Waiting for rough water...

Sunday afternoon I invited a friend to got to the lake and ride my jet ski.  She'd never been on a jet ski...and it was on her "bucket list."  So, for me it was a no-brainer to ask her to check that one off! 

It was a beautifully hot, sunny afternoon, but clouds had already gathered on the western horizon and were threatening to do something.  But that was OK; I'd be watching the weather closely.  We put the jet ski in the water, and I gave the grand tour of Ocean Lake.  The water was warm and mirror smooth.

After a couple hours, the clouds  moved in, and it was obviously raining in scattered areas near the mountains to the south and to the north of us.  But it was perfectly warm and still where we were.  I was really surprised that the wind had not kicked up...as it usually does.  I made this remark several times.  If I had wanted smooth water to ski, the wind would have picked up the minute we got to the lake!!  But, the water was like glass.  I suggested we watch the weather for a little bit from shore...but nothing changed.  So, then I suggested that my friend take the jet ski out on her own and play around a bit.  She did.  And within 5 minutes the wind kicked up...suddenly...as per usual.  She came racing back to shore.

 We got the ski turned around,  and together we headed for the forming white caps to have a wild ride. It's a blast driving in rough water!  First, I went in the direction of the wind, hitting the waves head on.  We hit a few troughs and tips of waves that sent water splashing down on us!  Exhilarating!  Then I turned the ski in the opposite direction to ride the waves.  We were getting launched off some sizable whitecaps, getting bounced around and  sprayed. Repeat: into the wind...then with the wind. Yahoo!  We were screaming and laughing at the thrills. 

Yep, we hit it just right...getting to ride on smooth water and rough!! 

After we were played out, we decided to load the ski on the trailer, and with the waves, it took both of us.  But what fun. 

Big Horn Canyon, final thoughts...

What a fun time on the water!  

I’ve always loved being on the water and am ready for just about any excuse to do so.  I used to slalom ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, and tube for all I was worth; I just couldn’t wait for the next trip out to the lake!  My brother and I have stories of skiing so hard and long, we could hardly pull ourselves back into the boat!  And for the next week, we could barely lift a glass of water to our lips... or lift our arms to wash our hair or brush our teeth, “oooowwww!”   But after resting for a week, we were ready to get back at it and build up those muscles! 

 Now I’m happy to pull others around the lake.  Or take a beautiful tour of some of the spectacular waterways in our state.  That’s excitement enough!  I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to return to Big Horn Canyon this summer…and hope to do it again.  

Looking up, that's where the overlook is located and where I took the pictures for the opening of this post about the canyon.

Big Horn Canyon, continued...

When we arrived at Horseshoe Bend, the marina where we would launch the jet ski, it was about 10:00 a.m., and not many people had started to unload.  That made it really nice to get the trailer backed down the ramp without a lot of people waiting.  

After slowly cruising out of the marina boundaries, we found that Horseshoe Bend is a pretty big area.  Once we were all ready, we headed north to the waters between the high canyon walls.  As the rock walls began to rise, our friends wanted to stop for a while to let the boys jump off the cliff walls.  So we watched them climb up the rock ledge and then muster the nerve to actually make the jump.  They commented that it didn’t look too terribly high from the water, but once you were up there, it was intimidating!  As we watched them jump, it seemed like they had a lot of "hang time," and their legs would start pedaling on the way down.  Then “whoosh,” they’d disappear into the deep water.

The boys climbed up on  this rock ledge and jumped off.

Then they found this ledge to jump off...even more of a thrill.

We explored the first few miles of the canyon and took some pictures before lunch.  The canyon walls rise as high as 1000 feet.  In the deepest areas, the water goes down as far as 500 feet. 

A scenic picture near Devil's Canyon.

 After lunch, it was decided that the adults would take a tour of the canyon, going up about 25 miles, just beyond Barry’s Landing.  That covers the most spectacular scenery in the canyon. The guys were driving the other two jet skis and had their wives on behind.  My friend Julie was riding behind me, and we were hoping to cruise, look around, and have ample time for pictures.   When they said, "Let’s go,” I had no idea they meant full throttle!!  Whoa.  The boys obviously loved the open water and high speeds!  So as not to be left behind, I did my best to follow…30 mph…40 mph…45 mph …50 mph!!??? I guess this was not the scenic tour!!  It was all I could do to navigate the waves and keep us from being bounced around too much.  I had a death grip on the handle bars, my pony tail was flying, and the wind blew my visor off…three times.  Luckily, Julie caught it each time, and I finally decided to just hook it around my knee and forget it. 

Do you see the jet ski on the right edge of the picture?

 After a few miles, the guys stopped, waited a minute for us to catch up, and then pointed out some beautiful rock formations.  As we cruised into Devil's Canyon, we got a real treat: we spotted several mountain goats.    

Continuing up the river, we were enveloped by the colorful rock walls.  Jenn noted that between the walls we felt so small, like an ant in a deep sidewalk crack!  Perhaps one can get a sense of that from the pictures.  As boats and jet skis moved up and down the river, the waves they created didn’t have far to go before they bounced off the wall; thus, the waters stayed stirred up  as long as water-crafts were throwing big wakes.

Big Horn Canyon

Yesterday I returned to a beautiful, scenic, recreational area I had not visited in about 15 years.  It’s interesting how one forgets many of the details of an area; yet some details get tucked into the long-term memory bank, not to be forgotten.  I’m so thankful I could make a return trip to the Big Horn Canyon Recreational Site to refresh the details, as this is a beautiful place.

Big Horn Canyon is in northern Wyoming, just outside of Lovell. I traveled with one of my teaching buddies, and we met another teaching buddy and her family at the river to ride our jet skis up Big Horn Canyon about 25 miles.  One can actually ride all the way to Yellowtail Dam in Montana, which is about 50 miles, one way.

The first time I made this trip, I owned a 20 ft. Ebko boat.  My brother and his family rode with me, and we traveled the river all the way to Yellowtail Dam.  The run-off that year was plentiful, and in many places we encountered pockets of debris in the river, through which we had to carefully maneuver.  It was great fun “running the river” at top speed and jumping the wakes of other boats. The river was green and very deep, and the canyon walls were unforgettable, a few details that stayed with me.

Yesterday’s adventure started by taking a look at the canyon from the top.  We drove to Devil’s Canyon overlook, where we could see the river as it snaked through the canyon walls.  That’s where we would be riding…

Big Horn Canyon