Day 15 – Wind & Waves

The theme of October 20th 2011 on Devil’s Lake was, “Wind & Waves”.  As I have talked about before, a strong wind coming in from the just the right direction, can get even stronger when it is compressed through the bowl of the bluffs surrounding the lake.  Yesterday was a good example. During the early morning hours, waves on the south end were topping out somewhere between one and two feet which is very rare for Devil’s Lake.

For paddlers, the trick of understanding our little pond is knowing that conditions can be 100% opposite from one side of the lake to the other.  While the south end was rocking yesterday morning, the north shore of the lake was nearly flat.  Even the spot where I launched from was protected and the lake seemed calm.  You simply can’t assume water conditions from the shoreline.  If you are at all concerned about paddling in wind and waves, it’s a good idea to check the weather and take a quick drive around the lake to be sure you know what you’re in for.  99% of the time, Devil’s Lake is a calm, flat, little lake but occasionally…

Personally, I love the wind and waves.  It’s nature full-on.  The only downside is that it must have taken me nearly a half hour just to paddle from the south end to the north end against the hard wind and even harder gusts.  For a moment during one particularly strong gust, I thought I might get blown right over.  Happily, that didn’t happen.   The up-side is that the trip back to the south end took only minutes with the wind at my back…

Lots of splash as the kayak bounds up and down the waves

The view from South Shore Rd.

We can expect a lot more turbulent days between now and when the snow begins to fly.  The wind is doing a good job taking the leaves off the trees and it’s not all that colorful right near the lake now.  Still, if you hike up into the bluffs you still see some nice fall colors.  Even those won’t last much longer.

Day 15 down.