The Naked Kayaker
  • Blog
    • Search the site
  • Resources
    • Complete List of Posts
    • Trip Planning 101
    • Intro to Kayaking - Course Outline
    • Where can I rent a kayak in Belgium/the Netherlands?
    • How do I get certified in NL?
    • Map of Paddling Clubs
    • Dutch-English Watersports Dictionary
  • Destinations
    • West Coast
    • Great Lakes Region
    • New York State
    • New England
    • Europe
    • Oceania
  • Water Nerd
  • About & Contact

Blog

"Believe me, my young friend. There is nothing, absolutely nothing,
half so worth doing as simply messing around in boats." 

The Wind in the Willows

Clear Lake: Boiling Water, Volcanoes, Bambi, and Gnats.

6/2/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hot springs in the middle of Soda Bay! Look closely at the base of the red rock to the right, and you can see the springs bubbling up.
Clear Lake, in Lake County, California, has been on my to-paddle list since I discovered it on a map and learned about its fascinating history a few months ago. More than a few friends responded with apathy at visiting the lake, alluding to its reputation for motorboats, rednecks, and water quality issues. While I certainly love a remote, undeveloped lake, I also enjoy exploring other flavors of paddling! Alice agreed to join the long day trip. We left the Bay at noon, drove about 2.5 hours (after accidentally "meeting up" at two different park-n-rides in Novato), and put our boats on the water around 4pm. Within 5 minutes we jumped out of our boats to refresh, ignoring the algal bloom that filled the water around us.
We launched from Lakeside Park, which is on the southwest side of the lake. It's a free county park where we could leave our cars after sunset (unlike Clear Lake State Park). There were some big swarms of "Clear Lake Gnats," which apparently hatch during this season and used to be a major pest. According to Wikipedia, the swarms were so thick before the 1940s that people would have to stop every 1/4 mile to wipe gnats off the windshields of cars (this is surprising since cars probably didn't go as fast as they do today). Control efforts involving DDD during the 1940's and '50s killed many birds (Western grebe) on the lake. Today the gnats are kept under control by two fish species that provide competition for food (zooplankton). [How do gnats eat plankton? Crazy]
Picture
Stopped for chocolate milk on the way to Clear Lake. Photo by Alice Miller.
Picture
Leaving the dock at Lakeside Park.
Apparently Clear Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America. It used to be much larger and flow into to the Russian River, but volcanic eruptions and landslides severed that connection. Today the main outlet is Cache Creek, which is now controlled by Cache Creek Dam. A few dormant volcanos surround the lake, making for an interesting skyline. The Sulfur Bank Mine, once one of the largest mercury producers in world, is located on the east side of the lake. It is now a Superfund site (and historical landmark), and has led to very high mercury contamination in Clear Lake.
Picture
Picture
A quick stop at the Country Store for a failed beer run.
We paddled around Clear Lake State Park and into Soda Bay, where we encountered an unusual island (see photo above) of bright orange rocks. As we approached, the area between the rocks seemed to be boiling. There are a number of vent holes around Soda Bay, with the deepest (~100 feet) acting as nurseries for juvenile catfish. In the early 1900's these baths were built up and connected to shore by a walkway (destroyed by a fire in 1940).


We crossed over from Soda Bay to a narrow peninsula. The wind and waves picked up significantly in this exposed stretch, and made for some unexpected excitement. On the way back we were craving some cold beers and pulled over at the Country Store, which was in a shadier part of the bay. By the time we entered the air conditioned store we were quite chilly (not having brought extra layers) and no longer craved beers, so we munched some almonds and went on our way. :)
Picture
Alice paddling into the sunset
In summary, Clear Lake is a lake with many troubles, but also many unique and interesting stories and sights. I've been craving a long paddle on a big lake, and Clear Lake was perfect for that. We did not encounter the droves of motor boats that were predicted, and we almost felt alone on the lake - a strange feeling for California. I can't speak for Alice, but I'd go back to do some more exploring on the south end!

Our return was perfectly timed with the sunset. We had an audience of fishermen as we loaded up our boats. On the drive home we crossed the mountains westward to HWY 101, nearly hitting Bambi on the way (coincidentally during a conversation about movies with animal name titles).

Date: Saturday June 1st, 2013
Time: ~4.5 hours
Distance ~ 13.5 miles
Picture
Mandatory sunset over the mountains picture.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome!

    This is a blog about exploring the outdoors (mostly by kayak), traveling, trip planning, and coastal engineering. It currently focuses on kayaking in the Netherlands and Belgium, but previous posts cover Upstate New York, California, and much more. See the Complete List of Blog Posts for a history of the site. Looking for something specific? Search the site here.

    In addition to the blog, check out the Water Nerd section, where I write about coastal engineering and hydrology. 

    ​Happy Paddling!
    ​Nena

    Subscribe Here!

    Email updates on new blog posts, about once per month.

    Reader Tips

    Click the "Read More" link at the bottom of each summary for more photos, to see an interactive map of the route, and to read about the adventure.

    Maps in each blog post: Click the icons to learn more about the launch site (amenities) and destinations. Click the square in the bottom-left corner to see an aerial photo behind the route.
    Suggestions much appreciated!


    Archives

    December 2020
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    May 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010


    Categories

    All
    Biking
    Camping
    Canoeing
    City Trip
    Distance: 00 - 05 Miles
    Distance: 05 - 10 Miles
    Distance: 10 - 15 Miles
    Distance: 15 - 20 Miles
    Distance: > 20 Miles
    Guest Post
    Hiking
    Kayak Polo
    Reflections
    Region: Belgium
    Region: California
    Region: Canary Islands
    Region: Croatia
    Region: France
    Region: Great Lakes
    Region: Greece
    Region: Italy
    Region: Netherlands
    Region: New York
    Region: New Zealand
    Region: Norway
    Region: Oregon
    Region: Portugal
    Region: Spain
    Region: Switzerland
    Region: UK
    Region: US East Coast
    Region: Vancouver
    Region: Washington
    Roadtrip
    Tide: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Non-Tidal
    Tides: Tidal
    Time Capsules
    Trip Planning 101
    Type: Bay
    Type: Canal
    Type: Channel
    Type: Fjord
    Type: Lake
    Type: Lake/Reservoir
    Type: Open Coast
    Type: River
    Water Nerd

    RSS Feed

    Click the RSS Feed link, copy the URL, and paste it into your favorite feed reader.
    Blog Expat: living abroad

    Expats Blog
© 2021 The Naked Kayaker. All rights Reserved.