Mojave and Isabella
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:24 pmI'm sure loving being semi-retired! Camped at Katherine's Landing and scored two great days of North wind at Cabin Site. 5m Saturday and 4.5 Sunday each for 3 hours. Yes, gusty, but seems ridiculous to complain when I left UT in a snowstorm and it was 85F in AZ. As usual there was a really great crew of fellow board heads enjoying the sailing. I'm beginning to get more comfortable in higher wind conditions. Tent camping was quite pleasant too.
From there I drove 5.5 hours to Lake Isabella. I'd heard of this place a long time ago when I lived in CA and had never had the opportunity to check it out. I rolled in Monday just as a short, planable session was ending. I bobbed around for a bit, but gave up quickly to save energy. Camping at the Auxiliary Dam is right on the beach and free if you have an agency pass. Otherwise it is $10/day. There are so many spots to camp it is amazing. All on dirt and not a tree in sight, but the setting is spectacular (Imagine a dirtball Lake Garda?!?). I met Eva, the local doyenne of the Isabella windsurf scene along with other really cool local sailors. I strategically located the tent in the lee of some trailers and parked my car to protect it, but the wind in the night wasn't strong. The lake isn't big, especially with low water levels due to dam repairs. However, that means flat water and lots of gybing. I sailed a 6m in really nice conditions the next day, then a 5M in rowdy, gusty conditions the following day. The wind was gusting to 40mph and dirt was blowing down the beach. Sometimes I had to hunker down on the water and just wait.
The drive home was 10hrs and my wife hadn't had time to change the locks. All in all, a fantastic trip.
From there I drove 5.5 hours to Lake Isabella. I'd heard of this place a long time ago when I lived in CA and had never had the opportunity to check it out. I rolled in Monday just as a short, planable session was ending. I bobbed around for a bit, but gave up quickly to save energy. Camping at the Auxiliary Dam is right on the beach and free if you have an agency pass. Otherwise it is $10/day. There are so many spots to camp it is amazing. All on dirt and not a tree in sight, but the setting is spectacular (Imagine a dirtball Lake Garda?!?). I met Eva, the local doyenne of the Isabella windsurf scene along with other really cool local sailors. I strategically located the tent in the lee of some trailers and parked my car to protect it, but the wind in the night wasn't strong. The lake isn't big, especially with low water levels due to dam repairs. However, that means flat water and lots of gybing. I sailed a 6m in really nice conditions the next day, then a 5M in rowdy, gusty conditions the following day. The wind was gusting to 40mph and dirt was blowing down the beach. Sometimes I had to hunker down on the water and just wait.
The drive home was 10hrs and my wife hadn't had time to change the locks. All in all, a fantastic trip.