Kayaking: Lake Grist, Paul M. Grist State Park, north of Selma, AL, Sat., 08/20/2011
Distance: 3 miles (estimate) Rating: 4.5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Level near to just below normal. Light but steady wind from the upper end of the lake caused a few ripples on the open water. Mostly sunny. Hot and humid. The breeze made the temperature comfortable in the shaded areas; enough to remind me of September.
Thoughts/Observations:
While my birthday was actually Friday, today was my birthday "celebration". Our little group consisted of myself, Kathy, Diane, and Robert. Rest of the family was unable to attend. Missed them.
Enjoyed an hour and a half of kayaking around the lake. Kayaking allows me to paddle into very shallow, marshy areas of the lake inaccessible any other way. There were more Blue Herons here than I have ever observed at one place and time! Being quiet, deliberate, and slow I could get within 30 to 50ft of these large birds. Also observed several egrets along the lake-edges. Ducks and geese were not present this time.
The tall grass, reeds, and small lily-pads are always one of my favorite parts of the lake ecosystem. Frogs, fish (bream and bass), turtles, and dragonflies round out some of the more visible members of the fauna.
Had to "tow" Robert and Diane off of a snag in the shallow head of the lake. They were playing around on a pedal boat and got hung up. Wonder how much I should charge for emergency towing??? :-o
The grilled burgers were fantastic. Thanks Robert (he is quite the "grill master")!
1 comment:
Love the picture of the little "island". Glad you had a fun birthday and got to spend time with your family!
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