Saturday... did NOT end this great summer... ;)

Well, I tried to end what I am calling the best summer of my life with a bang of grand proportions, but I failed.

First, I thought about going to see the Clumsy Lovers on this coming Tuesday night in Lincoln, NE but I couldn't even get my friend in Lincoln to join me and I didn't want to use leave if I was going alone. My KC friend had his parents coming for the weekend so I chose not to head to the KC Irish Fest. I thought I had an opportunity to paddle with said Lincoln friend near Vermilion, but he decided not to help his sister move back to college and chose new tires for his car and working on a presentation for work. So I chose to paddle Sheridan Lake in the Black Hills, partake of the Phoenix, and catch part of the Gathering of the Clans in Rapid City.

Low-head dam at the outlet.

Outlet is clogged with debris, water is very shallow, and the dam has a gentle slope, so no worry about getting close ;)

Beautiful, isn't it?

Hopefully, these pictures make it obvious why I decided to return here this summer and not find another lake in the Hills.

I was quite disappointed with the Gathering of the Clans (and not because of it's Scottish lean). It seemed to have only three musical acts for the whole weekend! Two local groups (I didn't get a chance to see) and a duo out of Colorado. I did purchase a CD from one of the local groups though. There was one humorous detail though!

Nessie!

There she is! And no fog for her to hide in!

But heed the warning... luckily I saw this sign before I went paddling with her.
I really don't feel as lucky as this guy. Though...

A copy of the gtalk conversation between myself and my Lincoln friend:

Arnold: I will probably not be coming because my car needs new tires very badly. I will spend tomorrow doing that, will not get to Vermillion in time, so I'm canceling the trip to work on my presentation Sent at 11:31 PM on Friday

Pat: if you would have let me know sooner, I could have found some where near Lincoln to paddle. Instead I'll go to Sheridan Lake and force myself to enjoy general chicken at the phoenix ;) Sent at 6:09 AM on Saturday

Arnold: Noooooooo I didn't know you'd be willing to come out this far. But oh well. Have fun at Sheridan. Sent at 10:19 AM on Saturday

Speaking of coming out "this far," Paddling.net has three locations near Lincoln that look enjoyable.

1. Elkhorn River
2. Platte River
3. Zorinsky Lake

Here is the location of the first two (the larger river is the Platte).

Zorinsky Lake map. And it is near I680!

If my Lincoln friend (and anyone else) thinks they sound like fun, let me know and we can try to plan something for this month yet. next weekend is my dad's B day so it is out but the following would be good (for Saturday). Sunday I would need to procure a chair in a sports bar to catch the Panthers game before heading back to Pierre.