NOVEMBER SKIES

 

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air. --Nathaniel Hawthorne 

"We seldom think of November in terms of beauty or any other especially satisfying tribute," wrote American author and naturalist Hal Borland, "November is simply that interval between colorful and dark December."

Paddling in November is an anomaly for many. The cool temperatures just seem to out-weigh the beautiful fall colors and golden light from the autumn sun. In my recent trips to both the Lower American River and my neighborhood lake, Lake Natoma, the waterways have been virtually abandoned by the summertime crowds, leaving an empty view of the glistening water. The refreshing clear and crisp autumnal air and sky and uncrowded shores make me wonder why November paddling doesn't get its homage and due.

When I look back on my last paddling day. I did nothing special. There was no grand trip to a lake or river I had never paddled before. There wasn't a thrilling ride through rapids or ocean waves. Sorry folks, but to celebrate my own personal record of the most paddling days ever in a calendar year, like always, as of late, it was a simple trip to the lake. One hundred and thirty-five days of paddling was spent floating in the twilight listening to the sounds of city and nature intermingle along the sloughs and islands in Lake Natoma.
It's an accomplishment for me to get to 135 days of paddling in the calendar year. In the past, vying for 100 days took some serious effort. This year has been mostly confined to local waters. Lack of money but mostly time with a very active work schedule has kept me away from exotic trips to faraway rivers and lakes. But I'll keep dreaming.
I'm content to enjoy my time on the water when some are locking their kayaks away for the season and with almost two months remaining in the year, I'll keep chipping away at my own personal record.

Paddling Forward, The 2018 Mid-Term Election
While the results can’t be called an unqualified victory for environment and climate advocates gained crucial purchase to push for clean air and water. Voters passed or defeated 10 state ballot initiatives favoring the environment to curb greenhouse gas emissions (Washington), increase the use of renewable fuels and increase spending on land preservation (Georgia, California), protect wildlife habitats (Alaska), limit fracking (Colorado). Montana voters, however, shot down an initiative that would have helped regulate new rock mines.
Leaders from environmental groups said they're thrilled with the election's outcome and Democrats reclaiming the House of Representatives to rebuff President Trump's most egregious environmental policies.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen the most anti-environment president in history and most anti-environment Congress in history—and the voters said, ‘Enough,’” Gene Karpinksi, the president of the League of Conservation Voters told Sierra the national magazine of the Sierra Club, “The green firewall in the Senate is still intact. We have new leadership and a pro-environment majority in the House, and that’s a big step forward. As we’ve said, if we’re going to make progress in the short term, it’s going to come from the states. And we have many, many new governors and statehouses that are committed to fighting for clean energy and action on climate.”

In water-related initiatives, Alaska voters turned down a measure that would have forced the state’s Department of Fish and Game to hand out permits for projects and activities that might harm fish. In Florida, voters came out against offshore drilling and will put an end to oil and gas mining on lands under state waters. While in California, voters have rejected an initiative would have allocated close to $8 billion in funds for surface and groundwater storage, watershed protection (habitat restoration) and water infrastructure.

This past election brought out a lot of ugly rhetoric about persons of color and both immigrants and refugees, women, and the LGBT community. But as American Rivers President William Robert (Bob) Irvin wrote after the 2016 election, "Rivers don’t care where you came from or where you’re going, what you believe and what you don’t believe, who you love or who your parents were. At American Rivers, we respect the dignity of every human being who works for us, who works with us, and who we see on the river."

I Boated
And major kudos to Relise Design Company of Knoxville Tenn, for creating the I Boated, #GoBoatTN emblem during this year's election as a way to show off Tennessee boating pride. We should all exercise our civic duty and get out there and BOAT!

Want to see more photos? Follow me on Instagram
@nickayak
The official feed of Outside Adventure to the Max. Follow us on river trips along the American River and the lakes of the Sierra with Current Adventures as we count my paddling days of the year.