Welcome back for the second half of my blog on the Seneca River and Onondaga Lake. October and November have been a busy months and I am sorry for not finishing out this location sooner.
But the last few months have also been wonderful, since my husband and I welcomed the arrival of our first grandchild! We couldn't be happier to be enjoying our new roles as grandparents! We live across the country from him, but we've already made a trip to see him (and his parents-- can't forget them!) Anyway, between that life changing news and other family issues, I'm just getting back to the blog.
We have kayaked at over 37 different places since we started kayaking, so if you check out my blog posts, you'll see that I still have plenty to write about over the long, cold winter here in Northern New York. Hopefully it will help those of us in the north get through the dark and cold winter!
So, back to my description of Seneca River and Onondaga Lake. We paddled here in September with friends and found it to be enjoyable despite so near to Syracuse, the NYS thruway, and a lovely public park.
We paddled here with friends on a beautiful September day. As I mentioned in part one, this is not our usual choice for a paddle, but we were pleasantly surprised. Here is Brody as we approach an island on Seneca River.
A tree in the water as we paddled along made a good spot for some ducks.
Unfortunately, I wasn't ready for them when they decided to take off! Here is the only shot I managed:
Here is another pretty view of the river as we headed around the island:
A great blue heron flew into a backwater area, so we paddled in to see where he went. We found him in a tree, far from the water, and interested in something off in the trees. He didn't pay any attention to us at all.
Our friends in their canoe hung back as we paddled back out of the swampy area.
Here is Brody, checking the bushes for ducks as we passed by...
He kept scanning the area, sure there were more ducks to be found. There were! I wasn't fast enough with the camera, but our paddling out of this set-back disturbed 4 or 5 ducks. I am not sure what kind they were since they startled, flew out of the reeds and behind me in a matter of a second or two.
Hmmm..... I just found out that I've used up all my storage space for photos! I should have paid more attention, I guess... This is not a good thing, since this has always been, for me, a photo-blog. So.... I will have to look into the storage purchase option as well as resizing photos before uploading them. Lots to think about.
I would prefer to finish this blog and start out fresh next time, with photos and all ready to go. So, let me describe the rest of our trip on the Seneca River without photos. Once I get the storage thing figured out, if I have a few awesome photos left from this description, I'll go back and add them and let you know in case you're interested.
We took a clockwise paddle around an island on the Seneca of which the Erie Canal is part of. There are old dock pilings in a few spots, lots of ducks, some seagulls, some cormorants, and many great blue heron. A few set backs with vegetation were perfect for turtles hanging out just beneath the surface and for the water birds to congregate. We explored a few of these as we paddling around the island back toward the park.
Once back to the spot on the river where we put-in, we got out, packed up, and headed just down the road, in the same park, to have a picnic. The park is very pretty with views of both the river and the lake, depending on what table you pick. There are also very well-kept bathrooms. (A big plus!) I took more photos of the park's trees, a boat on the river, and a few of Brody. He was very entertained by the squirrels racing across the park's neat grass and running up the trees. We all got a kick out of him as he stood as stiff as a statue, yet shivered, since he wanted so badly to chase those squirrels! Our friends cooked yummy burgers on the table-side grill and we shared dishes we'd each brought from home in our coolers.
If you're ever in the area, I was suggest you give this paddle a try. You may be just as pleasantly surprised as we were at the natural beauty in such a populated area.
I can't say "Happy Kayaking" to my fellow northern paddlers, but I will close with a "Happy Autumn." It's already winter here, despite the calendar-- We have about 4 or 5 inches of snow on our lawn as I write this.
