April 20, 2002

Staying in the Bubble

14 miles

The eastern shore of Ogawara is mostly undeveloped, unlike the more populated western shore. My trip today will take me up the back part of the boot from the Japanese Park to almost the mouth of the little stream heading out to the ocean. A round trip of about 14 miles.

The forecast is for 10-15 MPH winds out of the southwest. The first part of my journey will carry me north - it will be a long paddle back against the wind and I hope the winds do not strengthen beyond the forecast.

Heading north I retrace my first trip on lake Ogawara. But today I will venture much further than that first day. Two thirds of the lake will have been explored by me by the end of today. I cut across a large, but shallow bay. The ridge on the far side of the bay grows closer and with the gentle wind at my back it is no time before I've crossed. It is a nice clear day, and when I get near the ridge I can see 4 cranes slowly but surely cutting it down. As I pass around the tip I notice the wind at my face. The ripples on the water are moving opposite of the waves and I look out across the lake to see if this is caused by the shape of the land, or if the wind is in fact changing directions.

Looking over to the far side I can see smoke moving from the north towards the south. The wind has changed directions, and I'm hopeful it will remain that way to make the paddle back even easier.

Near the top of the lake the ridge fell away and the land flattened out. I could smell the ocean, and here the wind came out of the E/SE. I continued to paddle north across the flat open area and the wind began to increase. I originally had intended to paddle to the mouth of the creek that leads to the sea, but the wind continued to build to the point I knew it would be an unpleasant paddle back if it should continue to blow this hard.

I turned south only a short distance from the creek. It is a long and hard paddle back to the ridge line. The water across this open area was shallow, preventing the waves from getting too large. Mostly about 1.5 feet deep about 1/4 mile from shore, and the wind kept blowing me further out. I altered my course to take me closer to shore. As I neared the ridge the water deepened and I managed to get quite close to shore. Oddly, a car is on the side of the road - the driver's door open and no one around for at least a mile that I can see. Probably napping in the front seat - something I see often around here.

Finally under the protection of the ridge, I nuzzled in closer to get protected from the wind. The ridge provided a big area free from the wind, and I stayed as far out from shore as possible. Subconsciously I kept drifting out into the wind - would catch myself - then paddle back into the bubble. On one spot I noticed where the trees had broken free and slid down to the water, and I paddled in close to investigate. Along with the trees was a lot of trash. I investigated a bit closer and was shocked at just how much trash there really was - all of which had apparently tumbled down with the trees. I pondered a bit, wondering if the trash had caused the trees to give way.

After paddling a while along the ridge, the wind shifted again to the SW. The wind was a little to my right and head on. But by moving in close to shore the wind was slowed to the point I could make easy forward progress. This `bubble' of calm air was all that stood between me paddling back, or beaching and walking out to get the car. The wind was too strong to paddle against out in the open, and I was thankful for this cushion of calm against this ridge.

Near the area where the cranes were cutting the ridge away I pulled ashore for lunch. I wasn't hungry, but knew if I couldn't stay protected from this wind I would need all the strength I could muster. Here I found someone had planted a few small bushes and arranged a log to sit on - a perfect lunch spot. My banana was squashed inside my dry bag, making a mess of my lunch. Back on the water I find the wind is still picking up, and I need to stay within 10 feet of shore to stay out of it.

Before long the ridge gives way to the edge of the park. Some kids are riding down the road on a dirt bike much too large for them. The one in front has the throttle wide open and no helmet. Before long the noise goes away and is replaced by a new one - Jet skis. Only two and one is finishing up as I paddle by. As I get near the second he too goes ashore. Where he disappeared on shore I notice there are lots of jet skis here. I'm not sure if it is a dealership or a rental store. I doubt they spend much time right at shore. The entire return trip my kayak has glided over countless fish nets attached to shore and anchored 50 feet into the water. I doubt the fisherman tolerate jet skis ripping across their nets.

While gliding over the nets myself I discovered a way to attach my rudder raise/lower rope in a manner that automatically pulled the rudder back down when pushed up by a net. Using the reverse of this I've finally solved a problem with car toping the K1 - the rudder often swings out of its cradle. By attaching the bungee above one of the knots on the raise/lower rope, it will keep the rudder firmly against the rear deck. This may help a little when going through surf as well, but I suspect the surf can still dislodge it.

Further along I see the motorcycle lying on the side of the road next to a sign. Out of gas I suspected. They had propped the bike against the sign and it had fallen over while they were gone.

I finally paddle up to shore to land, passing a young mother and her little boy heaving rocks out into the water. In the distance I hear a siren, and in a few moments an ambulance appears. They stop in front of the park office and now the motorcycle on the side of the road makes sense. A few moments later the ambulance drivers step out of the building and I hear a new siren. An ambulance from the base this time. Cars pull over to the side of the road just to watch - one pulls right behind my car, meaning I must muscle the kayak on top over the side. I strap it down and pull away before anyone is brought out to the ambulance. The crowd is growing and the police show up to help with traffic and investigate the accident. A sad ending to the trip.

Woody