I know, this is scary, like having to watch home movies of someone’s vacation, but I promise I won’t do every game. It is just a lot of fun watching these kids learn to play an organized sport. In the beginning they don’t know how to kick the ball and gradually they get the concept. This week Eric actually kicked the ball a few times and his buddy Trevor took two shots on goal and just missed.

Below Trevor, Eric and Emily size up the opposing team as Coach Roxanne moves to officiate from the other side of the field. Emily has older brothers who play soccer and she knows what to do with the ball. Emily scored all but one of the team’s goals.

Below Eric receives instruction on his throw-in and launches.

Eric practices his defensive stance as the opposing Coyotes are grouped elsewhere. Both teams line up for the post game hand slap/good game ritual.

Kathryn and I cashed in one of our babysitter chits and went to Cranberry Lake this weekend.  It is the 3rd largest lake within the Park, covering 11 square miles and nearly three quarters of the 70 miles shoreline is bordered by Forest Preserve, which helps to provide a genuine wilderness experience. Cranberry Lake has been a favorite late fall destination for many years; it gets color early, it really clears out in September and usually the Canada geese have start migrating.   In years past  we sponsored ‘OFAC’ trips every fall with co-workers: Joe, Tom, Dan, Josh, Michael and Adam.

Kathryn and I paddled in on Friday under threatening skies with thunderstorms predicted for the night.  We saw an eagle as we paddled in.  As we left Wanakena and arrived out on the main lake the wind was gusting to 25 mph raising large rolling waves and white caps.  We opted to stay at Flat Iron Point and set up camp. It was too windy to have a fire so we dined on sloppy joes and fruit.  In the evening we sat on the rocks, read, felt the wind and watched the waves roll in.

The weather forecast called for thunderstorms after midnight and at 12:28am we received a short but intense rainfall (.5″), but everything stayed dry thanks to pitching extra rainflys.  The next morning it was cool and we enjoyed hot tea and oatmeal and hung around camp reading before returning home late afternoon.

On our return trip we drove into the village of Cranberry Lake and checked out the state campground: 170+ primitive sites and open from May – Oct.

Eric had his 1st soccer practice and game this week.  He was dubious about attending since his buddy Trevor had already attended a practice and game and reported that the rest of the team was “all girls”.  However, he agreed to give it a try and enjoyed it.  He was especially enthused by receiving his uniform.  All teams have purple and gold jerseys so that players can be swapped around if a team is short players as well as carrying over from year to year.  Ed and Billie Jo started AYSO soccer playing on large teams, now Eric plays on a team of 3 and they don’t keep score.  Here Eric lines up with his team mates and gets some instruction from the coach.

His coach focused on having him play defense and get in front of the ball.  He got pretty good at running to a position in front of the goal, but has not yet grasped the idea of kicking the ball away from an opponent.  I am sure that will come in time. Most of the running is accompanied by arm swinging and skipping as he is having a good time as demonstrated in the movie.  100_0696.MOV

Trey and I woke up a little before 7am to the sound of thunderstorms and light rain. At 8am it is still raining a little and the thunder has been nearly continuous for an hour. I looked on the weather map and didn’t see storm clouds over Little Tupper where Kathryn, Eric and the rest of the gang are camping.

I spent 3 hours of pasture mowing. I finished the front half and started on the back. It is hotter than heck out there. Rome is reporting 91 degrees. The indoor gauges say it is almost 80 in the house and it feels cool. Humidity is 75%. We will have to have thunderstorms this afternoon. There is just too much moisture and too much heat. I had a bagel in a Ziploc bag on the dining room table and Trey stole and ate while I was nice enough to leave him inside.

Well that was interesting. We got a light rain about 2:30 yesterday so I figured I was done mowing. 10 minutes later a HUGE thunderstorm blew threw. High winds, violent rain, hail the size of large raisins. A couple of deck plants got shredded and several tomatoes knocked off their plants. The temperature dropped 20 degrees from 80 to 60! About 30 minutes later another storm comes through – it couldn’t rain any harder – and the power gets knocked out. For the rest of the afternoon I do little jobs – fold laundry, glue the black power ranger, and read a book – the whole book. There is constant rumbling thunder and fire whistles through out the rest of the afternoon/evening.

