Kayaking with the Legions on the Lake

Sunday was a cloudy with sunbursts kind of day, little humidity and gusty breezes, a perfect day to be paddling on the water. So after loading up Big Red, which took longer than it should, as I'm still getting used to the racks, and after nursing a sore neck because the damn boat somehow fell off the top of the car and on to the top of my head, I was eventually driving to Lake Frederick. I was disappointed to see on arrival that the car park was pretty full and there were already multiple vessels bobbing on the lake, kayaks, canoes and electric motor boats. I pushed out and made a bee line away from most of the chattering groups. I ended up entering a deep inlet where 4 college guys were in 2 electric boats, supposedly fishing, but mostly exercising their vocal chords, evidently dumb to the notion that much noise means no fish. I was approaching them when sudden;y their antics caused one of the boats to tip over and dunk two of the boys into the lake. I desperately wanted to whip out my camera and take photos but didn't want to anger them, so tightening my lips to stem the smirk that threatened to taunt them, I paddled past, as they soddenly pulled themselves back into the boat, which was now holding a few gallons of lake water.
Concentrating on distancing myself from them, I had paddled slowly further into the inlet and was only about 8ft from the bank when I suddenly found myself looking directly into the eyes of a beautiful young buck, resting in the grass. I stopped paddling and slowly aimed my camera at him, talking gently, and complimenting him on his exceptional good looks. He didn't look too put out and was obviously very comfortable as he made no effort to leave, but instead posed, moving his head slightly from side to side, watching me.

I continued to chat to him a little longer then very slowly eased my kayak round and away from the bank without disturbing him further, stopping a little way out to ensure that the hapless youths, still complaining loudly, didn't come this way. They didn't, choosing to go further into the middle of the lake. I looked round at the buck, who was still motionless in his spot, and bidding him adieu, I paddled off quietly, leaving peacefulness to be restored to his little haven.

A few black walnuts hung over the water, which was a lot higher than I'd expected. Heavy, dark thunderclouds also hung low over the lake, making me think a storm was approaching, but then suddenly the sun would pop through, bathing us all in golden warm light again. This pattern continued throughout the afternoon, and I have to confess looking forward to the overcast spells more, when the breeze would pick up and cool me down, as it threw ripples across the lake.

During previous visits to this lake I've always spotted a large population of wildlife, but today, likely due to the hoards of humans present, I only saw 2 blue herons and 3 green herons, and only the one buck. I was amazed to get these photos of the herons as I'd had to use the maximum zoom on my G15, hence the poor quality, but it was either that or go without, as the poor animals weren't allowing any close ups, the blue herons croaking very loudly as soon as I saw them. The green herons are always skittish shy birds, and today were kept on their toes as every inlet they disappeared into for privacy was soon invaded by another boat. I felt quite sorry for the wildlife, and I'm sure that if they spoke English, they'd all be saying, "Thank God the weekend's nearly over." or, "Bugger off and leave us in peace!" which I'm quite sure was nearer the mark judging by some of their expressions.

The cardinal flowers named after the red vestments that used to be worn by Catholic cardinals can be spotted from afar, their bright scarlet flowers shining brightly on the banks like jewels. Medicinal teas can be made from the leaves and roots but the milky white sap from their stems is toxic so wildlife tend to leave them alone. I love seeing these in the countryside, like little red flames licking up through the grass when seen from a distance.

I always like checking out the rotting tree stumps sticking up through the water, each of them like individual ecosystems, with tiny plants finding a root hold on the rotting wood and often inhabited by a small colony of insects. I have to inspect each one to see if there's anything interesting living in the tiny colony.

A fallen tree looked skeletal as it lay in the water, like a creature that had fallen and perished. I didn't see many turtles today, most had seemingly given up on their sunbathing on branches, likely due to so many folk being present. They always plopped into the water before I could get within a few feet. But one little chap clung resolutely to his post, eyeing me defiantly as I paddled past as quietly as possible. We kept eye contact and I felt triumphant as I managed to pass without him suddenly diving below the surface of the lake. I looked back and he settled down once more, his neck craning out of his shell, making sure that I wasn't coming back.

I took a few photos with my iPhone in its waterproof case. Once the phone was submerged in the water I really had no control over what photos I was taking, and so just pointed it one way or another, hoping to get something in focus. Just a few of the images were worth posting, I'd even managed to capture one shot looking up at Big Red from underneath with baby fish swimming close by. The water was quite murky except in the very shallow areas near the banks but I still had to be careful that my paddle didn't raise too much silt.

There were plenty of biting flies and mosquitoes lurking on the water's surface, but thankfully today I managed to escape the multitude of bites that I usually leave with. Most seemed to just skim on the lake's surface, rising in a cloud ad I slowly glided through them. Mayflies were everywhere, bright flashes of pale blue that caught my eye as they hovered in the reeds and grasses, a few landing on the boat and paddle. I gave a spider a ride back to the bank, he'd hitched passage on board from an overhanging tree. I used to like making my way under the branches that reached out from the banks, but too many insects, usually spiders would end up in the cockpit, ensuring some frantic scrambling from me as I struggled to move my legs away from them in the constricted legroom space of the boat. Now I avoid the low lying leaves, not wanting to spend my trip itching or scratching at imaginary or real bugs.
After about 3 hours I'd had enough, it really was a little too busy for me. But it had been wonderful to enjoy the lack of humidity on the water, and paddle hard against the breezes as they'd lifted the water into rolling ripples. I managed to get Big Red back onto the top of Stanley without any mishaps, my neck still a little sore from 60lbs of boat falling on top of it earlier. Practice makes perfect so it won't be too long before I'm back on the water again. I have a destination in mind...