SHORTEST CAMP OUT EVER!

Shade won't go down the trail.  She follows reluctantly and absolutely will not proceed ahead of me.  I trust her intuition and we returned to the tent site.

We arrived at Calderwood lake mid afternoon.  There was no one there.  Not one truck or car was in the parking lot.  The air was stifling, even up here on this mountain lake.  My clothes were becoming soaked.  I motored to the hill side camp spot and found it covered with downed trees.  there must have been some serious wind on this lake recently.  We turned the boat and headed to Slick Rock Creek.  I wanted to stay on the hill side spot because I can see up and down the lake from there.  Beaver, otter and wood ducks could be observed from that vantage point before they would be aware of our presence.  No luck.  Slick rock Creek would do.

Its great to be on Calderwood Lake.  This is how a lake should look.  That shoreline is primitive and pristine.  It is a man made lake, a reservoir, but its a sweet piece of water.  The white lines against the left shoreline is fog.  It comes and goes all day long due to the hot, moisture laden air contacting the very cold water.  These pictures are all taken with the Canon SD990 and may show some lack of crispness due to the overcast, dark day.  The SD990 does not allow much control over shutter adjustment.  As I said earlier - high winds on the lake have uprooted many trees along the water.  I have not seen this happen up here in the 8 years I've been frequenting this lake.  I'm glad I wasn't camping during that wind.

This group of trees was blown over and their roots actually peeled back the shoreline they were anchored to.  I wonder how a tent would fare in wind that strong.

The channel leading up to Slick Rock Creek is not a deep one and its necessary to stay over to the left side of it.

The water was deep enough to float the Gheenoe over the rocky bottom without touching.  I usually use a sea anchor back here but I can tie the boat to a tree.

The creek was simply lovely and its always so green back here.

I had the tent up in 30 seconds.  Yes, I said 30 seconds.  It took longer to pull it out of its encasement than it did to erect it.  It is an Australian Oz Tent and incorporates an internal frame that the fabric is attached to.  The thing is slick!  I have a detailed review on this tent else-ware on this blog.  Its biggest down-fall is its large size when rolled up.  She's a big one to stow on a boat.

 I keep the ground cloth, above, rolled and strapped into a neat little package.

The tent, above, is unzipped from its case, pulled out and laid onto the ground cloth. 

The legs of the tent will be pulled out left and right and the floor of the tent will be that shiny part laying on the ground cloth.

All that is necessary now is to step onto the floor of the tent, the smooth section behind the "A" looking section, grab the tent where the top of the "A" is formed and pick it up.  The tent swings up over you,  locks open and is erected.  Simply push the locks down on the vertical frame pieces inside the tent, one second, and the tent is fully ready for live in.  It truly goes up in under 30 seconds.  This is a wonderful feature if the storm is upon you.

Shade instantly entered the tent and made herself at home.  Its ok as I carry a light weight ground cloth to lay on top the floor of the tent for just that purpose.  I hate those logs that the Forest Service lays down to outline tent spots.  I know they want tents to be placed in the same locations at all times and the shredded, treated tree bark covering the tent space keeps weeds from taking over the sight but, the enclosures are very small.  In actuality, they are unnecessary as there is nowhere else that a tent will fit on that shoreline.  Calderwood Lake has very few flat spots that will accommodate a tent.   One is forced to use the same flat spot all the time whether logs outline the site or not.  I just don't like being directed what to do out here.  These sites weren't here six or seven years ago.

The camp was set and I grabbed a shoulder bag and took off up the trail that follows the creek.  The humidity was intense.  This is very unusual for Calderwood Lake.  I've never experienced humidity like this.  My clothes were totally soaked.  Shade kept looking up the trail and was reluctant to proceed, following behind me.  She sat down and wouldn't move forward.  I walked to the water and threw a stick in for her to swim to.  She walked down beside me but wouldn't swim.  She was very uneasy about moving up the trail.

I've learned that dogs see, hear and smell everything.  I've also learned to trust their judgement in such matters.  There was something up the trail that Shade did not want to confront, some smell, some noise I couldn't hear, something out of the ordinary that she wasn't familiar with.  I turned and walked from the stream toward the trail and Shade loped up to the trail and jogged back toward the camp.  This is very unusual and I followed her back.  The stream would be there tomorrow.  It was getting late anyway and the sun would start falling in about three hours.

This area is probably the wildest area one can find in the state of Tennessee, discounting the National Park, and contains a good representation of wildlife indigenous to the state.  There is a heavy population of black bear and wild boar present due to the endless mountainous habitat.  I suspect that Shade acquired the scent of one of those species and being new to her, created an uneasiness within her.  

We got back to the tent and I assembled my favorite chair, sat down and started to write in my journal.   A gentle rain started to fall and a breeze wafted past me instantly cooling me down.  Shade was laying inside the tent.  What is with her?

