Francis Lake 2014, Part One

Hello everyone!

I know it's been a few months since I last blogged.  "Life" has a way of interfering every now and then...  And we did not have a chance to paddle until this weekend.  The spring was brutal-- cold and either snowy or rainy, depending on the day. It is finally starting to feel like kayaking season to us, but just barely.  All of our rivers are high also as we've had lots of hard rain recently.  Luckily, Sunday and today were dry.  We got out on the water for the first time and were really happy to be there!

Here is Brody in his usual spot, anxious to see where we're going.  We got a late start and were on the water around noon.  The wind had picked up by then and made some ripples on the surface as we started out.  The benefit was less bugs.

The clouds were pretty cool looking.  I love cloud formations and capturing them is sometimes a challenge from the kayak.

This is an area southwest of the put-in.  It has some prominent rocks, and is usually quite shallow, but not on this trip!

If you've been following my blog, you know that Brody doesn't like looking at the camera and most of my photos of him in the kayak are of his back and his butt!  He grudgingly turned around for this shot.  I believe he's saying "Hey, I don't have time for photos, I'm NAVIGATING!!"

This dead tree is sort of iconic to Francis Lake.  I have lots of photos (better ones than this one) of this tree, sticking out on a piece of land that cuts into the lake.

The wind picked up steadily as we paddle down the lake.  Here is a far away shot of the esker which I have mentioned in past blogs.  The esker starts about 1/3 of the way from the left of the photo and continues on out of the picture.  If you didn't know, an esker is left by a retreating glacier-- sand and gravel deposits.  It leaves a ridge like the one shown here.

Here is a closer photo of the esker.  In part 2 I will have photos from the esker, looking out at different parts of the lake, and the esker itself, where there is a trail, an outhouse, and a spot to camp.

I hope everyone has been able to get out and paddle!  We're looking forward to some nice weather so that we are able to get out on the water again next weekend.

Happy Kayaking!

Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part 3

Hi and Happy Spring...

Well, it doesn't actually look or feel much like spring in Northern NY, but the calendar says we're on our second week of it, so hopefully we'll see some signs soon!  My yard still has over 2 feet of snow in the flat places that have not been plowed, snowblown or shoveled!!  I would really like it to start warming up.  I am looking forward to a good kayaking season, if it ever arrives.

Here is a photo of the beach are near the outlet to Lake Ontario from South Sandy Creek and the ponds, looking north.

On this part of the beach, there is a curious little cement box in the ground.

Here is what it looks like up close:

I peeked inside and it's probably 3 feet deep total (about a foot is above ground.)  It looked like a great place for snakes to hang out, so I didn't do a whole lot of investigating, but I'm very interested in what it might be.  Anyone have an idea?  If you do, add a comment after this post.  I'd love to hear what you think or know about it.

This is that same beach area on Lake Ontario, this time looking south/southwest.  I think the drift wood is pretty interesting, and there's always lots of it here.

Another interesting piece of driftwood.  I tried to get the camera to focus through the hole but it didn't work out.  This gives you the idea, at least.

There are lots of water birds on the ponds, in the creek and in the lake or along all of the shores.
 I don't know what type of bird this feather came from, but thought it looked such a pure white against the sand.

This is the tree trunk we used for a seat and to eat our lunch on.  The view is looking east, with South Sandy to the far right, the ponds straight ahead, and the outlet nearer, in the foreground.

Here is another view of the outlet, looking southeast.

I love seeing patterns in nature-- hence this photo of the pattern of the sand in the shallow waters of Lake Ontario.

More bright white feathers against the darker sand.  I would hazard a guess as to this feather-- probably some kind of seagull (?)

And here is Brody, doing the limbo during our walk along the beach!!

He was not cooperating with me so that I could get a photo of his face, so my husband took the camera and Brody did not want to turn around for the photographer.  He can be a little bit stubborn!

    iwtbswy

Although I have trouble getting him to look at the camera, he is at least not afraid of getting his feet wet!  He enjoyed wading through the water, climbing on the rocks.

 

 

Lake Ontario, looking southwest.

Our kayaks, waiting in the late afternoon sun for us to hop back in and paddle back.

More cool looking driftwood with the lake sparkling behind it.

Brody, people watching.  There are usually kayakers and boaters in this area.  Come early for less people, and go in the spring and fall if you'd rather not share the beach with many.

Brody has found something in the sand that smells REALLY good.  It was probably bird poop!

After a stroll on the beach, a picnic lunch and some time relaxing on the sand in the sun, we headed back up South Sandy Creek.  In this photo we're still on the outlet, South Sandy is to the right and some of the ponds are straight ahead.

   

I love the curvy trunks and branches of these alders.  The leaves also look kind of lacy when viewed as a whole with the sky behind them.

Brody, taking up his position as navigator:

Got one more nice reflection shot on the way back to the put-in.

And, for the first time here, we saw a green heron among the driftwood on the side of the bank.

As I've said in previous blogs about Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, it's one of our favorite places to paddle.  There is a huge variety of scenery,  lots of birds to see, and a great place to stop, stretch your legs and eat a picnic lunch.   

