Francis Lake 2013, Part Two

Time to finish describing our first paddle of the 2013 season on Francis Lake.  It was almost 2 weeks ago already.  The weather did not cooperate last weekend with rain and wind.  This week we have snow on our deck one morning and we've had frost 3 nights in a row!  It's supposed to warm up later this week.  I sure hope so!

I left off last time with us paddling out of the eastern lobe of the lake beyond the esker.  It was time to head back to the put-in/take out. On the way, I stopped for photos of course.

I found the contrast between the dead, dull tan/brown grasses and the vibrant green pine needles along with the blue sky intriguing enough for a quick shot as we passed by.

Here is Brody keeping an eye on his daddy who is too far ahead of us in Brody's opinion!

I took these next two photos using a setting on my camera which gives everything a bit of an unnatural color vibrancy.  It turned reds to orange, but deepened the trees reflections in the water in the photo of Brody.

On the photo below, it turned the dull browns and tans of the grasses on the bank a bit more interesting in color as well as making the sky and water even more vibrant than they already were.

As my husband paddled on, I changed the settings again for a sepia-toned one of him:

And then a black and white of the trees:

Pretty soon I had almost caught up with him and thought this image as he waited for me was worth capturing!  You'd think he was trying to hide, wouldn't you?

And.... there he is, hanging out, waiting for me to quit fiddling around with the camera so we could finish our paddle!

There was a breeze but the sun was quite strong.  Brody is panting a little as he surveys the lake looking for geese, ducks or maybe a loon or two:

Approaching the put-in/take-out, we see the loons diving.  Brody is quite aware of them diving and surfacing.  I got a few photos but they were far away or were diving under as I snapped a shot.  They also have learned how to avoid us humans (and canines!) in our boats.  They dive and swim in the opposite direction that we travel in.  The next time we look for them, they are way behind us.

We are always happy to see loons on the lakes we paddle.  Our feeling is that the lake must be pretty healthy if the loons are hanging out there.  Hopefully, there will be a baby loon later this summer.

I'll end with one more photo of Brody.  We're almost back to land and he knows it.  He enjoyed his first paddle of 2013 and so did we!

Happy Kayaking!  Get out and enjoy if you are able!

1st Paddle of 2013! Francis Lake, Part One

Happy Spring to all of my fellow Northern New York paddlers!  Our maple trees have just shed their leaf coverings and pale green leaves are emerging.  It’s been more than 2 weeks since all of our snow piles have melted—a big sign of improvement!  Saturday, May 4^th was a perfect day for our first paddle.

We chose Francis Lake--a favorite because it meets so many of our best paddling destination criteria:  quiet--no motors allowed (except 10 hp electric ones,) an easy place to put-in, the chance for plenty of wildlife viewing, and varied scenery. 

We arrived about 11:00, which is late for us, but it’s still pretty chilly in the mornings and we didn’t want to bundle up, so we left later than we usually do.  Because of the lateness of the morning, we did not expect to see a lot of wildlife.  Luckily, that was not the case!

The photo above shows the dock and the fairly easy put-in.  The DEC will add another section to the dock later when the water level drops.  Getting in from this low dock isn’t difficult, but there is also a small area on each side of the dock where you could scoot into the water without using the dock. 

This is the path to the water.  It is about 60 feet from the parking lot to the dock.

The black flies were just starting to come out here in the woods, and the mosquitos were already out in annoying numbers.  But, once on the water, there was a slight breeze most of the time and we did not even need bug repellent.

The next photo is near the put-in area.  I like these boulders and they made a great foreground for my photo of the water.

Once out on the water, Brody remembered exactly what his role was:

Leading the way.  We think he enjoys kayaking as much as we do.  Not to mention, he was probably looking for ducks!

Francis Lake may not look that "special" from the view below, but it has some great areas to explore that aren't seen as you look at the lake from the put-in.

To the right of the put-in, down past the few camps and houses along the north-western banks is a set back marked with boulders and a rock island.  In years past, we've seen a loon on a nest here.  It's a shallow area where ducks and geese maneuver through the reeds that will grow up later in the summer.  We by-passed this area today since families owning camps or houses near here were fishing on the banks close to this area.

Overhead we heard a hawk's cries and looked up to see some type of hawk, we believe a Northern harrier (Marsh hawk.)  Within seconds, two others had joined him and they glided high above the lake in lazy circles as we paddled along.

We set out for our favorite spots on the lake which are located on the eastern side.  There is an esker where we sometimes stop to stretch our legs, eat our lunch or just to explore. And there is a lobe of the lake that is separated from the rest of the lake. We did not get out on the esker during this paddle, but here is a photo of it.  We are approaching from the west side.

