BEFORE: Rolling down the hill to launch at Rattlesnake Bar last October. |
AFTER: Fishing boat at about the same spot, March 18 |
Our long-term drought may not be over yet....
But these days, the view from a kayak looks pretty good around Northern California. Consider this before-and-after comparison at Folsom Lake Recreation Area's Rattlesnake Bar.
It
was just last October 30 that NorCal Yak pal Dale and I drove to the launch
near
Penryn, as Folsom was shrinking to historic low levels. Dale had
scouted the area on foot and swore there was enough water to float us about six
miles down to Granite Bay.
But after we walked our kayaks a country mile down a steep hill, made our way through thick brush that towered over our heads, repelled our yaks down a small cliff, and then crossed a wide beach to reach the water, I shoulda known better. Apparently, I was completely unencumbered by the thought process.
near
BEFORE: A weedy wonderland |
But after we walked our kayaks a country mile down a steep hill, made our way through thick brush that towered over our heads, repelled our yaks down a small cliff, and then crossed a wide beach to reach the water, I shoulda known better. Apparently, I was completely unencumbered by the thought process.
Let’s
just say that for the rest of that day, there was more mud-slinging than in a
Republican presidential debate.
BEFORE: The "creek" was barely ankle deep in places.... |
AFTER: Water, water everywhere, and most welcome |
BEFORE: Paddling in October more like a long hike |
Not only was the boat launch gate open, the floating dock was….actually floating. Another 25 yards or so out, at about the same spot where we had gone downhill (in every sense) less than five months earlier, an angler sat peacefully in his aluminum fishing boat. Behind him stretched a glistening stretch of water nearly half a mile wide, and plenty deep.
AFTER: Rapids just four miles upstream in March |
By my return paddle in mid-March, it had risen 100 feet. And more recently, it's risen to about 453 feet.
Spring waterfalls trickle down poppy-covered hillsides
Wildflower season has pretty much peaked, but with the reservoir levels still rising slightly, Rattlesnake Bar should be a good paddling destination for at least a few more months. Go early in the day, before winds and heat build up.
Even without the wildflowers, there are some strange and interesting granite rock formations to enjoy. Plus they're drought-tolerant.
LAUNCH LINES
If you missed this spring's lupine bloom around Rattlesnake Bar in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, link to these photos from a drier spring, plus driving directions and other details.
©
2016 Glenn Brank
|