Boulder Lake Reservoir

 

Today I dug my kayak out of the basement after I finished doing my laundry and loaded it up and drove back to Boulder Lake Reservoir where I spent the day on Sunday. To my surprise the parking lot was almost as busy as it was on Sunday. I had no problem unloading and getting in. This time I texted Offspring #2 to let her know what I was doing in case I ran into trouble. In hindsight I really wished I had taken a picture of the lake map on my phone before I left because you could easily get totally lost. I played it smart by hugging the right shoreline and exploring all the bays. Some were shallow and I could feel boulders beneath me. I was started by a great blue heron who seemed to appear out of no where. I guess it was standing so still I didn't notice it. I watched as it slowly marched away and hid behind a big boulder. Next I saw an otter's head appear close to shore and I watched with my binoculars as it scampered up a sandy beach in head into the woods. I saw a flock of 27 Canadian geese but they kept the goslings hidden from my sight. I saw some ducks but they were too far away to identify. I heard a veery and a pair of loons. I saw a goldfinch. Even though there were at least a dozen boats on this lake I was all by myself. Many times I would look around me and see no sign of human life. I saw no power lines, no houses, no roads, no planes, no signs, and no trash. I was surrounded by complete and utter wilderness. The silence was very enjoyable. Tree frogs were croaking and birds were singing and the water gently lapped at the shore and stones. My kayak makes a little groaning noise as I paddle but that is it. The day was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold and not too windy. Just perfect! As an added bonus, I'm not getting any wood ticks today! I was told that the water level is way down and I could see by the coloration on the rocks and the extra wide beaches that the water must be between 2 and 3 feet lower than usual. Does the rock in the picture look like an elephant standing in water with it's head down to you? Looks like an elephant to me.

On the right side of the water line you can barely make out the 16 foot Lund fishing boat. This boulder looks like an elephant and is as big as an elephant too; perhaps bigger.  I paddled over to it and splashed it with water so the elephant rock looked prettier. Sitting in my kayak is my happy place. Why don't I do this more often? Last year I had my kayak out only once. This summer I vow to go more often. I made my way back to the landing, packed the kayak in, tied the red scarf on the end sticking out of my trunk, texted Offspring #2, and drove home happy to be alive.