The entrance to the eastern lobe of the lake is here at the esker.  We love this area because we've seen lots of wildlife here.  It's shallow and is full of lily pads, water lilies and reeds in summer.  This time of year, with a higher water level, we were able to paddle a lot more of the area than at any other time, even last year when we also paddled here in May.  As we entered the shallow area, a bald eagle flew by, heading in the opposite direction!  We both saw it clearly, but only for a matter of a second or two.  Not enough time to get the camera up and focused. It was almost as exciting as last year when we saw 4 bald eagles, because we never "expect" to see a bald eagle while paddling.  That made our day, right then and there.  We weren't ready to go home yet, but we would have considered the trip well worth it from that moment on.

Brody kept his Doggles on for a while, seeming to appreciate them in the bright sun.

We've seen snapping turtles in this shallow area in the past, and there are definitely beaver in the area.  Although we did not see any swimming in the lake, we had some pretty convincing evidence (other than their lodges) of their existence near the lake:

My husband and I were amazed at the size of the tree they had been working on. We wondered if they had a plan for the tree or were just gnawing on it.  It will be interesting to return later in the year to see if they finished the job, or if mother nature's wind has given them some help.

The water levels at Francis were higher than last year around the same time.  For the first time ever, we were able to paddle a large area in this eastern lobe that is usually either too shallow or full of lily pads, reeds, etc.  Although we didn't "see" anything else while exploring this area, it was still fun, just knowing we were paddling along spots that we hadn't before.

Once we turned back, this is the view heading out of that eastern lobe with the esker on the left int the background-- and Brody, of course.  This time facing me for a change!  

The sky was such a brilliant blue I kept looking up at it all day long.  When these puffy clouds lined up top to bottom I had to take a shot:

 

Here is Brody still in his preferred position, leading the way as I paddle. He's keeping an eye on his daddy who is ahead of us.  He sure enjoys taking in the sights and I enjoy snapping these photos of him. I just love the blues, reds and yellows in this photo:

Well, I hope everyone has been able to get out on the water, even those of you like me, who haven't had much warmer weather until recently.  Enjoy it! And please join me for Part Two in a few days.

Happy Kayaking!

Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part Three

Welcome back to my posts on Lakeview WMA just east of Lake Ontario.  It's one of our favorite paddles due to the variety of the scenery as well as the wildlife.  My website, Quiet Kayaking in New York State  www.quietkayaking.webs.com  does not yet have a page devoted to this great kayaking destination, but I do have a page about South Sandy Creek, which is one of the waterways connected to/part of LWMA.  Check it out for more details on that part of the trip, or to explore other locations.  I have 20 completed, and still have a long way to go since we've kayaked at 38 different places beginning in 2006.

Once we paddled on the ponds, exploring the shallows and reeds, we headed back.  We didn't see many wading birds on this trip, but on previous ones, we've seen lots of Great blue heron as well as American Bittern. 

Lake Ontario's waters were calling us back out to the beach area and the expanse of water.

Here is Brody, in one of his favorite positions in the kayak:

If you look closely, to his right, you will see three tiny kayaks almost on the horizon.  They are yellow/orange and red.  Brody is anxious to meet up with the rest of our group.  The three of them left me behind as I was trying to photograph a sanderling or some kind of plover.  I got his photo, but none are that great, so I won't post.  But that is why I was so far away from the rest of the group.  Brody is very interested in getting out to them.

At the spot they are kayaking ahead of me, the lake bottom is still visible (very clear water!) and is probably over your head, but not very deep at that point.  From the shore, you can tell where the drop-off is by the change in water color.  As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts, this lake is usually not quite so calm.  The waves were almost non-existent.  Other times we've been here, there is no way we would have paddled onto the lake at all in our recreational kayaks.  One in our group was having fun in the small waves and got more than a little water in her boat.  Luckily it was a hot summer day, the water was warm, and we had our hand pump and 4 of us to help with removing the water.  I would advise against much play in the waves with recreational kayaks for that reason-- you'd end up leaving your boat on the bottom of the lake and have to swim back to shore!  Not a pleasant thought.

Here are some terns and a gull.  I think the gull is a juvenile herring gull and the terns are Royal terns.  The younger terns have more grey than white, but as you see, they are getting their white feathers.  I love their bright orange beaks-- they really stand out.  The terns and gulls were hanging out like good friends, but separated themselves from the Canada geese (as seen in my photo in an earlier post.)

After more time on the lake and a quick stroll up the sand to check out the northern beach area, we got back in our kayaks and headed upstream on the creek.  I was intrigued by all of the dead trees and limbs, and sad at the same time, knowing where they had come from and that they weren't on the banks of the creek any longer.  I think the photo below is interesting with it's reflections and the dead branches reaching into the bright blue sky.

