Payne Lake, part two

Well, I was going to start out my back to blogging by introducing our kayaking buddy, Brody.  But that will have to wait since I stopped blogging in the middle of Payne Lake's description and photos. So, I'll finish up with that before moving on to trips that we've taken so far this kayaking season, 2012.

This is the northern area of Payne Lake.  Isn't it pretty?

And this is a shot looking back toward the south of the lake and the cliffs we just passed (photos in part one.)

At the northern end, it gets very dense with water plants in the summer.  The guys decided to see just how far they could go downstream in the outlet.  Look real close in the middle of the photo to see them paddling amid the water lilies.

Karen and I ventured in after them and stopped to admire these tiny water lilies.  I don't know their name, but this is one of the few lakes I've seen these tiny ones.  The flowers were about the size of a nickel.

Our adventure into the outlet ended with the guys being unable to pole or poke their way through any more of the plants. The water was getting rather shallow so we backed up and got out onto the lake again.  We stopped to admire the rocky cliffs and banks of the eastern shore.  That gave Karen and Gary the opportunity to apply more sunscreen.

We found a small cave on this side of the lake (right side from the boat launch site-- east side of the lake.)

We couldn't see through this side, but there is a bigger opening on the south side.  Here is Dick paddling into the cave.

And me, backed into the cave for a photo-op.

Here's one more photo of the opposite side of the lake, as we were almost back to the boat launch.  This is the southwestern area of the lake.

This is Gary, in the trees.  There may have been a stream entering here over the rocks, or maybe it was a tiny cave... I'm having trouble remembering just what he was checking out in there!

This is the southern most part of the lake as we head back to the boat launch.

And another view of the cliffs once we were back to the boat launch.

And once ashore, Gary and Karen posed for a photo to document our great trip on Payne Lake!

Please go back and read Payne Lake, part one so this post makes more sense.  This isn't as informative as part one, but hopefully you'll get an idea of how pretty this lake is by the photos.

Thanks for reading!

Back to Blogging

Hi everyone,

If you've given up on me, I hope my return will encourage you to follow me once again.  I have been dealing with a medical issue since the end of February of 2011.  I got a (non-life threatening) diagnosis near the end of summer 2011 and began life-long medication which takes many months before seeing any sign of improvement.  It is working, little by little, and although I am not back to my former health, I can at least do something that I love, if in shorter doses-- quiet water kayaking.

The 2011 kayaking season was next to nil for me, but we did manage a few short trips and even 1 new location.  We went to a few of our short paddle favorites in 2011, such as Francis Lake and South Inlet.  The new place we paddled in September of 2011 was Nine Mile Swamp.  It was a beautiful paddle, despite it being a popular place.  We also got a puppy (had already planned on him before I got sick) in the spring and he is now our constant kayaking companion.  I'll introduce him later, just don't expect  a water dog.  This guy is happy plopped down inside the kayak, not swimming around it!

We got a late start on the paddling season, but have managed a short trip on Francis Lake as well as one to South Inlet (of Raquette Lake.)  Those will be first up in my coming blogs.

No photos with this post, but I am hoping to stay in good enough health and with enough energy to get back to blogging.  I enjoy sharing our kayaking experiences and photos with you and look forward to your comments in the future.