Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Part Two

Welcome back to Lakeview Wildlife Management Area.  We're still on South Sandy Creek, paddling with the current.  I love the reflections in the photo, especially of the trees dark branches.

As we got closer to the open area of the creek, the water level diminished considerably.  You can see it in the photo below of Brody.  There was less than 6 inches in the creek at this spot.

But a little farther downstream, the depth of the creek increased.  Brody has actually turned his head to look at me while I'm capturing his photo.  He does that so rarely that I have to post this photo!

Lots of cattails line the banks of the creek as we get into the flat ponds area.

This is what the creek looks like once we're completely out of the alders.  It's wider here and most of the plant life is tall enough that you can't see over it as you paddle.

We saw a lone female common merganser on the creek.  She was paddling contently and didn't seem to mind us invading her quiet.  I recently learned that male common mergansers's coloring is nothing like the female.  They have a lot of white on their bodies with a bold black back!

I think this tree trunk has lots of character, don't you?  I am not sure what type of tree it is, but the knobs on it are interesting.

On some of the sandy banks of the creek (not too hard to figure out where the creek got its name!)
we saw killdeer.  They are striking with the ring of black on their necks.

Brody, as always, was intrigued by the killdeer.  We've paddled on, but he is still interested in them.

And here he is, looking out at Lake Ontario, as we've paddled to the spot where the creek, ponds and lake meet!

At the spot where all of these bodies of water meet, you can paddle up different creeks and channels or into some of the ponds.  There are a couple of large ones, and we are told the fishing is good.




We paddled out on the lake a short while to beach our kayaks and walk around.  Here is Brody being "Beach Dog."

I'll close this post with a heartfelt "Hurry up Spring!"  We are buried in the latest snowstorm here in Northern New York and it feels like we'll have snow in our yard 'til June. I sure hope not!

iwtbswy

Lakeview Wildlife Managment Area, Part I

Hello!  Does anyone else agree that winter's been hanging on too long?  I know in northern NY we don't expect it to warm up a lot until April, but it will be March in a few days and we are still dealing with temperatures that are more like early January!  I know it's been a cold and snowy winter many other places-- we're not alone in the Northeast.

I felt it was time to remind you all, once more, of the warm, blue-sky days we will one day get to enjoy again!

I have blogged about Lakeview Wildlife Management Area in the past.  It is one of our favorite places to paddle due to the variety of scenery.  You get a winding creek with alders, (see photo of Brody above) a flat area with reeds, cattails, waterbirds and ponds, and Lake Ontario and its sandy banks all in one paddle!

LVMA lies east of Lake Ontario, just off Route 3, between Watertown and Pulaski.  Here is the DEC site which has a link to good map showing the area as well as the 3 boat launches.   http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9328.html

Our favorite spot to put in is at South Sandy Creek.  It is right off Route 3-- the bridge in the photo below is Route 3.  As you can see, there is a nice gradual bank for putting in.  There is an "upgraded" outhouse and picnic tables at this boat launch/parking area and room for quite a few cars/trucks.

When you put in, travel downstream.  You can go upstream under the bridge for only 20 feet or so before encountering shallow, rock-strewn water.

We last paddled here in October, 2013.  From the photos you will see, this area had not yet received the very cold nights we were getting at home.  Therefore, all of the trees still had their leaves, and it was a gorgeous day to spend on the water.

South Sandy is shallow in some spots, deep in others, but we had never seen it as shallow as it was this time, particularly in the area where we put-in.  There were places we had to scout ahead to find the deepest water as we were in danger of getting grounded.  Part-way down the creek the deeper sections had less water than normally, but still plenty of depth for our kayaks, and even some fishing boats which we encountered later in the day.


I just love reflections-- especially when the reflection is so clear and vibrant that if I turned the photo upside down, you might think it was the sky instead of the creek.

One of my favorite things about this area, other than its varied sights, is the alders that lean out over the creek.  Their trunks and branches have graceful curves and their leaves are almost lacy when viewed against the bright blue sky.

Unfortunately, in the years we have been coming here, we've seen the largest and oldest of the alders succumb to the erosion of the creek banks during heavy rains.  But, it's still really pretty here, even with some of the biggest, best trees now fallen and carried downstream.

