Today was a planned work day - lots of home projects to be done - but it was made even more so by Eric being invited to Trevor’s for the day. We did house cleaning, laundry, mowed the lawn, cut our peonies, picked the last of the tomatoes, moved deck furniture into the barn loft, moved dirt and leveled the new fill. We got in a 45 minute walk before picking up one tired kid at 7pm.
Friday Kathryn was volunteering at pre-school when they visited a pumpkin farm. The class rode a hay wagon out to the fields where each student got a free pumpkin (whatever they could carry) and Indian Corn.
Later they went through a hay bale maze the farmer had set up.
The class poses for a group shot.
A good time was had by all.
Many of my friends know that a ‘life list’ goal of mine is to spot a moose in the Adirondack back country while canoeing. Like many tourists, I have seen moose in Yellowstone National Park. I have seen moose while backpacking in the Teton Mtns. Last year we saw one sleeping in the shade while hiking in Nova Scotia. But these don’t count. Seeing one from the car doesn’t count.
News this week has me encouraged. According to DEC officials the NYS moose population totals roughly 500 moose, all of them in northern New York. This is up from an estimated 50-100 a decade earlier. In the 1980s, there were only a handful of sporadic sightings. I can remember tromping around the woods near Remsen with Dave Parker in the mid-80s hoping to make a spotting of an early immigrant moose - with no luck. Much of the recent growth is attributed to reproduction, not just migration. I remember a conversation with a DEC ranger a few years ago who had just returned from a conference in Vermont (a state which went through the same moose re-population process). The ranger had been told a population of ~200 creates a healthy breeding population - versus the bachelor males which comprise the early immigrants.
I know, this is scary, like having to watch home movies of someone’s vacation, but I promise I won’t do every game. It is just a lot of fun watching these kids learn to play an organized sport. In the beginning they don’t know how to kick the ball and gradually they get the concept. This week Eric actually kicked the ball a few times and his buddy Trevor took two shots on goal and just missed.
Below Trevor, Eric and Emily size up the opposing team as Coach Roxanne moves to officiate from the other side of the field. Emily has older brothers who play soccer and she knows what to do with the ball. Emily scored all but one of the team’s goals.
Below Eric receives instruction on his throw-in and launches.
Eric practices his defensive stance as the opposing Coyotes are grouped elsewhere. Both teams line up for the post game hand slap/good game ritual.
Kathryn and I cashed in one of our babysitter chits and went to Cranberry Lake this weekend. It is the 3rd largest lake within the Park, covering 11 square miles and nearly three quarters of the 70 miles shoreline is bordered by Forest Preserve, which helps to provide a genuine wilderness experience. Cranberry Lake has been a favorite late fall destination for many years; it gets color early, it really clears out in September and usually the Canada geese have start migrating. In years past we sponsored ‘OFAC’ trips every fall with co-workers: Joe, Tom, Dan, Josh, Michael and Adam.
Kathryn and I paddled in on Friday under threatening skies with thunderstorms predicted for the night. We saw an eagle as we paddled in. As we left Wanakena and arrived out on the main lake the wind was gusting to 25 mph raising large rolling waves and white caps. We opted to stay at Flat Iron Point and set up camp. It was too windy to have a fire so we dined on sloppy joes and fruit. In the evening we sat on the rocks, read, felt the wind and watched the waves roll in.
The weather forecast called for thunderstorms after midnight and at 12:28am we received a short but intense rainfall (.5″), but everything stayed dry thanks to pitching extra rainflys. The next morning it was cool and we enjoyed hot tea and oatmeal and hung around camp reading before returning home late afternoon.
On our return trip we drove into the village of Cranberry Lake and checked out the state campground: 170+ primitive sites and open from May - Oct.
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