Commuting by Boat
It is a 50 minute drive to work, from Grove to the Pensacola Dam, by car. Gasoline cost is about $6.00.
So I thought I would try to commute by boat just to compare the two methods.
It was Friday and I was working the day tour at the dam. Weather was clear and the lake was smooth as glass. I had no GPS but a quick review of my Piloting and Seamanship classes set me straight.
I pulled out of the breakwater at Melody Point at 8:05 a.m. and powered up the huge 6.2L Merc and put it on cruise control at 3200 rpm and about 30 mph. I took the direct route, not following the shoreline. I popped in my favorite CD in the whole world, "Pancho & Lefty" by Willie and Merle, the same one that got our Swiss tour guide so excited 15 years ago during a golf tour to Switzerland.
As I cruised down Oklahoma's finest lake I passed my deceased parents old home on the Zena side and waved, with no response of course. If only they could see me now. Dad used to refer to the GRDA as the GDRA, after the low lake levels in the 50's.
In just 15 minutes I passed El Cabo and in another five I was at the mouth of Duck Creek. Lots of new million dollar homes are still going up on the lake. Most boats stayed away, thinking I was a Lake Patrol boat in plain clothes.
Suddenly the Big Dam came into view, all 535,000 cubic yards of concrete, what a beauty.
I pulled into the public docks in Langley just at 30 minutes drive time, put out the fenders and securely tied up the boat.
Is this a great country or what?
I figured the roundtrip cost a little over $10 in fuel at $2.65/gallon, as my boat uses 3.4 gph at that speed. The return trip took a little longer as it was Friday afternoon and the big ones were out already.
But I think I'll stick to the auto method. Keeping the boat in the water all day meant I had to clean the algae off the bottom after putting it on the lift.
So I thought I would try to commute by boat just to compare the two methods.
It was Friday and I was working the day tour at the dam. Weather was clear and the lake was smooth as glass. I had no GPS but a quick review of my Piloting and Seamanship classes set me straight.
I pulled out of the breakwater at Melody Point at 8:05 a.m. and powered up the huge 6.2L Merc and put it on cruise control at 3200 rpm and about 30 mph. I took the direct route, not following the shoreline. I popped in my favorite CD in the whole world, "Pancho & Lefty" by Willie and Merle, the same one that got our Swiss tour guide so excited 15 years ago during a golf tour to Switzerland.
As I cruised down Oklahoma's finest lake I passed my deceased parents old home on the Zena side and waved, with no response of course. If only they could see me now. Dad used to refer to the GRDA as the GDRA, after the low lake levels in the 50's.
In just 15 minutes I passed El Cabo and in another five I was at the mouth of Duck Creek. Lots of new million dollar homes are still going up on the lake. Most boats stayed away, thinking I was a Lake Patrol boat in plain clothes.
Suddenly the Big Dam came into view, all 535,000 cubic yards of concrete, what a beauty.
I pulled into the public docks in Langley just at 30 minutes drive time, put out the fenders and securely tied up the boat.
Is this a great country or what?
I figured the roundtrip cost a little over $10 in fuel at $2.65/gallon, as my boat uses 3.4 gph at that speed. The return trip took a little longer as it was Friday afternoon and the big ones were out already.
But I think I'll stick to the auto method. Keeping the boat in the water all day meant I had to clean the algae off the bottom after putting it on the lift.
posted by Editor | 1:32 AM
1 Comments:
As you might already know, I teach golf at the Patricia Island Golf Course. Yet, I live on Monkey Island. Invariably, I find that I am past my 30 minute drive time window. I might do that on purpose because I just mosey down to my pontoon boat and fire up my little 90 horse Mercury and go straight across the lake to one of the coves that bounds Patricia Island. I then walk for a couple of hundred yards and find that I am early for my appointment. It takes a total of about 15 minutes compared to drive time of 30. What a life ! Steve Pace, PGA Instructor, Patricia Island
Post a Comment
<< Home