I have always liked White Rock because there is always something unexpected and new and just plain interesting. Over the years, I have watched it go from seeing no one on the lake to fishermen, rowing clubs for high schools, college and Vets that are overcoming Post Distress Disorders. All, add to up in the asset column. Then about eight years ago (including this season) a young lady in a pink baseball cap with her blonde pony tail pulled through the adjustable band in the back of the hat appeared with a trailer and permit from the city to begin operating the White Rock Paddle Company, the outrigger for canoes, kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards. Needless to say, it was a smashing success and has become a staple on the lake for those that like that kind of recreation. It has been a while since I have seen Amy's crew bring out a canoe but kayaks are stacked up in colorful piles that seem to fly off the shelf in the rental business now firmly anchored on East Lawther in the marina area.
That said, it goes without saying that runners and bikers have now taken over the lake to a point that one cannot drive down West or East Lawther without having to navigate some pretty aggressive individuals. The city could have saved $42 million because runners and hikers don't use the trails that much, preferring to run on both sides of the road and creating serious conditions that could land some one in the hospital
if not the ME's morgue table. Individuals, I might add that have little interest in the very things that make the park the crown jewel that it is today. That, still is and will remain to be the wildlife, nature's wonders we call sunrises and sunsets in an high density urban area.Or, the one thing that makes this lake stand out because it's on the central flyway for migrations of birds, waterfowl, hummingbirds, butterflies and yes, even some insects. And just when I think that maybe I should just hang it up and not care anymore, something amazing occurs that is much the same as someone getting CPR and returning to normal life again.That of and within itself should be the driving force to let the city know that this is very much likened to New York's Central Park. Somewhere, a line is going to have to be drawn in the sand as to how much parking, roadways being used as trails and cease to be a PR campaign the Parks see it's likeness and traffic enforcement begins. I see the signs in place. I see the Police Officers in the park. I see the Park Rangers now and then. In fact, I was with a Ranger a couple of weeks ago at Flap Pole Hill while he was talking pictures of cars illegally parked off road. Today, at the Cultural Bath House, I saw many SUVs pulling off road and driving down to the lake behind the cultural center. It's migration time for the Monarch Butterflies and the traumatized pelicans have returned from Montana's Big Lake that saw 13,000 waterfowl killed in a freak hail storm not so many weeks ago.
Hopefully, changes are closer to happening than not.
That said, it goes without saying that runners and bikers have now taken over the lake to a point that one cannot drive down West or East Lawther without having to navigate some pretty aggressive individuals. The city could have saved $42 million because runners and hikers don't use the trails that much, preferring to run on both sides of the road and creating serious conditions that could land some one in the hospital
Hopefully, changes are closer to happening than not.