 The next 2 photos were all taken in 2008.  Unfortunately, these lovely views are gone since the trees and branches you see below are now the dead ones-- becoming a different view for us to enjoy (though admittedly, not nearly as beautiful.)  The tree is a favorite photo of mine.  I liked it so much that I had note cards made with it on the front.  It's such a curvy, graceful looking tree, isn't it?

There are still some big, beautiful trees, as you can see by the photo below, taken in 2012 (this area is farther down stream than the photos above which are closer to the put-in.)

Despite the loss of some alders along the South Sandy Creek, that part of the trip is still very shady and pleasant to paddle through.  Just be aware that if the creek is running fast and the water is high, you'll have to pay attention to overhanging branches and branches in the water, even more so than usual.  We have paddled here 4 times in 6 years, and have enjoyed it every single time.

I'll leave you with a "rare" (because I always have the camera in my hand) photo of Brody and me in the ponds area of Lakeview Wildlife Management Area.  

Happy Kayaking to any of you who will be able to get out on the water soon.  And for those of us in the north/northeast, well... let's just keep thinking warm thoughts while we plan our first paddle of the season and before we know it (I hope!) we'll be out on the water also!

Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part Two

*Note:  Yes, this really IS the Quiet Kayaking in New York blog.  No, we did not kayak on the ocean-- it's Lake Ontario in the photos below.  Do not use your back button, you're on the right blog!

As I mentioned in Part One, this is one of our favorite kayaking locations.  The scenery is varied and so is the wildlife.  We also enjoy the sand bar and outlet of Lake Ontario.  It's a great place to pull out your kayak and take a stroll along the beach.  We usually have lunch here also.  Fair warning though-- on a nice summer day, weekend or not, the later you arrive, the more people you will encounter.

This is a photo of the outlet to Lake Ontario from the creek and ponds area.  The water in the foreground is a mix of creek and lake water.  The water in the background is Lake Ontario.  And the white dots are, of course, seagulls, the darker ones Canada geese.

With our kayaks pulled up onto the sand bar, we took a walk along the shoreline.  This is the pretty view looking south:

During the summer, people (who often arrive on this beach by motorboat) get quite industrious and build all kinds of interesting things out of the driftwood.  A walk further down the beach revealed this little shade hut.  There were other sculptures and places to sit along the way.

Brody enjoyed a couple of romps in the small waves to get cooled off.  The lake was unusually calm.  On a windier day, the waves can get high enough that I wouldn't want to take my recreational kayak out on them.  But an ocean kayak would work!

We did not swim, but we waded around to cool off.  Many people wear their swimsuits under their clothing and go swimming once they reach the lake.  In this spot, you can walk out at least 50 feet, maybe more.

After our lunch sitting on driftwood "benches," we headed back to our kayaks.  This is a photo of the creek as it spills into the ponds and the outlet to Lake Ontario.

The area near the outlet is fascinating in that the cold (usually, and relatively speaking, of course) Lake Ontario waters mix with the warmer waters of the creek and ponds.  Once in a while, this creates fog!  We'd never witnessed fog on a warm, sunny day.  This did not happen when we were there in July 2012, but DID happen on a previous kayaking paddle.  Here is a photo of my husband in the fog very near the area above (a little further away from the outlet and closer to the ponds.)  This was in June of 2007.  And no, there is nothing wrong with the photo nor has it been "photoshopped."  That really is fog rising off the water.  Very cool!

Here is Brody as we head north toward the ponds.  Once again, he has his eye on our group.  I think the girls were just getting into their kayaks and he had to make sure they were following.

Below, the girls are ahead of me and we're on one of the ponds in the Lakeview Wildlife Management Area. There are a number of channels running into and out of the ponds and surrounding area due to the 2 or 3 creeks which flow west toward Lake Ontario.

A clump of blossoming pickerel weed crowded an area near one of the pond's outlets.

Here is another view of the ponds area.  In the past, we've seen tons of carp here.  Once on a trip in June, we heard knocks on the bottoms of our kayaks while paddling a shallow pond. They were such hard knocks that we thought it must be turtles.  Well, as we kept searching for an answer in the water, we found it.  HUGE carp come to this area.  Not sure if they stay because we did not have the same encounters later in the summer.  But believe me when I say they are large fish!

There is no shortage of paddling in Lakeview Wildlife Management Area. From the entrance/put-in point on South Sandy Creek, you can paddling 3 different ponds, the channels between them, and up some of the creeks that spill into them.  At the northern part of LWMA is Floodwood Pond.  We did not paddle up that far, but you could definitely spend an entire day here paddling around, or spend most of the day, as we did and do some beach walking as well.

I planned to leave this section with another photo of Brody, but my internet connection is bogging down at the moment, so I will end here and pick up with that pic for the beginning of Part Three.

Think SPRING and maybe it will get here faster!

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.