My memories of kayaking Lake Wappapelo, pregnant!

Lake Wappapelo, in Southeast Missouri was a great place to stay. It is one of those few areas that we would consider moving to when we are ready to settle down. The small town, self-sufficient, not a suburb, was very appealing to us. But, since this is the kayaking article, I best stick to that subject and not go on a rabbit chase.

The lake is quite beautiful and has good fishing. Shae, Cody and Hanna went on an exploration kayaking trip around the lake. The air temperature was pretty cold, so no swimming.

The next day we took the kayaks to the spillway for the reservoir.

Spillway of Lake Wappapelo, Missouri



I was very pregnant with Tytus at the time, but decided I would take a quick spin anyway. Those of you who know me know that I can be very adventurous. I climbed in, with a lot of difficulty since my belly was huge! Josie decided she wanted to ride with me. She climbed in and we headed out. I didn’t get too far from the shore in case we tipped over.

Fisherman dotted the shoreline, some catching fish, others not.

Seeing the spillway and enjoying the water from a kayak is a wonderful way to enjoy God’s creation. There is something special, peaceful sitting on top of the water; no waves, quiet, no rushing or appointments.

Josie got a little antsy and wiggly, so I decided I better get to shore before she tipped all three of us over; her, me, and sweet baby in my belly! I paddled to a little inlet where I thought we could disembark. Cody, my 17 year old was nearby so I hollered to him for some help.

He grabbed little Josie and set her on shore. I, on the other hand, was not as easy. Sitting so low in the kayak coupled with the water being much lower than the rocky shore, made for a bad combination. I put my left leg out of the kayak and realized that there was no way my large, pregnant body was going to follow.

The police officer, sitting in his car, near the shore, looked at me like I was crazy as I attempted to boost myself out of the kayak, with no success.
I had Cody grab my left forearm. He pulled as I pushed with my right.
Legs flailing, arms grasping, loud grunting, my dress flying up, are just a few of the actions of the moment!

I noticed the police officer looked away politely as my legs flew up and my dress slipped past my knees. I think I would have rather had him come help me, though!

With absolutely no grace and complete embarrassment, I got out of the kayak and on to shore, vowing not to get back in the kayak until after the baby was born.

Shae had two kids for a ride in his kayak.

Cody and Hanna tried to ride together. It was so funny as they almost
tipper over - over and over again.

Gabriel thought he discovered a new island
and named it the "Island of Pine".  He got to
be a real explorer, and THAT is one
of the many reasons we do this trip, so our
kids can do amazing things.

(This story actually took place in the spring of 09.  I am going back in time to tell some of our earlier stories.  Hope you enjoy!)

Cottonwood Reservoir and Cold Brook Reservoir near Hot springs,SD

After a fun time at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota we decided to stop at a couple of reservoirs to do some kayaking.

Cottonwood Reservoir was almost totally dry. We hiked and watched for rattlesnakes and mountain lions. 

You can barely see Shae and Cody at the top of the cliff overlooking the reservoir.

 There are so many grasshoppers. Gabriel and Josephine kept trying to step on them!

The boat ramp leading into the almost totally dry reservoir.

Where is the water?

So, we left there and tried Cold Brook Reservoir. It was great. The water was clear as could be. The guys said you could see to the bottom even way out.

The reservoir was beautiful. The kids had a nice time playing on the beach while others kayaked.

 We also saw a museum at the VA hospital. It was a beautiful structure but was closed.

It was a fun day and we were totally exhausted by the time we got back. 

It is nice to come home after a long day.
Sleep good!
Sheri

South Dakota - Random Thoughts on our Time There

South Dakota is wonderful. The Black Hills are beautiful. There are so many Ponderosa Pines...everywhere. The air is so clean and fresh. People are friendly there. The roads shimmer. It reminded me of South Carolina. In SC, there was shiny pieces of rock all of the ground. Brent said it was formica. Now, I know I probably spelled that wrong, but I just don't have the time to look it up in the dictionary right now. In SD, there is Mica everywhere. Many people come here to find rocks and fossils. We came to SD right before the Sturgis Bike Rally, so there were more motorcycles than usual. Since my sister and brother in law are bikers, I think bikers are pretty great. We met some really nice ones.

Two weeks was just not enough time to stay in Custer. We went to the courthouse museum on the main street. The Four Mile Museum - four miles west of town was interesting. There isn't much of an entrance fee. It needs some fixing up, but would recommend it anyways. There is also a free petting zoo and horse stables just 3 miles past that. We enjoyed feeding the animals. Really nice people own this place. Sylvan Lake is stunning, just don't go up Needles Hwy with a trailer to get there! We hiked to Bismark Lake on Custer State Park. The dam there is small, but pretty. Shae, Cody, and Hanna tried to walk around the small lake, but couldn't make it. There were too many boulders. We kayaked on Stockton Lake on the west end of Custer State Park. It was full of algae. Everyone still enjoyed it, just tried not to get wet. The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs was great. It is wonderful to let the kids experience different things. Seeing an active fossil dig was unique. Josephine loved the tour. There were telephones we had to listen through to hear the guide. There is also a house made out of replica mammoth bones. Josephine loved playing in it. Cottonwood Resevoir was great to kayak in. We took 2 days at the Badlands. I have a previous post about it. If you have any questions about any of these places,just let me know! South Dakota was great. Our campground was nice and the sites were wonderful!