Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part One

Hello fellow kayakers waiting for spring!  I know, it's only February.... for Northern New York, that means we have 2 solid months of winter left.  (We really can't count the snow and cold "out" until April and it's even been known to snow here on Mother's Day!)

I am hoping the photo storage issue has resolved itself.  It may have been a Blogger glitch... we'll see how it goes.

Here is Brody, checking out the scenery on beautiful South Sandy Creek, part of Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, which is next to Lake Ontario.  This awesome spot is just off Route 3 at the bridge crossing the creek.  There is a parking lot, an outhouse, a few picnic tables and a trail to walk if you'd like.  The put-in is fairly level, depending on how much water's in the creek.

I have TONS of Lakeview WM photos since we've been there 4 or 5 times.  There are lots of reasons it's one of our favorite spots.  Usually we prefer the "waters less paddled," but this is a popular place that is still in our top three despite the number of paddlers.  It's easy to get to, it has such varied scenery-- the creek spills into ponds and there is an outlet to Lake Ontario-- and because it's protected, we see a lot of wildlife, especially if we get there early enough in the day.

Our latest paddle here was in July 2012. All of the photos, unless noted, were taken during that paddle.  Our daughter and her partner were visiting from Michigan.  Since they own kayaks, we were able to paddle about 4 times during the week they were here.

 Below is a shot of them with my husband, paddling downstream from the put-in.  I love the trees here.  I believe they are alders.  Their bark is dark and their leaves bright shades of green.  Some older/larger ones used to hang completely out over the creek so that it looked like you were paddling through a tunnel of green.  Some of those are now gone, due to very high water one year-- the older trees just couldn't hang on to the eroded banks.  But it is still very pretty as you paddle down the creek. 

The creek is widening out at this bend, and we'll soon be in the marsh area which runs along several of the ponds. It was a perfect day for kayaking!

We took a few photos of our family in front of the dead tree.  Brody watched intently as his daddy maneuvered his kayak to get set up for the photo.

A bit further downstream, the land flattens out more, and there is a huge marsh with numerous channels (some that lead nowhere!) branching off from the creek, and later, branching off the ponds.  Still on the creek, there are spots with barely any current which are shallow enough for these pretty water lilies to grow. Brody likes their scent as much as I do!

As you can see, the creek is wider as we head toward the ponds and Lake Ontario.

Around another bend in the creek, we saw some dead branches above a shorter tree. I followed the flight of a bird crossing in front of us (a football field length away) and got excited-- it looked like an eagle!  He/She landed on the exposed branches, far away from us. But with his white head and tail feathers, there was no doubt about it.  I took photos, but since the eagle is smaller than Brody's ears in the photo above, I won't post any of them.  We were so excited to see the eagle, and even more pleased that our daughter and her partner were there to share the moment with us!

That wasn't the only exciting wildlife viewing of the day.  Check out the photo below.  She blends in perfectly with the reddish brown foliage in the background, but if you look closely at the very center of the photo, you will see her head-- ears up.  Yes, it's a doe, swimming across the creek.  We've seen deer at the water's edge, but this was the first time we saw one swimming.  It took her only seconds to cross the creek (I scrambled for my camera and barely got this one shot off) and climb up onto the bank.  She was gone in less than 15 seconds.

There were many dead tree "sculptures" along the way, as the photo below proves.  We saw many turtles sunning themselves as we paddled by these and other dead branches in the creek. Often a bird or two were also hanging out higher up on the branches.

It's about 3 miles from the put-in to the Lake Ontario outlet, but the great thing about this section of Lakeview Wildlife Management Area is that there are three connecting ponds and several other channels to paddle, heading north.  That means you could spend many hours paddling this section without having to take your boat out of the water.  There aren't many places to pull out along the creek or ponds but the sandbar along Lake Ontario is perfect for a rest and a picnic.

 Here is Brody checking out the farther bank.  I  believe there were bank swallows going into their holes at this spot.  It's interesting to note that the birds make their nest in holes they create at an upward angle so that rain doesn't run into the nest.  We enjoyed watching them fly to the hole then disappear, and evidently, so did Brody!

I'll end part one of the blog on Lakeview Wildlife Management Area with this photo of the ponds area, just before the outlet to Lake Ontario.

Join me here for Part Two where I'll describe more of our paddle and hopefully help you beat the winter blues that have to be setting in for those of us in the Northeast!

Seneca River and Onondaga Lake, Liverpool, Part Two

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.

