Hello All.
I paddled
Lake Cachuma on 04/23/2011, the second weekend that it was open to kayakers. Here are my observations.
Check in was very slow, about one half hour while the gate personnel had our group of six fill out the registration. Gate personnel asked about where the kayak had last been paddled but didn't actually pull the hatch covers to inspect. They issued an inspection certificate that we had to show at the public launch ramp, the only place where you are allowed to launch.
When I got the the launch ramp, the park employee asked me to return to the parking lot. She only allowed two vehicles on the launch ramp at a time. Rather than queue up in a yet to be established line, I parked at the back of the lot, outfitted my kayak and carried it down to the launch ramp.
Park regulations prohibit boaters from coming ashore anywhere other than at the launch ramp. Boaters are not allowed to swim in the lake or to practice rolling. There are several floating outhouses on the lake.
There were few boaters on the lake when I launched at around 10:30 a. m. Supposedly, lake personnel will enforce a counter-clockwise circulation pattern on the water. Given the light traffic on the day I was there, water traffic control was certainly not an issue.
The group wanted to
up the lake toward the dam in order to have the afternoon wind at our back when we returned.
The lake was almost full so we were able to kayak farther up the streams feeding the lake than we otherwise would be able to. Nevertheless, I spent more time traversing open water than exploring the shoreline. For lake paddles, I much prefer the latter.
I intend to return to Cachuma soon to see if the park has streamlined its check in procedures. This time, I'll
away from the dam toward the Santa Ynez River, hoping for more interesting sights.
Ralph Sutter
