Meet Pashmina 2

I drove to the Washington, Idaho border yesterday to pick up my new-used dinghy, an 8 ft 6 in. Porta-Bote, which is now the newest member of the Adventures of Shatoosh and Pashmina. I'm going to give this a try. Mind you, I think the Porta Bote is the ugliest thing on the planet. They have been in production for more than 40 years, selling over 90,000 and have a reputation of being indestructable. As Pashmina 2 rode with me home I kept patting her starboard bow, telling her that love can only grow for her, as we are starting from scratch. She has big shoes to fill from her baby sister, who has carried me to many a place to create  fantastic adventures of which I will never forget.

Her previous owner tells me he bought her several years ago to be a back up dinghy for their Alaska cruise, but she was never used and has been sitting in the garage, gathering dust. Yesterday, I learn that, "several years ago", really meant, 1996. Time flies, when ..., well, you know the story. But Pashmina 2 did make the trip on deck all the way to Sitka, Alaska and back. Somehow, that makes my heart flutter with hope, that this boat has potential. She just needs some encouragement and other opportunites to shine. In spite of her age, she is brand-spanking, new. She is about to imerge from this time capsule she has been in.
I'm already feeling better about her.

Let the Adventures Begin....

I try her out on the Pend Oreille River at the owners home. She is stable and easy to row and fits nicely, into my Prius. She is much bigger than Pashmina which means that I will have to carry her off the swim platform.

I can take her to some mountain lakes and fish for trout. This is beginning to sound good to me. Lets get her in the water and see what she can do. I return home via a long route over to Lake Roosevelt on the Columbia River which is south of the Canadian border. This is damed with the Grand Colee Dam. The depths are over 200 ft of water and the lake is over 740miles from the ocean. This morning I stop along the Columbia river near Vantage, Wa and look out over the vast waterways.

I'm already beginning to "feel the love".