Seneca River and Onondaga Lake, Liverpool, Part One

Well, it looks like paddling in Northern New York may be at an end....  all of our maple trees have shed their leaves and we had a significant freeze last night (and another expected tonight.)  We are still hoping for one more chance to get out on the water but we may not get it.

I have other locations to blog about over the cold northeastern months ahead, but wanted to tell you about an unusual (for us) kayaking location.  It was actually our last paddle in the middle of September. We joined our friends with their canoe and one of their dogs to paddle out from the Seneca River at Long Branch Park in Liverpool.  We paddled down to Onondaga Lake from the put-in.  This is an area with many people, a city-scape, and the NY State Thruway overhead... and yet, it was beautiful and even peaceful at times.  We knew our friends wouldn't steer us wrong, but we were very pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, natural surroundings amidst the hussle and bussle of Liverpool and nearby Syracuse.

Here is the put-in at Long Branch Park.  The dock is made of floating plastic cubes.  Very different from the docks in the Adirondacks!  It works great, of course, and will last for a long time.  To the left of this area is a shallow spot big enough to launch a kayak.  My husband chose that route rather than the dock.

It was a gorgeous day for a paddle.  We were a bit concerned about the temperature and the wind when we started our trip to Liverpool, but by 11:00 it was warming up nicely and the wind had let up from its steadiness to some stronger breezes occasionally.

The clouds and the breezes when we first got on the water caused the day to alternate between bright and dark, as this photo shows.  The bridge is just one of three that we passed beneath on our travels that day.

Here are our friends and their sweet dog, Uma, paddling onto Onondaga Lake.  You'd never know you were looking off toward west Syracuse in this view, would you?

Here is Brody, probably checking out Uma in the canoe at this point of our paddle.  The trees in the background are on the northeast side of Onondaga Lake and are part of Long Branch Park which extends along the lake on that side nearly all the way to its end in Syracuse.  The park is beautiful with lots of shade trees and picnic tables as well as restrooms.

We didn't paddle long on the lake due to the breezes.  As you can see in the photos, the water was rough enough, along with the wind, to make paddling a bit of a chore-- depending on which direction we were facing.

Onondaga Lake was once very polluted due to some manufacturing and/or chemical plants that dumped into it.  For years there has been a clean-up effort going on.  It is taking time, but improvements are evident. 

We turned around and headed back toward the river, facing the park as we did so.  Brody caught sight of something on land.  It's difficult to see it clearly in this photo, but it's just to Brody's right along the shore.

Yes, a Great blue heron.  He patiently allowed me to photograph him, as long as I didn't get too close.  Brody was intrigued, as usual, but by comparison, ducks aren't this still so I think he got bored with the heron.

While I was taking heron photos, everyone else hung back waiting for me.  When I turned around and paddled back toward them, the scene with the water, clouds, blue sky and sunlight was so gorgeous, I naturally took a couple of shots:

Once again, it's tough to imagine that the city of Syracuse is off in the distance at the end of the lake...

We headed upstream on the Seneca River with Long Branch Park on our right.  Here is an example of the beautiful grounds of the lakeside/riverside park.  A bench is just waiting for someone to come along and relax for a few moments while watching the activity on the water.

Great blue herons are in this area in abundance.  I lost count of how many different ones we saw that day.
Here is one, thinking about his next meal:

And here is another, framed by some branches:

We passed under one of the bridges and Brody looked startled at the noise of vehicles overhead.  We had both forgotten that traffic existed just above us!  Here is my husband, ahead of us on the river:

We saw lots of fishermen on the Saturday we paddled here.  Some in boats, some on shore.  I learned that tripods are used for carp fishing because it takes them a long time to determine if something dangling in the water is safe for them to eat.  So, the pole is set on a tripod, then when the carp finally bites, the fisherman gets up from his chair and grabs the pole in order to wrestle with these big fish who put up a fight on the line.

Just looking at all the greenery from only a month ago makes me sad.  Kayaking season is coming to an end and I wasn't ready for it to be done yet!  Join me here soon for part two of Seneca River and Onondaga Lake.  And wish us luck that we'll be able to squeeze one more paddle in before putting the boats in the shed 'til next season.

Thanks for reading and Happy Kayaking!

North Branch of the Moose River, Part Two

Time to finish up my description of our paddle in August on the north branch of the Moose River, paddling upstream from the North Street put-in.

