Racks!

It all started when we were eating breakfast this morning and Dave saw two deer go running through our backyard, one of which looked to be a 6 point buck. I decided to take a ride in the golf cart in the woods to see if I could find them, and what a surprise to find not only the buck, but another larger male laying down close by. I stopped a safe distance away and we had a bit of a stare off until they (and I) spotted a doe wandering in the distance. The one buck got up and wow is he huge! He has at least 8 points on his antlers. Everyone went their own way and I headed back to tell Dave about my exciting sighting. Since I didn't have my camera with me at the time, I decided to walk back out with it and not disturb them with the sound of the golf cart's engine. Almost immediately I came across the doe, who decided to check ME out. I have a feeling it is the same one from a couple of days ago when I stopped in the golf cart when I saw two does and two fawns, and it almost came right up to me. I apologize for all my blurry photos but the mosquitos and gnats were out in force and I guess I was so excited (and a bit nervous) that I didn't hold the camera still enough.

The doe went around me and up one of the trails, and shortly thereafter I saw the two bucks. The smaller one was closer to me and we had another stare off, but when it started to stomp one of its feet as a warning, I was the one to back off...not a lot, but just enough. That's when I noticed several more deer heading up the trail towards the one I have named 'King', the big male. It looked to be two fawns and a doe, until I realized it wasn't a doe, because it too had a rack of antlers! Three sets of racks in our woods is something we had never seen before! I watched from afar as the fawns played around in the streak of sunlight, but my zoomed photos didn't come out well at all. However, if you click and zoom in on the right of the last photo below, you can see the size of the deer and its big rack. 

They all meandered off deeper into the woods and I couldn't wait to get back to tell Dave about my discovery. What a great experience, right in our own backyard! Now we can say, "the buck stops here!" 😉  I'm just glad that I didn't run into the black bear that was seen in our neighborhood two days ago. Perhaps that's why the fawns were hanging out with the deer that could protect them with their antlers. 

Work Can Wait

When we woke up this morning to not a breath of wind, we couldn't resist having one more water adventure before heading home. We knew it would be calm and hazy on Eagle Lake and it did not disappoint!

These were the best paddling conditions that we have ever had and it was almost eerie. 

The water is about a foot higher than normal and it was limbo time in the kayaks when we went into the main part of the lake, with nesting swallows zooming in and out of the beams.

Then we were so lucky to encounter a loon family hunting for its breakfast. The two chicks were still fuzzy but too big to ride on their parents' backs. We sat and watched them for awhile and as the parents dove down, the youngsters started snorkeling to see what they were up to. That is the first step to become independent, although at this age they really stuck together.

It was wonderful to see this family thriving, since the last time we were here we found that abandoned egg. In fact we paddled by the same spot on Charles Island and found three abandoned eggs this time...two in the water, and one a little higher up on shore. I doubt any were viable, but we backed off immediately, and a few minutes later saw a lone loon nearby. 

I sure wish we could get inside the old Ednet Lodge, which was owned by my grandfather many years ago, but is now decrepit and abandoned by the present owner. I can just picture all the antiques that used to be in it. Now I would be afraid to even try to get on the porch. It is fun to reminisce though and I am so glad we can still get out on the lake.

Twenty minutes away, Eagle Lake is definitely one of our favorite places to kayak.

Hazy Summer Day

We haven't been power boating much lately with any of our boats, but today was predicted to have light winds on Lake Champlain. Time to exercise Foxie for the first time this year! We gassed it up and off we went to the Peru State launch ramp, just south of Plattsburgh. 

What a hazy day though, mostly from the wildfires in the U.S. northwest. We headed across the lake to Vermont where we planned on having lunch at Thayer Beach in Mallet's Bay. The south wind and waves coming up the lake were higher than expected, but in Foxie it is no problem, just a bumpy ride. The beach area was calm and the water quite warm and clear...and shallow! It looked more like Cape Cod in the fog than the lake. 

Dave cleaned a bit of road grime off the hull from our road trip up the Northway. The Sea Fox is in such good condition for being 20 years old, thanks to Dave and our boat garage.

We explored the marinas in Mallet's Bay and found one of the Hope Town Sailing Club's former member's boat that was sold and brought back to Vermont.

On our trip back across the lake to Valcour Island, we could barely see the island or mainland because of the smoky haze. It is good that we have local knowledge and lots of experience on this part of the lake. The waves were even bigger, but we were on a better 'point of sail' and not slamming into them, so the ride was much easier. Foxie is a very dry boat anyway, and we took on very little spray (we certainly knew what we wanted in a boat back in 2001 when we bought it new). We stopped at our favorite little bay on the west side of Valcour for a swim, but it figures that shortly thereafter, the wind picked up from the west so we had no protection at all. A little more touring and a perfect haul out and we were back on our way to Ticonderoga. We have had a fantastic several days of adventures and are ready for the cool, wet weather that is on the way. Dave actually has work to do! Yikes, that's a four letter word. 😉

A New Lake (Or Two)

Deep in the Adirondack Mountains is the little oasis of Long Lake. Traveling through the mountains, we hardly saw another vehicle until we arrived and found that the town was bustling on this beautiful Sunday. Long Lake is aptly named because the the lake itself is 14 miles long and very narrow. It is divided by the Route 30 bridge and also has picturesque Park Lake (more like a pond) that connects to it. We found a parking spot between the pond and the big lake and launched the kayaks at a small public fishing dock on the pond, planning on heading into Long Lake after circumnavigating Park Lake. 

