Tubing, Moosing, Cook Off & Ponds

July 26-30, 2023                                                              Most Recent Posts:
Moose River Campground        Bemis Brook Trail to Arethusa Falls is Moderate?
St. Johnsbury, Vermont                       Time Goes By From Devil’s to Martin’s

WHY I DON’T PADDLE RESERVOIRS

Everyone here knows that I do a lot of kayaking and luckily for me, there are a lot of ponds to kayak on in the reasonably nearby area.   Folks are always asking if I’ve done the nearby Moore’s Reservoir.  And I never have.  But this week I did.

There are 6 or 7 launches onto this large reservoir so I picked the one closest to the campground.   Looks fine from here other than the highway noise.

I get out on the water and there is the dam in the distance.  I knew there would be a dam after all this is a reservoir. 

Dams are not my favorites.  Let the rivers run free is my wish.   But the sight of the dam was secondary to the road noise.   I paddled for 35 minutes – not racing paddling – but still paddling steady for 35 minutes to get far enough away down the coast line for the noise to disappear.   I kayak for the solitude and the wildlife.  So far, this had neither one but I wasn’t surprised.   This is why I seldom do reservoirs.

I thought perhaps I might give it another try on another day from one of the different launch sites.  But when I went by two of them they both had outfitters putting at least a half dozen or more boats into the water ON A WEDNESDAY.    Heaven help you on a week end.     I was fairly far away when I zoomed in on this group but you get the picture.   So did I.

This was the only wild life I saw all morning.  If there are loons they must be in some other part of the reservoir.   But maybe they, like me, prefer smaller ponds.

I also saw something else I’ve never seen in two months of kayaking.  And in a reservoir no less.   Seals my no more reservoirs resolve.

TUBING

When I returned to Winnona and was sitting out in my chair by the river reading a book, I looked up to see my neighbors and their children were having a wonderful time tubing the Moose.  It’s definitely high enough to do that but still I wonder how many rocks they hit on their way down.    They made several runs from the top to the bottom of the campground laughing and cheering and having a wonderful time all the way.   Water’s too cold for me but it sure looked like fun.

MOOSING

That evening other neighbors and frequent Moose River Campers from Massachusetts Joann and Sarah invited me to go “moosing”.  

They have many pictures of moose they have seen within 6 or 7 miles  in more boggy areas.  They drove by my place on their way out and asked if I wanted to go.   You bet!   I have seen a lot of loons but nary a moose.

They have special places they always check where they have seen moose many times.  So many that they call the moose they see in this area Marvin.

Joann is the photographer and Sarah is the one who always spots the ears and pulls the car over.

But Marvin was having none of it this evening.   We did see a group of Cedar Waxwings.  As it was dusk when we were out, I had to lighten these pictures so the uniqueness of the Waxwing was visible.

WHY I DO PADDLE PONDS

As I’ve said, there are many small ponds to visit where powered boats are less likely, loons are more likely and “camps”,  as cabins are called in Vermont , are often unavoidable.

Today I was paddling at Miles Pond

Cat tails in your front yard.

Love the morning reflections.

The sign in the yard of this house made me laugh out loud with recognition.

If it had said goose instead of duck, Carrie & I could definitely relate.

Miles comes equipped with two beaver lodges.  Or is it one family with two houses.  Pretty small pond for two separate groups.  This is lodge #1.

Scenes like this of the island in the middle of the pond make the day even more worthwhile.

Lodge #2

The wonderful resident loons.  Another gift of the small Vermont Ponds.

This is approximately how far away I was when I took the two pictures above.  I love what the sun does to the water around them.

The best shot I got of the pair together.

How lucky am I to be part of this landscape!!

And to be able to get this photograph as he lifts off the water.

Mom reads, kids play.   Great fun at the “pond camp”.

Even the shoreline is beautiful.

And when I got back, at the office there were PISTACHIO muffins as big as my hand.   What a day!

THE CHILI COOK OFF

On that rainy Saturday evening, the campground had its annual Chili Cook Off.  This year there were 11 entries.   Crockpots, hotpots, instapots….

The helpers each had two pots to cover.  They put numbers on small cups and ladled a taster’s amount of each chili into the cups.

All the campers who came, those who entered chili and those who didn’t, walked down the row and picked up one of each numbered cup to sample and rate.

There were multiple methods used to choose the top 6 of the 11 chilis.
In the picture on the left you can see the score sheet on the left.   On the right, Loretta lined hers up in a row and then after tasting them pushed them back or forward depending on whether they were in or out of the running.

When it was all said and done Brenda was the big winner of a basket of wonderful Maple goodies from the Maple Grove Farms in St Johnsbury.  Everything maple you could imagine and a box of pancake mix.  She looks pretty happy as does her husband Tom.

And for those who remember, in the words of the late great Judy Bell

THE END