This blog is designed to highlight the paddling opportunities within South Dakota, mainly within a 50-mile radius of Sioux Falls. While Sioux Falls is far from the adventure of coastal regions, there is a certain satisfaction in utilizing the available waterways to observe weather, water conditions, and the landscape along the shoreline. In addition, there is a wealth of animal life on the waters of small South Dakota lakes, rivers, and creeks, including geese, ducks, pelicans, great blue heron, egrets, hawks, owls, perching birds, deer, raccoons, and beaver. Eagles, fox, and coyote are also sometimes spotted.

The sites described are places where I have kayaked over the past few years, mostly in South Dakota but sometimes including locations in Iowa and Minnesota. One of the best sources of information on the accessibility of small lakes is the South Dakota Atlas and Gazetteer, the large map book of South Dakota. Lakes with a public access are generally identified by a boat symbol marking the location of a launching site on public land.

You will notice the menu of paddling locations on the right side of the blog. Each of the postings is linked to one of the areas, and my intention is to provide a continuing review of the places where I paddle. Perhaps these narratives will help readers select waterways of interest to them. Please feel free to offer a comment regarding any of my postings; I would welcome the dialog.

I also maintain a companion blog that describes hiking opportunities within the Sioux Falls area. You can access that blog at: http://hikingsiouxfalls.blogspot.com

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Agenda for SDCA Conference Agenda

The agenda for the SDCA Annual Conference has been developed and follows in this post. You can look back to the previous SDCA post for directions to the Outdoor Campus building in Sioux Falls. I will be setting up my Folbot (folding kayak) for display in the lobby. I hope to see many area paddlers on Saturday, January 27.

26th Annual SDCA Conference
Saturday January 27, 2007
The Theater Room at the Outdoor Campus


12:20- Registration Begins: Sign the attendance sheet and pick up a name tag. Become a member and pay your dues at this time. Free SDCA stickers are available and SDCA patches can be purchased. Look at photos of outings and check out displays.

12:40- Area Waterways: Jay Heath shares his experiences paddling interesting and secluded waters with an intimate view of nature. This will be followed with an opportunity to ask questions. Jay also has a web site featuring his experiences on water close to Sioux Falls at http://southdakotakayak.blogspot.com/

1:25- Modern Home Built Methods: Rick Johns will discuss some principles of several home built methods of construction. He has built or reconstructed skin on frame, and lapstrake canoes.

1:45- Annual Meeting:- Election of new officers with Vice President Alan Braaten presiding. Discussion of the coming year (Canoe/kayak festival, cruising, group activities and coming legislation). This is a chance to speak up, make a proposal, ask questions, and give your comments.

2:15- Short Break:- Take time to meet people and check out displays.

2:30- Sea Kayaking:- Jerett Bies shares experiences paddling a sea kayak on Lake Superior.

2:55- Paddle Craft Material and Design: A discussion led by Eugene Preston with questions and input from anyone with an interest. This is a chance to find out about modern materials and some of their pros and cons.

3:25- Canoeing/Kayaking – camping videos.

3:45- End of the Conference

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am interested in Kayaking read that you have a demo day on Alvin. How do I find out when that is? I am located in Huron.
Thanks
chrisnohr@hotmail.com

Jay Heath said...

The spring agenda of activities for the SDCA has not yet been developed. When the canoe/kayak demonstration has been scheduled, I will post that date on this blog. The newsletter of the SDCA will also feature upcoming activities, including the Lake Alvin demonstration, and you can begin receiving that through membership in the SDCA. The cost is only $7.00, and you can become affiliated by sending that check along with your mailing and e-mail address to the following:

Director of Membership
South Dakota Canoe Association
P.O. Box 90227
Sioux Falls, SD 57109-1012

Jay Heath

Anonymous said...

Jay -

I was curious as to how you store your kayak? I've been informed that it's hard on them to be on the bare cement in a garage. I'm looking at building a wall mounted rack - but thought i'd check.

Sincerely,

"Waiting for the thaw"

Anonymous said...