I trailed behind a whole gaggle of geese, into the marshes filled with gorgeous water lilies.

As we got closer to the tiny foot bridge where we wanted to enter the lake, I heard water rushing, like a waterfall. Looking out into the lake it all looked normal until I got closer and realized that Park Lake is higher than Long Lake and there is at least a 6 foot drop! Both lakes blended in together on the sight line, sort of like an infinity pool. There were no warning signs or ropes. Thank goodness we are observant.

Instead we went back to where we launched and portaged the kayaks the short distance across the road to the big lake's public beach. It certainly is pretty!

We had to check out the seaplanes, and Dave reminisced about the flight he took here on one many years ago. It was good to see that they still do the tours. 

Dave said that this Haviland Beaver float plane is probably my age!

You don't see this sign too often...

While paddling the lower part of the lake we came across this 'barn find' seaplane. Looked like it hadn't been in service for awhile.

When our stomachs started growling, we loaded up the van and had lunch at the 1850's built 'Adirondack Hotel' across from the beach (photo borrowed from the internet). The lobby was historical Adirondacks, complete with taxidermy animals including a bear standing up and a moose head.

What fun it was watching all the goings on while eating a great meal overlooking the lake. Plus we saw one of the float planes land and taxi over to the beach. Another '10' day!

High Water Fun, Day Two

Yeehaw! We had the fastest one way trip ever down the LaChute River! We flew with the current and the hardest part was keeping the kayaks straight. In fact, at the bridge choke points we even got turned around in the swirling eddies. It was soooo much fun that we almost felt like doing it again.

You can see on Ti's covered bridge's retaining wall that the water is already starting to ease and lower, so we timed this perfect.

This is where I went in circles...

Even at the mouth of the river the current was cranking...

When we got out to Lake Champlain it was flat calm and not a breath of wind, so it was a very pleasant paddle to the launch ramp. 

To top off this adventure we had quite the eagle encounter along the lake's shoreline. We saw four juvenile bald eagles, all looking to be at different stages of plumage (It takes about 4 years or so for eagles to have their mature feather coloring). One was just starting to get its white head and tail. Most all were going from tree to tree, with one spreading its wings to dry in the sun. Another one was on a beach pulling apart a fish, while the others were screaming at it (that one actually growled at me as I tried to get too close to take a photo, so I immediately backed off). 

Amazingly enough, we saw yet another eagle feeding on a dead fish the same evening, when we walked the Champlain Bridge and peered over the edge. It's wonderful to see them thriving. The whole day was fantastic and definitely one for the memory books!

High Water Fun, Day One

Having not been to Ticonderoga in a week, we didn't realize how much more rain the north country had received. This was evident when we arrived in Ti at 10 AM yesterday and were kayaking at Paradox Lake by 11 AM. What a shock to arrive at the state park launch ramp, or at least what was left of the ramp. It was more like a beach.

We talked to a man that was uncovering his boat at his dock that was underwater, as were all the rest of the docks, or at least the ones that weren't floating. He said that 8" of rain had fallen and the lake was 2 1/2 ft. above normal.

It was fun kayaking over what is usually land, trees, and bushes. Dave even saw some underwater blueberry bushes, ready for the picking...or diving. 😉

How about a nice hammock nap over the water? You have to get your feet (and sometimes knees) wet to get there right now though.

With all the high water, we knew we would have great views of the raging LaChute River along the walking trails, so last evening we headed out. Two of the flood gates were open at the top of the river and it was mesmerizing to watch all the clear water being dumped out of Lake George to control the depth.

At the middle LaChute, the current was flying and there were no signs of the beavers, who must be hiding out. I hope they have a second floor to their lodges! We can usually walk across half this dam, but last night we couldn't even get past the grass trail. It looked like someone's plastic pool got washed away too, or maybe someone was trying to go down the falls in a barrel? 😉

This is such a pretty trail, especially right now with the high racing river...

This is called Richard's Dam and until now, the water had been 1-2 ft. below the top. It is interesting to watch how the water raises up over the edge before tumbling down.

The lower falls had all white water going over the dam. The power company must be loving it and hopefully putting all that energy to good use. We took one look at each other and said time for another one way trip down the river to Lake Champlain! More on that most memorable experience tomorrow. Stay tuned!