Sunday, October 7, 2012

Going Stir-Crazy


The "No Wake" buoy usually floats well out into the lake to slow
boats approaching the landing.  Now it looks like it's been dropped
in the middle of the desert.  Notice the beer bottle that had been thrown
into the lake.  I don't think there's anything more ignorant than people
throwing their trash into a lake, river, or out a car window. 
 
It’s hard to believe that it’s been two months since our 103-105 degree paddle on the Missouri River. I don’t know if they got it, but the forecast was for snow in the Oklahoma panhandle today. We’ve been going stir-crazy, and we just needed to get out of the house and out of town. We grabbed a couple Subway sandwiches and drinks and drove to Canton Lake to sit beside the lake and have lunch. Even this was depressing, as the lake is more sand lot than lake, and it’s been this way now for a couple years. Any bit of rain we get is sent straight through to Oklahoma City. Today, the lake is at 56%, which means the level is down eight feet. No water is coming into the lake, and at the moment, nothing is going out. Being a shallow lake to begin with, that doesn’t leave much. The floating pier at the landing has long since been pulled out on dry land and sits forlornly in the parking lot. There are weeds, brush, and cedar trees growing where there should be water. The blowing sand has buried the riprap breakwater that guarded the landing. The sand has formed a dune that buries the boat ramp in several feet of sand, and the ramps are barricaded by highway construction barriers. Oh my!






 

A boat ramp normally submerged under several feet of water is now
submerged under a sand dune.
 

Another stranded "No Wake" buoy.  Again, notice the broken beer bottle
waiting to slice the foot of some kid trying to enjoy a swim.  Between the
convenience store, gas station, boat landing or park trash containers, and
the trash can at home, this slob would pass dozens of waste containers before
the end of day, and still had to throw his trash into the lake to put others at risk.
 



Instead of waves on the water, wind waves in the sand.
 
 


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