After our weekend camping at the resort we found that there is a BCFS camp on the south end of the lake. The BCFS camp appears to be free with large private camp spots. Lots of trees and shrubs between.
"Blogging about kayaking and the outdoors in the Okanagan Valley and area." www.KAYAKokanagan.com BLOG
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2014
Chute Lake kayaking July 19-20 2014
After our weekend camping at the resort we found that there is a BCFS camp on the south end of the lake. The BCFS camp appears to be free with large private camp spots. Lots of trees and shrubs between.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Johnson Lake the Caribbean lake of BC Canada - KAYAKlog: Labour Day Weekend
August 30 - Sept 2nd 2013
From Kamloops BC get on Highway 5 head to Barriere, B.C. (Reccommend filling up your vehicle at Barriere, B.C. before heading to the lake.)Get onto Agate Bay road (Agate Bay Road is before Barriere from Kamloops) head up this Agate Bay road to HywyTurnoff-01 (GPS coordinates Below) it is a dirt road with a sign that says "Johnson Lake Resort" on the Left from Barriere or on the Right from Kamloops way.
(NEW added GoogleMAPS links to GPS Coordinates)
HywyTurnOff-01
N51 07.353 W119 54.028
Follow the dirt road up, when you get to the "Y" in this road at the coordinates below turn RIGHT
Right at the"Y"-02
N51 09.628 W119 49.505
At this point (coordinates below) you can turn LEFT for the Johnson Lake Resort or turn RIGHT and go to the BCFS camp.
Left RESORT right BCFS-03
N51 10.132 W119 47.747
Johnson Lake BCFS Camp
N51 09.421 W119 43.231
RE: Johnson Lake Resort ( http://www.JohnsonLakeResort.com 250-434-4111 info@JohnsonLakeResort.com )
The Resort has 2-way radio communications. Tune your GMRS radios to Channel: 21 Code: 21. Very friendly people and one of the group of campers Dean was his name welcomed us and brought us a coffee over from his camp. Dean also invited us for the evening potluck they had planned. Unfortunately we had to depart as our spot was booked for that evening/night so we had to move on by noon checkout.
On Friday we arrived very late and camped along side the road at Johnson Lake as there were no camp spots at the BCFS camp, there were many pullouts along the roadside. Very hard to see the lake as the forest is very thick around the lake. The dirt road follows the shoreline of the lake with a small treed forested buffer zone between the road and the shore of the lake.
The morning following (Saturday Morning) we checked the BCFS camp and again found it still full so we spent the night at Johnson Lake Resort. $30.00 plus tax to Tent Camp at the Resort. Once we set up camp we enjoyed a day of circumnavigating the lake.
Sunday morning we headed to the BCFS camp and found a camp spot where we camped for the night to Monday morning when we departed for home. Johnson Lake is an awesome lake to explore. Very clear water and a Turquoise colour as the water deepened. It was quite interesting shooting a clear video underwater.
All in all I would highly recommend paddling on Johnson Lake with water like the Caribbean Ocean where you can watch the fish swim over the sandy lake bottom from the comfort of your kayak.
"This water is clearer then your running water at home. you could see into the water very deep into the lake. when the lake was totally calm I could see the fish on the bottom of the lake along with any branches in the water and the white bottom. It was an amazing lake to kayak on. This lake is enjoyed by small motor boats along with many kayakers and paddle boards. This is a must see if you want to check out unique lake.
My
Live Kayaking & Outdoors Blog http://www.KAYAKokanagan.com " Quote: Johnson Lake by Kathy McA
YouTube Video of this trip below
SLIDESHOW
Short Video EVERYTRAIL
Johnson Lake EveryTrail.com
~GuyThaLizard http://www.GuyThaLizard.com http://www.KAYAKokanagan.com
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Searching for my Oldtown KayakingLog: 04-25-13
Beautiful day for kayaking on Skaha Lake in the South Okanagan Valley
If you come across this kayak on your paddles or travels or on the web posted for sale, please contact me or the RCMP in Penticton, BC, Canada. RCMP file number 2013-4460. I have had this kayak since 2007 and it has quite a lot of sentimental value. This kayak was taken from our beach recently.
This Oldtown Dimension VieII has a Solar Deck Light on the Bow.
also has extra bungie cords on the Stern, a 1/2" gray PVC pipe under the front and back seats to help support the bottom. On the PVC pipe it has a cup holder. On the back of the seat in the front there are 2 broomstick holders that acted as a mount for my monopod for my camera. in the bottom is a piece of blue closed-cell camping foam.
