Lake Columbia or Coffee and a Dounut?

It is that time of year when the weather in Southern Wisconsin can swing 20 degrees in any direction. You have to keep a mindful eye as things can go bad quickly out on the water this time of year. It is going to be sunny and maybe 20 degrees, but it is difficult to get motivated when it is 9 degrees dark out and still in your jammies.

I'll wait a bit and see if any of the crew from the Wisconsin Kayak Canoe Race group are heading over there for a paddle. Only have paddled once with them, but they seem to be an approachable group, even for a hack like me. Again I am a long distance cruiser type, not really a racer. Though I will dabble a bit this year.

Here is a picture that I took up on Lake Columbia at Fog Bowl, our New Year's Day Paddle. The water is about 60 degrees F. and the air temp. is about 15 degrees F.; hence the foggy conditions. Big power plant and the lake is a cooling mechanism for the plant.

Here is my garage door frozen shut. There is no way I'm getting this puppy un-stuck. Off to the side door!

Pile off boats just itching to be paddled... How the heck am I going to get the Sea Wind Out!

Sea Wind buried on the far end...Drats! Looks like I can squeeze the Summersong out the side door.

At the put-in on Lake Columbia. Power plant in the background. We are looking at 11 degrees F. right now. Shooting for high teens or low 20's. No WKCR Paddlers!

Getting ready to put in. Wind is picking up, should switch out of the South calm down a bit and pushing warmer air into the area. At least the temp. is in double digits!

Padding into the wind, heading over to the other side of the lake. A bit choppy but doable in the Sawyer Summersong.

Out of the wind, my own piece of heaven. It was an outstanding paddle. Nobody else out on the water, except some geese and a few renagade ducks and one lone fisherman that gave me a nod of understanding.


I begin to see that a man's got to be in his own heaven to be happy. - Mark Twain