I’ve been wanting to take my kayak out on nearby Dorena Lake. However, every time I go over there — usually on the motorcycle, just to scout it, and because the twisty roads around it are fun — it’s too windy and too rough for a newbie on a cheap inflatable kayak. But I discovered that there’s more than one lake in town. I took a bike ride around the aptly named Cottage Grove Lake the other evening and found that it’s much more suitable for my purposes. It’s smaller, nestled in a valley so the wind isn’t as strong, and there are many suitable public places to drop a kayak in around its perimeter. So yesterday I did exactly that.
I just paddled back and forth along the shore at Lakeside Park. It was very quiet on a Thursday afternoon, but a few other people were out doing the same thing. The water was fairly calm, though I did have to steer toward some incoming wakes from boats cruising by and ride them out. An occasional gust of wind came along, but it didn’t last for long. It gave me a chance to deal with it, see how it affected me, and learn what it takes to paddle against it. Wildfire smoke had returned to the air, but my asthma did not kick in (I had my inhaler anyway). This wasn’t an intense workout that made me breathe heavy, either.
This time, I remembered to bring my Giant Loop Cactus Canteen with me so I’d have something to drink while I was out. I have it for the motorcycle (they sent it to me for free to review for ADVRider), but it’s going to work well in the kayak as well. The drinking tube I added, while not long enough to use while in motion on the motorcycle, is the perfect length to take a drink on the kayak without unstrapping it from the net up front.
I don’t think I have to worry about violating the “no wake” rule. I’m slow, but steady.
I can see my house from here. I’m not used to looking at it from the water. Eventually, I had enough, and brought it in to shore. I carried the kayak up the hill and laid it on the ground in the sun near my van to dry off. It didn’t take long to dry, or to put away. Amazingly, everything fits in the bag that came with the kayak with room to spare.
It was my first time kayaking on open water instead of a canal set up for that purpose. I liked the additional freedom, but I still enjoy the purpose-built facilities as well and will continue to seek both out in my travels. For now, I can see myself coming back to Cottage Grove Lake regularly. I can slowly push my boundaries a bit farther while staying close to “home,” parked on the shoreline. There are also multiple places around the lake where I can park and drop the kayak in, which could keep it interesting if I get bored paddling around the same areas.
I’d just happened to park near another van, not to park near a van but because it was a shady parking space nearby. After I packed up I had a pleasant chat with its resident, another full-time nomad. He’d moved into a van after doing 30 years in prison for drug dealing. He’s 77 now, can’t work due to multiple medical issues, and doesn’t collect enough Social Security to afford an apartment, so he moved into a van instead. He spends his days at parks like this, and overnights at places he knows are safe and legal to stay out of trouble. Instead of drugs, he sells earrings that he makes himself these days.
It’s a small world out here on the road. He’s planning to spend this winter in Quartzsite, Arizona, and volunteer again at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous. In fact, he remembered me from my presentations about getting online from the road after I told him about them.
You never know who you’re going to meet out here. Despite his literal life of crime and punishment, he was perfectly pleasant to me. I didn’t feel threatened by him at all because he gave me no reason to. In fact, he told me how upset he was by the fact that a random passer-by had stolen a family’s cooler containing their lunch while they were out on the water the other day. That’s not someone who’s going to commit petty theft of my stuff, especially since we’re both living the same lifestyle these days. The system doesn’t set you up to succeed when they release you from prison, but this guy is making it work, thanks to living for cheap in a van.
Smokey Da Van 