Aug 12th - Ashland, OR

​We inflated the paddle boards, put them in the back of the truck and drove them down a steep boat ramp, because the waterline was too far away to carry our boards. Unfortunately the water level is retreating so quickly - about nine feet of shoreline each day - the banks of the lake were soft, sticky clay mud.

We wrapped Charlie's cast in plastic and took her down to the water. Hank carried her through the mud and set her on the paddleboard. Streak tromped through the mud on his own and joined Angie on her board. We had to wash the mud of the decks of our boards so it was safe to stand. But the water was nice after we got away from the shoreline. It was a windy day, which made for vigorous paddling, but the air temperature was warm.

We found a more rocky section of beach to land on, so it was a little less treacherous carrying our dog and boards back to the car.  We used the outdoor shower at the trailer to clean Streak and our boards. We decided that one day of paddling on Emigrant Lake in this condition was enough for us.

We found live music at two bars in town. At Oberon's we enjoyed a singer-songwriter, Jordan Pratt. The crowd was small, so we had a running conversation with him about Seattle, travelling and raising kids. We then moved to bar called "Local 31", where we saw a very unique band called "Def Cougar Mellencamp". They played hits from the 1980s "in the style of the 1880s" - acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, banjo and lap steel guitar. They were a hoot!