East Branch of the St Regis River

I finally got back on the water today - a trip on the East Branch of the St Regis with ADK. The take-out is on Red Tavern Road at the top of this map with the put-in off the bottom.The weather was beautiful and the river was neat with lots of plants in bloom though I didn't get a chance to stop and take pictures along the way. This is at the put in.But it was too much driving for a relatively small amount of paddling. To do the river one way involves an hour-long car shuttle. Plus it took me an hour to get to the put-in on Route 458, though that isn't bad. But the paddle itself was just about 2 hours and that was only because we slowed down to accommodate some of the paddlers. We only paddled a little over 5 miles. We had to go through 3 rapids that I was a bit nervous about, especially in my new boat, but I and my boat came through unscathed. But I would not attempt them going upstream, so if one put in on Red Tavern Road upstream of Everton Falls and paddled upstream to the rapids and then back down it still wouldn't be a very long paddle. So I much prefer the Middle Branch of the St Regis which I would like to do again sometime.

In New Jersey

Just an update to show we are in New Jersey for a few days. We drove down Monday and did dinner and a movie with S. Then yesterday AA&J were here. Today W has his doctor's appointment, then back to NY tomorrow where lots of activities await us.

Change of Plans

We were supposed to drive to NJ tomorrow for W's next doctor's appointment. It just got moved to next week, so we're still trying to adjust to the change in plans. I was not looking forward to the NJ heat, but I was looking forward to not working on the basement stairs for a few days. Guess I have to buckle down and continue the chores for another week. It's rainy at the moment, but I'll be sure to get out in my boat before long.

Another Great Adirondack Day

I was on the water at 8 AM for the annual loon census. I saw our 2 adult loons with their 2 chicks and another loon that is presumably the single loon we saw when AA&J were here. I also met a biologist with the loon conservancy who was on the lake looking for banded birds and searching for the nest.

Then this afternoon I finally got to hear Inisheer, a group of local musicians who were giving a free concert in town. They do celtic and related tunes and I've wanted to hear them for some time.

The weather was warmish but with a nice breeze that kept it comfortable. Definitely a good day.

Another Raquette River Paddle

Eleven of us put in onto Stony Creek Ponds from Coreys Road and paddled out Stony Creek and down the Raquette River, taking out at the newly-renovated crusher site for a total of about 10 miles. Though rain had been forecasted we didn't get a drop and it was not too hot. We stopped at Barbara and Keith's afterward for snacks and good company.

A Great Adirondack Day

Yesterday I went paddling on Round Lake with Jim and Cindy.We stopped at the usual sandy spot at the end of the lake for lunch.I just love the great reflections on the lake.Then W and I drove to Lake Placid, had dinner at Caribbean Cowboy - yum, then went to the first Lake Placid Sinfonietta concert of the season. It was a great day.

Jamestown Falls

Today we went to Jamestown Falls to explore and found the water much higher than expected. Though we didn't have trouble crossing the stream at the beginning since beavers provided a nice dam to walk across just a bit upstream. I even managed to get a good shot of the dancing water, though it may not show up well here.This is upstream of the main falls.

Family Paddle

AA&J arrived last evening for their annual visit. Today we borrowed a couple of boats from Rose and Kay and headed out onto the flow. A good time was had by all.