~GuyThaLizard http://www.GuyThaLizard.com http://www.KAYAKokanagan.com
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Transport Canada Regulations for Kayaks & Canoes etc.
Spring is almost here and people are getting ready to take up kayaking. Here are the Transport Canada Regulations for your new kayak or canoe. I have listed below a PDF file of these regulations for you to print off if you wish at the bottom of this page as well as a direct link to the Transport Canada site.
Paddle safe!
~Guy
Human-powered pleasure craft (including canoes, kayaks, rowboats and rowing shells)
Personal Lifesaving Appliances
1. One (1) Canadian-approved personal flotation device or lifejacket of appropriate size for each person on board
Note: A personal flotation device or lifejacket carried on board a human-powered pleasure craft operated in whitewater must be inherently buoyant.
2. One (1) buoyant heaving line at least 15m (49’3”) long
3. One (1) reboarding device
Note: A reboarding device is only required if the vertical height that must be climbed to reboard the pleasure craft from the water is over 0.5 m (1’8”).Visual Signals
5. Six (6) Canadian-approved flares of Type A (Rocket Parachute), B (Multi-Star) or C (Hand)
Only required if the pleasure craft is over 6 m
4. One (1) watertight flashlightNote: Flares are not required for a pleasure craft that:
- is operating on a river, canal or lake in which it can never be more than one (1) nautical mile (1.852 km) from shore; or
- has no sleeping quarters and is engaged in an official competition or in final preparation for an official competition.
Vessel Safety Equipment
6. One (1) bailer or manual bilge pump
OR
Bilge-pumping arrangements
Note: A bailer or manual bilge pump is not required for a pleasure craft that cannot hold enough water to make it capsize or a pleasure craft that has watertight compartments that are sealed and not readily accessible.
Navigation equipment
7. One (1) sound-signalling appliance that meets the applicable standards set out in the Collision Regulations
OR
A sound-signalling device
8. Navigation lights that meet the requirements set out in the Collision Regulations
Note:
- Navigation lights are only required if the pleasure craft is operated after sunset, before sunrise, or in periods of restricted visibility (fog, falling snow, etc.).
- For a human-powered vessel, this requirement can be met with a watertight flashlight
You can learn more about the requirements for your pleasure craft by consulting the navigation lights section of the Safe Boating Guide9. One (1) magnetic compass
Note: A magnetic compass is not required if the pleasure craft is 8 m (26’3”) or less and is operated within sight of seamarks (navigation marks).
10. One (1) radar reflector is required under certain conditions
2010-05-14
DIRECT LINK: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/debs-obs-equipment-size-unpowered-192.htm
PDF file of the regulations below:
Sunday, January 27, 2013
YES we have a Facebook Page! Kayaking Okanagan
YES,.. www.KAYAKokanagan.com does have a Facebook Page you can join.
We post our future kayaking trips in the EVENTS section of our facebook group. If you would like to join us on a paddle trip please join our Facebook group and let us know. If you don't kayak and are rather just interested in following only to keep updated with the photos / videos again feel free to join.
You can also follow on Twitter @KAYAKokanagan .
This is an open group and is targeted to Canoe, Kayak & outdoor enthusiasts in the
Beautiful Okanagan Valley of BC Canada.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Kayaks overtake canoe sales in Canada - thestar.com
The below article was clipped from: http://www.thestar.com Direct link to the original post are at the bottom of the clip. ~Guy
Kayaks overtake canoe sales in Canada
Published on Thursday August 30, 2012Share on twitterCARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STARSales of kayaks have overtaken canoe sales in Canada. Are we still Canadian?
Francine Kopun
Business Reporter
Perhaps you noticed, while inching across the border this summer, or stuck in cottage-country traffic, all the kayaks lashed to the roofs of cars.
It’s because the humble, hardworking canoe, a longstanding symbol of Canadian culture and character, has been overtaken in popularity by the kayak.
Retailers say kayaks now outsell canoes by a factor of ten in some locations, and far more people are signing up for kayak lessons than for courses on how to master the subtleties of the J-Stroke.
“I haven’t taught a canoe lesson in years. We don’t even offer them anymore,” said Kelly McDowell, owner of The Complete Paddler, which has a 10,000 square-foot, year-round showroom in Toronto.
Kayaks make up 70 per cent of his sales, canoes 30 per cent.
“I don’t remember what year it took off. It’s just been gradual over the past decade.”
Retailers say kayaks are outselling canoes because they are faster, cheaper, lighter, smaller, and require little training to use recreationally. They cut well through still water, rapids and swells. Because they sit low in the water, they aren’t as affected by wind and waves as canoes are.
