November 14, 2010

Another November paddle! We decided to go back to Lake Lonely to see if we could find the Heron nests that Tim & Megan had seen in the spring.


Tim heads out

We noticed that the water level was pretty low. There were quite a few spots where we could hit our paddles on the bottom of the lake. The lake was very flat and calm. No waves or ripples today either. There were a lot of ducks and Canada Geese on the lake. Most the time we didn't see them until we startled them and they would fly off in search of another quiet place.



Huge house in the background. I always like to look at the landscaping!



Nance near the Saratoga National Golf Course

We saw a large bird in a tree. We couldn't confirm, but assume that it was a heron. As we continued to paddle back towards the launch we spotted the heron nests that we were looking for. There were probably about a dozen, varying in size. Round Lake has a lot more nests that are visible from much farther away. I love the Round lake nests- they always have at least 1 heron in them!


Two Heron nests!

We paddled back after only an hour since we had found the nests we were looking for. We decided not to paddle down the creek towards Saratoga Lake. Tim wanted to make sure he had time to wash the kayaks in case this was the final trip. Who knows, if this weather holds we may get a trip in December!

NOVEMBER 13, 2010

I can't believe that it is November and we are still kayaking! Tim took the afternoon off on Friday and kayaked at Exit 18 with his friend Doug.

After I worked Saturday morning, Tim & I packed up and headed to Sherman Island. It's one of our favorite places to paddle. We took a picnic lunch to have before we started paddling. Nothing like a Subway sandwich!


Tim unpacks our lunch

After we ate our lunch we headed towards the Sherman Island Dam. The water was smooth as glass. I have never paddled on water so still! The reflections of the mountains were so pretty. We were amazed by the stillness all around us. There wasn't any one else on the river. We have decided that this is the best time of year to paddle. From the smooth, calm water to the quiet in the air; it was awesome. If you can keep your toes warm after stepping into the kayak, the rest is easy. We could even hear squirrels rustling in the woods. With the leaves off the trees you are able to see more of the terrain. Normally you can't see very far into the woods.



The water is so smooth it is hard to distinguish between the mountain and the surface of the water.

As we approached the dam we headed around a few of our favorite islands, The sun was on our faces and felt so nice. We could hear a loud scraping noise, but could not see what was making the noise. The bright sun was blinding us. As we approached one of the shores we could see a canoe that had been pulled up on the shore. I spotted a man with a bright orange hunter type hat. He seemed to be hiding from us. Hint: if you're trying not to be seen... remove the hat! We never would have seen him if it wasn't for the hat. I could hear the Deliverance theme playing as the man ducked from our view. We left him behind and headed back towards the launch. I still am curious about what he was doing.


So beautiful!

We paddled towards the Spier Falls Dam. Our beautiful quiet was ruined by some hooligans on motorcycles on the road. They were doing wheelies over and over again. It was a shame to lose the serenity we had up until then. The paddle back seemed easier than normal. It almost felt like the dam had been turned off. We passed a log that was floating by. It had to be at least 21 feet long! I wonder if it came over the dam!


Nance looks for wildlife

We paddled almost to the Spier Falls Dam when we turned back. It was getting late. We wanted to make sure we were out of the water before dark. We saw a culvert that had been packed solid with sticks by some beavers. You could hear the water trickling over the top of the dam - that's what made us look that way. We had never noticed it before.

Beaver dam in the culvert

We had paddled for about 2 hours. It was a very nice afternoon. We were a little chilled on the way home. The air temperature was in the mid 50's, but not sure what the water temperature was. Wet feet
chilled me right through but all in all; a great day!

October 31, 2010 Stewart Pond

Well, we squeezed in another kayak trip! Kayaking on Halloween! The weather was questionable, but we decided to give it a try any way! We waited for a small rain shower to pass and then we headed out. We saw sun & clouds along the way, so who knew what we would find once we got there.


