Sitting around Tuesday a.m. I am toying with the idea of a new lake to explore. Ken looks at me like I'm nuts and exclaims, "What! One time out and you are already tired of the Cheat"!!! Hummm.....Next I'm out on the net to see what else is in the area when Ken mentions, "I seem to remember seeing a sign about a Tygart Lake where's that?" And a plan is born.
Heck we've been near or by Tygart Lake in the past. Down south of Grafton, West Virginia in Taylor County, I have dragged Ken down there to do a little genealogy work. This will be a no brainer!!!
All geared up and ready to go, Ken pops the info into Garmin and we are off down Route 119 heading south.
Not my photosGrafton, the downtown area, now somewhat depressed, must have been, in it's hay day a spectacular town. The original buildings (now advertised as the Historic Area) are beautiful...although in need of a face lift. Grand old structures line the street. Refurbished and with shops and eateries, Grafton would be a destination for travelers looking for food and shopping housed in turn of the century buildings. Unfortunately, we did not stop to walk the streets, so no Miss Snap Happy photos....maybe next time.
We chose to ignore the sign in Grafton pointing the way to Tygart Lake and followed Garmin's voice....out of town. As we left Grafton and the blue lake that was showing on Garmin's screen, there was the question that begged to be asked....how come the lake isn't on the screen anymore? No matter, Garmin will get us there.
Along the road, we saw a coal train that had just derailed. Looks like Mr. Peabody's coal train was traveling little too fast.
Here's a little trivia you can pull out next May....Did you know that Grafton West Virginia is the home of Mother's Day? Although the biography on Wiki of Anna Jarvis and the sign in front of her childhood home differ, Grafton advertises that it is the home of Mother's Day because Anna Jarvis was born there. From what I have found so far, Grafton is the home of Mother's Day because Anna first celebrated her mother at a church in Grafton. Anna's mother, Ann Jarvis, was also a social activist. This needs to be explored by Flipside at a later date.
Traveling on, following Garmin, we began to see that blue come back into the screen. Are we there yet???? Then Garmin said, "You have arrived at your destination." Really???? Where??? Surrounding us was swampland and forest. GRRRRRRR
Now, what! Ken continued on down the road until he could turn to the left. Recalculating....don't ya just love it when Garmin says that!!! Ken's rule of thumb on this....no dirt roads, Garmin. She lead us off....up and over.....hills, ridges, into sparsely populated areas and finally onto what can only be described as a highly rutted, gravel, one lane path. Ken is humming "Dueling Banjos as" we were bumped around....I wonder how the kayaks are faring on top...;-)
NOT my photoTake this road, make it one lane,curving around hairpin turns with forestson either side and an occasional house on a ridgeOn these roads we saw a house with the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo, in the front yard and a rowboat with an Ohio license....what's with that???? Frankly, there were some extraordinarily nice homes on this road(?) and there were other cars traveling it....we were not alone. The silliness of it all, by this time, had gotten the best of me....I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face.
This little error on Garmin's part actually had allowed us to see another slice of Americana along with some history in the Anna Jarvis house.
Once back on paved surfaces, we headed back to Grafton. Did I mention without Garmin's assistance. In Grafton, we did it the old fashioned way.....followed the signs to Tygart Lake State Park.
This is a beautifully maintained West Virginia state park. Once we entered, there was a sign for the dam. The lake was formed back in 1938 by damming up the Tygart River. Looking down from the "lookout" area we questioned our sanity (once again) big lake.....big dam.
We followed the roadway down to the marina area. There were two boat ramps and we chose the one that was near a beach area. Although there were posted "no swimming" signs, the beach was populated with water and sun worshippers.
Once in there was only one place to paddle.....up to that dam. Miss Snap Happy had a NEED to get photos of us up close and personal with that cement structure.
Tygart Lake is a good place for kayaking. It was not overly busy with motor vehicles and it did have many places along the shore to put in if tired or in need of some snacks....although Ken and I just have a "bite" while in the kayaks. After yesterday on the Cheat, I came armed with cheese crackers.....no low blood sugar for me today.
All in all....a delightful day and a BIG bonus.....when finished with the kayaking, we spent about an hour swimming around in the lake.
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE!
© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser
Wednesday Ken and I ventured east on the Ohio Turnpike to Warren, Ohio. North of Warren, in Cortland, Ohio, is the location of Mosquito Lake. Listed as one of the fourth largest lakes in Ohio, we were anxious to give it a try. Actually, we were anxious to give any new lake a try as our two adventures to date have been south of Cleveland in Median County at Chippewa Lake.
We followed the signs to the marina and drove slowly along the narrow road searching for an area along the lake to put in. This was not the place. This area was clearly for motor driven boats....not kayaks!
Ken decided to go back to the main road and drive into the small community of Cortland. On the map he had seen a beach located at the end of a road the emanated from the town area. We found the road and drove back to the lake....this little beach was almost directly across from the marina.
When we pulled in, the beach area was deserted. We took notice of a posted sign saying that 72 folks had drowned in Mosquito Lake--Don't be #73--they didn't think they needed to wear a PFD (personal floatation device aka life jacket).....we have PFD's.
As we were taking the kayak's off Ken's car an official truck pulled in and parked. A man jumped out of the cab and began to walk over to us. I held my breath hoping he was not a park ranger coming to tell us we were not allowed to kayak. Breath out.....it was a city engineer who was interested in purchasing a kayak and wanted some info from us. Ken played along....giving him tips....even though we have only been out on the water two other times....well, Ken has been out three :-)
Although the day was sunny and clear, the wind was whipping the lake into a frenzy....again we would have to contend with waves and white caps......in a VERY LARGE lake. The city engineer mentioned that he had never seen anyone kayak in Mosquito Lake, then turning and giving a long look out on the lake he said, "Are you really going to go out there?" "That lake looks pretty rough today."
