still am thinking that we will eventually reconnect with the main channel. Plus, the pictures I am getting are great. After about a mile though things start getting tighter. I put the camera away and have to start paddling on the bank on each side of the boat because of how narrow it has become. As if things were not bad enough the path turns in a direction I know is not going to reunite us with the main channel and now the path we are on is to shallow for even the kayaks to float. I didn't want to have to make Melissa have to back paddle half a mile to a place were we could turn around. But if we were going to have to go back I wanted to take the most direct route so I found the most secure patch of sludgy marsh I could find and got out of my boat for a better look. It is funny but God must have been guiding my way because when I stood up I looked in the direction I thought the main channel to be it was only twenty feet away over a hill. The path we were taking never met the channel again. There was only one way in and one way out. If I had of taken any of the many other options I don't know what we would have had to do. It's a good thing God loves Melissa because He probably would have let me struggle in the maze a little longer. I know I would have.

The above picture shows the main channel on the left and the one we were in on the right.

New experiences for Melissa. She had never done a portage before and with some help from myself she accomplished her first seal launch off the bank. It was about a foot and a half drop to the water, not bad for the first time. She was quite the trooper through the whole ordeal as evidenced by the smile on her face in the picture.

Smooth sailing once again.

Well almost, apparently she got some mud on her hands and was not sure if she wanted to rinse them in the water. I tried not to laugh at her too much because I got a little more than just my hands muddy trying to keep her clean while helping her in and out of her boat.

End of the road. We finally got to the end of the Coalbank Slough and stopped to eat lunch. Over all it was an enjoyable time.

Drive Me Crazy (Coos Bay Trip)

2008-09-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ever traveled with a woman? You can count on about twice as many bathroom stops as you would take by yourself. Now if shes pregnant.... YIKES. I love Melissa so don't get me wrong but a bathroom stop every 60 miles has got to be some kind of record.

As we pass the metal cow sculpture on the I-5 north of Redding Melissa and I begin to realize we actually are on vacation and start to relax. But remember that relaxing while driving can cause problems. I experienced two of them when I started to get tired and Melissa needed to go again. Luckily there are a ton of Dutch Bros coffee shops in Oregon.

About an hour after we turned off the I-5 we drove past this bridge and I tried to take a picture of it. Well what can I say the windshield was a little dirty. Its a good thing Oregon isn't a hands free state because a CHP officer would have had a stroke if he saw me with the camera in my hand as I drove down the road. I probably could not have talked my way out of the ticket because even though it wasn't a cell phone I was yelling at it to turn on before we passed the bridge. I guess that Dutch Bros coffee was working. I did have a little laugh later that night when I up loaded the pictures and saw how this one turned out. Oh well you can take my word for it the bridge looks pretty cool.

We made it. After over six hours and seven rest stops, not to mention going before we left and when we arrived, we checked into our hotel in Coos Bay. I was ready to get out of the car for a while and stretch my legs. It had been a long trip and I was in need of some food. Considering everything the drive wasn't bad and I hate road trips. I guess driving north makes a difference.

We found a good Italian place for dinner and had excellent food and disinterested service. After dinner we walked around down town to get our bearings. Coos Bay is an older quaint little town. It has both organic hippy type people and, as evidenced by the sandwich sign, good old red necks. It should make for an interesting experience.

Three Step Program to Becoming a Better Kayaker

2008-03-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to write this blog because from time to time we get people who come into the Penguin Paddlers stores that want to improve their skills. In order to help guide these people in the right direction I will tell you what worked for me. I am not going to get to specific on techniques because I am not an instructor. We also talk with the self-proclaimed advanced paddler. All I can say to these people is that being humble is a two fold lesson I learned long ago. There is always something more to learn if your willing too, and it is allot easier to walk without your foot in your mouth.

Step one is possibly the hardest of the three. Step one is to find someone worth learning from. Unfortunately in the world of kayaking there are allot of self-proclaimed experts out there. The process of sorting through to find someone when you have no way of telling if that person knows what they are doing can be tough. Because I work at Penguin Paddlers I have been fortunate enough to talk, paddle, and learn from a number of professional paddlers. Generally they are the last ones to tell you how good they really are, making it easy to over look them as a potential coach. One way to find someone worth learning from would be to go to the P&H kayaks website an look at the pro paddler section. From there you could check out their individual blogs and websites and find other pro paddlers all over the world. If you send some of the pros an email asking about good people to learn from in your area they would generally be happy to help with a few names. By the way, pro paddlers very rarely visit paddler.net.

Step two, paddle up a river. Paddling up river is an excellent way to learn how to really control your kayak. Since you are paddling against the current you will find out really quickly if you have an efficient forward stroke. Another great lesson the river will teach you is how to control your kayak. Three skills you will absolutely need are bow control, edging, and advanced turning. When you paddle up river you try to paddle in the back eddies as much as you can but there are times that you have to get out in the fast current. Crossing the eddy line is where the three skills come in handy. As you set up to cross the eddy line you need to get your bow under control and pointed at the correct angle or before you realize what is happening you will be facing down river. Next, as you are crossing the eddy line you will edge your kayak so that the hull is presented to the current. If you do not edge your kayak in a strong current the river will grab your kayak and flip you over. Once you are successfully in the current you need to use a combination of the three in order to navigate in the direction you wish to go.