We launched from the first launch area when you drive in. We figured the cove there would be the easiest to maneuver if  waves picked up. It was fairly calm on the water, only small ripples. Since it was Halloween, I wore part of my costume! Tim snapped my picture as we left.



Nancy in "costume"

We paddled our usual route going along the shore, watching for the bald eagle. We were hoping that since many leaves were down, we might find the nest. Since this was our 4th time there, we were optimistic. I did sight a large bird soaring over the lake. It flew very high and worked its way to the other side of the lake until we lost sight of it. In my mind it was our eagle- with or without proof. It was too far away to get a picture.
It began to snow as we paddled. It was kind of funny to be paddling while it snowed. It wasn't snowing hard, just a steady snow. I took a picture of a few flakes on my spray skirt.

A few snow flakes start to fall

We continued around the lake towards the dam. Even this late in the Fall the trees were still pretty. Mostly shades of rust and brown rather than reds and yellows.  In spite of the number of leaves that have fallen, it was still very pretty. I made sure to take a picture of the trees behind the dam to show the variation in colors.



Trees behind the dam

We made our way from the dam back around the lake to the launch area. It snowed a little more on the way back. The little snow squalls only lasted about 5-10 minutes. It was kind of cool.



Tim

 When we got back to the launch we released our spray skirts so we could get out of our kayaks. It was amazing how quickly our legs felt the cold. Up until then, we were toasty warm. The spray skirts really work. It's nice to know that our equipment is doing the job we bought it for.

Once we loaded the boats onto the Jeep, we headed out in search of the Eagle nest (Aerie). We figured that if we walked into the woods along the ridge we would certainly find the nest. We were unsuccessful. No nest sighted. More snow as we walked.



See the snow?




Snow in the leaves

 We left the lake and concluded that perhaps the nest was on the other side of the lake. Oh well! Next year we'll be back there to find the eagle and see if the feathers have turned white and to find the nest!

We stopped at the Great Sacandaga Overlook on the way home:


This Overlook is right above the dam



October 9, 2010 Nick's Lake

We traveled up to the Old Forge area today. We went to Nick's Lake. There is camping, hiking & boating available there. We bought a day use pass and headed for the beach, where we launched our boats. Today we kayaked with Doug, Cindy, Gary & Sharon.

The weather was beautiful. We were a little concerned on our drive up there. All of the lakes we drove by had significant waves. Nick's Lake had quite a bit of protection, so lucky for us we didn't have the waves & white caps we had see driving in. The air was warm in the sun and fairly cool in the shadows. We didn't see any ducks, loons or deer as we had hoped we might. :-(

The trees were quite pretty. Many were past peak color though. In some areas you could see lots of color mixed in with evergreens and trees that had already lost leaves.

We saw this pile of rocks with a stick in the middle. Don't know what that was all about.

There were a lot of little coves to paddle in. The Lake was larger than we first thought when we looked at it from the beach area.


Sharon, Gary, Tim & Cindy

There were some areas that were very sunny. The water looked very sparkly as the sun shone across it.



Sparkly water

 When we circled back around towards the beach we went under a bridge and into a pond area. There was a sign that said it was a safe area. This meant that there was no shooting allowed in that area... good to know!



Tim at the Bridge

 Apparently there is a path around the lake for hikers. The bridge was a part of that path. There were quite a few people hiking today.


Nance under the Bridge

 This may have been our last trip for the year, but if weather holds up we may get out again! If not, see you in 2011 !

October 3, 2010 Henderson Lake

This was another trip planned by Doug Galpin. We all met in the parking lot at the Tahawus Preserve to kayak on Henderson Lake. There is a short portage to get from the parking lot to the lake. We got our wheels out and double staked our kayaks for the walk. Tim took the front and I took the back. Megan walked in with Doug.

Meg- suited up and ready to go!



Doug & Megan portage in

Once we launched we headed out towards the center of the lake and then headed to the left. We  stayed fairly close to shore as we paddled. The group this weekend was: Tim, me, Megan, Doug & Cindy, Gary & Sharon, Patty S., Eileen, her son & his girlfriend. It was a nice size group.
The wind picked up a little and so did the waves before we reached the end of the lake. Tim stopped and put his spray skirt on to keep the water out of his boat.