At 7:30pm there is still no power so I fire up the generator and run it for 90 minutes to ensure the refrigerator and freezer are OK. Trey and I go feed the fish and he is feeling bouncy now that he slept all day and the temperatures are cooler.

I can watch TV and use the lights off the generator so it was a normal evening – but there is nothing good on TV – so I start another book. I used the 6 million candlepower flashlight that Ed gave me to navigate around in the dark. I woke up at 2:45am and found the power back on.

I got up at 6:30am and reset clocks, made some tea, turned on computers, glued the other leg on Black Power Ranger. I loaded up and departed for Omaha.

Skip and Bob and I had planned a return canoe trip to Spanish River, Ontario. When one of our canoe partners was unable to participate we decided to change our plans. Instead of a river trip involving some Class II white water we decided to go to Algonquin Park and do a loop trip through several lakes. This would permit me to use my Kevlar Wenonah Prism Solo canoe.

We researched several trips and settled on a long river/lake trip that featured 10 portages including one of 9,000 meters. We thought the extensive portages would ensure a sense of remoteness. We selected a trip from Opeongo Lake to Proulx Lake to the Crow River to Big Crow Lake, continuing on Crow River to Lake Lavielle to Dickson Lake and finally the 9000 meter portage back to Opeongo Lake.

Opeongo is Algonquin’s largest lake and when the winds are strong Opeongo can be impassable in a canoe. Following our 6 hour drive we elected to take the 2pm water taxi across Opeongo arriving at the portage to Proulx Lake. Proulx Lake is reached via a 1400 m portage from Opeongo Lake. The portage begins with a sharp climb up a knoll between two swampy areas, then levels out and gradually descends to Proulx Lake. We carried most of our gear across the portage and returned to bring our canoes across using the canoe cart.

We spent the 1st night on a heavily used campsite on windy peninsula populated by many, many red squirrels. The wind abated as the night went on and it got cool at night. We saw eagles and heard loons through out the night. The next morning was a special sunrise through the mist.

Day Two we left Proulx Lake via the northern section of the lake which merges with the meandering oxbows of the Crow River. We arrived on Big Crow Lake to waves showing whitecaps. Big Crow Lake is quite scenic and was an obvious place for us to break for lunch. There is an abandoned ranger’s cabin near the southernmost tip of the lake which can be rented. From behind the cabin a steep trail leads to the top of the high granite bluff overlooking the narrows between Little and Big Crow Lakes. The hike to the top took about 15-20 minutes. The view over the hills and lakes to the north was well worth the climb.

Leaving Big Crow Lake was a little dicey as the winds and waves had continued to increase. We paddled quartering up wind well above our destination, executed a quick turn and paddle-surfed quartering back down wind into the Crow River. The tandem canoe took a little water and at times I had to stop paddling my solo and merely rudder to re-gain directional control. All’s well that ends well, but we gained a healthy respect for big lake wind and waves.

There were three portages along the Crow River: a 240 m portage, a 350 m portage and finally a 1200 m portage through a white pine forest on a good trail. As we double carried the portages we were joined by a young couple who had been tailing just behind us most of the day. They were headed for a campsite at Crow Bay, but as the day was wearing on it was obvious they weren’t going to make it, so we extended an invitation for Stewart and Angela to join us on our reserved site along the Crow River.

That night we all shared a hearty meal of chicken, potatoes, and onions superbly cooked by Bob and due to our extra guest we, for once, weren’t arguing over who had to eat more. We turned in early on a warm evening. The next morning we arose at 6:30 as Stewart and Angela were departing – bound for Dickson Lake (a long haul). We had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and heard a wolf howl followed by 3 sharp barks.

Going downstream there were four short portages ranging from 100-203 meters that were uneventful except for a mistimed launching by Skip & Bob that caused everything to go swimming. Coming into Crow Bay we paused on a large rock on the southern shore of the bay for a lunch of flat bread and peanut butter/jelly. About 2pm we pulled into Lake and camped on a beautiful site at the entrance to the lake from Crow Bay are superb. After a cleansing swim we set up tents and a rain tarp to ward off the threatening thunder clouds. After dinner we attempted field repair on my water filter which seemed to have an inoperable footer valve. With our repairs to no avail I pumped water using my thumb to seal off the exit on each pump.

