Welcome to Breakfast in America
My photo journal is an eclectic mix of things; there’s no guiding theme or topic. It is whatever happens to catch my attention, what I’ve been thinking, doing, and whatever my current obsessions are. At the moment, they are clearing some of the backlog on my ‘honey-do’ list, backpacking and hammock camping.
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Berry Bend Campfire
Sitting by the camp fire. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We cheated on the fire.
We didn’t want to spend a lot of time and energy gathering and cutting wood, so we bought some logs for $4 and I split them. We did light the fire backpacking style using cotton wool pads coated with Vaseline. We were also careful to ensure that sparks from the fire didn’t get near the chairs as a flat mattress would have been a disaster for the night. The mattresses provide the ground insulation for our Big Agnes sleeping bags. A mattress repair kit will have to be an essential item when we go backpacking.
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Camping at Berry Bend
Gary and Ginger: wildlife and lake watching. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This weekend we tried out our backpacking gear.
Friday evening we took Alek, Katie, Emilie and Malaki to Kansas City for Happening. We needed to be on hand to collect them again Sunday afternoon, so we left Lanie in the capable hands of Betsy, put Getzger in charge at home and once we’d dropped the big kids off at Kansas City we went camping at Berry Bend on Harry S. Truman Lake.
As our goal was to test the gear, not our ability to carry the packs we only backpacked the amazing distance of around 30 feet from the car to the campsite. We didn’t arrive until after nine p.m., which meant we had to make camp in the dark. It was remarkably easy considering we’ve only put up our new tent once before.
We didn’t bother with the kayaks and had a quiet day sitting watching the lake and wildlife instead. It gave us a change to try out our chairs. I was dubious about the sitting so low to the ground, but they proved very comfortable. The great thing about the chairs is that they use our existing bed mattresses for the seat and seat back so there’s very little extra to carry.
We saw loads of different woodpeckers, hawks, and other birds including a bald eagle. We also watched the squirrels and chipmunks rushing around. Over the course of the weekend we also saw a deer, possum, coyote, and evidence of a beaver.
I never did get a chance to read the book I brought along, and I don’t think Ginger got much knitting done either.
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Oh noes…
Mr. Cat should be ashamed …Getzger Cat realizes that the pictures of him sitting on the bed yesterday might end up on Facebook.
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Oh, Getzger!
Getger Cat continues to amaze and amuse us. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. “Oh, Getzger!” That’s a fairly frequent exclamation here. Once again Mr. Cat demonstrates his impeccable style and panache. Today Getzger practiced his ‘Jabba the Hutt’ impersonation.
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Minivan Complete with ‘Stealth Pods’
Put-in point for kayaking on James River. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We call them stealth pods because once we have them on the roof people seem to be unable to see us coming and pull out in front of us, or even drive into us!
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Kayaking on James River
Kayaking on James River. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Look carefully and you’ll see Ginger in the distance.
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James River Near the Crighton Access Point
James River Near the Crighton Access Point. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We put in at the Crighton access point on the James River this afternoon. The light was excellent and the colder weather meant that there was no one else around. This was our first time out in a ‘proper river’ with a bit of a current, so we had a bit of fun with a couple of riffles.
I decided not to take my anchor of fishing gear. I should have taken both; the anchor so we could stay in one place when we stopped for a drink, and the fishing gear because there were a lot of likely looking spots for fishing.
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Ginger kayaking on James River
Ginger kayaking on James River. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Shallows on James River
Shallows on James River. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. 
Shallows on James River. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We put in at the Crighton access point on the James River this afternoon. The light was excellent and the colder weather meant that there was no one else around. This was our first time out in a ‘proper river’ with a bit of a current, so we had a bit of fun with a couple of riffles. I decided not to take my anchor of fishing gear. I should have taken both; the anchor so we could stay in one place when we stopped for a drink, and the fishing gear because there were a lot of likely looking spots for fishing.
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Kayaking and Fishing on Stockton Lake
Kayaking and Fishing on Stockton Lake. Copyright © 2010 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We decided to make the most of the nice weather and packed the van the previous night, got up extra early and loaded the Kayaks on the van before the school run. We were on the lake by 9.30am.
We put in at Mutton Creek, and we took it quite easy, paddling north up the lake and I spent a fair time fishing – catching three fish. There was hardly anyone out today. We stopped here for lunch and to have a swim. It may not look like it but the lake drops to over 50′ deep very quickly here.
Changing the subject – I’m really looking forward to changing the color of my paddles to something a little darker, that blue clashes with the camo.