This last photo is of South Sandy Creek before reaching the put-in/take out.  It's a pretty spot, don't you think?

Please feel free to leave some feedback, either a comment or just checking off the boxes if you liked the photos or the information, etc.

Thanks!  And although I can't say "Happy Kayaking" yet for those of us in the northeast, I hope those of you further south are able to get out and paddle soon!

Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part Two

Welcome back to Lakeview Wildlife Management Area.  We're still on South Sandy Creek, paddling with the current.  I love the reflections in the photo, especially of the trees dark branches.

As we got closer to the open area of the creek, the water level diminished considerably.  You can see it in the photo below of Brody.  There was less than 6 inches in the creek at this spot.

But a little farther downstream, the depth of the creek increased.  Brody has actually turned his head to look at me while I'm capturing his photo.  He does that so rarely that I have to post this photo!

Lots of cattails line the banks of the creek as we get into the flat ponds area.

This is what the creek looks like once we're completely out of the alders.  It's wider here and most of the plant life is tall enough that you can't see over it as you paddle.

We saw a lone female common merganser on the creek.  She was paddling contently and didn't seem to mind us invading her quiet.  I recently learned that male common mergansers's coloring is nothing like the female.  They have a lot of white on their bodies with a bold black back!

I think this tree trunk has lots of character, don't you?  I am not sure what type of tree it is, but the knobs on it are interesting.

On some of the sandy banks of the creek (not too hard to figure out where the creek got its name!)
we saw killdeer.  They are striking with the ring of black on their necks.

Brody, as always, was intrigued by the killdeer.  We've paddled on, but he is still interested in them.

And here he is, looking out at Lake Ontario, as we've paddled to the spot where the creek, ponds and lake meet!

At the spot where all of these bodies of water meet, you can paddle up different creeks and channels or into some of the ponds.  There are a couple of large ones, and we are told the fishing is good.




We paddled out on the lake a short while to beach our kayaks and walk around.  Here is Brody being "Beach Dog."

I'll close this post with a heartfelt "Hurry up Spring!"  We are buried in the latest snowstorm here in Northern New York and it feels like we'll have snow in our yard 'til June. I sure hope not!

iwtbswy

Lakeview Wildlife Managment Area, Part I

Hello!  Does anyone else agree that winter's been hanging on too long?  I know in northern NY we don't expect it to warm up a lot until April, but it will be March in a few days and we are still dealing with temperatures that are more like early January!  I know it's been a cold and snowy winter many other places-- we're not alone in the Northeast.

I felt it was time to remind you all, once more, of the warm, blue-sky days we will one day get to enjoy again!

I have blogged about Lakeview Wildlife Management Area in the past.  It is one of our favorite places to paddle due to the variety of scenery.  You get a winding creek with alders, (see photo of Brody above) a flat area with reeds, cattails, waterbirds and ponds, and Lake Ontario and its sandy banks all in one paddle!

LVMA lies east of Lake Ontario, just off Route 3, between Watertown and Pulaski.  Here is the DEC site which has a link to good map showing the area as well as the 3 boat launches.   http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9328.html

Our favorite spot to put in is at South Sandy Creek.  It is right off Route 3-- the bridge in the photo below is Route 3.  As you can see, there is a nice gradual bank for putting in.  There is an "upgraded" outhouse and picnic tables at this boat launch/parking area and room for quite a few cars/trucks.

When you put in, travel downstream.  You can go upstream under the bridge for only 20 feet or so before encountering shallow, rock-strewn water.

We last paddled here in October, 2013.  From the photos you will see, this area had not yet received the very cold nights we were getting at home.  Therefore, all of the trees still had their leaves, and it was a gorgeous day to spend on the water.

South Sandy is shallow in some spots, deep in others, but we had never seen it as shallow as it was this time, particularly in the area where we put-in.  There were places we had to scout ahead to find the deepest water as we were in danger of getting grounded.  Part-way down the creek the deeper sections had less water than normally, but still plenty of depth for our kayaks, and even some fishing boats which we encountered later in the day.


I just love reflections-- especially when the reflection is so clear and vibrant that if I turned the photo upside down, you might think it was the sky instead of the creek.

One of my favorite things about this area, other than its varied sights, is the alders that lean out over the creek.  Their trunks and branches have graceful curves and their leaves are almost lacy when viewed against the bright blue sky.

Unfortunately, in the years we have been coming here, we've seen the largest and oldest of the alders succumb to the erosion of the creek banks during heavy rains.  But, it's still really pretty here, even with some of the biggest, best trees now fallen and carried downstream.

The sun was so bright on this day that I had trouble with my camera-- it wanted to paint everything with a yellowish tint unless we were in the shade. I still like the branches overhead and the reflections on the water.  Brody seems to be enjoying the view also!

Even though it was October, this photo with its sunny yellow blooms reminds me of a summer day.

I'll end part one of my blog about Lakeview Wildlife Management Area here.  Brody and I will be dreaming of kayaking on a warm sunny afternoon!