Quiet Kayaking in New York State: Francis Lake 2014, Part Two

Welcome back! Francis Lake is one of our favorite places to paddle. It is usually quiet, and we always see some wildlife.

There is a lobe of Francis Lake with shallow water just east of the esker. There are times when only about half is paddleable, and other times when the water is high enough to paddle a much larger section. The water was high on the day we paddled, but the area is more protected by trees, so there is less of a breeze. For that reason, we didn't paddle around this area for very long-- the black flies and mosquitoes were thick without the breeze.

More cloud formations. These captured my attention because the were so cotton-ball-fluffy looking.

Here is Brody, tongue hanging out since the breeze had died while in the lobe of Francis Lake that I mentioned.

This is the end of the esker from the back side, while paddling in the lobe of the lake.

Here is the path along the esker's ridge. I like the way this photo seems to invite you to take a walk here. Does it make you want to take a few steps beneath the pines? iwtbswy

Or maybe this photo speaks to you more about taking a walk along the path? yXp

Here are two views from the esker:

This one is looking northeast at that lobe of the lake I keep mentioning.

And this one is looking southwest, with the open lake in the background.

Pines on the esker:

Brody, taking a rest. I must have gotten water smeared on the lense, sorry for the fogginess up near Brody's head.

This is the campsite on the esker:

And here is where we pull up to the esker to get out. It isn't a great spot to get out, but it works. There are some rocks to wedge your kayak against, and in lower water, there's more of a shallow spot to beach your kayak.

Brody is keeping an eye out for water fowl. We did see one loon on the water that day. It always makes us happy to see the loons on lakes where we've seen them in previous years.

Brody decided to try a new way of standing while being the Navigator. He is leaning on his chest and legs, rather than standing up all the way. Not sure if he found that more comfortable or not. In future paddles, we'll have to notice which way he ends up preferring!

Here is my husband with the iconic dead tree I mentioned in a comment with an earlier photo.

And the tree by itself. It's a little forlorn, but I like the green in the background as well as the clouds.

Now we are almost back to the take-out/put-in. Brody is back to his usual stance, acting as our look-out and navigator. There were people fishing from the dock, so Brody is watching them intently as we paddled closer.