River Run We Didn't Do

We should have unburied the kayaks from the garage.
It was a beautiful Sunday -
sunny, comfortable temps, low humidity
but with too much to do around the house.
We should have taken the challenge
and did the Keel Haulers 2007 Vermilion River Race
It would have been our first time
but we weren't really ready
for what might have been a strenuous start
to the 2007 season.
Watch this space -
maybe next week?

February Cold

9 degrees
not even counting the wind
f r e e z i n g
lakes with a brittle glaze
for walking not boating
water too threatening to test
plastic kayaks would shatter
into a million pieces
if bumped on the surface
not going out there
too cold

Mid-Winter Blues

Driving through Western Pennsylvania
on a wet yet warm early January day
we did see 2 kayaks on Meander Lake
highlighted in a spot of sunshine
doing what we should have been doing

Findley Lake - October 8, 2006

Back to Findley Lake
on a perfect
sunny Sunday afternoon,
with very few herons,
a couple ducks,
two cormorants,
a glider every 15 minutes,
lots of sunning turtles,
and one Goodyear blimp
(didn't expect that one).

Charles Mill Lake - September 16, 2006

Charles Mill Lake

Sep 17, 2006 - 4 Photos

About an hour south of Oberlin,
just east of Mansfield,
a little north of Mohican,
Charles Mill Lake -
a sea of small houseboats,
no kayaks, no canoes,
no noisy speedboats,
just a bunch of quiet houseboats,
with a few fishingpeople.
So we saw lots of cormorants,
a few skitterish blue herons,
lots of little jumping fish,
maybe a single Northern Phalarope
(a little out if its range?),
and a great sunset before
we tied up in the dark
and drove home.

Sunset - August 21, 2006

 

 

This is what kayakers of our ilk do
when they can't kayak and instead
go shopping for bathroom fixtures.
They start noticing the sunset
over the sea of the Home Depot parking lot.

LaDue Reservoir - August 15, 2006

La Due Reservoir - 8/15/06

Aug 17, 2006 - 4 Photos

Nicki and I did LaDue Reservoir.
It's over an hour away but worth the drive.
Quiet lake with few people but plenty of
Cormorants (lots), blue herons, green herons,
and at least two osprey.
Paddled until sunset,
and were home by 10:30.

Findley Lake - August 6, 2006

More Findley Lake

Aug 6, 2006 - 3 Photos

We were greeted at Findley by this buzzard,
who flew low over our boats
and then perched on a tree for photos.
Not the usual buzzard behavior.

We also followed the little ducks
along the shoreline
and of course ended with the sunset.

The next day I did my annual
"boats on top of the car" photo
(included in this collection).

Old Woman Creek - August 2, 2006

Old Woman Creek

Aug 2, 2006 - 12 Photos

Very, very hot - started late afternoon at 95 degrees
but being so close to the lake it did feel cooler
Observed eagles - three - two adults and one immature
A muskrat (or maybe an otter) that led our boats upstream

And we also found out you need a permit to boat at the
Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve.
So we'll be good and register for a permit next time.

I'm experimenting with dealing with photos in this blog.
Click on the photo above to go to my Picasa photo album.
Then select slideshow to view the photos big.

Sunset - July 30, 2006

We started for Old Woman Creek
but the weather was thunderstormish
so we checked the point where the creek
flows over the sand bar into the lake.
An amazingly rapid current going out
despite the wind and waves coming in.
And we didn't unload the kayaks
but instead drove on to Huron
and watched a steel drum band
from Findley Ohio play a Sunday concert
and then to the Vermilion Beach
to watch an amazing sunset
with the usual mixed crowd.
The kayaks were washed by the rain
but never were unloaded from the car.
It was a good evening anyway.

Old Woman Creek - July 24, 2006

Two nights in a row - we are back.
And this was a great discovery,
thanks to Bruce the Dog Sitter.
We observed three eagles,
two adults and one immature.
And two of them went fishing in the lake.
Paddled from the landing near the lake,
up the creek and under several bridges
including one railroad (with a very loud train).
Lots of blue herons and geese and one muskrat.
Returned to the landing area and then out on the lake
since it was very calm (where we saw the eagles hunt).
After tying up the boats we watched a sunset
with the crowd on the Vermilion beach.

Findley Lake - July 23, 2006

It's been two weeks.
Time to chase the green and blue herons.
Nice evening as the thin fog rolled in.
We pretended the clouds on the horizon
Were the mountains we already missed.

Findley Lake - July 9, 2006

Just a warm-up for our western trip,
And a way to watch a decent sunset.
But counted seven wallowing carp,
Surrounding my kayak before exploding away.
And chased the Great Blue and Green Herons and ducks,
A bit skittish but fun to stalk with the camera.

Rocky River - June 25, 2006

Meant to kayak Presque Isle, Pennsylvania,
but as we drove up to it the rains arrived.
It just didn't look inviting.
So we kept on heading West,
and aimed for the Rocky River Reservation
(part of the Cleveland Metro Parks)
where the Rocky River empties into Lake Erie.

We'd been there before boating just out
to the mouth of the river.
This time Nicki led
and we spent considerable time actually on the lake
bobbing a bit (which made it a challenge to photo and steer).
Ended by going a little ways upriver and finally found a heron.
Nice sunset and we docked just before dark.

Findley Lake - June 14, 2006

We thought it was going to be a quiet mid-week night,
until the herons (blue & green) started appearing everywhere,
and every quiet muddy shallow spot of water had giant carp
exploding away at the almost touch of my boat.

And then there was the "water moccasin"
that the country-western fisherman near the dock
identified and chased away with a stick.
I didn't see it and it wasn't real.

Findley Lake - June 11, 2006

Great Blue Herons, Turtles, an Egret,
and even geese craning their necks
from a nesting field loaded with mostly unseen goslings,
as they warily watch our approach.

Findley Lake - May 7, 2006

First Sunday in May on Findley Lake.
Geese on the water, an egret (snowy or great?),
And our usual great blue heron very close.
Time to break out the better camera.

The End of April

A nice way to end April,
Creeping up on one elderly heron,
Who didn't really seem to mind
A few photos as the boat drifted closer.

And yes, a small green heron fishing,
And a squad of exploding carp in the shallows,
And lots of squawking geese and waiting buzzards,
And a family eating pizza while fishing.

Turtles, Osprey, & Possum

Something always happens at Findley.
You finally decide that turtles are enough,
Then the osprey decides to hunt.
And at home a possum visits our birdfeeders.
A full day and Spring has come.

Back on the Water

First time out for the 2006 season.
Back to Findley Lake to check on the heron situation.
Only a few and they were skittish.
Even the geese expressed a bit of resentment to our intrusion.
We did our usual circuit round the lake though we had to fight the wind the first half.
We had just commented on the solitude and peacefulness when there was a fire a few miles south and the Wellington fire truck sirens could be heard just beyond the tree line.
There was another kayak couple but they were much more professional than us - wet suits and spray skirts.
Not sure what they were prepared for - and they didn’t stay out as long as us.
I’m sure the town enjoyed seeing our kayaks back on top of the Honda.
We probably just became a new sign of Spring.