Lookin’ for Loons in All the Right Places

July 6-14, 2023                                                    Most Recent                         
Moose River Campground                 A Stunning Hike in Franconia Notch
St Johnsbury, Vermont                       Writing in the Shadow of a Flood

Note:  There are several videos in this post and they are all very short.  Let me know if it is too many. :-)

JOE’S POND

On Friday no rain was predicted so I ventured out 34 miles south to kayak in Lower Symes Pond.  I was very low on gas in Ruby and it was 34 miles away but I was sure I could go there and back with no problem

Well there were problems.  I followed google maps but forgot to bring my Quiet Waters book which was where I’d found this pond.  Google maps sent me down a very rocky road to a private no trespassing community with no indication of where the boat dock really was.  Without unlimited gas to drive around looking, I was forced to abandon Symes and head for a gas station. 

I’ve said before that I am in the back of beyond here in the Northeast Kingdom and there was nothing resembling a gas station until I was almost back to St Johnsbury where I stopped at an Irving Station to use my discount card.  Nope – their pump wouldn’t recognize it and after 4 trips back and forth to the store counter doing all the things they told me to do, I gave up and filled up at $3.54 instead of $3.44.  Thank goodness I wasn’t filling up Winnona.

But it was a no rain day and I was determined to go kayaking.  So I went to the closest pond – Joe’s Pond which is actually two ponds connected by a narrow water strip and both are lined with vacation homes.  Not my usual choice for kayaking and thus I’d never been there before but I was on the water and there were loons.   By the time I got there it was nearly afternoon and the power boats and water skiers were out.  Though this was not a week-end day, it is summer.

Here are a few of the MANY cottages/homes/camps lining this pair of connected ponds.

I took a picture of this house only because of its name IWANNAPEEPEE – really?

This one had a good name too Paws-Relax but also demonstrates nearly the maximum number of toys.

This one seems to show some lack of planning for your ultimate lake view.

This was probably the smallest “camp”.  The largest was an entire point with a HUGE house on it and several outbuildings but I couldn’t get it all in one picture so it would lose its effect.

To add to the difficulty of this day, I had forgotten my Canon 35mm camera and was stuck with my phone which during the bright sunshine of the early afternoon was not providing good pictures.  Especially the loon pictures were disappointing.

But I was on the water with my face slathered in sunscreen and  there were loons and water lilies to see.  Poor me.

The later video of the loons was slightly better than the pictures though the best part is the two adults are calling to each other.  One is off screen.

I’m amazed that this loon family has chosen this very busy pond to nest on.  Really hope the huge number of people living and boating here are very careful.

Yes, that is a baby loon.  Bummer the pictures aren’t better.  I always have to take them at a good distance so as not to scare them off or upset them.  Still,  good enough for the memory.

Here is the link to the video.

WEEKEND WANDERING

On the week-ends I don’t tend to go hiking or kayaking because of the week-end warriors.  On this Saturday I thought I would check out the next closest labyrinth to walk which was in nearby Danbury at the American Society of Dowsers headquarters.  They were closed the Saturday I was there so I pulled into the parking lot and got out to look for the labyrinth.

Here is what I found.   It was so overgrown that it was hard to make it out and it was not large  even when it was being kept up.

Oh well, now I know the only labyrinth near by is in St. Johnsbury.  But while I’m here I stopped in to Bentley’s where I got a fantastic veggie panini which was so good I ate it without taking its picture.

Bentley’s is a bakery mainly and if you come too late in the day there will be nothing left at all in the pastries cases.

I also stopped by the St Johnsbury library and picked up all the Steven Huneck books they had for Pooh and I to read.  I’ve talked about Huneck and Dog Mountain before.  His books about his lab Sally are all done from woodcuts and are wonderful.

On Sunday I walked around St J as it is known here and of course walked the well maintained labyrinth.

I stopped back at my car to pick up my water bottle and an hour later when I returned, this is what I found.   Yes, I had left my keys in the car door for an hour or more on a main street in St Johnsbury and there they still were when I returned.  Nothing had been touched.  I love St Johnsbury.  I don’t think it is possible for this to happen in my hometown of Charlottesville.  The car would have been stolen.

AND when I got in to go home, I saw the town clean up volunteers getting their steps in.  Wonderful place.  No wonder about half the folks at the last library book discussion had moved to St J in the past 3 years.

I do lots of walks around the campground – 1/4 mile per loop – it takes a lot to get any real exercise.  I pass this Moose greeting me at the campground entrance.

I wish I had found these folks at home so I could have asked them how in the world they get those kayaks off the RV roof.  Do they take the RV to the boat launch???

There are several “seasonal” sites (May-October) and at least 3 of them have a lot of “decorations”.  I think they are tacky but each to his own.

There are Moose everywhere here, especially on the office porch walls.  No real moose sadly.   There are also lots of flowers in the park.  They and it are very well kept.

KEISER POND TAKE ONE

I set out on Tuesday for relatively nearby Keiser Pond.  More loons!   BUT, after getting within less than a mile, the road was closed so I decided to park and walk up the road and see what the trouble was.  

This was taken from the road beyond the barrier looking at the river rushing by.

No problem walking up the road until I got here.  A side of the road had just slid right down.  No way to walk beyond.

Everything looked like it was just growing in the road.  Anyone who wanted ferns or trees to plant could have taken them home.   But I wasn’t going kayaking here today obviously.

A few more days of rain intervened before I could go paddling again.  And when I did I went to Ewell Pond to give the clean up folks a chance.

EWELL POND

Ewell is a sweet little pond that you can kayak around in an hour or less depending on how seriously you want to paddle.

 

I particularly like this rock and its reflection.

And here were the loons.  Better pictures than at Joe’s.  Better camera.

Gettin’ out a here.

I didn’t get a video of them flying off or even a good picture of them in the air but I did get this video of them swimming Ewell Pond.

Beautiful clear water covering rocks that most days would be on the surface.

Not sure if this little inlet is always there but it was today with the water up so I paddled in to check it out. 

And this is what I found.   I’m not  small enough to go there and the space isn’t big enough side to side to turn around so……. watch this very short video to see what I did.

In Vermont the mountains are almost always in the background.

KEISER POND TAKE TWO

I really was amazed given all the clean up that has to go on in Vermont from the flooding to find that 3 days after I saw the slide, the road was cleared and I went to the Keiser Pond boat launch on a foggy Friday morning.

The fog is evident in this shot of the great blue heron on the bank.

And on the pond as well.

The water and the loons look a bit foggy.

There were a trio of loons and I was able to get this pretty good video of them despite the fog.

Finally the fog lifted.

I was so happy to see and be able to photograph these other birds on Keiser Pond which has become my new favorite close by pond (30 min or less)

Am I right that this is an Eastern Kingbird?

Belted Kingfisher or fishers buzzed the pond all morning.  I’m always amazed that I can get a half way decent picture of them as they don’t land for long and about the time I get the camera up and focused it’s to find that they are gone already.

I “think” this is an Alder Flycatcher which I don’t think I’ve seen before.  Can someone confirm or correct?

Keiser Pond also had an inviting channel. How can I resist?   Had to back out of that one too.  Here’s a short video of my relaxing float out complete with bird sounds.

I came upon this mallard family with only mom’s head up.

Isn’t she beautiful.  What shading!

It was a great day for feathered friends and beautiful reflections.

Thought I’d throw this in for a laugh and for my Florida friends.  What’s it remind you of??   Should I paddle through there?

Keiser Pond – a place I will definitely return to.