Goodbye Kayuta

After 12 wonderful summers, we finally bid goodbye to our camp on Kayuta Lake.  Having moved to Nevada 4 years ago, the yearly commute just got a little too much for us.

Morning paddle on Kayuta Lake

After spending a month getting the camp ready to sell, we spent the rest of the summer enjoying the activities we love, especially canoeing and kayaking.

Paddling on Limekiln Lake

We were able to use our inflatable kayak on Seventh Lake, Limekiln Lake and Nick's Lake.







With friends and family, we visited our favorite spots like Ager's Falls, Fort Stanwix, and Delta Lake.

Gazing at the Fulton Chain at the base of the
fire tower on Bald Mountain

We hiked to the Bald Mountain Fire Tower and biked along the Black River Feeder Canal.

Kiddie Canal exhibit
Black River Canal Museum

We've never gotten tired of the Black River Canal Museum and this last time was especially delightful as we watched a young child's amusement at the exhibits.

Barred owl from Birds of Prey.
photo by Stan

We skipped the Woodsmen's Field Days this year, having attended the last 3 years before, but our family members who braved the torrential rains that Sunday had a wonderful time particularly with the birds of prey.


My most memorable experience this year was my water skiing lesson with Joe Serth. I will always carry the regret of not trying this sport sooner.

July 4th fireworks from the islands

There were more places we wanted to revisit and more activities we wanted to do, things we'll surely miss once we've left this place.  But most of all, we'll miss just hanging out at our camp. A cozy cabin with it's expansive waterfront. Waking up to the rosy sunrise or the fog covered lake and watching the sun set with a favorite drink at hand. Watching the water skiers and wake boarders, the jet skiers and other boaters. Fireworks around July 4th.

We'll miss the barbecues and dinners by the pavilion, with a roaring fire or warm smore-ready coals in the fire pit. Listening to the ducks quacking, geese gawking, the hummingbirds humming, searching for the occasional loon and even a cormorant. Even the pesky squirrel constantly raiding our hummingbird feeder.




But whenever we long for the good times we've had, we'll just imagine we're back on our deck, looking at the lake and maybe review past blog entries.

Water skiing on Kayuta Lake

FINALLY.  A chance to go water skiing on Kayuta Lake.

For two weeks in the summer, the Camp Mohawk Valley Waterski School comes to Kayuta Lake. Run by the Serth family, the school is a "summer camp where kids can come and have a fun filled week of learning how to waterski".  The students are then invited to participate in the Camp Mohawk Valley Exhibition Squad Water Ski Show featuring the X-Squad which is held on the last weekend of the ski school.

After getting the nerve to ask Joe Serth for a ski lesson, I came to the dock ready for my adventure. Joe advised me of the danger of the sport and asked only one question.  "Do you downhill ski?" I do. But that did not make it any easier.

First attempt to get up using the boom, a pole attached to the center of the boat which extends out over its side, was a total failure.

With Joe behind me, holding me up most of the time,  I was able to stand up on the skis on our next run.  For over 3 minutes, we were actually water skiing.  Until he let go.  He must have gotten tired. LOL.

Joe helped me up again the next time.  And when he let go, I finally made it on my own. What an exhilarating, scary 20 seconds.  Felt really proud of myself.








After another session with Joe the following week, I felt like there is yet hope that I will be able to
learn how to waterski.  Thanks, Joe.

Paddling on Limekiln Lake

Another opportunity to use our Sea Eagle inflatable kayak.


When we first visited Limekiln Lake Campground, we just went hiking but vowed to return to paddle on the lake.  It took us two years to return, but here we are.

Limekiln Lake, with a surface area of 457 acres is almost the same size as our own Kayuta Lake (461 acres) but more compact, it's widest diameter being 2 1/2 miles.

It was quite warm but thankfully, some clouds provided a little relief from the heat making for a very enjoyable paddle.  Through the clear water, we could see the rocky bottom of the lake, at least close to the shore.  No wonder there were many swimmers on the beach as well by the numerous waterfront campsites.

With 3 1/2 miles of shoreline, we had no plan to circle the whole lake. From the swimming beach area, we paddled until we almost reached the lake's easternmost shore which appears to be beyond the campground's border, there being a number of private camps around.

The lake was pretty quiet considering that the campground's 271 campsites were almost all occupied. Paddling was such a joy, sharing the lake mostly with  kayakers, some canoers and only 1 jet ski and a motorboat.

The day became even more memorable by these two loons, the first we have sighted this season.

Paddling on Seventh Lake

On one of our carefree days in Kayuta, we drove an hour to the town of Inlet towards Seventh Lake, the second largest lake on the Fulton Chain.  On a previous trip to Eight Lake, we saw that the campground has a dock on Seventh Lake but there did not seem to be an easy way to park and we would have had to pay an entrance fee to go there.  Instead, we opted to just use the fishing access site off Route 28.





