Awesome encounter

Ok, well that was a dig. Encounter? Not really.

So I went fishing this afternoon. Nothing really happened there except a dude pulling up talking LOUDLY on his cell and getting set up to fish RIGHT NEXT TO ME. I wasn't too into it anymore, so I left. But driving up the lake looking at all the other people out, I saw a guy on the side of the road. Sitting in his chair, fiddling with his rod. Then what I thought was a duck came over, essentially, the hood of the truck to land. Wasn't a duck! It was an osprey! It slammed into the water and came up with a little fish! I'm hammering on the brakes because I saw this guy's bobber and line go up with the bird. It finally broke free from the hook and the bird flew off with this guy's fish! He had hooked this fish, was reeling it in, and the osprey took it!

Can you even believe seeing something like that?

Chalk that up to being in the right place at EXACTLY the right time. Rather than being pissed at that guy for intruding on my little spot, maybe I shoulda thanked him.

Wish I could download mental photos sometimes...but perhaps that's the way it should be. Images that are yours and yours alone (well, in this case...mine and his.)

The saga continues?

I went to the DMV this morning and managed to get most of the paperwork taken care of. I have validation stickers, a license plate and sticker for the trailer, and figured I was good to go.

On my way out the door I picked up a pamphlet on boating safety and rules. Looks like the one thing the (new) gal at the DMV didn't get for me was Idaho registration numbers? Since I don't know how this all works, I'm not sure if I'm correct or not.

If I AM correct, it means another trip to the DMV. The good news is that I don't think I'll have to take the boat back down there.

And I must compliment myself on trailer-backing. Not doing too bad lately, getting it to where it needs to go in one try!

UPDATE:
Just talked to my Dad. I guess I'm paid for registration and that's all good to go. When I get the Idaho title for the boat, it'll have a registration number on it. It will then be my job to go to a hardware store to get stickers! THEN I will be legal and done with this whole process. Just a quick FYI to new boat owners.

Epic was then, Saga is now

Short and sweet?

I bought a 14 foot Jon boat from my Dad last year. I dragged it over here. I used it a pair of times last summer with outdated registration (because it's kinda legal.)

So now I want it and the trailer licensed and registered here in Idaho. I went to the DMV and had both the titles, the bill of sale, etc. "You have to bring it in so we can check the VIN." OK. I asked if they had trailer / boat parking. "No. But if you get here early it is usually pretty good." Alright..what's early at the DMV I asked. "Um, we open at 0800...except for Wednesdays...when we open at 0830." K...

But then she said, "Well, you can get a sheriff to come out and do a VIN check on it. Or this auxiliary coast guard gal." K...

So yesterday, since the trailer wouldn't really work with a flat tire...I went to Dalton Gardens where I store the boat and grabbed the tire. I hung out with my uncle Butch for a bit and started to get going. Well, his neighbor kid Yan (sp?) said, "I had them check the VIN on my truck, just have a cop come out..they aren't doing anything." OK. All of a sudden Yan was on the phone and ordered us up a cop. OK.

We waited around for awhile and sure enough Deputy Maxwell showed up. Getting out of the car he looked at Yan and said, "Hey, did you ever get that exhaust fixed on your car?" Then he looked at Butch and said, "Hey, you're the cannon guy!" I thought, "Oh shit. I hang OUT with these people?"

Anywho, we got to the boat and he said, "All I need is the titles and we are good to go." I told him the titles were down on Silver Beach. That ended that. Shoot. So we wandered back to his car and he got a call....left there lights and sirens blazing. But before he left he said, "you know, call anytime I'll come out here and do this for ya." Nice guy.

But I was torn. I tore a cop from doing normal cop stuff to check a VIN. Then he had to rush off. I planned to fix the tire today so I did that and got a spare to boot. I WAS going to put it on the trailer tomorrow but had some time tonight so ran up there and put it on. Then I fiddled around awhile and wanted to check the lights. So I backed the truck up and they worked! (One was out last season.) K. Well, since the truck was backed up, I finally decided that I would just hook it up and take it to the DMV tomorrow morning. Hooked everything up and had some trouble with the rear tie-downs. They were rigged the wrong way I found out...but luckily after a half hour of messing with them I got them set up correctly. On my way. I pulled into a school parking lot and again checked the lights. Well. The left side wasn't working again and it was DARK by this time. SHIT.

I knew I was going to get pulled over for that! BUT, I didn't. I made it to the lower section of the property I live on where the canoes are...passed it, circled around...and made ready to back a boat on a trailer in the dark. (Bear in mind that I have only dealt with this trailer in the light probably four times total.) It went without a hitch. I dumped the trailer and boat down there, locked it up and made my way home. AS SOON AS I GOT IN THE HOUSE I got a call from the Landlord. "Tom, Bob and Sandy next door saw some lights down below and saw them leave. Were you around the canoes?" Yea Evelyn I was. I told her the story and all is well.

But honestly, all I can say is SHIT!

This has been a freaking BATTLE to get these two small pieces of equipment licensed. Even if it is snowing/raining tomorrow evening perhaps I should go fishing? Oh wait, no I can't. The freaking motor is in Butch's shop on a rack.

Hmmm, what a week.

It is now 2100 and I'm going to think about what's for dinner. How screwed up is THAT!?

Canoe map

Not sure if anyone but me is interested in this. But during the last 20 minutes of my day at work, I put something together real quick. It's basically a map of my trip the other day on CDA lake. It's estimated, but I know the directions I was headed and what the wind did to me...so I figure it's close.

Plus, technology for personal use is kinda fun to play with after a hard day of computer / plotter problems!


(clicking on it makes it MUCH larger)

Notice the return section right after the peninsula to the southeast (lower right)...where I take a jog northeast and quartering into where the wind was coming from. That BREAK to the north is where I finally managed (or rather CONVINCED) myself to start heading hard into shore. I stayed at in that short section for nearly an hour paddling hard.

The peninsula to the northwest (upper left) is Tubbs hill...that's the place I was thinking about just drifting to.)

Isn't GIS fun?

(Also, what I did is one of the longest shore-to-shore trips you could ever do on CDA lake unless you did it lengthwise.)