The sun was so bright on this day that I had trouble with my camera-- it wanted to paint everything with a yellowish tint unless we were in the shade. I still like the branches overhead and the reflections on the water.  Brody seems to be enjoying the view also!

Even though it was October, this photo with its sunny yellow blooms reminds me of a summer day.

I'll end part one of my blog about Lakeview Wildlife Management Area here.  Brody and I will be dreaming of kayaking on a warm sunny afternoon!

South Inlet

Hello and welcome back to my kayaking blog. The last few months were extremely busy.  Life sometimes gets in the way of my blogging!  Luckily, it doesn't get in the way of our kayaking, or at least not too much.

Our area has received tons of snow already this year as well as frigid temperatures.  It's not that unusual, but we've had quite a few mild winters in a row-- now we're back to what is more "normal" around here.

I expected to lift you out of the doldrums with some warmer, sunnier pictures for this blog, but our last trip to South Inlet in September 2013 was anything but sunny!  Evidence is below:

South Inlet is one of our favorite places to paddle.  It has a bit of variety in the scenery, is easy to get to, and there is a spot to get out and have a picnic on the rocks along a creek which flows into the outlet.  South Inlet flows into Raquette Lake from the ..... right, you've got it-- the south!  It's a couple of miles from the put-in to the boulder/rocks area which stops you from traveling farther.

Although it was a cloudy day, the forecast was for the skies to clear.  As we paddled off, a group of four women were getting ready to shove off and all of them wore rain suits or ponchos.  We worried that they knew something we didn't!  As you can see, it DID look like rain.

Brody didn't seem bothered by the dark skies at all.  He is watching for ducks.

And his patience is paying off, only it's something bigger than a duck...

Mr. Great blue heron!  Brody kept his eye on him until the spooked bird flew away.

The first mile is pretty open on the water, as you can see.  The second mile, things narrow down and wind around marshy areas.  And, the sun is still not shining.  BUT it's not raining!

OK, I feel bad that I can't warm you all up with some summer photos, so I'm going to pop in a few from previous paddles on South Inlet.  This one was taken in 2009.  Isn't that better?

We usually see black ducks and Great blue herons on South Inlet.  We have also seen king fishers and a few other birds.  On this trip we saw a small hawk of some type. I got a photo, but it wasn't clear.  We have no idea what it was, except it was much smaller than the Cooper's hawks (sometimes referred to as "chicken hawks") we see often near our home.

It's a little brighter in the photo below, although the sky still has lots of clouds.  Brody has switched from looking for ducks to keeping an eye on his daddy ahead of us.

After several bends back and forth through the marshy areas and reeds, we entered a quiet, more narrow spot.  The white stuff on the water is foam from the water tumbling over rocks further upstream.

This is one of the spots to take out your kayak and walk along the edge of the water to the place where rocks and an incline prevent further  paddling.

You can also pull up to the rocks shown in the photo below and get out if you have enough balance.  There are probably 3 or 4 places to land your kayak in this area.  Just around the bend to the left are the rocks and the impassable creek.  (It is called a waterfall in some guide books, but I don't consider it that-- it's just an inclined area filled with rocks and the water is swift-- all reasons you can't paddle any farther.)

Here is one photo showing some of the rocks:

Here is a photo from 2009 showing our friends who paddled with us that day.  Notice there was foam on the water that day also, indicating a rush of water over the rocks.

And here is a pretty photo, also from 2009, showing the rocky area of swift water.

Because the clouds were taking their sweet time clearing out, we didn't dare take a leisurely picnic lunch.  We got out for a minute and let Brody sniff the trail, then got back in and headed back.  Here is Brody, refusing to look at the camera!

Just to contrast the weather during this paddle with the one in 2009, here is a photo of my husband and Brody in 2013 and the one below is of our friends in 2009.

Big difference, huh?  But we still had a good time on this paddle. There is plenty to look at, and once you paddle away from Raquette Lake and the highway (Route 28) it becomes peaceful.  And it's even more peaceful in September since there are far less boats.  Some watercraft does come into the inlet from Raquette Lake, but usually only a small fishing boat.  Once a Jet Ski flew by on a summer morning, but that only happened once.

This is another photo from 2009, but I also have photos of the same plant from our 2013 paddle.  This one is just better since it's brighter.  This is a burr reed-- I'm identifying it based on my own research, so if anyone thinks it's something different, let me know.  It is a pretty cool plant with its spikes and bright green color.