As we paddled around the next bend, we came to a quiet area of the river.  The banks are quite high with the water level being lower.  The outside bend in the river at this spot had a bank of clay.  I was intrigued by the patterns made by the layers of clay.  There were gaps throughout the layers.

And near the water's edge, there were broken pieces of the earth.  I know it looks like shale or some other thin layered rock, but it is the consistency of clay that is beginning to dry out.  I tried to bring a piece home to see what it'd end up being like completely dry, but it crumbled in my kayak and all I ended up with was mud!

With another bend in the river, we came upon this hawk on a dead tree.

Below is my best photo out of six shots of the hawk.  Based on its call, I was guessing this bird is a northern harrier/marsh hawk, but after checking some of my other photos of the bird, I'm leaning towards red-tailed hawk.  Juveniles of almost any bird are difficult to identify, so if someone knows what this bird is, let me know!  I have limited knowledge and a Northeastern United States bird identification book to base my guess on so I am not 100% sure of this identification.

We saw beautiful scenes like this all day long:

There were a couple of beaver dams across the river at various spots.  Neither were a problem to negotiate.  Below, Brody watches as my husband paddles over the low end of a small dam.

We'd been paddling upstream for over 2 hours and decided it was time for lunch, even though it wasn't quite 11:30.  We found one of those sandy areas to pull our boats out and spread a towel for Brody to relax on:

This is how he became "Beach Dog" for the day.  He really enjoyed his time on the sand, soaking up the rays!

This view is looking back downstream from the "beach" where we ate our lunch.

And here is a close-up of a cardinal flower.

Brody, looking cute, as usual!

And, the photo which proves he really is "Beach Dog" at least on this day.

We talked with a number of paddlers who were going downstream from the Rondaxe Road put-in.  This is another popular put-in site for those being shuttled.  We asked how long they'd been on the water, hoping that maybe we were almost to the bridge.  Unfortunately, no one had a good idea, but guessed it had been close to an hour.  Because of this, we decided not to venture much further upstream.  We knew if it took them an hour to paddle downstream, it'd take us longer to reach the bridge paddling upstream.  So, we headed back the way we'd come after our nice, relaxing time on the beach.


The sky was so blue that day.  I kept glancing up at the brilliant white clouds and the many shades of green in the trees against that blue sky:

The pattern of these leaves against the sky also drew my attention:

Further downstream, I turned Brody around for a photo and he kept turning away as he usually does when I have the camera up to my face.  I tried to hold him still and scolded him a bit for not cooperating and this is the expression I got out of him-- sad, isn't he?

Along with a few beaver lodges, there were also places with fallen trees and branches which caught many items that were floating on the river's surface.  I saw this white feather (a duck's?) and wanted a shot of it among the branches.  I think the photo ended up looking a bit abstract with the different angles of the branches, the dried grasses and leaves, etc.

What do you see in this one?  We saw either a mouth, or a funny creature face, almost like what people do with their thumb and index finger to make a mouth and draw on eyes (and in this case, a nose too.)

 Brody actually faced me and I was able to get a nice photo of him... except he was mostly in the shadows...

Near the bank of clay on the way back downstream, we stopped so that I could photograph these plants.  I'm not sure what they are, but my husband named them "Adirondack Palm Trees."  I thought they reminded me of some Muppets character with crazy '80's hair.

I like this photograph because there are clouds in the upper left and lower right of the frame as well as dark green and light green in other parts of the photo, giving it an almost patchwork look.

Here are two hawks.  We are guessing that one is the patient one that allowed me to take a number of photos of him/her.

Here I am with Brody in a calm area as we paddle back to North Street.

Another typical scene along the Moose River's north branch:

Uh, oh-- I lied!  I have more dead tree photos-- we passed them on the way back and this time the sun was shining on them:

We were almost back to the North Street put-in when we met up with some more black ducks (or the same ones... who knows?)  Brody was naturally as interested this time as he had been earlier.  I was able to get this close-up once Brody got out of my line of sight!

Here he is, once more, guiding our way down the river, always on the look-out for all things interesting to his doggy eyes and ears.

Our paddle back was just as enjoyable as it was on the way upstream, maybe just a tad better since we were going with the current.  At each bend, we wondered what we'd see beyond.  It was a perfect day for a paddle.  We enjoyed it and so did Brody!

I'll leave you with one last photo of the north branch of the Moose River with some cloud reflections.

Thanks for reading and happy kayaking!