Early Spring or Late Winter

I went for a short paddle this morning.  It was below freezing when I started, with light winds from the north-west.

The day started out grey.

We have had occasional snow the last few weeks.  The large pieces of river ice have dissappeared, but there still is snow on the ground in the shady places.

I paddled up the Susquehanna towards Hiawatha Island.  It was very quiet.  A few geese and ducks were about, but it seemed to quiet.

As I got to the upstream end of the island,  I could hear a riot of bird calls.  Dozens and dozens of birds were chirping and calling. Then I heard the distinct  peal and then chatter call of a Bald Eagle.  A large bird then emerged from a stand of pine trees and flew a short distance to a very large pine tree on Hiawatha Island.

Unlike the juvenile birds I saw 2 weeks ago, this was an adult bird.

I watched the eagle for a while, then continued upstream.  I came across the occasional Canada Goose.  How can they stand the cold?

Maybe they can't!

I saw signs of beaver activity in the area.  I have never seen a lodge.  Given the size of the river, they would have to create dens in the banks of the river.  I'll keep my eyes open for them.

Flocks of blackbirds were about.  They flew from tree to tree downstream, landing on the riverbanks oncein a while.

The floods of 2011 still leave reminders of their power.  Most of the homes along this stretch of the river are damaged and have been sitting empty.  Many will torn down.

I was cold after 2 hours on the water.  Looking forwards to Spring!

Peddling and Paddling

I stopped at the car wash on Friday to rid my car of a winter's worth of salt and grime.  Yeah, I know it will snow again.  But I wanted to get my car clean so I could . . .

. . . put on my kayak rack!  It was to be a warm and sunny weekend.  Dry roads, ice-free rivers!

I went cycling on Saturday.  Temps in the mid-40's, but no wind.  Still quite a bit of snow about, especially on the north side of the hills.

We've seen a lot of deer around this season.  It was a mild winter.  I suspect the deer population is growing.

It felt so good to be outside.  I rode a while with my arms outstretched and my hands off the bars.  Moving down the road felt like flying!

I went to breakfast with the wife on Sunday, and then went for a short paddle on the Susquehanna River.  I put in at Hickories State Park in Owego and headed upstream.

I expected to see mergansers, and I did.

It was slightly overcast, with the winding picking up from the south.  The river was ice free, and a few fishermen were out.  I decided to go around the south side of Hiawatha Island.

The banks are strewn with large pans of ice.  It will melt quickly.

I came across this drainage pipe.  It runs underneath the highway which follows the river at the stretch.  As a kid I would have wanted to climb in this pipe (it was about 3 feet in diameter) and go out the other side.

There were gaggles of Canada geese everywhere.  I would come around a bend in the river, and they would start their honking.  Sometimes I could get pretty close . . .

. . . and sometimes I couldn't!

There were more geese everywhere I looked, even on shore.

As I came to a small cove in the river, I could hear a familiar sound.  Could it be a red-winged blackbird?

Unfortunately I was looking towards the sun and could only see the bird in silhouette.

The little cove was still iced-in.  I paddled up into the ice.

There were large 'bergy bits' on the shore.  Some were many feet high, but they were melting.

I looked up and saw something in a tree.

What is it?

An immature bald eagle!  They are seen on the river.  I was hoping to see one.  Awesome!

I guess he did not want to see me!

The river is pretty clear now.  It still gets silty if there is a lot of runoff, but you can see the bottom.  A few fresh water mussel shells were evident.

I headed back downstream.  In time I got back to Hiawatha Island.  I went around the north side.

Though the island appears surrounded with thick, muddy banks, I came across a short stretch which was rocky and clean.  I decided to get out and explore a bit.

I immediately startled a few deer as I struggled with the brambles.  I came across some trails.  One led to a old farmhouse (now abandoned).  I think it is preserved.

There were all sorts of mechanical equipment about.

Even a fairly new outhouse.

I came across an older shed with a damaged roof.    I climbed up the hill (very steep) to see what was going on.  It appears a tree fell on the roof and collapsed it.

As I got to the top of the hill, I came across another trail.  It led to an old water storage tank.  There used to be a hotel on the island many years ago.  I need to really research this place!

I decided to take the shortest path down the hill to the river and my kayak.  Needless to say, the brambles and slick conditions made my going slow. My sandals and neoprene booties weren't the best for descending, but my river-guide dry pants were rugged and stopped the brambles.

