Kayaking on Beaver Lake
Even the dog
participates in the Schroeder family hobby.
Nestled high in
the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas is an awesome lake called Beaver Lake. That’s
where I spent my family summer vacation practicing our family hobby of kayaking.
We put our kayak
on top of the family car and drove more than 14 hours from New Mexico to Arkansas.
Beaver Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen! It is surrounded
by plants, flowers, a variety of trees, and limestone bluffs.
The long drive
was worth the wait, because I found out right away that the lake water was warm
and clear. Beaver Lake has 28,370 acres of water and 487 miles of shoreline, so
there were a lot of great spots on the lake to launch our kayak.
Our first launch
was at Indian Creek, with shallow water and a swimming area where I could jump
in and swim while my Dad unloaded the kayak. I also took my goggles and did
some diving while I waited.
The kayak has
three seats: just enough room for my mom, dad and my dog Kiska. We always wear
life jackets so we brought along one for our dog to wear too!
It was a good
thing Kiska was wearing her life jacket because when we started paddling out
into the lake, she stood up and fell over the side! We had to grab the handle
on her life jacket to pull her up and back into the boat. She was a very wet
dog, so I was happy that she decided to sit with my mom at the back of the
kayak instead of with me!
After I got a
lot of exercise kayak paddling with my Mom and Dad, I jumped into the warm lake
and swam next to the boat. I saw a turtle on a tree branch in the water and a
squirrel running along the shore. My Dad was fishing for bass while I swam and
told me he saw an alligator gar in the water! They have huge teeth but aren't aggressive
towards people. I got back into the kayak just in case!
We had a great
summer trip to Arkansas! We spent time at three different places on Beaver Lake
and had fun with my cousins who live close by in Bentonville. We also visited
Pea Ridge, which is one of the most important Civil War Battlefields west of
the Mississippi. It was a great trip filled with a lot of good times, warm
weather, and fun in the sun!
—Jacob A. Schroeder
Hey Jacob . This is Shelby we met in New York! I enjoyed your story. When I visited my aunts house in Georgia I went kayaking on their lake.
Posted by: Kid Reporter Shelby Fallin | 08/15/2009 at 03:26 PM