I glanced up from writing and noticed that things were looking a bit different.  I couldn't put my finger on it right away but, finally figured it out.  There were rocks sticking out of the water that I didn't see when I pulled the boat into this cove.  If you look at the shoreline in the photo above, you'll see that the water has lowered.  The water level is dropping while I sit here.  I ran down to the boat and saw that it was now touching rocks.  If this lake level kept dropping like this we would be unable to float the boat and get out of here.  This could be a big deal for the following reasons:

I come to these out of the way places alone and anything can happen.  Cell phones will not work here.  A slip on a wet rock could break a wrist, snake bite is a possibility or a new attack of sciatica isn't out of the question.  In short - a way out is essential.  Its more than important and my exit was being blocked.  I instantly dismantled the camp and tossed everything into the boat haphazardly.  We had to get going.  I hated to leave but good judgement dictated we do so.  I had to push the boat off the rocks by wading while pushing and lifting the bow of the boat back to deeper water.  The channel leading in here is shallow at best to begin with.  Shade jumped in and I fired up the engine and we were off.  The channel was so shallow that I had to raise the engine clear out of the water and use a wooden pole to push the boat through the tiny, deep channel along the right shoreline to the mouth of the waterway and open water.  Made it. The shoreline on the main lake didn't reflect the lake draw-down.  I guess it is more apparent back in the narrow confines of the creek channel.  Anyway - we're on the main lake and were ok.

Wood ducks were all over the lake.  I had plans of being out here from camp very early in the morning to photograph them.  Things don't always go as planned.  Looks like we're going to miss a great night fall and some interesting weather.

I noticed a lot of workers on the face of Cheoah Dam as we left the Calderwood Lake area.  They were working with steel and concrete it seemed.  I also noticed there was no water being released from that dam due, no doubt, to the repairs or construction being undertaken.  No water was entering Calderwood Dam but, obviously there was water leaving it.  That explains the water loss.  It still was a nice day on Calderwood Lake even though the overnight camping plans were scrubbed.   Calderwood Lake is a magic place and I cherish any opportunity I have to be there.  It is a fantastic canoe lake too and that's what we'll be doing on the next visit.  See ya next time.

THE SECOND BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN A ROW

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No, not a storm.  Its early morning on Douglas Lake (The Mud Hole.)  

The nice thing about early morning is that the houses that line the lake in rows are not as apparent.  I enjoy being on the water before anyone else.  The surface is smooth and silky as if it were a dark mirror.
We were driving on the same section of lake as yesterday.  Odd to be scheduled on the same water two days in a row at the same shift times - morning.  At least its a different day.  We headed toward Henderson Island and the first cove to the right just below it.

I thought I may as well pull horizontal to the shoreline back here in the cove and let the sun rise a little further and give fishermen time to get on the water.  I eased the side of the boat against the shoreline and pulled out the binoculars to have a look around.
I have a pair of Nikon Monarch 10X56's.  These binoculars are indispensable for searching out wildlife.  I can find critters on shore without stopping the boat.  Shade took off down the shoreline while I stayed on the boat and scanned everything on the shoreline.  Driftwood, rocks and sandy places as well as grass, trees and even floating logs were scrutinized.  I noticed a little brown spot that hopped straight up in the air on top a log.  It did it again and was moving down the old piece of wood.  I hopped off the boat and strolled over to the dead snag.  There I found a well camouflaged toad.  He was just a tiny little guy.

Look closely.  He's tiny.

Southern Toad

And, no - toads won't give you warts.
These photos were taken with the 500 mm lens.  It is an awkward lens to tote around in the woods or to even carry anywhere.  The focal length is too long also.  I have to stay back away from the subject as the lens will not focus at close quarters.  I have a 70-300 mm that would be perfect for insects, amphibians and reptiles.  A lot of people feel that a macro lens is essential for butterflies and small creatures.  Not so!  There aren't many critters in the wild that will hold still while you walk up to it, hold a camera over it and focus on it.  Even this toad would not have stood still for such nonsense.  Macros have their places, mainly for stationary subjects but, for live critters they are deficient.  A short to medium telephoto is more practical.  Look at the butterfly below:

 A little difficult to see?  Lets crank up the focal length a bit.  Below:

Still not close enough?  We'll increase the focal length even more.  Below"

And, finally we have it in all its glory:

Above:  Gulf Fritillary

Telephotos aren't the last word in wildlife photography but, they are the primary lens of use.  The tele part of the word means it adjusts to different focal lengths.  Oh well - if you wish to capture intimate, microscopic detail then, the macro is the lens of choice.  If you wish to photograph critters in their element without disturbing them then, the telephoto would be the lens of choice.  Photography is a super hobby.  Wildlife photography is a challenging vocation that requires an understanding of the critters one seeks to capture in the little memory box as well as a good understanding of how the little memory box works.  I like it.

 An american crow thinks its a black vulture as it tears a dead fish apart.

A turtle basks in the sun but, ever watchful for danger.

 He appears to be an eastern box turtle.  Turtles absolutely will not tolerate human intervention.

