Flentje.com - Paddling

2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event

Fri, 28 Aug 2015 14:02:00 -0500

Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event was held today, Saturday, August 29th, 2015 and like every preceding event, was more successful than the last. For the eighth consecutive year in a row, the weather cooperated and was perfect.

The event is annually held at Dakota County's Miesville Ravine Park Preserve, which is located about four miles south of Miesville, MN and six miles northeast of Cannon Falls, MN. The majority of geocachers paddle the Cannon River from Cannon Falls to the Miesville Ravine landing, which is a 6.7 mile gorgeous stretch of the river. Some geocachers biked the Cannon Valley Trail and others just stopped in for the picnic.

I would like to thank the following:

My daughter Molly and boyfriend for manning the picnic shelter while everyone was on the water.
Doublemoose for personally carrying the cold beverages on the water and keeping them nearby.
Those that provided door prizes.
And especially thank you to all of whom attended this event. Without you all it just wouldn't be as much fun to be on the river.

Final attendance numbers as of September 8th, 2015:

There were 45 RSVPs.
51 have logged the event Attended.
68 signatures were listed on the written log.
Physical headcount during the picnic was in excess of 65 attendees if you count infants and canines.
5 dozen ears of sweet corn served along with a pound and a half of butter.
In years past, we've filled the two trash barrels provided by the park. This year, we hauled out two of our own trash barrels leaving the park with only a minimal amount of cleanup.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event
2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event	2015 - Minnesota's 8th Annual Canoe-in Geocaching Event

2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN

Sun, 19 Jul 2015 19:01:00 -0500

The family was in Waseca, MN for the weekend camping. Molly, Teddy the Schnoodle, and I peeled away from camp with the kayaks to paddle Loon Lake. We navigated the boats around an unnamed island for exploration.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN	2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN	2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN
2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN	2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN	2015 - Paddling Loon Lake, Waseca, MN

2015 - Spiny Soft Shell Turtle, Lake Byllesby, Cannon Falls, MN

Sun, 14 Jun 2015 00:13:00 -0500

On a recent paddle across Lake Byllesby, I spotted a little critter swimming furiously across the bay out in front of the sea caves. Upon closer inspection, the critter turned out to be a hatchling spiny soft shell turtle. I managed to grab the critter and held it long enough to take its picture. No turtles were harmed during the making of this post.

Enjoy the photograph (click thumbnail for larger view)..

2015 - Spiny Soft Shell Turtle, Lake Byllesby, Cannon Falls, MN

2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN

Sun, 24 May 2015 05:12:00 -0500

I paddled Jensen Lake today to perform maintenance on my geocache Foul Water (GC3F7F1). The colors on the lake were spectacular tonight so I thought I would share a few pictures that I took along the way.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN
2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN
2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN	2015 - Paddling Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN

2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 14:21:00 -0500

I can't think of too many other ways to enjoy a crisp October Saturday sunrise than spending it with friends paddling to a geocache. That's just what I did today. Myself and four other geocachers took to the St. Louis River and paddled to Clough Island, which is located just outside the western edge of Duluth, MN. Our goal was to find a 4/5 rated geocache Cast Away (GC3RYRR). We scored the find with no issues and managed the entire 3.4 mile voyage in just under two hours.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN
2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN
2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN
2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN
2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN
2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN	2014 - Paddling the St. Louis River, Duluth, MN

2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS

Sat, 30 Aug 2014 04:20:00 -0500

Laura and I made our way down to the Kansas City, KS, area to visit sister Jane and family. Being adventure seekers, we scouted a five star geocaching and paddling event that was scheduled to take place during our visit, I'm on a Boat (GC5ATZR). Located just a few miles south at nearby at Shawnee Mission Park, this was an event that we did not want to miss. We teamed up with Jane, Dan and Devon and attended the very fun event. We met many new friends and coincidentally, I met a existing friend at the event.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS
2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS
2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS
2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS	2014 - Paddling Shawnee Mission Lake, Shawnee, KS

2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI

Sat, 24 May 2014 01:27:00 -0500

Last winter Nene, Laura and I had the opportunity to hike the Lake Superior ice out to the Apostle Island Lake Shore sea caves. During a trip to Madeline Island over memorial Weekend, Nene and I were afforded the opportunity to paddle to the sea caves on the south side of the island. We skirted our way through bays filled with icebergs and made our way to do some cave exploring.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Apostle Island Sea Caves, La Pointe, WI

2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI

Fri, 23 May 2014 12:21:00 -0500

We spent Memorial Day weekend camping at Big Bay State Park. Located near La Pointe, WI on Madeline Island, the park has all of the amenities that interest us such as a swimming beach, paved bike trails, paddling, hiking, and geocaching. We spent four days trapped on the island and enjoyed the company of family and friends.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI
2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI	2014 - Big Bay State Park, La Pointe, WI

2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)

Sat, 21 Sep 2013 10:47:00 -0500

Broken Toe Island (GCKG14) by OlysGirl

I've had this geocache on my to do list for several years now and finally decided to go for it. I figured I'd better not paddle the mighty Mississippi solo so Doublemoose graciously joined me for the adventure.

I loaded up the watercraft, a red 16', 2 man-power, Old Town Camper canoe. We parked at the public water access at Prairie Island. As the crow flies, it was .79 miles. But we all know crows don't fly in straight lines.. going around the bottom end of the island, and it was easily a mile each direction. Luckily, the open water was calm and only a couple of heavy boats sped by so we were able to take in the wake safely and made it to the island without getting wet.

After fifteen minutes of searching we scored the little bugger. We did the dance and fist pumped to celebrate the find of this lonely cache. Then snooped around on the island for a bit before paddling back to the landing.

Enjoy the photographs (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)
2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)	2013 - Broken Toe Island (GCKG14)

2013 - Painted Turtle, Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN

Fri, 13 Sep 2013 06:15:00 -0500

I spotted this curious little guy while kayaking Jensen Lake in Lebanon Hills Regional Park. The painted turtle kept his eye on me but unlike his friends, he never dove into the water to hide as I paddled by.

Enjoy the photograph (click thumbnails for larger view)..

2013 - Painted Turtle, Jensen Lake, Eagan, MN