One of the worst things you can do with a blog is to allow months to go by without posting anything new. That, unfortunately, is exactly what I've done. It's not that I've lost interest in the projects described in earlier posts. It's that summers are short in this neck of the woods and I've been getting out a lot. Many of those outings have been related to the project (at least that's what I tell myself) but some have been just for fun. This leaves less time for writing then I have in the winter (winter is coming!). But setting this aside, I'll return with a a recap of a couple of recent outings.
For starters I purchased a small kayak. Elle and I have a canoe but it's a two person boat and I often end up going solo. It's an inexpensive kayak -a Perception Sport- great for noodling around. I've been out on Cedar River Flow, the Hudson River and the Kayaderosseras Creek. It's not a boat I'd use for whitewater or on a big lake if the wind was blowing but it's great for low-key day trips.
A point worth noting is the need to clean your boat before moving it among different bodies of water. My first outings in the kayak were on the Kayaderosseras Creek -a lowland creek in Saratoga County. I then put the boat on the Cedar River Flow in the central Adirondacks. To prevent the inadvertent spread of aquatic invasive species I
cleaned the kayak thoroughly between those outings. New York State now requires that boats be cleaned before entry into many bodies of water and the State has created an enforcement and education program.
You can learn more about it here. Take this seriously. There are several aquatic invasives that, once they gain a foothold, cause immense damage and are nearly impossible to get rid. Keeping them out is the only real solution.
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| A family of Common Mergansers on the Kayaderosseras Creek near Grey's Crossing (early July 2014). Severe bank erosion is common along the lower Kayaderosseras. Also common are invasive plants such as Japanese Knotweed. A local group --Friends of the Kayaderosseras-- are attempting to control the spread of Knotweed. A couple of methods have been tried but Knotweed is really really hard to kill. A recent post to the group's website details plans to simply cut the Knotweed down repeatedly until its' root energy stores are exhausted (or they are). |
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| Issues aside, the Kayaderosseras from Grey's Crossing to Saratoga Lake has a surprisingly wild feel. Bird life is abundant and at appropriate water levels it's a fun, easy, paddle. |
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| The Driscoll Road launch site. The water level pictured here is ideal for a relaxed float downstream with enough flow that you don't have to get out and pull through shallow sections. Care is needed during wet weather. The Kayaderossas drains a large watershed and it can rise quickly to levels that are much less relaxed. For several miles below Grey's Crossing the route pass through Saratoga Spa State Park (on one or both sides). The site pictured here is an official launch site on state land with Parking on Driscoll Road. This site requires some effort to get down to the water and a carry of a couple of hundred yards from the parking lot but otherwise this is a good put in or take out point. |
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| Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) on the bank of the Kayaderosseras Creek. |
Cedar River Flow
Cedar River Flow is large lake formed by a dam on the Cedar River. The main body of the flow is over three miles long with numerous bays and extensive wild marshes. Boats with motors are allowed but the launch is suitable only for boats you can carry or wheel to the water by hand (limiting the size of both the boats and their motors). Mostly it's a canoe and kayak paradise. The far end (the south end) of the Flow features extensive marshes where the Cedar River flow into the lake. You can paddle up the Cedar River for several miles (or many miles for the more determined) and the hardest part is finding the actual river channel through the marsh.
In late June (2014) I watched two Osprey pull fish out of the lake. Osprey are pretty common in the Adirondacks and when you see them they are a large and impressive bird. On this day a Bald Eagle flew in to check out the fishing and I was able to see the Osprey and the Eagle in flight within a couple of hundred yards of each other. From this I learned from that Bald Eagles are really big birds. The Eagle's wingspan is only a little larger than an Osprey but the Eagle is a much larger and heavier bird. In general, Cedar River Flow is a great place to view Adirondack birds. Along with the Osprey and the Eagle there were Loons, Waxwings, an American Bittern, Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese (nesting), Turkey's (on the road in) and many other common birds.
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| An absolutely gorgeous day. Late June 2014. |
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| Beaver Dam on Payne Brook. A second source of inflow into Cedar River Flow |
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| At the upper end of the lake I navigated up a narrow channel thinking it was the Cedar River. It was a dead end but worth the trip anyway. |
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| The view from a well used (and probably illegal) camping spot that sits on a small knoll above the Cedar River. |
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| Leanto on the Cedar River. About 1.5 miles upstream from where the river flows into the lake. |
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| The river past the leanto leads deeper into the Moose River Plains. The "plains" are a glacial out wash zone characterized by sandy soils and relatively raw glacial features. The Cedar River has a mostly sandy bottom and it cuts through small ridges where only a foot or two of top soil overlay extensive deposits of sand and gravel. |