The rain moved through around 9pm and we sat under the tarp. We placed our collapsible water bucket under the eaves of the tarp and captured ~2 gallons of water by daybreak. With a break in the rain we scooted for the tents and a good night’s sleep.

The next morning we aired out our tents and got a later start. In fact, too late as the NW wind was picking up on Lake Lavielle. Paddling on the main lake was dicey and we crept around the shoreline going point to point. We were greatly relieved to escape Lake Lavielle and pull around the corner into Hardy Bay and be out of the wind. Leaving Lavielle we made a short 90 meter into Dickson Lake where we had a late lunch on an island.

At this point we were spooked enough by the wind that the thought of our return paddle on Opeongo Lake was a concern. It was suggested that we check out the 5.3 km portage from Dickson Lake to Bonfield Lake which is akin to going to the animal pound to “just look” at the puppies. The next thing we knew we had talked ourselves into doing the portage starting at 2pm.

Commonly, people who single carry the portage accomplish it in ~ 2 hours. We had been double carrying our portages, but were hoping to utilize the canoe cart along a cart trail. The thought was that we could carry our packs and load up the canoes with the excess and move along the cart trail. Unfortunately the canoe cart did not perform when fully loaded – a situation we did not test at home. With empty or lightly loaded canoes the cart could be moved along at hiking speed. So we were resigned to double carrying and committed to the longer cart trail. At 9pm we finished our last load and set up our tents using our head lamps. We snacked on beef jerky and trail mix and chugged the last of our water. Sleep that night was uncomfortable as we were sticky from our exertions. The next morning I arose early and took a quick swim.

Crossing over to Opeongo Lake was a short 300 meter portage. In taking to boaters we were informed the weather called for thunderstorms and winds of 50mph. We set up camp along the shore, made our wind breaks and lounged around swimming, playing cards, and snacking. We never received the thunderstorms, the wind died down at evening and we were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset. However, seeing the waves during the day we decided to make an early start the next day in order to paddle out on calm waters.

We arose at 5:29 and by 5:55am we were paddling for the south end of Opeongo Lake arriving there 3 hours later.

The trip was nice. Algonquin is close (~6 hours). Algonquin’s permit system ensures there are available campsites and the permit monies are used for campsite & trail maintenance. I was surprised at the number of canoeists doing this trip, despite the portages. We are thinking that a return trip in September might be a little less busy.

Pictures are at http://www.jimmuller.com/canoe-trips/algonquin/

Monday night Eric had Trevor sleep over at the house – their 1st.

This probably only interests me, but I recently saw the folder sizes of my digital pictures and was struck by the growth in the size over time. I got my 1st digital camera at the end of 2001 and the number of photos taken each year is growing and growing. I’m always looking online for sony camera lenses for portraits in 2021, or any other new gadgets that might be coming that might enhance the hobby. I know there are times I snap a picture (or pictures) because I want to have something to add to the blog. I am struck by the fact that 2007 is a little more than 1/2 over and I have 2.3mb in digital pictures already. It must be all the weddings and loon pictures!

This past week we had a couple of 90+ degree days.  Eric and his buddy cooled off by spending the day at Pleasant Lake with lots of swimming and playing in the water.  Both nights he came home tired, but clean and cool.

Colin Fletcher, author, and the father of modern backpacking, died June 12 of natural causes.  

Colin’s books were a early influence on my outdoor experiences.  I read his The Complete Walker series multiple times and my parents owned The Man Who Walked Through Time about his solo hike through Grand Canyon.  I can remember reading The Complete Walker and getting pumped up about solo camping.  I had free weekend at college (1974 or 75) one weekend and went camping near the Susquehanna River.  It was a clear night and I slept out under a tarp or nothing at all.  I remember waking up and seeing a skunk patrolling along the river bank and checking out my pots and pans before moving on.

His advice on gear became overtaken by technology but his philosophies remain true today.