Central Valley Spring 3: Kayaking

    In these uncertain times, we are even more blessed to live in this region, which allows us the pleasure of kayaking on nearby Lake Kaweah. Fed by the Kaweah River, the lake rises with the snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As soon it's high enough in spring, we load our kayaks into the VW Westy and drive a leisurely 30 minutes into the foothills for a glorious couple of hours on the water. 

Our 1986 VW Westy Vanagon is great for hauling kayaks, here 2 hardshell and 2 inflatable. 

Doug's 1st outing this year, in early March,...

...with Steve.

One might say Doug is obsessed with taking pictures of his foot while kayaking. That's Steve in the distance and wildflowers on the hillsides.

Doug and the UCLA hat. His daughter, Katie, is a UCLA graduate, which he is proud to say. But in fact on this day, he forgot his hat, and Steve, whose daughter is also a UCLA grad, loaned him his. 

Kayaking amid the wildflowers as the lake rises.

Steve meandering among the treetops.

Our Southern Sierra foothills are loaded with rocks.

    Doug was gone a few days, delivering the VW to Bend, OR, for some TLC, then flying home. Now the kayaks have to be loaded into our Promaster van, which is a little more difficult and, Doug says, "Just doesn't feel right."

The Promaster only holds 2 kayaks.

Back on the water later in March...

...with Joel. Doug missed his foot in the pic and got his paddle instead.

In spring 2018, Joel was among numerous folks who kayaked among the California poppies in our front yard.

Turtle sunning on a tree trunk. They are such a grand find.

Lupine (and Doug's foot).

Marilyn had her first kayak of the year a couple of days later. She loved being on the water again and snooping among the trees.

Doug has a sizable collection of fishing bobbers from the lake. Occasionally there is a more impressive find, such as this small basketball he found in the trees that day.

Sitting on glassy water. Can it get any more peaceful?

Marilyn's kayak is inflatable. We have 2. Each has its own suitcase, which makes them great for roadtrips.

Doug, the wildflowers, the foothills, the "Elephant"—just to the right of center in the snow, its ear hangs down and trunk goes right.

Doug has gone out a couple of times with Kathy, who also has an inflatable kayak. We were putting in across from Slick Rock, the sloped rock on the right. It's quite a ways down the road from the parking lot and way downstream from where we put in in good years when the lake is full.

Egret on the left on the rock. Heron in the grass to the right.

Kathy investigating near shore.

We have several pieces of redwood in our front yard that Doug has retrieved from the lake.

Yard art courtesy of Lake Kaweah.

Lake Kaweah wood among the nasturtiums, azalea, gazanias, Gerbera daisies.

Top of Doug's Pi sculpture is wood from the lake.

When Marilyn kayaked again, the water was much higher than 4 days before. 

Marilyn spotted someone paddling through the wildflowers.

Handsome guy!

We're always trying to see where and how far we can get—sometimes we run aground.

Marilyn's rubber duckie, found in the trees, now captains her kayak.

Mergansers Left: male, white with black markings. Right: female, brown with reddish head and crest. Baby mergansers are a treat, up to a dozen paddling behind mom and sometimes hitching a ride on her back.

We were able to get a lot further upstream that day.

Kathy navigating turn at the rapids to float back down.

Doug & Steve's kayaks across from Slick Rock.

Steve found a shark!

Heading back downstream. High water is the "bathroom ring" on Slick Rock. Unfortunately, the lake will not get near the ring this year.

    By early April, water began to flow over the road down from the parking lot, so were now putting in further upstream.

Steve kayaking over the road. 

Steve's kayak is really sleek.

Hm. Now, where?

Doug with Jerry and another redwood find for our yard.

Kathy, her nephew Grif, and his partner, Torry. 

The turtle didn't seem to even notice Torry, despite her proximity.

Marilyn's younger son, Stephen, was in town, so he and Doug got in a kayak. Marilyn is unfortunately land bound for now by a recent minor surgery.

Sun protection.

Think Doug can make it through?

Doug texting lake pictures to Marilyn.

Face in the rocks.

Doug took Jerry's daughter and son-in-law. Nick gets a picture of Elana.

When the lake is higher, we put in at the boat launch under the middle tree. Hopefully the lake will continue to rise so we can explore further upstream.

Steve as far upstream as we can get, for now.

Doug was rather proud of getting both feet in the pic.

The water, the wildflowers, the rocks, the hills, the clouds: it doesn't get much better.

Lake Kaweah and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The "Elephant" is just left of center, its ear on the left and trunk on the right.

    We long for the days when we will have heavy snowpack in the Sierras again, and Lake Kaweah will be full. Then we'll kayak far upstream, in and out among the tree tops, spotting more wildlife, challenging ourselves against the rapids until we can go no further, then enjoying the float back down.