End of Summer Recap

August was another hot and dry month so we spent lots of time around, on, and in the water, kayaking and boating. We even went to Saranac Lake and not only went through the lock into the lower Lake, but also locked through the tiny, manually operated lock into Middle Saranac Lake. The water was very low and we hit a rock in the middle of the narrow, winding channel, but luckily did minimal damage to the prop. 

Back at home, the deer took over since we were gone so much! Two orphaned fawns weren't bothered by my presence.

It was a busy Labor Day weekend to celebrate my birthday. First, we met up with my sister and brother in-law, Sue and Len at Quechee Gorge in Vermont. After lunch we went to the VINS Nature Center where they care for lots of birds that cannot be released back into the wild. We watched them feed the raptors and got to see a Harris Hawk take flight over our heads, flying from one handler to another.

The Quechee Gorge bridge was under construction, so we didn't walk the trail below.

Sisters being silly at the Center's gift shop. I couldn't resist the snapping turtle!

A scenic trip from home is the Helderberg Escarpment at Thacher Park, which we did on Sunday. I walked the upper trail along the cliff, while Dave hiked the famous Indian Ladder trail below.

Labor Day brought some unexpected surprises. We planned on going to Jiminy Peak to have lunch and ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain. Lunch at the base was great, but unfortunately, the chairlift was not in service that weekend. Dave decided to take a cart ride though.

Then we headed to nearby Mt. Greylock, where we were lucky enough to witness a hang glider and 3 paragliders take off from the cliff near the Veterans Memorial Monument. What a ride they had!

Now, summer has ended and the kids will all be back in school. For us that means we get to take back the lake! The weather has cooled though, so it may be time for one final swim, most likely from kayaking to the base of Roger's Rock. Bring on autumn and let the fun continue! 😎

Back to the St. Lawrence River

We just returned from spending another four days exploring the 1000 Islands, and this time we brought the Sea Fox with us along with the kayaks. We saw quite a few more ships than last time, but I only took a photo of a couple of them.

On Thursday, a cold front moved in, so we ended up hiking around Morgan Island in the Kring Point State Park. There's a picnic and cookout area reserved for fishing guides to bring their charterers and their catches, which was interesting. This island used to have a boathouse on it when it was privately owned.

Saturday featured the annual boat show and auction at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton. The auction boats and motors weren't very intriguing to us this year, so no need for a bidding paddle. 😉 The rest of the show seemed to have less boats than previous years, but the boats on display were gorgeous. Enjoy the photos and this will most likely our last trip up there this season. What a busy summer we are having!

😎

Extreme 1000 Islands Mini-Vacation

Between a kayaking extravaganza and the Charity Poker Run, it has been quite the 4 days of extreme fun! We kayaked twice a day and even visited 3 state parks to check out race boats and kayak in one day. 

Another sight to see was the 217 ft. Superyacht Elysian at the dock in Clayton. We've never seen a yacht pool like that. 

Then there was the 1000 Islands Charity Poker Run happening, including walking the docks in both Alex Bay and Clayton and watching the photography helicopter chase the boats giving 'Make A Wish' rides. However, the highlight was the wild parade and block party in downtown Clayton!

What a fun vacation combination of paddling and extreme racing!  😎