A major weather system is working its way toward the northwest US as I write this. Today, we were deeply grateful to celebrate what might be the last really good weather for a while. We went kayaking (finally).

Skies were clear, blue, and in the low 60’s, with water nearly the same. We were on the water from around 12:30 until nearly 4PM, and as far as we could see there was one other boat on the whole lake with us. It was pretty sweet.

There’s not a lot of anything exceptional at Whiskeytown – it’s a pretty lake surrounded by pretty forests, but nothing dramatically impressive in terms of scenery. Nevertheless, our time on the water today was a real treat, made all the more idyllic by the calm winds. In addition, we’ve picked up some pointers on our paddling techniques (thanks youtube), and our speed and efficiency have improved significantly. Along with some new carbon-fiber paddles, we can now sprint at 4.5mph, and make about 3-3.5mph at a steady pace. Just ambling along, or with only one of us paddling, we’ll do more like 2mph – the speed of a gentle walk. So we were able to make it around the middle of the lake without busting a gut, and had a pleasant time doing it. Here’s a link to our track: https://share.delorme.com/gregilles  If you want to zoom in/out and play with the tracking points, click the link. Here’s the top-level view of what you should find there:

As we explored the central part of the lake, we found a low island exposed by the reduced water level. The coots and gulls vacated as we approached (too close for comfort), leaving us alone on the damp little hump of dirt. I got out to stretch my legs, but Karin was content to relax and take in the peace and quiet.

We had thought about leaving Bote at home for this near-winter trip, but we were both glad that we brought it – even if it turns out it’s just for this one outing. Getting out on the water is such a pleasant contrast to being land-bound. We’re not water-rats or avid kayakers, so this handy inflatable is just the right combination for us. Bote deflates and tucks away in a fairly small space. With all paraphernalia (PFD’s, paddles, gear bag, air pumps), we increase Howie’s road weight by barely 50 pounds. When we find a place – river, lake, estuary, whatever – that appeals, it takes maybe 20 minutes to get on the water and enjoying a completely different side of life and travel. We are really looking forward to an opportunity to use Howie and Ralph to do a one-way river float. Position one vehicle upstream, one vehicle down-stream, then launch for a down-stream journey and drive back to the upstream vehicle. Somewhere, some-when, it will happen.

We wandered around the lake for a while, including up into a couple of the coves which we hiked around yesterday. The water in the coves was wind- and wave-free, even in the late afternoon. Perfect.

The lowering sun lit the banks of nearby islands as we herded a band of coots across the shoreline waters, heading home. We ran aground near the boat ramp but cleared out quickly, and made it back to the parking lot. We were just in time for the last rays of the sun to help dry off Bote as we folded him up for stowing away.

Temperatures sank quickly with the sun, and suddenly my sandaled feet were getting numb. We scurried Ralph back to camp, tucked Bote into Howie’s storage bay, and retreated to our warm, cozy house-on-wheels. Yet another day proving that Life is Good.