On the way back, Brody got to see a black duck in the reeds.  He quivered with excitement but did not try to jump out of the kayak.  He still remembers the time he tried that and ended up wet!

We paddled back with the clouds beginning to break up.  It was a little windy and we were happy to have enjoyed the entire paddle without a drop of rain.


Here is what the put-in looks like from the water:

From the road where there are small pull-off areas on the north side of the bridge crossing the inlet, the path goes downhill to the water.  It is a short path, may be 50 feet, but there are tree roots, so you have to watch your footing.

I'll end this post on South Inlet with one last photo of Brody.  This time, I got him to look at the camera-- and he seems to be a little bit annoyed with me for wanting his attention!

My tag line, "Happy Kayaking" doesn't seem to apply in the winter, so I'll say instead:  Happy Kayaking Dreaming!

Raquette River, Part 3

Finally getting to part 3.  It's been a busy month for me.  But our kayaks have been put away for quite some time.  It is cold and a bit snowy here.  Winter has decided to stay, I think.  (I know, it's a long way from the official start of winter, but in the North Country of New York State, mid-November is a fairly average time for winter to begin!)

When I ended part 2, Brody was looking for chipmunks.  He's still at it in the photo below.  He sure has an adoring look on his face, but it's not for me, it's for the chipmunks!  He can be very still and intent when he is focused on chipmunks and squirrels!

Here is another photo of Brody.  He looks like he posed for this one.  He's such a handsome boy!

Here is a the campsite where we stopped for a break and a picnic lunch.  It was a perfect spot.

After we ate lunch, we relaxed under the trees.  I took some more photos of Brody, including this one, which would have been better without my knee in the shot!

And this is a look at the trees from a different perspective!

I like this one of the dark tree trunk and branches with the bright green needles and the sun shining through with the bright blue sky in the background.

My husband took this one of Brody hanging out with me after lunch:

And I enjoy the patterns made by branches.  These reminded me of the shape of an eye.

And here is one of Mr. Brody's back paws!

 

Here is another shot of the river below the campsite.  We could have stayed here for hours enjoying the trees, the sun and the gentle flow of the water below us.

Brody and I took a walk along a path in the woods.  The white trunks of this paper birch and the brilliant colors took my breath away.

You can almost see a mountain behind the bright trees in the middle of the photo.

I think I mentioned liking dark trunks and branches, didn't I?  This is a perfect example of the type of scene that catches my eye:

We finally decided it was time to get back on the water and enjoy some paddling along this beautiful river.  Since we'd spent so much time relaxing after lunch, we decided to head back upstream toward Axton Landing. 

The views were just as pretty on the way back, though the angle of the sun and a bit of a breeze meant less reflections to capture.

I believe that is Seward Mountain's point, just above the trees in the middle of the photo.  I've tried to be sure which mountain it is by checking maps, but since the river twists and turns at times, Seward is only a guess!

 

Here is Brody again.  He's got his gaze on the bank of the river.  Not sure what he saw over there.  Since it was the middle of the day, we didn't see much wildlife at all.  My husband is up ahead, ready to take another bend in the river as we paddle back to the landing.

 

I paddled past this natural frame and had to turn around and go back to it for the shot.  I like how the mountain is framed with the tree trunks and branches.

 

We paddled a short way past Axton Landing upstream.  Here you can see the mountain peaking out above the trees.

And here is a zoomed in photo once I got up near the bend in the river:

Brody, in his customary position as navigator:

This is one of my favorites of the day, even though I got some great reflection photos.  I love the colors, the sun shining through the trees, and the bent shapes of the tree branches, especially the tree in the middle of the photo.

I got a few more reflection photos at the end of our paddle when there was a lull in the slight breeze:

We headed back to Axton Landing, having enjoyed one of our best paddling days of the season.

Brody had a pretty good time, too.

I would recommend Raquette River to anyone looking for a nice paddle.  We paddled here in July when it was busy and it was still peaceful for most of the trip.  Paddling here in the fall was even better.  We had a great time and plan to return and hopefully make it upstream to Raquette Falls from Axton Landing.

Join me here in a few weeks for a post on another location.  I still have lots of places to tell you about and lots of photos to help me remember what we saw along the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!