Brookville Lake with the Arthurs

In late July, we were invited to visit with the Arthurs at Brookville Lake. We drove our canoe down for the day and enjoyed exploring the lake. While we were out paddling, a thunderstorm came through.  We were caught on the other side of the lake and had to paddle across in the rain.  It was a little scary, but Ben thought it was fun.  

The Arthurs in their kayaks. 

Laney looking for water squirrels.

 Ben and me in our canoe.

 

 Ben having fun in the rain.

 The Arthurs paddling back to the dock in the storm.

We went out again after the storm passed and I tried out one of the kayaks.   

So glad we could visit with the Arthurs while they were in town.

Kayaking the Wildcat Creek

On Sunday, a group of us kayaked 9.5 miles on the Wildcat Creek near Lafayette, IN.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  Here are some pics from our trip.

The Manatees of Crystal River

West Indian Manatees resting in the Three Sisters Spring, Crystal River, Florida

One of the highlights of our Florida trip was kayaking around the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. I was hopeful that there would be good numbers of manatees with the recent cool weather.

Three Sisters Spring is a beautiful spring right in the town of Crystal River with crystal-clear spring water. Manatees gather here in the winter for the relatively warm water. There were probably over 50 manatees in the spring when we visited in the morning. As the day warmed, many of them headed out into the bay to feed.

One young manatee liked the attention and came up to Paul and myself and rolled over to have his belly scratched/rubbed. Pursuing (or any harassment) of the manatees is forbidden, but if they initiate contact, it is allowed.

Sleeping manatees in the spring. Every couple minutes, one would rise to the surface to breathe, apparently without waking. Florida Manatee adults get between nine to eleven feet long and typically weigh up to 1300 pounds. They were very impressive to see up close. Almost every manatee had propeller scars, which was sad.

Paul with his friend

Heading out from the rental area. After checking out the spring, we took a tour around the bay to enjoy our time on the water.

One of the underwater pictures that turned out.

Kayaking to Jump Off Rock

On Thursday morning, Andrew, Ben, and I went back to Horn Lake to go kayaking again.  It was a beautiful warm morning and the water was calm.  We decided we wanted to check out the old beaver lodge and jump off rock.

Ben and I making our way across the lake.
The beaver lodge is in a little cove to the right of jump off rock.

Some of the fall colors were just starting to peek out.

The boys at jump off rock.

Ben jumping off!

Ben climbing up the rope to jump off again.
He jumped several times.

A fun pic of me that Ben took while he was underwater.  

You can see that the lake water is pretty clear.

I was trying to get a pic of Ben hitting the water.  

This was as close as I got.  

Heading back to Birch Crest Resort.

Andrew and I practicing our synchronized kayaking.  ;)

Smiling and having fun!  It was great time on the water.

A Relaxing Tuesday

After a day of hiking on Monday, we decided to have a relaxing day on Tuesday.   Andrew, Ben and I went to Kearney to check out Canoe Algonquin, and to set up our canoe reservation for the next day.  On the way there we drove by the Midlothian Screaming Heads.  We didn't stop to go through the whole exhibit, but did manage to get a quick pic of one of the trees in the "Enchanted Forest."  It is sort of a weird place.

Later in the afternoon, the boys and I drove down to Horn Lake to enjoy some time on the water.

Ben attempted to kayak with Laney, but she wasn't too excited about being along for the ride.  So Ben decided it would be better to canoe with her instead.

Rich and Andrew kayaking on Horn Lake.

I love kayaking!

Taking a break from the wind by Twin Island.

Ben and Laney swimming.  

And since Andrew's camera is waterproof, we had to take some underwater pictures.  Here is a cool one of Rich and Ben.

Kayaking in the Fog

Heading out into the fog.

Twin Island

Andrew got a great shot of the pine leaning out over the lake.

Heading back to Birch Crest, following the sun.

Monday morning Andrew and I (Ben) went down to Birch Crest on Horn Lake to kayak. We wanted to be there early to watch the sun rise from the lake. The previous morning had been clear and calm, with a wisps of fog rising from the lake. Monday morning, however, the temperature had dropped to the mid-40's and the lake was covered in dense fog. We kayaked out to Twin Island, where the fog was a little less dense. It was a gorgeous morning and it was fun to test our navigation and memory. We couldn't see any land after leaving Twin Island, but we headed into the sun to make our way back. Despite the air temps, it didn't feel bad out on the lake. The water was so much warmer than the air, we'd dip our hands in the water whenever they got cold. It didn't even feel cold when we went swimming, that is, until we got out of the water...

Kayaking on Horn Lake

While staying at the Wathens' cabin in Canada, one of our favorite things to do is kayak on Horn Lake. A family friend of the Wathens own a resort (Birch Crest) on Horn Lake, and they kindly let us use their kayaks. We love spending time on the lake, and we always have an amazing time.

Joy getting ready to go kayaking!

Ben, Andrew, and Joy paddling against waves. It was really winding that day.

Ben and Joy

A view of Horn Lake from Birch Crest's Dock.

Another view of the lake.

Rich and Andrew

Andrew and Rich paddling away.