Grass Lake - May 2009

This morning, I left home early and headed over to Bagel Boy for morning coffee. By 7:30 a.m., I was on my way to Grass Lake, about 25 miles west of my eastside Sioux Falls home. I arrived at the lake around 8:00 a.m. on a clear, crisp day with temperatures in the high 40s. There was a light wind coming out of the south creating three or four inch waves, enough to give my kayak a little bounce as I paddled toward the western end.

As usual, I was alone on the water, at least the only person. There was lots of bird life to hear and watch. Along the shore, birds kept up a constant singing from the brush and trees. Waterfowl were constantly in sight: ducks, geese, and pelicans. As I approached the island off the northeast shore, a cloud of geese flew up. Ducks were seemingly omnipresent; as I approached them, they would rush off skipping over the water with their dangling web feet slapping the waves as they moved off. The ducks didn’t seem interested in taking flight; instead, they just seemingly walked over the water with their wings flapping and their feet dragging as they got out of my path. The geese, on the other hand, most often would fly off and away. The pelicans seemed the least skittish of the large waterfowl. It is generally possible to approach fairly close to pelicans; and when they finally do fly off, they seem to circle overhead and then land again nearby.


The water was choppy along the northern side of this east to west oriented lake. With the wind out of the south, there was a nice lee along the southern shore below the trees. This is where I often see wildlife, but nothing beyond birds showed itself today. The water was pretty clear, and the bottom was visible at about four feet.


The launching point within the public access area of Grass Lake is nothing to write home about. There is a dirt road going into the area, no toilet, and a primitive ramp. It would be easy to miss this spot, but earlier accounts of Grass Lake that are accessible from the menu on the right side of the blog page give good directions.

My cruise around the lake took me about 90 minutes, and it was a nice tranquil ride. With the wind conditions, the surface of the lake presented some variety. The landscape in early spring is pleasant, the sun was shinning, and I enjoyed the morning. I do most of my kayaking during the week and almost always alone. It is delicious to be able to cruise along during what used to be working hours. When I drove home along 10th/12th Street, I had my tunes going, my red kayak on top of the car, and I waved cheerfully to working guys I passed along the way.

Lake Lakota - May 2009

I have been working in England since mid-April, and I found spring well advanced upon my return to South Dakota. For my second cruise of the season, I decided to go to Lake Lakota, located within Newton Hills State Park and just 27 miles from my east-side Sioux Falls home. Taking advantage of the still morning, I arrived at the lake about 8:15 a.m. and, as usual, was alone on the water. The day was sunny with a temperature in the 50s and a forecast of about 70 degrees for the afternoon.

Lake Lakota is not exactly the high seas, but it is a pleasant body of water with good possibilities for seeing some wildlife. I like to meander up the several inlets of the lake, continuing until further passage is impossible. On one of these side trips up


into the woods or grasses, I came across a wild turkey. She was moving along the shore; as I approached, she flew over the kayak into the brush on the opposite side of the inlet. Further along, I came across a large frog sitting alongside the shore. I moved in closer to get a photo, but the wily frog sensed my presence, gave a bark rather like a dog, and dove into the water. A beaver or muskrat swam near me today as well. Often I come across large numbers of big turtles. It is generally easy to approach turtles without spooking them and causing them to abandon their log perch. Today, however, the turtles were too alert to the approach of my kayak, and I was unable to get in close for an interesting photo. There were lots of ducks beginning their nesting activity, but they too flew off on my approach. I just have a little Cannon Power Shot with a four power telephoto, so close shots of wildlife generally requires a degree of stealth and luck on my part.

The wind was against me as I paddled up to the earthen dam at the south end of the lake. That wasn’t any problem with the kayak, but I decided to set my sail and ride back with the wind. Rigging the sail while underway is pretty easy, and I got set up
in the lee of the dam. Since the wind was blowing out of the south, I set the sail at a 45-degree angle and moved across the wind to the northwestern end of the lake. The sail filled nicely, and the kayak cruised across the water with a nice wake. Kayaks are inherently a bit unstable, and a shifting wind is another challenge. Moving across the water at an angle to the wind creates moments of shift when the kayak seems a little unstable. After a bit of a ride, I decided that my real purpose in kayaking today was to check out wildlife, and that was not really possible while sailing down the middle of the lake and being constantly alert to stability issues. So, I folded up the sail and started paddling again.


The most interesting part of the lake is the arm that heads west along the northern shore. The lake within this arm is shallower, and there generally is more aquatic vegetation on the water. All that seems to lead to more turtles, more ducks, and lots more large frogs. The conditions for all that are not quite ready yet. Soon, there will be large lily pads on the water, and frogs like to rest on them.

At the end of the western arm, Pattee Creek enters the lake through a culvert. Heading into the culvert seems an irresistible urge, and I went as far as I dared. Any further and I would have been stuck, or so it seemed to me.

My cruise this morning was about 90 minutes, and that is just about right for me. Lake Lakota is a pleasant place to visit largely because of the setting. It is all within a well-maintained state park with great scenery: trees, hills, a variety of water conditions, and usually deserted. I like going to Lake Lakota once or twice a year.

Lake Alvin - My First Cruise of 2009

Today was a wonderful gift of weather. The temperature was up to about 65, the skies were clear, and the wind was moderate at about 15 mph. It was the nicest day so far this year. I was compelled to put the kayak rack on the car, lash down the boat, and head out to Lake Alvin for the first cruise of the year.

As nearly always, the lake was deserted on this weekday afternoon. The landscape was really beautiful with the brown grass and bare deciduous trees. The many spruce trees along the upper banks and in the area surrounding the lake added an evergreen contrast to the drab winter colors. Cruising along the shore, I could see the hardy early grass making its way up through the debris of winter.


Turtles were out in force, especially up Nine Mile Creek. Although I sometimes feel a little guilty when turtles jump off a log or rock out of fright of my approaching kayak, I still like to cruise up to them to see how close I can come. There were ducks, coots, and geese out on the lake as well.

My cruise this afternoon began at the public access point at the southwestern end and continued up north to the Lake Alvin Recreation Area dock. From there, I headed back south on the lake and continued up into Nine Mile Creek. I didn’t check the time, but generally my back begins aching at about the 90-minute mark, and I got that message by the time I arrived back at the dock.


A lot of development has taken place on the west side of the lake and also along Nine Mile Creek. None of the houses are situated on the lake itself, but there are lots of impressive dwellings now in the Lake Alvin area. The most immediate effect of residential development around part of the lake is probably a reduced wildlife presence. So, it is certainly not a trip into the wild. Still, it is close to Sioux Falls, the setting of the lake is very attractive, and it is seldom crowded with boats. It is also a “no wake” lake. The lake is only about 15 minutes from my eastside home, so I will no doubt continue being a regular presence on the waters of Lake Alvin.