Well, we didn't drive all the way from Cleveland to pack up and go home.....of course we are going out on that lake!
Frankly, paddling out was not as difficult as last week at Chippewa. We stayed fairly close to the shore... passing an old cemetery, several picnic tables set up along the lake and submerged, fallen trees. Around the first bend, we came upon an inlet. Ken lead the way and as we entered, the water calmed immediately. We did not find any animals or birds as we moved through calmer water; however there were sections that were covered with green algae. It was a pleasant respite from the somewhat turbulent lake.
Back to it. We continued to stay near the curve of the shore, paddling into the waves. This just has to be good for building stronger abs! After about an hour of working our way across this area of the lake, it was time to head back to the car.
Now with the wind behind us we were surfboarding across the water, although the water was not taking us where we wanted to go. I noticed fish actually jumping out of the water further out in the lake as we passed.
The memorable event of this kayak adventure was the great blue heron. Reflecting on our last kayaking adventure at Chippewa, it was also a heron.....strange. As Ken and I were heading back a great blue came toward us, flying lower as he approached. As he passed over, he couldn't have been more than ten feet over our heads. It reminded me of a small prehistoric pterodactyl flying above--wings extended and head hanging down.
For my genealogy friends....there was an old cemetery beside the beach. The photographic shot of the old tombstones was through the trees from the lake....ah, my kingdom for a waterproof camera....lol Since we were parked beside the cemetery, I did wander over t take a few snaps. Name: Hillside Cemetery.
Next outing will hopefully be Cheat Lake, outside Morgantown, West Virginia. We will be there for four days beginning July 4th and I WILL have a waterproof camera around my neck.
So....what's not to like!
© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser
My first and second time out in the pink kayak were at Chippewa Lake, Ohio. My brother has a good friend who owns a cottage beside the lake. Chippewa is a lakeside community built on one side of the lake.
In the past there was an amusement park located there. Long abandoned, the property has been purchased by the Hilton Hotel Company. Plans are to build a hotel and culinary school for the University of Akron.
Chippewa Lake, located in Medina County, is only about a 45 minute drive south from Cleveland. An easy drive through small towns and farmland areas.
Maiden Voyage: A beautiful, sunny, warm, windy day. Oddly, the lake was calm even though the wind was pretty strong. We put in on a small beach area near the cottage and headed into the wind. Heading into the wind meant that we were going to paddle by the ghost town of Chippewa Lake Amusement Park. Seeing the rusted ferris wheel appear through the trees and missing that shot from the lake because I don't have a waterproof camera was an immense disappointment. I NEED A WATERPROOF CAMERA!!!
Ken had regaled me with tales of his maiden voyage on this lake and seeing bald eagles overhead. I was paying more attention to the sky then the water as we approached the "bald eagle area." Sorry to report.....we saw nada.
My first trip took us around half of the lake. Frankly, I simply enjoyed just sitting in my kayak in the middle of the lake, splashing cool water on my arms and legs.....at peace with the world.
A learning curve came with the drive back to Cleveland. The wind had really kicked up in the late afternoon. So strong it actually ripped the Ohio boat license off Ken's kayak and tore the front tie down on my kayak in half.
Second Try: When we left Cleveland the sky was sunny and the air warm. The perfect day to be out on the lake. When we reached Chippewa Lake the weather was different.....dark storm clouds, high wind and cooler air. Ken checked the weather channel on his I-phone.....no storm weather in site for Chippewa. So we put in.
The lake was very choppy...white caps. It took us forever to just move about 1/4 mile.....three steps forward....five steps back. What a workout!!!! The spray from the kayak moving headlong through the waves was enough to make puddles near my feet.
Today, paddling into the wind, we headed for the other side of the lake....opposite from our first time. This end of the lake is primarily a marsh with water lilies standing straight up out of the water. After about an hour of paddling, Ken and I finally made it to the marsh. I let out a loud WAHOO. Within seconds, a large great blue heron began to rise out of the marsh. It was a sight to behold....the wamp...wamp...wamp of his wings as he rose up above our heads. Ken and I just sat there transfixed.....my kingdom for a waterproof camera...... Again I yelled out to Ken "WOW!" and with that a second great blue rose out of the marsh.
Returning back to the beach we just road the waves, steering away from shore until we saw the our destination. Today's outing was alot of effort and totally worth it.
Chippewa Lake has been fun to cut our chops, but we definitely want to try something new for the next outing. There are so many choices. Next will be another lake; however we do want to give the Vermilion River a try. We are planning a trip to Cheat Lake area outside Morgantown, West Virginia on July 4th for several days.
Two positive learning curve experiences.....great scenery........easy drive from home......and neither of us landed in the lake head first.....
So....what's not to like
© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser
Just like the Flipside title, "what's not to like" comes from my brother, Ken. During and after all of our various trips, Ken always inquires...."What's not to like?".....cause we always like where we are. Well.....what's not to like about kayaking!
Act I: My first kayak experience was B.C.--before children--I think around 1975. At that time we were backpacking and camping in the Allegheny Mountains, near Westline, Pennsylvania. Logging roads were used to get the car into the area and then backpacking the equipment down to the creek where we set up camp. One time a friend dragged along a kayak. Paddling around the rain swollen creek. What fun!
Act II: Last summer we took a vacation at Treasure Lake, PA...near DuBois. Covered in Flipside, it was my second opportunity to get out in a kayak. Ken and Ted also gave it a try and were immediately hooked. We decided that we had a NEED to own kayaks and planned to have them by our next week at Treasure Lake--August 2010.
Act III: Fast forward to the present. We all have our brand spankin new kayaks and are itchin to get out on some water.....
What's not to like.....
© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser
