Paddling Big Tupper

We explored part of Big Tupper today since winds were again light.  We put in at the Moody boat launch and paddled down to Grindstone Bay.


Then we came back up the western shore and explored.  We stopped at the lean-to for lunch.


We stopped again at campsite 4 and walked around.  Campsite 3 was occupied.  We need to stop there sometime since it looked like a great starting place for climbing around on the rocky shore.  We headed back to Moody from there for a total of 8.5 miles.

Paddling Little Tupper

We paddled nearly 13 miles on Little Tupper today.  The forecast was for "light and variable" winds, so it was perfect.






We stopped for a break at campsite 6, and several others as well, which made for a relaxing paddle.

Second City Comedy Group

Last evening after our paddle we went to the Lake Placid Arts Center to see Second City.  They did comedy sketches and improv.  It was fun, but a long day.

Paddling the Kunjamuk River

Today we drove 1-1/2 hours to Speculator in order to paddle the Kunjamuk River.  We did 10 miles round trip to Elm Lake and back.


The water is still high so it was a great paddle.  We only had to get out and pull over 3 beaver dams.  At lower water we would have encountered at least a dozen of them.


This garter snake was sunning itself on the bridge where we stopped to have lunch.

Climbing Goodman Mountain

We climbed Goodman today to get some exercise in preparation for our trip to Utah next month.

Paddling the Middle Branch of the St Regis River

Since it is a summer Sunday and the weather was expected to be good, we needed a place to paddle that is off the beaten track.  We picked a winner in Santa Clara Flow and the Middle Branch of the St Regis River.  One other boat was around when we put in, but we didn't see it again.  The river was as nice as always, though the water was higher and the flow stronger than in past years, yet another result of all the rain we have been having.


We didn't try to make it all the way to the rapids.  Instead we stopped for a break where we did last year and turned around there for a total paddle of about 9 miles.

Fox

I have joined a neat quilting group here in the north country.  One of their talented members taught a class using a Toni Whitney pattern.  They did one last year that I elected not to do.  This year I decided I should try one, even though it is not really my thing.  It is basically paint by numbers, except using fabric, but it is good to know the technique.  Maybe I'll create my own pattern someday.

Paddling the Lower Osgood

We put in at Meacham Lake to paddle up the Lower Osgood River.  It was a beautiful day with fall-like temperatures.  Even though there were other boats at the put-in, we had the river to ourselves most of the time.


The cardinal flowers were in abundance.


We had not been on the river for a while and were very surprised to come upon downed trees completely blocking the river, just past the house and dock.  We didn't even make it to Mud Pond.


We managed to climb up the bank where others had clearly taken out to carry around the blockage.  But this is what we found on the other side, a mucky mess that we didn't want to walk through.


We elected to turn around instead, so we paddled a total of 8 miles.

Biking the Bloomingdale Bog Trail

We had an "interesting" adventure/bike ride today.  We had not been on the Bloomingdale Bog trail for several years so didn't remember clearly what the trail was like.  But people talk about biking on it, so we decided to give it a try.  We started at the Route 86 end.  The trail was good for a while, but we eventually came to a place where it was completely flooded, not too surprising given the weather we have been having.  We walked our bikes through the water - better to just get wet feet than to risk falling in off a bike sliding in the mud.  And those sneakers needed to be washed anyway.  Then some more mud, which we walked around as much as we could.  But then the tree roots!  No way to ride over them, especially with my hybrid bike.  More walking.  Then the trail improved markedly and it was a smooth ride to the other end, about 3 1/2 miles one way.  Then back over the trail again to the beginning.  The ride took us two hours and we were wiped out by the end.  Lunch at Left Bank Cafe was a nice reward.  I doubt we will ride that trail again.  But it is a nice walk and the blueberries along the way were yummy.  We were bothered by mosquitoes whenever we stopped, but that may just be a result of this very wet year.

Crusher to Moody

Just the two of us had a nice 8-mile paddle on the Raquette River from the Crusher to the state boat launch at Moody.  Since we have two cars here, we can do two-ended paddles by ourselves.  With the iffy weather, it is hard to plan ahead for a group paddle.  Today was very nice with light winds and temperature in the upper 70's.  And we mostly had the river to ourselves. 

I love the reflections on the still water.

We stopped for lunch at the spot we stopped at last time, not too far downstream from the museum.

The while water lilies are finally in bloom.  I think the high water drowned lots of them.

Hike to Trombley Landing

The weather turned out to be much better than expected today, so we decided to hike down to Trombley Landing, something we had not done for several years.  We were surprised to find the trail very grown over and realized there is no longer a sign at the parking area.  We wonder if it is no longer a maintained trail.  It was also very wet given the amount of rain we have had.  In places the trail had turned into a stream.  But about half way along it turned into the trail I remember with balsam firs lining it.


We found the lean-to full of a group of scouts and their leaders.  The river is very full.

Lake Placid Sinfonietta

We have been really enjoying the Sinfonietta concerts again this year.  I elected not to post about each one since there are six in six weeks.  Some of the highlights have been the pianist Joyce Yang playing Liszt and Chopin and the group Cherish the Ladies.  Two more concerts to go.

New Jersey

After a busy weekend taking down the quilt show, we drove to New Jersey on Monday to see the family and get NJ peaches, which were yummy as always.  We spent Friday at the beach at Point Pleasant.


We drove back to camp yesterday and were very happy for the cooler temperatures, even though the rains have not let up.