The Plans

 My plans for yesterday fell apart.   I was in a state of melancholy and finally just went back to bed.

The cat owner from Friday had been very mean in the end, to me.   It was a surprise and I don't know why it hit me so hard.  Today now and then I cry a bit too, for no apparent reason.

I talked to my Idaho brother who was very kind about it and said maybe I need to quit and just take care of the cats still here with me.  He knows I love them so. I had told him how lonely I am.  He knows most likely the unkindness when I am tired is what is affecting me most.

Anyhow I went to the lake even though I knew it would be wall to wall people and boats.   I got there early but not early enough to get a parking space, so I parked in an unofficial place and just thought to myself "you rule breaker you".  I usually don't break even parking rules.

I wanted to get there much earlier but I didn't.  I like to be on the lake when there's almost no one else out, and its like glass, so smooth.

But already the lake was being chopped up by all the motor boat wakes.  This became much much worse as the day progressed.  There were hundreds of boats on the lake.  And jet skiis too.   Add in the floaters, the kayaks, the paddle boards----it was a very very busy lake.

I went all the way around the arm and across the lake to the day use area, then up to the campground boat ramp and on up the river to the campground pay by the day boat moorages.  There are two moorage areas.  People were fishing from the moorage docks.  There are large signs proclaiming NO Fishing, but that had not stopped a lot of people.  Other people were trying to delicately ask them to stop, which didn't go over.

I paddled on up the river, seeing fewer and fewer and then no boats at all.   There was a lot of debris in the river, logs to be  more direct.  At one point, a jam up of wood debris nearly blocked the river off and that's where most motor boaters became nervous and turned around.   After the log jammed area, I saw only one boat.  They were fishing, a man and wife, both had cigarettes hanging from their mouths.  The man was on his phone and they were pulling in fish right and left.  They had their limit by the time I passed them going back.

Trout.

I paddled on to the rapids, where I could go no farther.  I played in the current awhile, with my life jacket on, trying to get up closer to the fastest rapids up on the corner.  I finally gave up but it was fun.  

Approaching the rapids

The rapids

I paddled on back down river then to the lake, after resting for awhile in a shaded spot.  I was quite tired.  I can't lay back and nap on the kayak like I could on my raft.

 The longest paddle was from the bridge up and across the lake to the point where I go around it, and head up that arm to where my car was parked.  The lake was wickedly rough from boat wakes.  I like it rough.

I'd torn my shorts somewhere and was horrified about how I'd get to my car and get the boat out and loaded.  Sure enough the beach was loaded down with people and my car was blocked in nearly.  I made a scene of it to make the pickup people move their truck, mostly so I could load my boat with my torn shorts with a bit of privacy.  I finally got out of there, but I was embarrassed.  I don't know if anyone "saw" anything.  Hope not.

Well it was a good day on the lake for me and a whole lot of other people.   Mostly I was up the river.