Mar. 1, Tuesday, The Island and wild burros

The forecast was for "light and variable" winds, so we decided today was the day!

We were going to paddle across the lake to the Island.

Because it's such a far way across, I decided to wear my neoprene dry-suit.

Tipping the kayak that far from shore, into 57 degree water, was risking hypothermia.

I put shorts and t-shirt over it, and thought my "I love Halloween" shirt was appropriate,

given that I looked like I was wearing a goofy costume!

I think flippers and a snorkel would have made a great addition!

Destination right off the point of my kayak: The Island

Eager to go, I was already out in the water when Steven boarded his kayak.


This is as we came past the point on our side of the lake and headed into open water.
I like the sky. Those are streaks from airplanes.
There are dozens of these hazy streaks and they linger all day, cutting out some of the direct sunlight. And people think their "carbon footprint" from driving, buying food in plastic packaging, and leaving their lights on, is what's causing global warming?
Get a clue. Look at that sky. It's got to be affecting plants and animals that had depended on the hours of clear sunlight, which they no longer get.


Getting closer to the Island and the far shore.


Closer still. Individual rocks and plants can be seen.
My heart was beating with joy. For two winters we'd stared across at this pile of rock, gazing at it through binoculars and imagining what it would be like to go over there and explore.
Now we were doing it!


It turned out not to be an Island, but a peninsula connected to the land and bluffs behind by a very thin ridge of rock. But we'll probably still refer to it as "the Island"!
To the right of it was a sandy cove where we landed.

Looking back across to the shore where we're camped, you can see a small dark brown square near the right side of the picture, just above the shore. That's our uhaul.

Telephoto. Easier to see the brown square of the uhaul.

We headed inland on a burro trail through the DesertWillows, which had buds and were going to be leafing out soon.

We hiked over the ridges from "wash" to "wash", and heard a burro bray nearby. Then we spotted these burros coming up from the water's edge. Here's a mommy-burro and her baby, about 8' behind her.

They stopped to look at us. We sat behind some rocks and I balanced my camera on top of them to steady it. They knew we were there, but I don't think they could figure out what we were. The wind was coming toward us and they couldn't smell us.
We stayed still so we wouldn't upset them.

Reassured, Mommy-burro and baby wander on.

Then another wild burro came into sight.

This is the ridge on the "Island". We knew it had a hole in it, but didn't know there were two holes! To the right of the picture, closer to us, is the mommy-burro and her baby, going over the ridge. They turned to the right and walked out of sight.

Meanwhile, the other burro meandered it's way up the wash. It wasn't alarmed at all about us being there. In fact, we eventually got bored and wandered on!

We spotted a coyote running along the base of the bluffs.

It disappeared up a side canyon.

Scenery along our hike.

We were following burro tracks in the sand.

The tracks of a mommy burro and a baby burro.

Maybe the burros we saw earlier?

A chipmunk or ground squirrel, scurrying around on the rocks

Coyote tracks in the sand.

The sand is like a record of who/what's been through.

We also saw tracks of small rodents, and trails where lizards have run through.

The lizard tracks are neat. Little rows of footprints with a 'drag mark" for it's tail!

Ancient Nevada Pyramid

Just kidding. It's a pile of sand and rock!

Another view of the fin of rock on the 'Island'.

Steven found a toy motorcycle in the sand.

Treasure!

He built a fire for cooking lunch, on the beach near the kayaks.

I entertained myself by stacking shells.

I put three more on the pile after I took the picture, then it fell.

Steven went to cut some willow sticks for roasting, and took my picture.

We cooked some of our leftover polish sausages. I jammed my stick in the sand.

I hope we're getting enough exercise to work off our indulgence in junk food!

It's health food for the mind, though! ha ha!

After lunch we used the empty pop cans to bring water from the lake and put out the fire.

Then we climbed the 'Island'. Going up from the lake we had to climb this rock field.

At the top of the jumbled rocks was a stretch of gravel, then the "ruins", the rock formation on top of the 'Island'.

An eagle, center of picture.

The holes from the other side and just below.

Looking south through the smaller hole.

Looking north through the same hole.

Steven perched near the bigger hole.

Looking south through the bigger hole.

South again, through the bigger hole, different angle.

Me in the smaller hole, as we were about to climb back down.

Steven on our climb down. It was more steep and dramatic in real life!

A coyote track next to a burro track.

Paddling away from the beach in the cove, heading back to our side of the lake.

From the middle of the lake, looking north.

It took us about 45 minutes each way to paddle the kayaks across.

We were fortunate with the wind, in that it didn't pick up this afternoon and make big waves.

Steven in the middle of the lake.

I nearly capsized turning to take this picture!