Chapter 82

9/17/2005 

Ch 82 Barkeaters and Dabblers                                 Nature Photography                                  

Adirondack is Indian for “bark eaters”. I know this is a kind of off ramp from the swap deals but just consider it a slight detour rather than a full exit on the retirement highway. Leaving North from camp (20 mi North of Johnstown on route 29A & 10) I passed the first CCC camp/ sign in NYS built in 1933. http://www.cccalumni.org/history1.html It reminded me of the importance of the bark eaters, the NYS animal, the beaver that made Gloversville what it is. Launched Kayak on the upstream side of  the rte 8 bridge over Sacandaga (little) Lake outlet near Speculator. NYSDOTransportation was in the water on the downstream side toward Lake Pleasant trying to break apart a beaver dam that they said had been cleared just a few days prior. “They’ll be back!”, they said.

Was a few miles out on the lake on another beautiful warm day, water like glass in the middle of nowhere (half of lake is forever wild wilderness) when all of a sudden this duck lands right next to me with a splash and a quack. When I first hear the splash I was thinking surfacing whale or giant fish. He circled close to me a couple times then jumped up on the rear of the kayak. Funniest darn thing! Then she (female, hen Mallard) jumped in and swam to the front and tried to get on but slid off the slippery bow with her webbed feet. Another nice pic of her swimming next to kayak  and larger pic of logger.

Back to my roots as I had dabbled in Forestry, on the way home stopped to visit with some “real loggers” taking pulp wood for paper and hardwood saw logs for lumber from Avery’s to Glens Falls paper company with their Western Star Cat diesel. Skidder is 4WD. Just as is Billy-Bob’s just for fun Toyota pickup down the road a piece. This is not your sissy suburban SUV driver used for trips to Wal-Mart for hair spray. This is a real mudder.

Must thank in-laws for bequeathing and providing the opportunity of sharing their camp. After climbing Kane Mt and fire tower to cell phone my dealership, I made a deal to drive to Ithaca and take Mom out for Dinner.

Footnote: Same day I snapped the duck pic I had declined job picking up Ronald McDonald from home in Cicero to come in and pay cash for Jaguar, just for summers. Other swapper who took the job told me the guy began as a common burger flipper and just got lucky. Now has multi million dollar assets. Woulda been a great separate chapter.