Cold Season Kayaking is Common in Oklahoma

My son Dylan and I slipped out last week for a few hours of sunset paddling. It was his first time paddling in the winter, so I hooked him up with some paddling gloves and a spray skirt. Okmulgee Lake was calm and beautiful from our warm and bright 3:30pm launch until our chilly 6pm return. Despite the unseasonably warm 72 degree weather, we saw more Osprey than fishermen!

This Saturday's forecast calls for more 70 degree temps and you know what that means...more winter kayaking! Since there are also likely to be gusty winds, river kayaking is preferable to lake kayaking.

Some of the Oklahoma Flatwater Paddlers are planning on doing some kayaking around OKC.

Dianne and I have been discussing kayaking on the Deep Fork River just off Highway 266 between Dewar and Grayson, Oklahoma. I don't expect any current, but this part of the Deep Fork River is deep enough to maintain a decent level for kayaking even during dry seasons. This spot also offers great parking and easy access to the water via boat ramp!

I hope all of my paddling friends out there got some cool kayaking gear for Christmas. I got a black kayaking t-shirt and some neoprene cold water paddling pants, shirt and even kayaking socks! Having the right gear certainly makes winter paddling more fun.

I'm trying to talk Dianne into a trip to Caddo Lake in February for some Texas paddling. I foolishly choose Valentines Day for our wedding, so now I can rarely get reservations to take her out to celebrate it. I figure Texas is likely to be a bit warmer in February and if not... we can always go bowling!

Dianne thinks we should probably stay closer to home in Tulsa or OKC, just in case the weather gets icy. Planning winter road trips can be risky if you have to make reservations. Got any tips?

OKC Holiday River Parade Nov 28, 2008

The fifth Annual Devon Energy Holiday River Parade is scheduled for Friday, November 28, 2008 at 6 p.m. The day after Thanksgiving, the Oklahoma River will come to life and illuminate the night with decorated boats of every shape and size and FIREWORKS!
http://www.okcevents.info/

Admission and parking are free. The event will feature afternoon entertainment at Wiley Post Park and Regatta Park as well as a nighttime holiday parade concluding with a spectacular fireworks show. Last year the Devon Energy River Parade attracted more than 40,000 people to the shoreline of the Oklahoma River. This event is perfect for the entire family and the ideal way to kick-start the holiday season. Next, to OKC snow tubing, this may be the most fun event in OKC!

Net proceeds from the Devon Energy Holiday River Parade will benefit the Oklahoma River Foundation. The foundation was established in 2004 and is managed by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. In just four short years, the river parade has contributed approximately $400,000 to the Oklahoma River Foundation for future improvements to the Oklahoma River and the 14-mile trail system.

Anyone can enter and compete in the boat parade. There is no entry fee for the parade; however, participants are asked to make a contribution to the Oklahoma River Foundation.

Boat entry forms are at the Parade Registration link, metro-area boat dealers or Oklahoma City Events located at 100 Park Avenue, Suite 700 in downtown Oklahoma City. Corporate and individual sponsorships for the Devon Energy River Parade are available. For sponsorship or event information, contact the event chairman Mike McAuliffe at (405) 602-1531.

Bowling and Paddling in Oklahoma

Riverlanes in Tulsa
Originally uploaded by FreeWine

Surf and Turf - OklahomaRoadTrips.com Style

Dianne and I have been spending a lot more time bowling lately. Bowling is a great lifelong sport that really compliments our particular brand of recreational river and lake kayaking. Like kayaking, bowling can be enjoyed alone, with friends or with the whole family. High tech and personalized bowling gear is easy to find and fairly affordable online or at Pro Shops everywhere. Bowling centers can be found in every area we travel to and they make a great side trip or alternative when the weather doesn't favor paddling trips. When paddling the LMF River we can bowl in Idabel and when paddling the Illinois River we can bowl in Tahlequah.

