Francis Lake 2015, Part 2

 
Above is Brody, enjoying Francis Lake as we paddled around.  He is not wearing his Doggles and had no interest in them on this day.  He is often very good about keeping them on, and at other times is not so good about it!



And below, Brody in his position as navigator.  This photo was taken in the shallow area past the esker, and out of order... in fact, so is the one above.

Here is Brody looking so intent!  I have a feeling he's watching my daughter.  Look at that face!  He is such a cutie and is always good in the kayak!

This is a view of the esker, on the left, as seen from the shallow northeastern lobe of the lake.

Brody interested in some lily pads just out of the frame. Don't you wonder what he's thinking?

My daughter is approaching the esker.  It's a pretty spot except when the bugs are thick.  There is a place to camp, and even an outhouse. 

The trail up from the water can be seen through the trees in this photo. It's a pretty walk and you can see parts of the main lake, and all of the northeastern lobe from the esker.  The landing spot is a bit tricky depending on the water level.  I think the higher water makes it more difficult to get out as there is less of a flat area, but it is possible, and is pretty simple in lower water level conditions.

An iconic BRODY photo as we head toward the main part of the lake...

My daughter, back on the the main part of the lake.

 

Out of the northeastern lobe, past the esker, the wind had picked up quite a bit, as you can see by the waves in this photo of my daughter paddling.  The breeze was good for keeping the black flies and mosquitoes away.

Brody was interested in the waves, but with the wind picking up in the afternoon, we decided it was time to head back to the put-in/take-out.

On the way back, as the wind increased, we took a quick detour to the area off the main lake on the western side.  It is not as protected as the northeastern lobe and not as shallow, but the rocks give it some character.

We didn't linger since the wind was gusting at times, making our progress slow.  I put my camera away after this shot and we paddled back, happy to have spent a few hours on Francis Lake!

If you are interested in Francis Lake, please use the "search" feature for my blog and you will find a number of posts concerning this pretty lake.  It is one of our favorites for 3 reasons:  It isn't big, so it's great for a few hours of paddling, but has enough nooks and crannies that you could spend most of a day here if you felt like it.  It is not a long drive from our home (though that is relative... we live in a sparcely populated area, so an hour is "not a long drive.")  And it is a quiet lake which only allows electric motors, so we share the water with small fishing boats, canoes and kayaks, and usually there aren't many of them!

Thanks for reading.  I hope you are all enjoying the summer.  For my fellow kayakers, I hope all of you are enjoying lots of great days paddling!    Happy Kayaking!

Francis Lake, June 2015 Part I

Well, kayaking season has been quite erratic here in Northern New York... we've had a ton of rain, a lot of wind, some extremely hot and humid days, and like today, some cooler temperatures and nights (like tonight) that will dip below 50 degrees overnight.  BUT, we have been kayaking a few times, so that makes it all good!

I didn't blog much last season, and this season started out the same way.  My husband's health has kept me busy with appointments, etc.  and he is not able to take longer kayaking trips any more, but still enjoys going.

And we can't forget BRODY!!  He is my best kayaking pal ever!  Here he is, actually looking back at me for a change... must be that's because my daughter was trying to capture his photo! 

As you can see, there was a breeze on Francis Lake the morning my daughter and I kayaked here.
Francis Lake is near Beaver Lake and Beaver River, in the Adirondack Park.  You can find directions and a description on my website:  www.quietkayaking.webs.com 

We love kayaking on Francis Lake because it is a pretty lake, we almost always see some type of wildlife, there are only a few camps on it, and it's usually fairly quiet/not many people.

Here is Brody taking up his position as Navigator:

And here is my daughter, taking photos of her own!  She will be joining me on some of our kayaking trips this season.

We are on our way to the shallow lobe in the northeastern corner of Francis Lake.  On the right, the line of trees is the esker which I have blogged about for years...  if you are interested in Francis Lake, just search for it in my blogs.  We paddle here every year, so I have lots of photos and information, as well as what is on my website.
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Brody has his eye on something along the lake's shore, in the woods.  Likely a bird, but he may
have been thinking of chipmunks.  He is VERY interested in "chippies."

I just loved the patterns made by the tree's reflections and the waves on the water in this photo.

This is a shot of the northeastern "lobe" of the lake, looking east-southeast.  If it's windy, as it was on this day, head for this area which is more protected from the wind.

Here is my daughter, paddling along with her hood up because with less wind, the black flies came out in force!

And here is Brody, likely watching my daughter as she paddles.  

Some lily pads, looking like Pac-Man icons!

And another shot of this area, with the water still enough for reflections!

After paddling around in this area for quite a while, we headed back out to the main part of the lake.  Just FYI, if you paddle here when the water is high, you will be able to get back into parts of the lake in this northeast corner that aren't navigable under normal conditions.  That made this trip even more enjoyable than usual.

I am hoping to blog at least once per week now that I am back on track.  I realize I did not finish my last blog about Taylorville Pond from last fall.  I have gorgeous fall reflection photos from that trip.  I will share a few when I blog about a new trip we took there in late June.

Thanks for reading!  And Happy Kayaking!