Are there any SD state licenses that need to be purchased for kayaks? A state website that details kayak/canoe regulations?

thanks

Jay Heath said...

Regarding the storage of kayaks, I have faced that issue ever since I got my first kayak. Canoes are much easier to store, it seems to me.

I have three kayaks. The first one is a Folbot, and storage for that boat, of course, is very easy. I just put the two bags about anywhere, in a backyard shed or in my garage - where ever. My older rigid kayak is a 10.5 Dagger, and I have always stored that one outside alongside the backyard shed. I have two sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top. The kayak rests flat on the plywood, and I have a plain old plastic type tarp lashed over the kayak and secured with bungee cords. This is not the best way to store a kayak, I know, but it has worked okay for that kayak. I have had it for about six years, and it has held up. At first, I just put it on top of the sawhorses, much like you would a canoe, but indentations formed over the winter and I had to work on getting those out in the spring. The method I use is okay, I think, for this "beater" low cost kayak.

Last summer I bought a 13 foot Dagger kayak, and I was concerned about storage. Our garage is crowded, and I just kept the kayak on the floor of the garage until I figured out some way to store it. We cleaned out part of the garage, and I have it in the very back stored across the garage. I went to the magazines and found the Talic company with a range of storage devices. For my circumstances, I bought a pair of what they call the "SeaHorse" stands. You can see them on the Talic website (http://www.talic.com). These are folding aluminum frames with a webbing sling which supports the kayak. They only cost about $100 for the pair. For me, these work quite well in the garage. I think that a wall mounted frame would be better, and I may move in that direction if we ever get our garage in better shape so that adequate wall space is available.

Regarding the state license for a kayak, the SD law requires registration for craft over 12 feet. So, on my newer kayak, I have the sticker, and they can be good for up to three years, I believe. The cost is very low - perhaps $5 a year. My Folbot is 12 feet long and my other rigid kayak is 10.5 feet, so no registration nor sticker is required on these. You can go to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks for the regulations on the licensing of watercraft in this state.

Jay Heath

Anonymous said...

Jay -

Thanks for the reply to my questions.

I've research all the lakes that you've reviewed in the area. I'm very anxious to get out and try my new 14 footer. Looks like Lake Alvin will be my first stop - since it's so close.

Does the SDCA do any outtings on the weekends? I'd love to kayak with a group sometime.

Thanks for the great website...I find myself plotting my summer weekends based on your reviews.

Keep up the good work.

SDD

Jay Heath said...

The SDCA will be outlining a spring agenda soon. I missed the board meeting a couple of weeks ago because of work related travel. But, the latest newsletter will be coming out soon with up-coming activities. There are a number of cruises over the paddling season. I would recommend joining the club; the dues are very little - really not much more that postage. I will also note these activities on the blog as I get the word.

If we are lucky, some of us will get out on the water within a month or so - perhaps sooner.

Jay Heath

Anonymous said...

Jay -

I'm sending in my dues today.

SDD

Anonymous said...

A couple things:

How about if you added a new thread that gave updates on lake conditions around Sioux Falls. I drove out to Alvin today - still ice covered - but wet around the edges. This unseasonably warm weather will hopefully speed up the melting process.

I'd be more then willing to help you field reports from various lakes.

Also - I came across this website...looks like a good event to promote on your site:

http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/OutdoorCampus/pokerrun.htm

SDD

Jay Heath said...

I would be glad to add current lake conditions to the site and would welcome your contribution. All you need to do is send me an e-mail with your contribution. If you have any photo that would illustrate the piece, I would like to use that as well; just send it as a j-peg attachment. The best e-mail address would be jheath@usd.edu.

I will be traveling a lot over the next few weeks, so my opportunities for getting out early on area waterways will be limited this year. I expect that my kayaking will begin again in early May. In the meantime, I would really like to add some current information.

There is a SDCA board meeting on April 5, and I will have some additional information to relate following the gathering, especially regarding upcoming cruises and other events of the organization.

Jay Heath