It had a parking lot that could easily accommodate more than 10 cars at a time.  At the end of the parking lot was a building whch could have served as restrooms in the past but now, there are only 2 porta potties in front of it which thankfully were quiet clean.

Google Map of Seventh Lake;
Goff Island seen southwest of fishing access

Since the major part of the lake was towards the west, we headed off that way.  It was cloudy, the UV index 0, with 0 chance of precipitation, our ideal time to paddle.  Even though the wind was relatively calm, with only a few motor boats on the lake, the water was still a little bit choppy.  With the lake's average depth of 40 feet, maximum of 87 feet, we did not feel comfortable venturing too far away from the shores in our inflatable kayak.




With an area of 851 acres and an 11-mile shoreline, we knew we could only see a fraction of the lake with Goff Island as a good turn around point.  As we skirted the island, we could see the rocky bottom which accounted for the clarity of the water.  So unlike the murky bottom of Kayuta Lake. The island is forested and mostly uninhabited.  We saw about 2 dwellings at the western end of the island. The island was known by different names in the past but according to Adirondackalmanack.com, the current one was in honor of Isaac C. Goff who bought 4 acres of the island in 1898.  The remaining 11 acres remained state land.

Going northeast of the fishing access site, the lake became narrower with a small island in the middle of the channel.  Boats can dock on the island where picnics are allowed but no camping.






We circled around the island in a counterclockwise direction.  We noticed the lake was fairly

Google Earth photo 

shallow around the island particularly on its northern border.  The channel there was strewn with logs sticking out of a sandbar, our kayak touched bottom a few times.  We had to back out and try different routes before we finally made it through.  A google earth photo later revealed just how shallow that area was.

After the boat ride ended, we had our picnic lunch while waiting for our kayak to dry.  Later on, we discovered a trail starting from the end of the parking lot. This led to several picnic and swimming areas.

Not a bad place to return for some more paddling and picnic.

July 4th Fireworks on Kayuta Lake

We've watched the fireworks in Boonville at least 3 times since we have had our camp on the lake.  This year, we had planned to go to Old Forge to see if it was any different, maybe bigger than the one here.   After watching some early fireworks on the lake on Saturday, July 2, we decided to stay put.  Why travel and brave the crowds when we can watch comfortably from our deck?  With more fireworks the next 2 nights, we had no regrets.

Below are just some of them fired from the islands on the 3rd.

 

2016 Season Begins

Opened the camp about a week ago but so far, we've been busy doing the usual requisite work and more involved in opening a summer camp.  Really have not had much time to do any lake activity but only had to content ourselves with memories of our road trip to Kayuta.

This summer is the 4^th season since we moved our primary residence to Nevada. The long drive to and from Kayuta Lake (41hr 10min, 2655.5mi. according to Mapquest) can get tiresome so we decided after our first trip to make it a point to visit parks and other interesting spots along the way,

Base jumper at Perrine Bridge

Shoshone Falls

Driving through Idaho, we watched the base jumpers off Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls and gazed at nearby Shoshone Falls.

Grand Geyser, Upper Geyser Basin

Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was truly amazing not just for its varied geothermal attractions, geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, mudpots and terraces, but for its waterfalls and grand canyon as well as an abundance of wild life.

Grand Prismatic Spring, Midway Geyser Basin

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs

North Dakota not only offered roadside attractions like the largest Holstein cow (Salem Sue), the largest buffalo (Dakota Thunder), the wood chipper from the movie Fargo but also dabs of history about Lewis and Clark at the Keel Boat Park.

Salem Sue. New Salem, ND

Dakota Thunder. Jamestown, ND

wood chipper from Fargo

Replica of Lewis and Clark's keel boat

The Basilica of St. Mary's in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first basilica built in the US, was an impressive structure with its granite walls, marble canopied altar and stained glass windows.  

Basilica of St. Mary's

Basilica of St. Mary's

We strolled around the Olbrich Botanical Garden in Madison WI which has the only Thai pavilion in the continental US and the only one outside Thailand that is surrounded by a garden. St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University in Milwaukee housed a piece of stone supposedly prayed on by the French saint.

Olbrich Botanical Garden's Thai Pavilion

St. Joan of Arc Chapel

We've stayed at a hotel in South Bend Indiana on most of our trips to Kayuta but we did not realize how close we were to the University of Notre Dame. This time, we finally decided to visit, particularly to see the most magnificent Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

USS COD

And in Cleveland, OH, we visited a submarine memorial and got a chance to go inside a real WWII submarine, the USS COD.

And now that we're in Kayuta, it's time to work on the usual chores of opening the camp. Time to shelve these memories and create new ones as have our fun on Kayuta Lake.