The weather was perfect for camping at Lewey Lake this year. Days were in the 80s, nights around 60. There was no rain to speak of and a little breeze every once in a while. It sure beats the 30s and 40s we have experienced in the past. It was not, however, a weekend for leaf peeping. The trees were mostly green.
Some early campers arrived on Wednesday. They set up and a couple of them paddled Lewey Lake. By Thursday there were 19 campers including Dave L, Deb, Sue and Dan, Eric, Kim, Kathy, Cindy MP, Alice and Kevin, Mickey and Jim, Nancy, Di, Diane and Dave, Mary and Charles and friend Janette. We were entertained by the ducks and chipmunks, ate in the fresh air, and enjoyed a fire and peaceful night. We did not hear the loons at night, for some reason. We did see them on the lake when we paddled and the only sounds they made were like whispers. Odd.
Bob, Amy and John arrived on Friday. Bob paddled Indian Lake and logged 16 miles. Amy, Alice, Deb, Eric, Kathy, Dave L, Cindy, Kim and John (who we met at the campground gate) travelled to Lake Durant for a paddle. It was relaxing and lots of feet were sticking out of their cockpits as we lingered by Rock Pond. One unnamed persons feet were farther out than anticipated and he sunk in the muck uttering no less than 3 choice words. A few stopped for ice cream at Stewarts and a couple moseyed over to look at the antiques set out in the village. Dinner was at Speculator Inn. The food was good, but our waitress was extremely inattentive. It took forever to get our bill and she didn’t even have to deal with separate checks. (Note to self: try Indian Lake Restaurant next year.) We ended the day by the campfire sharing stories and some much needed chocolate wine. A chuckling duck seemed to chime in at the right time to laugh at funny comments.
Di, Jim and Mickey flipped the pancakes for our shared breakfast on Jim and Mickeys site. Thank you for hosting. We eat soooo good. With full stomachs we set out for our hikes and paddles and adventures. Some traveled to Indian Lake to watch SU football. They won!! John and Cindy paddled 16 miles on Indian Lake. Bob added a few more miles for a total of 20.4 on Indian. Eric, Kathy, Deb, Alice, Amy, Dave L, and Kim paddled the Kunjamuk. There were 3 beaver dams to traverse to get to the bridge. Sue, Mary and Janette took a longer hike than they anticipated – like 9 miles, I think they said. It was a good day for activities. Dinner with tons of shared food was held in the recreation room. Entertainment included a lovely poetry reading by Cindy from Kiss the Rod. Ah, what a treat. (You had to be there!) Kathy, Deb, Eric and Cindy went out for a night paddle. There were 2 fires: one at Diane, Dave, Ozzy and Rickeys, and another at Amy, Alice and Kevins site. Dan S arrived to bring the total up to 23 campers.
Boats were unloaded in preparation for a 6:30 AM paddle. The fog rolled in to make it a perfect morning to paddle. The loons had their quiet conversations as we drifted nearby.
The Sunday afternoon paddle was on Lewey Lake. Sue, Mary, Charles, John, Dan S., Eric, Kim, Kathy and Deb went out at different times. The beaver was active and splashed his tail at a couple of us. Black flies came out and drove us nuts as we headed back to our campsites. (Another note to ourselves: We need to avoid that far corner by the Miami River where the black fly population is huge.)
Those of us who did not have to head home, headed instead up to Indian Lake for dinner. It was delicious and service was good, too, even though it was crowded. Our last fire (sniff) was at Kim and Kathys. I forgot to mention that Marvin and Esau stopped by for a visit. It was nice to see them. All kayakers were gone by Monday. Hurricane Florence was predicted to drop a bit of rain Monday night. We and all our equipment went home dry. I hope it is this nice next year too. See you on the water. - Kim
