Cape May Point

We are back home again, this time from our annual family trip to Cape May Point.  This time we rented the house at 318 Knox Avenue, which was very nice.  There was very little bird watching to be had due to high winds from the east.  Any birds around were hunkered down out of the wind and many must have been blown westward.  But we enjoyed our usual activities of miniature golf, biking, and walking on the beach.  One bike ride takes us by Willow Creek winery where the way they prune and support their grapes is very impressive.

And of course we had our usual brunch at the Mad Batter.

Albany, Oregon

I got back from Oregon late yesterday.  A highlight was visiting the future home of the Albany Carousel.

It is a completely volunteer undertaking and the craftsmanship is outstanding.  You can go through their workshop and see the works in progress.

Catching Up

We drove back to New Jersey on September 12th since we have so much to do here.  I spent the 14th in NYC doing pre-op stuff for my upcoming knee-replacement surgery.  Then today, we drove to north Jersey to pick up our new Tesla.  It is a great car but with a long learning curve.  It will be a long time, if ever, before I learn all the possible options.  Tomorrow I head to Oregon to visit my Dad.

2015 Paddling Summary

Even though our stay was shortened this year, we still managed to do 17 paddles.

Ausable River

Cedar River Flow

Floodwood to Polliwog

Follensby Pond

Floodwood Rollins Loop

Fulton Chain of Lake (One to Five)

Hoel, Turtle, Slang

Little Tupper

Long Pond

North Branch of Saranac River

Piercefield Flow

Raquette River Axton to Crusher

Raquette River Axton to Falls

South Creek to Second Pond

South Creek to Weller

Stillwater Reservoir

Upper Saranac Lake

Paddling Cedar River Flow

Today was another beautiful day for a paddle, though somewhat warm in the low 80's.  We tried to go up the Cedar River, but the water is very low and a large beaver dam blocked the way.  We figured there would be more dams upstream and that the water was probably too low to allow us to reach the lean-to.  So we just paddled about 6 miles around the flow.

A Great Quote

From the book I'm currently reading: "When Will There be Good News" by Kate Atkinson.
"Twenty-five million sperm needed to fertilize an egg, because only one will stop to ask directions."

Paddling South Creek to Second Pond

What a beautiful day for a paddle, especially since there was no wind.  The morning fog had not yet lifted when we reached Middle Saranac.

We went around Ship Island looking for the eagle but had no luck.  Then we headed for the Saranac River outlet, paddled the river, and went through the locks.

We stopped along the narrow section of Lower Saranac for lunch, choosing a spot with a beach where several folks swam.  The winds were still calm when we got to the main section of the lake and the sun started peeping through the clouds.

We paddled by Bluff Island but did not stop.

Paddling the Flow

It was very foggy this morning, so I did an early morning paddle on the Flow.  It stayed foggy the whole time I was out so it was very quiet and peaceful.

I love the way the spider webs are bejeweled by the fog.

Paddling Stillwater Reservoir

Friends said they enjoy paddling Stillwater Reservoir and we had never been there before, so we decided to join them, despite the 2 hour drive each way and the fact that in general we would much rather paddle a river than a big lake.  We only paddled a total of 6 miles, but it took much more energy than we expended going twice that far on our last paddle.  We started at the "you are here" point on the map below and paddled across the bay on the right heading up the lake.  The waves were so strong we considered turning back and later were sorry we didn't.  Instead we continued up the southern shore to campsite 7 where we had lunch before heading back to our starting point.

By that time the winds had increased and it took a lot of effort to get back.  It is a good thing I'm such a strong paddler, or I'd still be out there battling the waves.

But it was interesting to be on a reservoir with banks exposed all around.  It was very different from anyplace else we have paddled in the Adirondacks.  These photos were taken in the protected narrow part of the lake so the waves are not apparent.  In the wind and waves there was no way I could stop long enough to take a picture.

Paddling Little Tupper

The forecast today was for mid-70's and "light and variable" winds, a perfect day for paddling Little Tupper even though it is a summer Saturday.  We were in the water by 9 AM and there were few other people around.  By the time we were heading back to the put-in we saw a number of boats headed out, so we planned well.  We paddled a total of 12 miles, including the length of the lake and down the stream toward Rock Pond, turning around after about a mile at the first beaver dam.  It was a beautiful day, perfect for photos.