Tim paddles through

The scenery was beautiful. Most of the trees had turned and were close to peak color. We tucked in and out of small coves to get out of the wind and the waves and allow everyone to catch up and stay together.



The group

 We paddled for several hours; enjoying the scenery & the company. We didn't see much wildlife this trip- just a duck or two. There were a lot of hikers though. The parking lot was full of cars, and we didn't pass any other boats on the lake. As the season gets later, we see fewer and fewer kayakers.



Meg & Nance wait for the others in a calm cove

We hope to get one more trip in before we hang up the boats for the winter. The air & water are getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Here are a few more pictures to enjoy from our day.




Megan

 

Tim



Such a beautiful view!



October 2, 2010 Harrisburg Lake a.k.a. Mud Lake

On Saturday October 2nd Tim & I headed to Harrisburg Lake in Warren County. Last Fall Tim, his dad Art and his brother Tom went for a drive up there. Art wanted to show the lake to Tim to see if it was a place we might like to try kayaking. To get there you drive up Rt. 9N through Corinth and into Luzerne. Turn left just past the High School (onto Bay Rd. ?), go left over the Bridge, up the hill and then right onto Harrisburg Road at the Hadley General Store. This 11 mile road dead ends at Harrisburg Lake.

                                                          Tim in cold weather gear

The Lake is split by the road. Since there were already some people (duck hunters) at the section on the left of he road; we decided to paddle on the right side. (besides I wasn't wearing Camo, so I would have felt out of place). This section is pretty shallow and is much smaller.

                                                              Nance with fall leaves

We headed out and were glad to see how clear the water was. You could easily see the bottom and the leaves that had settled there. It was pretty.

                                                                         Leaves

                                                  
We found a beaver dam that was pretty long. The water was flowing over the top of it in a few areas. I am always amazed by the work the beavers do. The dams are so secure. I am also disappointed by the limits they put on us when we are kayaking. There are many dams that you can't paddle over. As at Harrisburg Lake, you can't go any further because there is no place to step out and carry your boat around the dam.

Beaver Dam

This lake had many piles of "mud" scattered about the water. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for them. We had to paddle around them and between them. At one point Tim was going to hit one, so he used his paddle to push away from it and his paddle just went into it like it was hollow. We spent a lot of time wondering about them.

                                                                   Random Mud Piles

There were also a number of stumps at one section of the lake. We wondered a lot about those as well. I haven't been able to find much information about this lake except for the fact that the Pickerel fishing is good!

                                                                   Random stumps

There are several islands in this section of Harrisburg Lake; including this tiny one. Two trees, and one of them blew over!

                                                      Tim paddles past the 2 trees island

Almost every tree along the shoreline that had fallen over; fell towards land and not into the water... interesting.

We had a nice paddle and would like to return to see what the lake at the left side of the road is like.

September 24, 2010 Stewart Pond with Erin

On Friday September 24th we borrowed a kayak from our friend Doug for our daughter Erin to use. We took her to Stewart Pond. We were hoping to be able to show her the bald eagle that we had seen earlier in the summer. we set off with high hopes. The weather was beautiful, so no matter what, it was going to be a good paddle.

We paddled out to the point where we had seen the eagle before. We looked carefully in the trees and on the ground. We didn't see the eagle, so we continued toward the dam. The trees were beautiful. There were many that were near peak color.

We had the lake to ourselves. It was great. No boats or waves to contend with! We had a nice leisurly paddle. We searched for the eagle again on our way back to the launch. I guess we were there at the wrong time of day. No eagle sighting. :-(

When we got back to the launch we sat and had some lunch. Erin had fun feeding a squirrel. He ate one piece of bread and then hid one piece of bread up in a tree. After lunch we headed back home. We had a nice day with Erin. It's nice when the kids want to spend the day with us on the water!