2008 in Review...

What a great season we had at Kayuta. For the first time since we got the camp, we finally spent more time on fun stuff rather than work.



We were able to spend a lot of time on the lake, kayaking and canoeing with friends and family. Going on the other side of the dam opened a whole new world to explore.








A day at the Black River Canal Museum in Boonville was quite enjoyable and informative.





We found more places to hike - the Black River Canal Towpath from the walkway in Boonville to Pixley Falls, and Woodhull Road.







The windmills were a sight to see.







And my personal favorite, Trenton Falls will be a place we will be visiting time and time again.




But now, the camp is closed, the first snow has fallen on the lake and it's time to think of SKIING.

Fulton Chain of Lakes

If you follow Route 28 N for about 28 miles from Kayuta Lake, you'll end up at Old Forge and the southern tip of the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

The Fulton Chain of Lakes consists of 8 lakes starting from the dam at Old Forge. Starting from the Old Forge Pond, it travels the 1 mile channel or "Narrows" to First Lake then to Second and Third, through a channel to Fourth Lake to the Towns of Eagle Bay and Inlet - a 7 mile distance and then continues to the smallest, Fifth lake. From there one must portage their boat to Sixth and Seventh Lakes, which are navigable from one to the other and then portage again to Eight Lake.

Boating on these chain of lakes can be more daunting than on Kayuta. There is more traffic and bigger, faster boats that can make kayaking or canoeing a harrowing experience. There are a number of boat launches if you want to bring your own watercraft. Otherwise, you can rent anything from canoes, kayaks and paddleboats to jetskis, powerboats and pontoons at a number of places around. Click here.


Here's part of the group on our rented pontoon on one cold and windy August morning. Starting from 4th Lake down to First Lake, we cruise around, do some fishing, make a short stop at the picnic grounds and just enjoy the view.













Another way to explore the lakes is aboard the Clearwater. You might even learn a little history about the area.

Pixley Falls State Park and the Black River Canal Towpath

The Black River Canal towpath begins in Boonville and ends below Pixley Falls State Park at the 5 combines. On one visit to the park, we decided to take the trail northwards.




The canal is now completely silted and barely discernable but remains of the old locks are still visible beside the trail. We counted 15 locks along 2.4 miles of gradual uphill climb. No wonder this canal has the record for the most number of locks. From Rome to Lyons Falls, NY, the Black River Canal had 109 locks over 35 miles, the summit being here in Boonville. In contrast, the Erie Canal only had 83 locks along its 350 mile course.

The Windmills of Lewis County (Maple Ridge Wind Farm)

About a half-hour drive from Kayuta sits the largest alternative energy project east of the Mississippi. From Route 12D in Boonville, we continued on Route 26 until we started to see the windmills and then turned onto Flat Rock Road.


New York's largest wind farm, the Maple Ridge Wind Farm, is named in honor of the county's status as the biggest producer of maple syrup in the state. Its 195 turbines are scattered along 12,000 acres of farmlands on a 12-mile strip of the Tug Hill plateau, in the towns of Martinsburg, Lowville, Watson and Harrisburg. At an average elevation of 1600-1800 feet, this region was selected because it experiences strong lake-effect winds from Lake Ontario.

First conceived in 1999, the project became fully operational in January 2006. It is able to produce 320 MW of electricity which is enough to power 160,000 homes, equivalent to a mid-sized power plant, and like taking 105,000 cars off the road.


To casual observers like us, the windmills make for a very interesting landscape. More mixed emotions are expressed by local residents. With the 260 feet high wind tower, each 1.65 megawatt turbine reaches a maximum of 390 ft when one of its 130-ft long rotor blade is at 12 o'clock, and has been likened to a "spindly-armed alien" or a "giant praying mantis peering at my home". Some complained of interference with the radio and tv reception, while others expressed concern for their impact on the bird and bat population. The constant "whoosh, whoosh" heard from the rotor blades spinning at 14 revolutions per minute is another constant irritation.

