Jet Ski Camping and Kayak Guiding

For our birthdays in May Jonathan decided that his and hers jet skis would be a good surprise....and it was quite a surprise!

This is Jonathan jet skiing on the Rock River near Taft a couple days after his birthday.

We decided that we should try out the old Miss via jet ski and had heard from some ski patrol friends that you could camp on the islands in the middle of the Mississippi River. So we packed up all the camping gear into dry bags, strapped them to the jet skis, and headed out to claim an island for the weekend.

We stopped at the base of Chestnut Mountain Resort for this shot shown above. It looks a little different with no snow on the ski runs.

We found an island with nice sandy beaches to set up camp. With all the sand and water it hardly felt like we were in the Midwest that weekend. It was a great escape and one that we hope to enjoy often this summer.

The bugs weren't too bad, but we set up the tent inside the screen room just in case. It was a nice extra shelter in the rain that night (once I got the guy lines staked out tight at the corners). We were able to find firewood and had a nice fire going as well.

Don't worry, even though it is fun to go fast (60 mph) on the jet skis, we still enjoy the peaceful glide of a kayak. During the month of June we have guided several kayak trips and worked in the shop on the weekends for Fever River Outfitters in Galena, IL. Check out the website for more info:

http://www.feverriveroutfitters.com/

We were guiding a group of about 12 people on a birding tour in the back waters of the Mississippi River in this pic. We saw lots of birds as well as a few turtles, and a brown water snake.

Kayak buddies from the beginning!