Day 8 - September 14

NOTE: 

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Layover at Dam Boat Site (partly cloudy, and very warm)

Dam boat site back to east arm island site.
(8 miles) (click to enlarge) 

Slept in until sunrise today because I woke up in the night and had to read a chapter of my book to get back to sleep.  Not sure what that was about?  Probably because it was warmer than usual even at night with all windows open!

I planned to make cookies this morning and I tried to use the stove top oven on the house stove, I think that was a mistake?  It just does not cook like my camp stove.  It is difficult to adjust the flame.  The result was the cookies were not cooked well enough so though I did not toss them I switched to my pecan Sandies.  (Note: I later discovered I made a double batch without realizing it!) 

Stove Top Oven On House Stove
(click to enlarge) 

Cookies look good, but heavy as bricks! Due to an inadvertent double mix!
(click to enlarge)

After study and reading I had toast and cereal, then put together all my gear for the paddle to the short portage into Torrum Lake.  After getting loaded, I headed along the channel about a half mile to where it was supposed to be located.  I did not see it when I went past in the houseboat, though I did look for it.  However, in the kayak I got a closer look and found it pretty quick. The landing was reasonable. 

Portaged the kayak into Torrum Lake from the Cross Lake Channel above the Dam

The portage in was short and the trail good so I took the kayak across and paddled around the lake hoping to see a moose, or some other kind of wildlife, but saw nothing!  On the way back I set up the drone with floats and made several flights on the smaller lake, until my video memory hit a wall again.  I only planned three flights anyway, so I headed back to the portage. 

I took the kayak across, but came back to do some gimbal shots of the trail and the stream that flows out of Torrum Lake into the channel. After loading up the kayak I headed back.  The breeze was up so it was a little more work paddling against the wind.  I decided to push on past the boat to take a closer look at the dam area since I could hear the fall of water from the dam last night.  It was just around the corner so I checked it out to see how I could do some drone flights of the dam and the area just below in the morning before departure.  I will do the flights from the kayak with the drone on floats.

Drone Overflight While Kayaking On Remote Torrum Lake

As I got back to the boat, a power boat came by at high speed, what other speed do they go!  Of course rocking and rolling everything in the site.  I thought a few words that were less than kind!  

Looking NW from boat site, right over the unseen reef I hit!
(click to enlarge)

I took a break once back aboard and had some crackers, cheese, apples, and nuts with white wine. Then went ashore and sat in my chair overlooking the water and read a couple chapters of my book.

While relaxing ashore I noticed this tree growing out of the rock!
(click to enlarge)

There is a narrow crack but it hardly seems enough room to grow in!
(click to enlarge)

It was getting to be mid-afternoon so I returned to the boat to get dinner ready.  Grilled chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, warm ciabatta roll, with white wine.  It was a great dinner!  Did the dishes and put everything away and headed back ashore to read some more from my perch overlooking the water.

After a couple chapters I returned to the boat once again to take a shower, since I worked up a sweat today!  It was quite warm, mid-to high 70’s, I would guess.  I felt much better after my shower.  After dinner, I headed back ashore to read and have my desert of red wine and chocolate covered almonds.

Shower gear ready to go!
(click to enlarge)

Finally returned to the boat to put shower stuff away and hauled the fire ring ashore.  Figured after transferring some video to the PC and completing this diary I would go ashore and enjoy the fire and the moon set, then hit the sack.  My goal tomorrow is to do some video of the dam in the morning then head out to another part of Cross Lake, or beyond?