Summer may be over on the calendar...but we Yak on

As I reflect on the past couple of months I cannot help but think what a great Kayaking season we had.  The ideal days of Summer may be winding down but I look forward to much more kayaking this year.  It's time to look at cooler weather gear while we enjoy these next weeks of warm!

Top Ten Trips of Summer

1. Mendocino Sea Caves. Absolute best trip this year.
2. Lake Tahoe east side off Sand Harbor
3. Lake Tahoe DL Bliss to Emerald Bay

4. Sugar Pine
5. Loon Lake

6.   Beeks Bight – Folsom Lake

7.  American River from Sailor Bar

8.  Full Moon Lake Natoma

9.  Slab Creek

10. Cosumnes

Lake Run to the Cable

It is pushing 100 degrees as I slip quietly out of the office right around 4PM.  I get caught in the stairwell by a co-worker...giving me the look.  He says, glancing at the Mango torpedo hanging out the back end of the truck, going kayaking.  I reply..Yup...gotta run!.

20 minutes later I am slipping Tessie gently into the water.  I head to the cable.  The cable is the sign that says, no trespassing, more on that later.  Every day on the cable run can be different due to the water flows being let out of the Damn.  Today the water is smooth as glass for the first 20 minutes.  The current picks up and I brace my feet and thighs to get maximum control of the boat.  I paddle hard through the current and then slip to the side cove for a water break.  I play the current all the way to the cable with the last 100 yards the big challenge.

I make the cable. I slip the legs out of the cockpit, lay back a bit and settle in for the float back down.  The current always spins me backwards and I let it take me where it wants.  The float back is peaceful.  Summer kids are gone...fisherman are not out yet, and I am the only one on the water... except for the ducks.  I watch a fish jump.  I close my eyes and enjoy the ride.  I play in the sloughs and marshes until the sinking sun forces me back to the dock.  A good end to the day.

Life is Good Living Like a Duck...or a Goose!

Quack, Quack, Yak Attack! Imagine it is 6 AM. Mist is rising off the water and the sun is just starting to break over the horizon. You are gliding across the water...Water as smooth as glass and dark green...dark, waiting for the light. You look to the right and Gloria, your favorite Klingon Goose is cruising by your side. You see the V trail in her wake....you are leaving a V trail, only bigger. On the water, in my yak, I am one with the ducks, the geese, the water, with mother earth.

Ok, that last part was a little sappy, but it is an amazing feeling cruising along the water totally under your own power. You can paddle hard, get a work out, then lay it down and float at random. You have the power! You are the power. No engines, no sails, no wheels....it is all you. Peace, Tranquility, Joy, On the Water...me and my Yak.