Sunday, September 26, 2010

Escape to the lake


I made my hubby take a vacation day with me so we could take the boat out to Saylorville Lake north of Des Moines.  Saylorville has been flooded most of the summer due to heavy rains, but now the lake levels are back to normal and all the boat ramps are open.

I took the necessary boating gear:  sunscreen, a paperback and Austrailian licorce.


The skies were blue and the weather was 80 degrees.  But, boy, was it windy out on the lake!  We had to cut through quite a few waves to make it to the other side of the Mile Long Bridge.


 I seriously didn't know that there were seagulls in Iowa until I moved to central Iowa.  Saylorville is a stop-over for many species of migratory birds, including pelicans and these gulls.


Once we cut across the lake, my hubby parked our boat near the Big Creek Spillway.  To be honest, I thought he parked us a little too close.  But I tried not to complain and make him nervous.  (He's always a little jumpy when he takes me on the boat with him.)



My hubby didn't have much luck catching any fish.  I still haven't bought a fishing license this year (hard to fish when the river/lakes are flooded), so I just watched him while I snacked on a bag of Doritos -- a rare treat for me nowadays.


Ahh -- a day at the lake!


You can see on the shore where the waterline was during the floods this summer.  See all the trees pushed up in the grass by the flood waters.  Quite a bit of the shoreline washed away.


Our ride back to the lake was very splashy.  We both got soaking wet from the waves crashing against the boat.  It probably was a bit windy for a boat ride.  But it was great to spend a day outside with my hubby.

What's your favorite way to unwind on a day off?

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