Eighteen people tried to beat the heat this Sunday by paddling from Jacks Reef. They were: Amy, Rick and Cindy, Amir, Hugh, Eric, Rene, Mike, Fish, Ruth and Bill, Sandra, Don, Kim, Sandy, and newbies Dan, Zak and Kayla. Welcome newbies. I hope you enjoyed the day. Bill E in his big boot stopped by, but sadly had to return home. His doctor said he could not get in the kayak for quite a while with that broken foot.
A pile of what looked like volcanic rocks blocked our normal car route to the launch, but we were told it was okay to use the employee road to get to the water. Cars had to be parked across the street after unloading. It was a bit of a nuisance, but it worked out just fine. There was plenty of parking. We went up the warm Seneca River to the equally warm Cross Lake. The water was filled with boaters, also trying to escape the humidity. We stopped at a halfway point on Big Island, which was also an area where several boaters put down an anchor to hang out. It was nice chatting with them. The Little Island was nowhere in sight. We thought we may see it this year because the water level is low. I asked a friend, who was one of the anchored boaters. He said the water level was not the problem. The soil on the island had washed away. You would think that heavy toilet would have helped, huh. Buoys float over the island now. We took the long way back, around the island and along the Erie Canal. There were several feet of vegetation along the shore. A lone blue heron stood watch. The mad barking dogs we typically hear on the corner were silent
Jacks Reef eatery is now called The Reef. It opened 3 days ago and we made arrangements to dine there after the paddle. The air conditioning felt so good. Sweet butter was a hit on the warm breads. It took a while to get our meals. The owner said everything was made from scratch so it takes a bit longer. It was worth the wait. Some were talking about coming back for the fish on Friday.