But, for many other residents, the windmills are a source of much needed revenue. Seventy-four landowners were paid a yearly fee of $5000-10,000 per turbine while other neighbors were given $500-1,000 just for the inconvenience of living close to the turbines. Instead of full taxes, the company will make reduced payment to the county for 15 years. So far, this welcome revenue has helped projects in the towns and school districts involved. With the current energy crisis, particularly with New York's passing of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a law requiring power utilities to purchase at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2013, more windmills may be cropping up in this area in the near future.

More on the windmills:
A New Crop Upstate: Electricity from Windmills
Falling in Love with Wind
Windmills split towns and families

Trenton Falls

Trenton Falls is a series of waterfalls along the Trenton Gorge on West Canada Creek in Oneida County, NY. In the past, it used to be a "must see" destination between the East Coast and Niagara Falls. Back then, guests could stay at the Rural Resort (c. 1823) and later, the Trenton Falls Hotel (c. 1851), commonly called Moore's hotel. Local and international visitors included wealthy merchants, farmers, diplomats, statesmen, military men, writers and artists. The area attracted renowned naturalists and geologists whose discoveries in the area have forever influenced American Geology. Decreasing local tourism brought by the railroad's expansion and economic depression eventually lead to the sale of the property. A dam and a hydroelectric powerhouse were constructed in 1899 which delivered electricity to Utica in 1901. Moore's hotel was eventually closed and demolished in 1945.

For many years, the power company encouraged the public to view the falls. A string of lawsuits brought on by people falling into the gorge or diving into the river and receiving injuries led to no trespassing signs being posted on both sides of the gorge.


More recently, Brookfield Power (formerly Brascan Power New York), the current owner of the facility, and the Town of Trenton developed the Trenton Falls Scenic Trail "to offer the public an opportunity to experience local history while enjoying splendors of nature that are rare in beauty and power". But it's open to the public only 4 weekends a year.


So on the first Saturday of October, we made the 15 mile trip to Trenton Falls. Volunteers directed visitors to designated parking spaces, manned stations along the trail, answering questions about the place.


Along the side of the trail are huge steel pipes which carry water from the dam to the powerhouse below Sherman Falls. The concrete bases of the old pipes are still visible like skeletons from the past.




Behind protective railings, we were able to look down the gorge. Sherman Falls, the first of the largest group of waterfalls on West Canada Creek, was named after John Sherman, the first owner of the property. With a nearly vertical drop of 33 feet, water had a tendency to shoot out horizontally when water volume is high, leading the Iroquios Indians to call this place Kuyahoora, or place of "leaping water".



Estimated to be 450 million years old, the rocks here, named the Trenton Limestone, have yielded numerous fossils, most notably some giant trilobites, as well as armored jellyfishes, cephalopods and echinoderms. Limestones from this area have been used in the construction of local buildings, including the Utica State Hospital as well as ten locks of the Black River Canal.



The High Falls is a set of falls making up the largest cataracts on Trenton Falls. The Lower High Falls is a series of small, cascading waterfalls which drop approximately 100 feet, the largest vertical drop in the gorge.






The Upper High Falls descends 40 feet, the second largest drop in the gorge.






The top of the Lower High Falls can be seen below to the right.




The rest of the trail was blocked due to a dangerous potential rock slide. We made a promise to ourselves to come back to see the uppermost Mill Dam Falls.




The Civil War Stone on the way out commemorated the role of Trenton Falls in hastening the end of the war between the states.
On Aug.18, 1863, Secretary of State William H. Seward met with diplomats of the seven nations who agreed to advise their countries not to recognize the confederacy.

From Kayuta Dam to Forestport

I've always wanted to explore that part of the Black River between the Kayuta Dam and Forestport. The riverbed by the dam was just too rocky for me to risk damaging my kayak. Our canoe was too heavy to carry across the boat launch. That is, until we got an awesome canoe carrier.


And so, my husband and I were able to paddle down the river. It was just so peaceful over there, away from the motor boats of Kayuta.






