First Time Out This Year

Kayaking season began early this year.  We had a warmer than normal Winter and not very much snow.  The Forest Service opened the roads to the lakes earlier than usual.

Blue Ridge Reservoir got a remake of the only launching ramp too.  It looks like they dynamited 10 feet or so back into the rock cliffs which makes for a wider road down to the ramp.  You can actually turn a vehicle around near the bottom of the ramp.  Used to have to back all the way down before the widening.

Kayak on Jeep Roof Rack

Today was the day.  Finally hauled the kayak out from under the cabin's front deck.  The kayak is light enough to be carried by one person.  Loading it on the Jeep's roof rack seemed a bit more strenuous.

There are several YouTube videos on how to carry a kayak on a roof rack and they offered some good tips.  Bottom line though is that at some point the kayak has to be lifted onto the rack which is several inches higher than the roof line.  In many of the videos the kayak is placed on a roof rack that is mounted on a small car which puts the top of the rack at about shoulder height.

The Jeep Rubicon is taller than a car, plus the Rubicon model has a lift kit for additional clearance under the vehicle.  With the help of a neighbor, who was acting as a spotter just in case, I was able to lift the front of the kayak onto the rear crossbar of the roof rack and slide it forward until the front crossbar matched the small depression in the kayak topsides where the paddle rests when not in use.  This was quite convenient.

The rear crossbar then fit between the rear of the cockpit opening and the Old Town's hatch cover.  Somewhat serendipitous.  Couldn't (and didn't actually) plan it any better.  The crossbars have pads by the way.

For more detailed shots, see my web page: https://sites.google.com/site/herbskayak/

Finally!

Sorry for the long time between posts.  What you see in the picture at the left is the finished Yakima roof rack on my 2013 Jeep Wrangler.

Adding a roof rack to a Wrangler JK hard top (three piece factory Freedom Top) is a bit more challenging than putting a rack on a 4-door JKX.  I wanted to keep the ability to remove any combination of panels from the roof without having to lose the whole rack.

It was also important to be able to adjust the front to back spacing of the rack to accommodate different loads.  Especially since the interior space on a JK is limited and I sometimes have a need to bring home items from the home improvement stores, I wanted to maximize the front to back spacing.  For carrying my kayak I would need to bring the cross bars closer.  When I first mounted the tracks, however, the bars could only be mounted on the read roof section.  This put the kayak towards the back of the roof with a large overhang to the rear.  I was not completely comfortable with this arrangement.

For more details go to my kayak website at: https://sites.google.com/site/herbskayak/

Roof Rack

 

 

Yakima Wrangler Roof Rack Kit

Up until now I've had to rely on friends to get my kayak to the lakes in our area.  Thanks to a good sale on Yakima roof racks I was able to get a system that fits my relatively new (2013) Jeep Wrangler.  Things were a little more difficult because the Jeep is 2 door model (JK) with a three piece hard top roof.

Yakima makes a kit of parts, including rails that hold the upper part of the rack.  I purchased the rack from ORS Racks Direct.  You can view the catalog page at:

http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-jeep-hardtop-roof-rack-tracks-kit-8001614.html

You can read more about the Yakima Wrangler Kit and my installation by going to my website:

https://sites.google.com/site/herbskayak/new-jeep/yakima-roof-rack

I'm looking forward to Spring and getting out on the water.  There is still ice on our lakes in the high country were we usually go.  The nightime lows have been between 5 and 6 degrees.

Willow Springs Lake

Willow Springs Lake launch ramp

Willow Springs Lake is located just north of SR 260 about 30 minutes east of Payson, AZ.  The air temperature at 7,500' is about 20 degrees cooler than in Phoenix, AZ.

The lake has a good launch ramp area and floating dock with adequate parking facilities.  The largest motors allowed are 10 h.p., although most of the fishermen opt for electric trolling motors, so there is rarely any wakes and the serene environment is relaxing.

Also, most of the fishermen tend to stay at the west end of the lake nearer the dam, leaving the more primitive east end of the lake to canoes and kayakers.  Stumps and some taller dead trees are abundant as you paddle east, giving the whole area a more remote and primitive feel.

Although the shore is a gentle slope from nearby woods, it is mostly large sandstone deposits and rocky beaches.  It is easy to find places to beach your kayak, step out onto a sandstone shelf, and explore deeper into the woods.

Blue heron, ducks, osprey, and the occasional bald eagle are seen around the lake.  It is exciting to see the osprey soar above the water and upon sighting a fish dive at high speed to the surface and come away with a fish.  Eagle nests can be seen high in the ponderosa pine trees that surround the lake.

East end of Willow Springs

Bring good binoculars if you are interested in seeing the nesting birds.  Paddle quietly and you can glide up close to the blue heron as they feed along the shores.

During the monsoon season (July - August) in the high country you need to keep an eye out for building clouds.  Lightening, high winds, and torrential rains can come up quickly  These storms rise up out of the Valley, come up over the Rim, and can catch you out on the water.

Gathering storm clouds

For more information on Willow Springs Lake
follow this link:
https://sites.google.com/site/herbskayak/places-to-go-kayaking/willow-springs-lake

Kayaking Season

There are people in this area, Rim country above 5,000 ft elevation, that kayak year round.  Over in Prescott the local kayak club apparently goes out and breaks ice on their ponds!  I'm not that desperate, yet - LOL.

This is the season for working on my kayak.  The next project is probably going to be a cradle that will allow me to set the kayak level on a set of sawhorses.  Bending over with the kayak on the garage floor is too hard and some of the upcoming projects will require that the kayak be level or close to level so that the camera mounts can be pre-aligned.

There are also a small group of "it would be nice" projects that never got finished last summer.  Woke up this morning with 8" of fresh snow on the ground.  When this happens the Forest Service typically closes the access roads to the great lakes and reservoirs we normally would be kayaking on.

Will start posting in the next weeks or so with updates on new projects.  Enjoy.

New - Roof Rack

Here is a link to an article on my Kayak Website. It covers how I built an aluminum roof rack for my SUV to carry my kayak.

https://sites.google.com/site/herbskayak/additions-to-my-kayak/roof-rack

You can either read all of the how's and why's or just get to the DIY part.