I feel like I'm taking crazy pills (jet ski rentals)

[isobars]

I was worried about WSing at a particular lake on the 4th of July one year because the town's population swells from 10,000 to 100,000 that weekend, with the extra 90,000 being boaters, including cigarette boats, cabin cruisers, big sailboats, and hundreds or thousands of PWC, mostly as drunk as they could get away with. However, the only wind was at that lake, so we took our chances. The lakes 100+ mile shoreline was tightly packed, but being accustomed to parking at the Hatchery, we squeezed our 4X4 into a waterfront spot, waited for the wind to pick up from 10ish to low-mid 20s, and rigged our 5.2s. Just our little bay alone contained scores of boats of all sorts including a couple of dozen PWC ... back in the 90s before they got relatively quiet.

We couldn't even hear the 2-stroke ring-a-ding-ding PWCs unless we stopped talking and paid close attention, and once the wind got sailable we couldn't hear them over the wind even though the resultant chop drove them near shore.

It makes little sense to go to a multi-sport recreation mecca, especially one adjacent to an interstate highway AND a grated steel bridge, in search of peace and quiet. It seems a bit like the Wilderness Society nature boy who demanded to the federal head of the BLM in a public meeting with hundreds of people that he be able to sit on any mountaintop in the U.S. and be unable to see or hear any evidence, on the ground or in the air, of mankind.

The sound of people having fun is itself usually fun ... at least until bedtime.

[KevinL]

[WMP]

The sound of people having fun is not the problem. Even the sound of those stupid, irritating machines can become tolerable after a few hours of mind altering insanity.

What really makes me puke is the smell.... these stupid machines produce toxic exhaust that smells really, really bad. Same goes for snowmobiles in the mountains. Couldn't they come up with assorted smells like cinnamon, apple, or natural citrus fumes?

Yep, I look forward to spending time on the water and sliding on the mountains to get away from toxic exhaust fumes such as this.... to breathe clean, fresh air. Am I expected to wear a gas mask to make that happen?