New Shoes

I've been looking for a new pair of yakking shoes for some time, as I was sick of the crappy tennis shoes or plastic POS's I've been wearing for years. I wanted something that would drain water as well as dry fairly quickly, and definitely be tough enough to last for more than one season. I'd considered a pair of Adidas Outdoor Boat Shoes (vs indoor boat shoes?  Gahhhh...), as they had received mostly favorable reviews on Amazon. Trouble was, all of the not-butt-ugly colors were sold out in my size. I finally decided on a pair that were neon green, figuring after a few trips they'd be broken in and would lose some of that blinding new-car shine. This is what they look like after a couple of trips and a little drunken kicking logs back into the fire:


 

As can be seen in the second photo, there are holes in the bottom made to allow water to drain, and if you look closely there is a fine screen covering the holes. Surprisingly, no sand was able to make it through the screen, making them more comfortable in that respect than any of the shoes I'd been wearing. They are lightweight, comfortable, the water drains fairly quickly, and they dry fast too.  One strange aspect of these shoes:  They smell like fruit.  I thought it would go away after they got wet once, but oddly, it's still there.

It was only a few days after purchasing these when I saw that Adidas has a newer model called the Jawpaw Water Shoe. Once again, they have high ratings and look pretty darn cool. I'm not sold on the watersock look of the top, but the soles look beefier than the boat shoes I'd just purchased. No regrets buying the boat shoes, but if I were to do it over I might give the Jawpaws a try.

It's Alive!!!

The Faris Caves

In the mid 1880's, a Coloradan miner by the name of Charles Griffee purchased land adjacent to the Smoky Hill river and just west of the old Fort Harker in Ellsworth county. With trees being scarce along the open prairie during this time, pioneers had to be resourceful. A practice not uncommon was to use dugouts along rivers and bluffs for shelter and housing. Griffee, using his pickaxe and mining skills hollowed out 3 rooms(roughly 12' square with 10' arched ceilings) in his Dakota Sandstone bluffs as a living quarter. Offering cool air and fresh spring water, I'd guess this was pretty good living to a person settling on the prairie.

For reasons yet unknown, Charles Griffee sold his land to the Faris Brothers(Winfield and William) in 1893. Their brothers Henry and Irwin were already established along the Smoky Hill Trail with a hunting ranch on the Clear Creek crossing.

The caves have served as a home, smithy, refrigerator and schoolhouse...

Members of the Faris family in front of the caves

Need directions? Click Here


Hidden in dense vegetation and covered with inscriptions

Visiting the Faris Caves really opened my mind to a very fascinating history of Ellsworth county. Stories of gunslingers, murderers, gambling, prostitution, lawlessness and indian attacks are all things that made Ellsworth "The Wickedest Cattletown in Kansas"! If it strikes you fancy, check it out!

My Yak

At Curt's request...

Here's some photos of my first and only time out on my new kayak. These were taken on the Ark out front of my house in late Autumn. Now the river is completely frozen over so I can't go till Spring! I think I'm going to cry wa wa!

My yak is a Liquid Logic model Saluda. It's 12' long which I think will be a great length for Kansas' lakes and rivers. There is plenty of storage space and I've already fixed up a plastic fishing kit that will fit under the front deck rigging real nice...

Woodson County, Kansas

A few pictures taken in June...

What a great time to be at the lake!

...Through the Woods

Grouse Creek

If you enjoy paddling and have never been to Grouse Creek, you should probably check it out. The public section, located within the Kaw Wildlife Area near Ark City is 4 1/2 miles of nice water, minimal portages, beautiful scenery and good fishing.

A hotspot for local floaters, you will most likely pass a couple people enjoying the cool water on a hot summer day. There are 4 access points available, which allow for short, medium or day length trips. This is a creek that is suitable for Canoes, Rafts, Tubes and Kayaks.

I have been out there several times and most of the portages are in between the 2nd and 3rd bridges where there are larger rocks in the shallow water. For the most part, the creek is consistently a smooth ride.

After passing the last bridge the creek gets a lot deeper, which might slow you down(not recommended for tube-type craft), this is because of the confluence with the Arkansas River. I'd say a casual float will take somewhere between 3-5 hours to course.

Distances:
Silverdale Boat Ramp to 2nd Bridge = 1.5 miles
2nd Bridge to 3rd Bridge = 1.25 miles
3rd Bridge to Lower Grouse Creek = 1.75 miles


Need directions? Click Here

Bobcat

Derek and I were floating a small creek in Butler county last week when a movement on the bank caught my eye. " Derek!" I whispered urgently, "Bobcat!" He whispered back, "Camera!" The bag containing the camera was behind the seat of my kayak and I fumbled around inside feeling for it, never taking my eye off the cat. As I groped around the bobcat made a continuous low growling sound and followed us walking along the bank. I finally got the camera in my hands and managed to snap a few quick pictures . It was early morning and the bright light in the field behind the cat made it difficult to get a good shot, but I did capture a few decent ones before it wandered into the field.

Otter Creek

Located within the Fall River Wildlife Area, Otter Creek offers paddlers a quiet and scenic day trip. I would say relaxing as well, but Curtis and I are both stubborn and coursed 8 1/2 miles with the water low and ended up portaging about 20 times. Haha!

After passing the narrows, the creek joins Fall river and really opened up for us. We made pretty good time after that.

I was happy to spot a beaver about 30 minutes into the trip and there were several areas that would make for some good fishing with the water a bit higher.

The Upper Access Point road was muddy and rutted, so we decided to push off at the Old Bridge Access Point and shuttle our kayaks from the Climax Boat Ramp at Ladd Bridge.

The creek is abundant with wildlife and several times along the way I couldn't help but feel like I was in a Kansas jungle with all the sounds I was hearing. It was quite amazing!

Streamflow:
Gage height: 2.5'
Discharge: 25 CFS (recommended 50-85)


This was our course (8.5 miles)


Old Bridge Access Point


Enjoying the scenery


Trout guarding our boats!


Curtis looking at the strainers up ahead