Our favorite bowling centers in Oklahoma are RiverLanes Bowling in Tulsa and Henryetta Lanes in Henryetta, Oklahoma. River Lanes is a large, full featured bowling center with all of the frills. Henryetta Lanes is about thirty minutes closer to our house and MUCH more affordable. Sadly, they have no automated score keeping system, which forces me to do math on the weekend. The Henryetta bowling center is small, but friendly...currently open weekends only.

Sahoma Lanes in Sapulpa is another local favorite. Like RiverLanes, they are a large bowling center with a big arcade, bar, glo-bowling, automatic score-keeping, etc. and a good Pro Shop. Bowling at big centers like these is fun early in the afternoon until late into the evening. It is a rewarding sport for couples as long as you can compete with each other in a friendly way.

Tips for new bowlers:

• Buy yourself some bowling shoes quickly. They are cheap, so it won't take you many trips to the bowling alley to save the money you spent on them.



• Bowling is more fun if you buy your own bowling ball. It also hurts less. Dianne and I bought a couple of Ebonite Tornado bowling balls. That model is for novice bowlers hoping to learn more advanced bowling techniques.



• Bowling games take awhile, so plan accordingly. Dianne and I find that we can bowl about three games per hour. Of course, with more players each game takes longer. When we bowl with our Son and Dianne's Mother, the games take twice as long. No matter how fast you throw them, it takes awhile for the pins to reset and the ball to return. If you want to speed things up...throw more strikes.



• Try to find off-prime days and times to bowl. Bowling Centers usually offer reduced pricing on weekdays or late at night. Planning your weekly bowling night on a Thursday might save you a bundle.



• Watch some of the old PBA Bowling Tournaments they show on ESPN Classic on weekday mornings. They offer loads of tips on becoming a better bowler. Also, it is amazing to see the wide range of body shapes that make up Pro Bowling. Whatever you look like, there is likely to be a Pro Bowler who looks like you...but bowls the occasional Perfect Game.


Search the web for nearby bowling centers before heading out on any road trips. Bowling makes a great addition to any paddling trip.
...More info on bowling centers in Oklahoma.

The End of The Illinois River User Fee Wristband

This summer will be the last year that the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission will charge floaters a user fee! Since 1984, floaters have been required to pay user fees to float the river and its tributaries. Personally, I didn't mind paying the buck, but wearing the wristband was an annoyance I will happily do without.

The change came about when Senator Jim Wilson of Tahlequah, successfully sought passage of Senate Bill 1381. Provisions of Senate Bill 1381 terminate the $1.00 User Fee charged to floaters, effective on January 1, 2009. Kudos to Senator Wilson!

Another great bit of info I picked up from the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission website is this:

Wearing life jackets saves lives. The common factor among all the drownings this year was that none of the victims were wearing life jackets. - RIVER CURRENTS (Volume 5 Issue 2), 8/2/2008 PDF

I always wear a Kayaking PFD every time that I paddle in the Illinois River or any of the other streams and lakes in Oklahoma.

Lake Bixhoma by Kayak

Lake Bixhoma by Kayak
Originally uploaded by FreeWine

Bixhoma Lake is just off Highway 64 near the small village of Leonard, Oklahoma. It is a small, fairly clear, no-wake lake with no camping or facilities to speak of. Offering a mere 3 miles of shoreline and 110 surface acres, the lake is strictly for quiet boats.

Quiet little Bixhoma Lake is only a short drive from South Tulsa. If you are a Tulsa kayaker looking to get your new boat wet someplace safe, Bixhoma is a pretty good choice. Lake hours are Monday through Saturday from 6am-10pm. It is also quite near Haskell, Oklahoma which happens to be the home of two Oklahoma wineries: Stone Bluff Cellars & Lavendar Hill Farm & Winery.

Paddling Lake Bixhoma today was lovely. The water was still as glass when we first launched and a breeze developed just as the temps started to get hot. The ridge line that surrounds the lake was vivid green with a mixture of hardwood trees. The park only has a couple picnic tables and an outhouse. We saw a family of three fishing from a tiny Bass Scamp and a lone man float fishing in a tube on our visit other than that we had the lake to ourselves on this cool summer morning.

