[Paddlewise] powerboats

     Having paddled on the Willamette and Columbia Rivers here in 
Oregon, I have observed several fairly obvious details. One is that 
many of the powerboaters are drinking, and it's not H2O. Therefore I 
try to stay as far away from them as possible. It's not that I don't 
trust them, it's  that I DON'T TRUST THEM. Consequently I try to 
paddle along the shore, preferably in 6 inches of water, where they 
can't get at me. This subjects one to other risks, namely that there 
are people on shore who are also drinking, among other things, and I 
don't trust them either. But somehow a shorebound drunk seems 
slightly less dangerous than a sotted powerboater commanding hundreds 
of horsepower.
     I might add that not everyone in Oregon is inebriated in the 
great outdoors. Some of them just have guns. I'll never forget the 
day we paddled past a private dock, and some young lad came out of 
the house and pointed his B-B gun at me. How delightful.
     Then there are the unexpected but amusing waterly experiences. 
While paddling up the Sandy River in fairly shallow water, I realized 
that I was getting wet. This was puzzling, since the water was not 
coming from my paddle. It took several moments for me to notice that a 
rather large black lab was licking my head and face as I paddled 
along, and shaking water all over me. He stayed with us for several 
hundred yards (or meters if you prefer), and we finally had to send 
the handsome fellow home, although it broke my heart to do so.
**********************************************************************
Bradford R. Crain                             E-mail: brad_at_mth.pdx.edu
Dept. of Mathematics                          Phone: (503) 725-3127
Portland State Univ.                          FAX:   (503) 725-3661  
P.O. Box 751
Portland, Or. 97207
**********************************************************************

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************