I just met a couple of nice girls that had just finished a paddle at the Mud Hole. They were on a couple of matching SURFTECH boards. I knew that SportHaus NW had just started selling SURFTECHS and asked if that was where they bought them. They said they were just renting them but now they are in the market for a couple of boards.
SportHaus rents a package that includes the board, leash, paddle, PFD and straps for $40 a day or $25 for 4 hours. If you buy the board from them they will credit 1 rental towards the purchase price. Kinda like letting you try for free? Kinda. Anyway, if you decide you don't like having fun paddling around enjoying the sun and scenery, your only out 40 bucks.
I took some teenagers paddling last week. One of them asked, "What if I fall in?". My reply. "You'll get wet!" But..... I don't want to get wet! OMG! I told her that she probably shouldn't go on the board because you will fall in and you will get wet. The wake boarders seem to think the Mud Hole makes a really nice place to make large wakes. (25 mph, the boats are designed to make a large wake and at times only 20 or 30 feet from people in kayaks and on SUPs.) What a predicament. She finally realized she was being silly and ended up having a lot of fun. The first wake boarding boat that went by wiped her out! It's not so much the wakes they make, it's how close they come to people on the water. Wakes help you develop better balance. That's my positive spin on this, anyway.
I'm fairly sure the boaters are trying to be safe, but in my opinion they are being reckless. Today I took some photos of the occupants of one of the wake boats taking a break, having a few beers. I didn't see the driver drinking, but... I'm going to add a post in the next couple of days about the powered watercraft in the Mud Hole issue, after I hear back from Tom Lampson, the City Attorney for the city of Richland. He sent me some references last week to some city codes and RCWs that relate to reckless operation of watercraft along the shores of Richland.
Stand up for something and paddle!
