Mr. Putters Boathouse opened up for the season last weekend and so far locals have been reluctant to get on the water.
“The two weekends that we've been open here," Mr. Putters Boathouse co-owner and marketing manager Ally Dole said, "it's definitely on the slow side."
According to Dole, customers typically divide their time among their three businesses, depending on the weather.
“Whenever we see a harsh weather, the put-put and our boathouse get a little bit less busy," Ally Dole said. "But our arcade tries to balance it out,"
Grayson Dole and Ally Dole have co-owned the boathouse for four years and have witnessed the extremes of a dry and wet season on the lake.
“Our first year or two the water level got so low, the dock was on the mud at the bottom of the lake," Grayson Dole said.
According to Grayson, because their schedule syncs up with Atascadero's school schedules, the diehard customers are already asking what new equipment will be out on the lake this season once it's warm enough to paddle. Locals who live near the lake have been paying attention to the water levels.
“Just for the last couple of months, it's getting closer and closer [to overflowing into the dam]," Atascadero resident David Innis said. "So it's almost like you should put a stake there or something to see where it's been after a rain event."
Despite the harsh wind and rain on Saturday, some locals were enjoying a birthday party and taking their dogs for a walk around the lake.
“It’s a good feeling," Innis commented. "My wife hadn’t been over here for a while and she's like wow [the lake's] really up there!”
