One of the perks of canoeing is meeting other water enthusiasts who show you their boats and share their fishing stories. Steve, pictured above, was just the guy to make our excursion on Lawrence Lake considerably more interesting on Christmas day! Steve is an Alaska resident who came down here to speed-boat race on Lawrence Lake over the past 20 years. He says Lawrence Lake holds 1/3 of the world's records for speedboat racing.
Although he only works 'crew' on the boats now, he has his own beauty, this fishing boat that he helped to rebuild after his brother smashed it up in a terrible accident on the Talkeetna River. Steve says his boat, a 20 foot Lowe 'Jon Boat', (which can go upstream in 4 inches of water), wasn't fueled up fully when his brother took it up the river. Floodwaters made for some precarious going. When they came across some big log jams that had suddenly piled up they got across several by revving the motor - 'throttling up', as Steve would say. That drained the engine, and depleted the gas. The engine stalled and water got into the motor. Suddenly a 15 foot log jam was right in front of them! The craft flipped and rolled, ripping off the cowls, tearing off the wheel-house, and caving in one entire side of the boat. His brother bailed out alive, but the boat was battered to smithereens. New decks and seats had to be installed, the bodywork had to be welded with aluminum supports and a fiberglass overlay which was then sanded down to make a boat that looked brand new! Steve did all the work, and he was mighty relieved his boat made it through as well as it did.
While George and Polin loaded up our canoe, I con- tinued to visit with Steve, video- taping many of his stories (yes, these guys are more than happy to have a lady ask them all about their boats and their fishing trips!) He told me that he hopes to go out on the Cowlitz, but that fishing down under is nothing compared to the King Salmon that they get up in Alaska. He said, "If you ever get up to Soldotna, check out Les Anderson's record King mounted on the wall at the Visitor Center - a record 97.4 lbs. Photo here, if you need proof! That fish is as big as a man!Now, what does Lawrence Lake have to do with the Mekong Delta? As we headed out on Christmas day, we got a phone call from our friend Polin, who paddled on the Mekong. From Cambodia, in this country for 4 years, he showed interest in going with us.
To be on the safe side, I packed an extra warm jacket, scarf and hat for him, to make sure he knew what he'd be in for.....I was right. He wouldn't have lasted two minutes out on Lawrence Lake with a thin jacket.We paddled slowly over to an island, where we hiked around, exploring old campsites.
Steve's boat circled around the island a couple of times, making huge waves in the water, and blasting the air with the sounds of his motor.
I took out my video- camera, to record some of the lichen on rocks, and to videotape Polin and George as they talked about the trees, many names being unfamiliar to Polin. George pointed out the madronas, the tall cedars, the fir.
I bent down with my camera and checked out details.
This was a large firepit, used last summer by the fishermen. It had a shell-like rotation of stones that was unusual, and as often is the case, brown beer bottles were left behind.This time of year, it is more difficult to get a paddling day in. It can be rainy, windy, and cold. Rarely do we see canoers out in the winter. But, if one paddles close to shore, pays attention to the wind, and stays away from moving water (rivers), it is usually quite a pleasant experience. Christmas day offered sunbreaks, no rain or wind. So, conditions made for a good paddle. We kept it down to about an hour, with simple meandering through the tall reeds, spotting a muskrat nest, and enjoying the fresh cold air.
Polin said that in Cambodia nature is very important - the people love the fresh air, and the river brings food. He said the world of nature is in their poetry, and one of his favorite poems is about a sparrow that flys very far away. The poet asks, "when will you return, little sparrow?"