Forestport was a major center of the logging industry during the heyday of the Erie Canal. Sawmills used to line the banks of this 150 acre pond, filling it with softwood logs. Canal boats would ferry the lumber through the 10 mile feeder canal to the Black River Canal in Boonville.











On the other side of the bridge,
the start of the feeder canal can be seen towards the right side of the canoe. When the logging industry started to slow down in the late 1800's, repairs on breaks in this feeder's levees provided jobs and boosted the businesses around town. The breaks turned out to be part of a widespread conspiracy which is chronicled in the
Forestport Breaks: A Nineteenth Century Conspiracy Along the Black River Canal


The Forestport Dam was completed in 1848, and was designed to raise the Black River 12 feet. Washed out in the flood of 1869, this was rebuilt in 1903, now a concrete gravity dam, 27 feet high and 455 ft long.



On the way back to Kayuta, we kept our eyes peeled for wildlife. We did not see the bald eagle that reportedly lives here but the blue herons were fascinating to watch. One even accompanied us all the way to our dam.

A Short Hike on the Woodhull Road Trail

From Route 28 in Woodhull, we drove east on Bear Creek Road, crossed the railroad tracks and parked at the lot about 3.1 miles in. We did not bother to sign at the register since we were not planning an extensive hike. Looking at the trailmap, it would be prudent for serious hikers to state their destination. From this point, one can go to Gull Lake, Chub Pond, Star Dam Lake, and as far as North Lake (11.4 miles).




We decided to take the Woodhull Road Trail. According to the guidebook, this road was used to gain access to Woodhull Lake and later to the dam on the lake. It is still being used by ATVs.








We walked down the road for 0.4 miles, then turned left to the trail marked by a vehicle barrier. Enjoying the walk along the grassy trail, we found a fascinating little creature - a red eft.










Finally, we came to a creek (not sure if it was Bear Creek).




But the narrow bridge to the unknown dissuaded us from going any further.








For a detailed description of this trail and others in the West-Central Adirondack Region, check out the Guide to Adirondack Trails (Vol. 5) published by the Adirondack Mountain Club.

Boating on Kayuta Lake

Kayuta Lake is perfect for non-motorized boating. Being somewhat narrow, one is never too far away from the shore. Just in case. And yet, it's long enough (about 4 miles with 13.1 miles of shoreline) to pique the interest of any serious paddler.



Canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, rowboats, and an occasional sailboat normally grace the waters of Kayuta. Paddling on the open waters can sometimes be challenging but at the same time somewhat exciting as you ride the wakes of the motorboats, jetskis and party barges.



And they all love to congregate on the 2 islands in the middle of the north end of the lake.



The bays provide some refuge to enjoy the water lilies and watch the turtle(s) routinely sunbathing on some fallen tree.

Frogs and Toads

When you're in Kayuta Lake, it is just natural to come in close contact with frogs and toads - especially when you're with a kid who would not stop at anything to find one.



Below are some pickerel frogs we saw by the Kayuta dam. The pickerel frog (scientific name Rana palustris) can be identified by the "hand-drawn" squares on its dorsal surface. The squares can become confluent and appear like rectangles. They also have prominent ridges seen as the continuous white lines on its back.























We found this green frog at the Black River Canal towpath in Boonville. The northern leopard frog, which can also be brown in color, is characterized by the dark circular spots irregularly found throughout its body. Two light colored dorsolateral folds can be seen between the back and the sides.




We almost missed this toad hiding among the rocks by the dam. Toads are technically also frogs since they belong to the same order (Anura) of amphibians. (Click here if you don't believe it.) They can be distinguished from true frogs like the leopard and pickerel by their sturdy bodies, dry and warty skin and the presence of poison glands behind their eyes. I believe this is an Eastern American Toad, but I could be wrong.

For more information on frogs and toad, check out this identification guide from the Northern Prairie and Wildlife Research Center.

You can see more images and listen to the sounds of these frogs in a page from the Monocacy and Catochtin Watershed Alliance website.