As I got to the shore, I had to head downstream a bit to my boat.  I came across hundreds of insects coming ashore and crawling on the ice on the banks.  I was not expecting them!

I struggled through the mud on the shoreline until I got to the rocky stretch of beach.  The thick, sticky mud pulled a sandal off once.

I got back in my boat and paddled back to the boat launch at Hickories.  It too is very muddy right now.  I slogged through the mud at the boat ramp as I carried my kayak up the ramp to my car.

Not wanting to waste the fine weather, I went for a ride.  I was going to stay on the main road, but I decided to take a side road.  I am glad I did.  I was first surprised to see the sap buckets out, but then realized that we have had below-freezing nights and above-freezing days.  Syrup season is here!

I continued down country roads, taking in the farms and scenery.

My weekend started off washing my car.  Well, I had to wash it again to get all the sticky mud off my kayak and car.  The self serve car wash in town is only $2.  Well worth the $4 in total for both washes to go paddling!

Susquehanna

After the flooding last fall, most of the boat launches near us on the Susquehanna River were closed.  They just reopened a few weeks ago.  It was a cloudy morning, but I decided to paddle on the Susquehanna.

I put in by Hickories Park in Owego.  Much of the park is still being repaired after the flood, but the boat ramp and parking were fine.

The flooing last fall was incredible.  I was parked over 10 feet above the river.  The sign by my car showed the height of the flood waters.  The 2011 flooding was over the 100 year level!

The river was calm, and it looked like the clouds were going to go away.  The air was still.  It was quiet and peaceful.

Some of the houses on the river are still in shambles.  I am surprised that many of these homes are repaired and in use.

There are huge tracts on knotweed along the rivers.  Knotweed loves wet, sunny areas.

There was not much wildlife.  I saw a female mallard of in the distance.  Being a larger river, it is hard to just round a corner and come across wildlife.

The force of last year's flood was obvious by the debris scattered on the islands.

 It was a short paddle.  The skies started to grow darker.  Rain was coming.  That doesn't bother me much (I am in a boat already).  My biggest concern was the chance of thundershowers.  I rounded the large island just east of the park, and headed back to the launch.  About 2 miles to go back.

There were small animals about.  Squirrels and blackbirds were all about.

I saw a female red-headed merganser on the shore.  She was waiting for me to pass by.

The rain came. It was coming down steady.  I was doing a little fishing, but nothing was biting.  The wind was coming up.  I was getting cold and wet.  Time to head back.

Splashing Raindrops

It was nice to get back on the Susquehanna again.  I need to get a long paddle in soon.

Ice and Snow

It was 22 degF this morning when I decided to go kayaking! (The wife thinks I am crazy, but I just had to see what Nature has has brought forth!).  I was going to put in at the South Slang,  but when I got there it was covered in ice!

The old beaver lodges were silent . . .

. . . as were the marshes.

I decided to put in at Kingsland Bay.  The winds were from the south at just 2 or 3 knots.  Lake Champlain was calm.

There are not many waterfowl about.  Some seagulls . . .

. . . and cormorants.

I always enjoy following the cliffs about the lake.

Though the leaves are long past, the algae on the rocks were an unexpected bit of green against the gray and brown rocks.

I like paddling near the shoreline, but one has to be careful of the rocks.  Some are barely submerged, and running into them can lead to a capsize (not a good thing in the winter!).

I paddled out onto the broad lake and headed east to the mouth of the South Slang,

The ice was out all the way to the lake.  There was no safe way to paddle into the slang (yes, the boat could break through most of the ice, but it is hard to maneuver through the broken pans of ice).

The marshes are getting iced-in.

I headed back to Kingsland Bay.  Off in the distance I could see Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks.

There was a wonderful interplay of waves and light in the shallow bays.  The water is now very clear, and I can see the ripples in the sand below.  The slight wind-waves created patterns on the sand, creating a pattern all along the lake bottom as far as I could see!

I paddled back to my car.  My feet were getting cold. By the time I took my kayak out of the water, by hands were felt like they were encased in pins and needles (yes, I had to get my hands wet when I took my kayak out of the cold water)!

After a glass of warm cider, I decided to go for a short bike ride.  I went up over the hill on Green Street.  I passed the frozen marshes . . .

. . . and cycles along the quiet roads.

There is still a slight covering of snow in the woods.  Soon I will be snow shoeing!

I had to stop by some open farm field and take in the views to the east of the Green Mountains.  Spectactular!

I hope you don't let the cold stop you from enjoying natures glory!