Step three is the easiest of all. Get off the couch! Sitting around read about and watching kayaking will only get you so far and the more often you go the quicker your skills will improve.

OOOUU It's Shiny

2008-03-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

In the world of premium kayaks I always felt like there were two choices. The two options to choose between were Gorgeous Custom or Abuseable Thermo-formed. In looking at the two types of kayaks I decided that it would probably be a better idea if I got the Abusable Thermo-formed kayak because that was going to be closer to my style of paddling. I knew I was going to try and push myself to become a better paddler by taking as many opportunities to paddle in rough water. Because of my intentions I knew I was going to be paddling near rocks, and lets face it, probably hitting them more often than not. I know that there are people that paddle near rocks in their Gorgeous Customs all the time without hitting them. I had no delusions of grandeur. I planned to be able to tell those people how nice the up close view was. Enter the Eddyline Fathom. This kayak was an excellent choice because it is fast, it turns very well, it is comfortable, it can handle rough water, and most importantly it can be abused. It was the perfect choice for me yet I still had the wandering eye for the Gorgeous Customs. I knew I could not convince my wife of my mortal need for two boats and during my scheming I had a moment of genius "what if I have the Fathom painted?"

Fortunately I know Wesley West of West's Restorations who had recently finished painting my old truck. He agreed to paint the fathom and now its a "Gorgeous Abusable Custom Thermo-formed Fathom."

Contact Wes to create your own.

The Walkstool King

2008-01-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Every time I am out paddling with the Penguin Paddlers club I feel two emotions rise up in me and begin to fight with each other when it is time to stop for lunch. The first is the one that always wins this battle. It comes in the form of my mother telling me that I am a young man and therefor should be self sacrificing by not taking one of the comfortable places to sit. The second, while never winning a battle, is still persistent. It is the selfish part of me that does not want to be uncomfortable sitting on the uneven ground. It seemed I was doomed to eat lunch in the dirt until I discovered the Walkstool. At $99.99 it was a little pricey but I really liked the features it had to offer. It is extremely comfortable, it is light weight, it fits into the day hatch of almost every kayak I have tried to put it in, you don't have to sit on the ground like you do with bleacher pads, and it is tough enough that four of them will hold up a car.

On the first paddle I went on after purchasing the Walkstool I got to field test it when we stopped for lunch. I watched as the rest of the Penguins I was with went about clearing spots on the ground to sit. Then I pulled out the Walkstool. I was met by curious glances that turned abruptly to bitterly jealous glares as I set the Walkstool up and sat down. I ate my lunch that day a king among peasants.

The next trip I took my wife with me when the Penguins went to Tahoe. That trip God decided I should not get to much of a big head and knocked me off my Walkstool throne because it was stolen from me. I know it was my fault. I should have been more protective of my Walkstool. I should not have let my wife try it. Now if I am lucky she will let me barrow it.

When the Powerboats are Away the Kayakers will Play

2007-10-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

For all of you who were thinking of putting your kayaks in mothball for the year, what the heck were you thinking? Didn't you know that this is the best time of year to be out there? There are all sorts of reasons to get out there right now. For example there is more wildlife out to see, it is not 115 degrees, it is more peaceful, you don't have to dodge drunken power boaters , there are no fist fights over the boat ramp usage, and plenty of parking are just a few. Now I know what your thinking, "That sounds really nice, but I'll freeze my butt off." To that all I can say is you'll have to trust me, Garth, and the other Penguins that have discovered what we consider "the real paddling season." All you need is the proper paddling gear and the coldest part of your day will be the time it takes you to get in your boat. Rain or shine and even snow, kayaking will be very enjoyable. If you're still hesitant to get out there just remember, kayaking originated in places where a summer heat wave would be in the low 60's. (Greenland)

Powder Monkey?

2007-10-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

How did I come up with the title Powder Monkey? Well when I thought about starting a blog I didn't know what I would wright about after the first few things I had floating around in my head had been blogged. I needed a title that would help me stay focused in one direction instead of rambling aimlessly. Since kayaking started this desire to start a blog I figured something to do with it should be an appropriate title. During my brainstorming I remembered Garth Schmeck's nickname "Captain Penguin." Since I work for him at Penguin Paddlers Kayak Pro Shop in Redding I asked myself "what position I would hold on his ship?." That got me looking on the internet for ship crew titles. I found a few and among them I found one that I could reasonably call myself. It was the position of the Quartermaster. It was acceptable but it was not what I was looking for. I kept looking for something I knew had to be out there. And then I found it. When I found the title of Powder Monkey and read the description I started laughing and knew my search was over.