The NorCal Yak domain will expire on Oct. 1. It's been a great way to share paddling yarns, with many fond memories, but it's time is done. I'll still be out on the water whenever I can be, and whether it's a paddleboard or kayak, I hope y'all will be out paddling too. Stay safe!
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| Airy pearls dot the surface of this foothills lake |
State Parks alert for 2024: Due to ongoing, unsafe traffic conditions on Foresthill Road, Upper Lake Clementine now requires day use reservations on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, up to 10 days in advance but no later than 3 p.m. on the previous Friday. (Make reservations at lazparking.com) Weekdays are first come, first served. For this post, the launch occurred from the Lower Lake, which is for boat access only.
Ask paddlers what they remember about Lake Clementine….
…and chances are good they will answer “bubbles.” Clementine blows bubbles like a Lawrence Welk rerun. These airy pearls rise through sparkling clear water from a muddy bottom.
Which has led me to speculate, on previous paddles, that the bubbles may be fish farts. Except that at no time have I ever seen a single fish at Clementine, either swimming or at the end of a line, though fishing is popular here. This had the makings of a good mystery until one of my paddle pals – a no-nonsense woman who once worked as a rocket company exec – said flatly, “It’s decaying matter.” Well, okay, but she’s never going to get an invite from QAnon with that rational attitude.
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| Paddling past "Robber's Roost" |
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| A holiday toast, but non-alcoholic, the ballerina-elves were quick to say |
...it’s not a Cyber Monday event (thank goodness). But I have officially declared an early start to the Other Season – aka winter paddling. Traditionally (and by that I mean just last year), the Other Season begins on December 21, the Winter Solstice. But thanks to a