Graham Ketcheson, executive director of Paddle Canada, says canoe sales have been stagnating across the country for years.
“We have eight regional associations. They’ve all seen the change too.”
In the U.S., where sales are tracked by the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association, 77,800 canoes were sold in 2011 and 234,800 kayaks. Ketcheson said there is no association in Canada that tracks canoe and kayak sales.
“Even kids are getting into it. You can throw a small child into a kayak and it’s amazing how quickly they can get moving,” says Ketcheson.
Dave Corrigan, owner of Harbourfront Canoe and Kayak Centre at Queen’s Quay and Rees St., runs evening paddles in Lake Ontario three nights a week. About 40-60 kayakers show up most nights and occasionally, a canoeist or two.
“Kayaks surpassed canoeing five-six years ago, mainly because of our location and kayaks are more affordable,” said Corrigan.
Although canoes are more economical for families because they can carry more people and gear, kayaks are cheaper to buy for the solo paddler. An introductory kayak goes for about $500 and there are plenty of good choices under $1,000 says Jay Mothersill, owner of the Muskoka Paddle Shack.
He says a decent fiberglass canoe starts at about $1,000.
He sells ten kayaks for every canoe.
“A lot of us want instant gratification,” says Mothersill. “To become a good canoeist takes time. It can be a frustrating sport if you don’t want to put the time in. If you put the time in, it’s a magical sport.”
Kayakers call the canoe a divorce machine because they typically hold two paddlers, he says.
“There’s a lot of teamwork involved and communication. When you throw two people in a canoe with paddles, right away, they’re blaming each other and bickering with each other.”
The canoe has been used since before recorded time in Canada. First Nations used them. They were adopted by European explorers and fur-running coureurs de bois. The design has been little changed for hundreds of years.
Canadian artists, poets and songwriters have celebrated the canoe, including landscape painter Tom Thomson, who drowned mysteriously in Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park.
Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau was an enthusiast. Author Pierre Berton once famously said that a true Canadian is one who can make love in a canoe without tipping it. The late Bill Mason became a folk hero for his solo canoe exploits and films.
Times have changed. William Straw, a professor and director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, says canoes are meant for a slower, more contemplative journey.
“We’re in a much more fast-paced society now.”
Connoisseurs dismiss cheap plastic kayaks as beach toys, something to splash around in off a deck or to whip around the lake in for exercise.
And retailers agree canoes will always be in demand. For exploring the back-country in places like Algonquin Park, they can’t be beaten.
Canoes were made for portaging, making it possible to explore a network of lakes and rivers separated by land over a day or several days.
“We carry kayaks to placate the cottage customer,” says Brent Statten, general manager of Langford Canoe in Dwight, Ont.
Langford Canoe makes cedar canoes by hand that sell for $7,000.
“A cedar canoe is a work of art. The only thing you could compare them to is a violin or a piano,” says Statten.
Kayak sales peaked at Langford Canoe about five years ago, and canoes are coming back, says Statten.
He says some people are intimidated by canoeing, but it’s easy.
“I think using a canoe is made to be this mystical thing because it’s such an iconic image, a symbol of Canada. But it’s still pretty easy to learn a J-Stroke, which is where 90 per cent of canoeing comes from.”
Two years ago Swift Canoe and Kayak was selling almost as many kayaks as canoes, but the market has recently swung back towards canoes, says owner Bill Swift.
His firm now manufactures three canoes for every kayak, but he believes he’s an anomaly.
“There’s no question about it. There’s more people kayaking than canoeing. You can see it every day up and down the highway.”
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1249472--kayaks-overtake-canoe-sales-...
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
"Fall Colours" Skaha Lake Kayaking October 25th, 2011
Kayaking after work this afternoon (October 25, 2011) paddled from home across the lake and back. Wanted to snap some Autumn photos. Here is a video slideshow of my afternoon paddle.
Direct YouTube Link
Guy
http://guythalizard.posterous.com
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sugar Lake, BC Kayak Expedition 2010 (Slideshow) by Shuswap Kayaks
A Labour Day weekend well spent at beautiful Sugar Lake, BC. Explored sandy beaches and rugged island shores - including a cave at the South Island. Join us on one of our outings - we are Shuswap Kayaks, a non-profit association of independent kayakers. Visit us at: http://www.shuswapkayaks.com/
I haven't been there yet myself (Sugar Lake 50.4000, -118.5168 ) but it sure looks like a great place to kayak next summer.
Guy
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