During all this intense photographic action I managed to cross the lake and interview a few fishing boats.  The morning shift was almost over.  I was cruising along the right shoreline and scanning ahead of me with binoculars to determine if boats were of the fishing or pleasure ilk.  I also watched the edge of the water.  The binoculars passed over a critter sitting back in a hole in the bank.  It was a little duck.  He had a really nice little hideout.

 As it turned out, the she is really a he.  She's a little female wood duck.

She is the first wood duck I've seen on this mud hole.  What's more odd is that she is totally alone. Wood ducks are gregarious critters.

She left her cave and climbed up on the stone wall and stopped.  This is very odd for a wood duck.  She may be sick or old and unable to fly.  She blended in well with her background.

 The little duck on the barron stone wall appears as a flower would on an endless desert of sand.

We turned the boat toward the ramp and I looked back at her one final time, her smallness so obvious, and thought to myself,  "your mother will care for you little wood duck or, she'll bring you home to her.  You are the child of Mother Nature and she forgets none of her children.

A storm is raging tonight as I write this.  The camping gear is loaded in the truck and all that is required is to hook up the boat.  I want to go to Calderwood Lake for a camp out with Shade in the morning.  Rain is in the forecast over the next few days so I'll check the weather in the morning for any storm predictions.  We'll see what happens. 

UNUSUALLY QUIET MORNING ON DOUGLAS LAKE

click photos to enlarge

The TWA commercial jet approached the runway at Tan Son Nhut air base without circling.  It was going in fairly hot.  The big jet was in the air all the way from Alaska to Vietnam non stop.  He looked out the side window as the plane banked slightly to the left and thought, "am I still on planet earth?"
The runway was part metal and part concrete with the last few hundred yards being of clay.  Enormous beveled pits pock marked the ground on either side of it and extended out in all directions for at least a quarter mile. They were so numerous that the edge of each crater touched the top edge of another beside it.  It would be impossible to walk between those big holes.   Later he was told that Charlie mortared the runway daily at 1500 hours and the Army Corp of Engineers came out late afternoon and repaired it.  It was a continual daily process.  He was thrown forward in his seat as the wheels touched down and the brakes were applied.  The jet turned around at the end of the runway and everyone was herded off the plane.  The exit ramp and door were lifted and shut instantly and the jet was rolling down the metal runway before he actually walked away from the plane.  The jet was a sitting duck and needed to become airborne as soon as possible.  He lifted the duffle bag onto his right shoulder and wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into.

Shade and I arrived at the lake just as the sun came up.  The morning was beautiful.  There was only one empty fishing boat trailer in the parking lot of the boat ramp.  No one could be seen on the lake.  We would run the right side shoreline past Henderson Island Wildlife Preserve this morning.  It felt good to be on the water.  I figured that if I had a shot at any wildlife it would be early in the morning before the noisy pleasure boats and jet skis arrived.  The camera with the big lens was pulled out and laid beside me and off we went.  The First Mate was on point.

Shade was really into the boat ride today.  What a baby doll!  

Shade doesn't care where she's going - just so she's going somewhere.  She's really unique.  I don't trick her into looking at me.  When she is near,  her eyes are on my face at "all" times.  Even when she lays down she constantly watches my face.   Her devotion and dedication are amazing!










I glassed the entire shoreline ahead of us and there wasn't one fishing boat.  I thought surely there  would be anglers out before the hot sun arrived.  There was no sense burning gasoline driving to nowhere so I banked the boat into the mouth of a cove.

I usually use the binoculars to glass the shorelines when I turn into coves.  One never knows what photographic opportunity awaits.  There may even be a fisherman hanging out back in these narrow waterways.  I saw movement clear in the back of the cove on the shore.  That's usually where critters are found on this overpopulated human mud hole of a lake.  A flock of turkeys were casually making their way down to the water.  I shut the noisy engine off and lowered the electric motor into the water.  I needed to sneak a lot closer.  The turkeys ignored the big white boat coming slowly toward them.  Now, if Shade would only stay cool.

I don't understand why these two adult turkeys are with youngsters.  I need to read up on turkeys. Those small turkeys are definitely juveniles.   They still were ignoring the boat although, that adult on the right was becoming aware of us.

  Turkeys are very keen animals and we dare not get closer.  There's no sense in disturbing them.  Its their morning to enjoy.  Life's tough enough for them without some guy and a dog making them nervous.   I turned the boat back the way we came.  The turkeys lingered on without any fear.

There was one boat that may be a fishing boat far out and across the lake.  We were reaching the boundary of our area for the morning and went across the lake to talk to the guy.  I can't believe the very light fishing pressure this morning.  I'm not complaining.

Paw prints in the sand - her temporary signature that waters wash away.  Elusive proof of her passing - unlike the indelible paw print petroglyphs she inscribes on my heart.

Above:  I took the truck into Firestone Tire for some work and Shade landed a temporary position as "Customer Greeter" for the morning.  She's a real trip!  She looks so lost in that picture.  Aha - not so!