The late summer water level was too low to paddle very far up the feeder creek for Lake Bixhoma. However, as we drove down Highway 64 toward Leonard, I could not help but notice Snake Creek.

Snake Creek looked fairly wide and deep enough for paddling when we drove across the Highway 64 bridge, but I did not see any place to park and launch the kayaks.

Any folks out there who know where you can launch a boat onto Snake Creek outside of Bixby, Oklahoma?

More details on our OklahomaRoadTrips.com Lake Bixhoma webpage.

Planning a Labor Day Canoe Trip?

Labor Day marks the traditional end of the Summer season. Some canoe outfitters will shut down after the holiday weekend and the kids are returning to school. I'm starting to look forward to cooler temps, more water, less river traffic and the Autumn color changes.

River levels are still pretty low around most of Oklahoma, but the LMF River has enough flow to paddle.

The Caddo River in Arkansas has caught some water recently as well as parts of the Buffalo River. Speaking of Arkansas rivers, the Oklahoma Flatwater Paddlers are making a trip to the White River for the holiday. It sounds like a great trip. The White River is about 5 hours drive for us, but well worth it for the misty paddling on waters that feel positively air-conditioned!

I am planning on trying to get our little kayaks on Lake Bixhoma, a tiny no-wake lake just outside of Bixby, Oklahoma. However, there are some municipal permit issue to resolve first (sigh). I don't mind spending the money, but as usual the city does nothing to make this process easy or painless. Personally, I like the lake permit vending machine that Arbuckle Lake offers at the Guy Sandy Boat Ramp. Bixby demands a visit to City Hall or the local police station. I'm told the lake is quite scenic and it is always nice to find a no-wake zone for canoe and kayak paddling.

Got any tips for paddling at Lake Bixhoma?

Winter Lake Kayaking and Chasing Sunsets

A Fine Winter Day for Paddling
Originally uploaded by FreeWine

I had such a good time kayaking on Sunday afternoon, I had to shoot my boat afterwards! (see photo) Dianne and I found Sunday's windless and sunny conditions impossible to resist. We got a late start, but still managed to enjoy a couple of hours of fine winter paddling on Dripping Springs Lake.

New Kayaking Gloves

We got to test out some new paddling gear. Both of us had some new cold water paddling gloves to try out and I was trying out some motorcycle rain gear. Motorcycle rain suits offer some cool benefits for winter kayaking: they are waterproof, windproof and made to pull over whatever you are wearing. Also, they are cheaper than any drysuit you will find. I found the rainsuit pants worked well, but the rainsuit top was too noisy. Since I like trying to sneak up on raptors and stuff in my kayak, I can't really do noisy.

The cold water kayaking gloves I had on were made from neoprene and polar fleece. Get some, they rock! Dianne had some new kayaking gloves too, but didn't find much need for them as we added some Yakgrips Kayak Paddle Grips (great product!) to her paddle. Unless it is much colder, her Yakgrips alone are fine. I tend to muck about more in the water, so I prefer gloves. Your mileage may vary...the important thing is to get out there and chase some sunsets!

Chasing Sunsets on Dripping Springs Lake

For Kayak Photography, I like to put in the kayaks right by the fishing dock at Clovis Point on Dripping Springs Lake. I paddle out from the shore and then due West across the lake. On the West side of the Lake, I shoot the sunset until it starts to fade out and the shade makes me cold.

Then, I paddle Eastward back the way I came across the lake, quick as I can. After just a couple minutes of paddling, I turn the kayak back around to the West and I see...another sunset to photograph! I can usually do this at least three or four times an evening, gaining another sunset each time.

It may sound goofy, but I manage to have a blast doing this everytime I try it. I get some excercise, some photo hunting and even the occasional bit of wildlife viewing. Best of all, I can repeat the process on any of the vast number of Oklahoma lakes that dot the Sooner State landscape.

I can't wait to see them all. Happy Paddling!

Kayaker gloves are ideal for any water adventure including kayaking, canoeing, and rafting. They also work great gripping the handles of recreational water craft or water ski tows. Chota and Stearns are both popular brand names for canoe & kayak gloves.




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