Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Vacation from Hell - Days 6 - 10

Day 6. Wednesday, September 7. We play leapfrog boats yet again, and I am buying Jim a lot of gas! But we are grateful Jim and Laurie are willing to hang with us. We get to Rimrock Lake, drop Laurna Jo, go back to Toppenish for Daydream, and then finally head back to Rimrock Lake with Daydream in tow. We get launched and are on the water at last! We launched and parked at Rimrock Lake Resort, which has a primitive but serviceable and very protected launch ramp, as it is tucked in behind a little peninsula and well-sheltered from the wind. A little surprise, while we were launching, my cousin Abel, who lives in Yakima, came strolling up from the Rimrock Lake Resort dock, and we had a nice little visit, Abel says the fishing is horrible, it has been the whole summer.

On the Water at Last - Sundowner in the Cockpit.jpg .

On the Water at Last - Patty Enjoys Her Sundowner on Daydream's Cockpit

Rimrock Lake, we learn, is less than a mile wide and about seven miles long. The lake is calm, like glass, except for the little bit of wind that was blowing while we were launching. We get anchored up behind the big peninsula at the east end of the lake, where there is a nice sandy beach, very convenient for dog duty in the kayak! Jim and Laurie raft up on Laurna Jo, and we are on vacation at last! The weather here is great, and the scenery is very nice as well!

Day 7. Thursday, September 8. We do a little fishing today, casting off the bow, but no catching. Then we take a long kayak paddle and finish up with a swim. Patty bought a new float, and is getting to break it in here instead of at Powell, but what the heck!

The water is surprisingly warm for a Cascade mountain lake, it is a little bracing when you first dive in but it only takes short while to get used to it. Jim and Laurie try trolling, also without success. The parts for the Titan should be in tomorrow, and hopefully we will have some good news on Monday!


Patty Enjoys Her Float 9-8-11.jpg

Patty Enjoys Her New Float


Baxter is Not Too Sure About This Whole Float Thingee.jpg

Baxter is Not So Sure About This Whole Float Thingee!

Day 8. Friday, September 9. We decide to try trolling a bit and exploring the other end of the lake today, so we pull anchor. We have been anchored here since Wednesday, spinning on the hook. The windlass groans but comes up - with our anchor rode completely, and we think possibly hopelessly, tangled in this stump:

Look What Came Up With the Anchor Rode 9-9-11.jpg

Anchor Rode Wound Around Stump

About an hour of patiently working on it from water level in a kayak, and amazingly, we are able to free the rode and save our anchor!

We try trolling for several hours without much luck. Pat snags a little Kokanee but decides it is too small and throws it back. We find a great spot to anchor at the west end of the lake right off a small island. The island is a Forest Service island, and Baxter loves the trails - lots of great smells to sniff! Baxter decides not to come when I call, so I just paddle off and leave him, he kind of watches with a puzzled look as I paddle away, then when I paddle back, he comes running down and jumps in the kayak.

We call Valley Nissan, the parts have not arrived yet.

Day 9. Saturday, September 10. This is just really a great place for our little Pelican Pursuit kayaks! We paddle down to the west end of the lake and discover it is only about two feet deep! Glad we did not decide to try exploring in the C-Dorys!

Patty Anderson, Ace Paddler 9-10-11.jpg

Patty Anderson, Ace Paddler

Day 10, Sunday, September 11. No notes from today, just a picture, very pretty and calming. Not the way we intended to spend our vacation but Rimrock Lake has been a pleasant surprise, we might come here again for a three or four day long weekend!

Moon Over Rimrock Lake.JPG

Moon Over Rimrock Lake



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