A Ride in the North Country

29A to 10 to 8 to 30 and back.  This time of year, one can't go wrong with a ride in the Adirondacks.

Welcome to the Adirondacks.
Route 30, just north of Speculator.

A nice scenic viewpoint just south of the town of Indian lake.

Mr. Cobb provides a highly recommended salad
at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake.

Aerial tours start just across the street from the Hotel.

The planes exhibit a certain grace after takeoff.
Come fly away!

The Wild Center is just outside of Tupper Lake.  It is a great place to experience.

What day is it?
Ooops!

Even if not fully open, the grounds of the Wild Center
are perfect for a walk.

Go down to the river and see the iridescent green-headed mallards.

Look up at the closed canopy walk.

See the artistically displayed roots of a deadfall,
picked clean of dirt and rocks.

Observe a living roof.

Guess the name of the flower.

Marvel at the buzzing.

Enjoy the architecture from afar.

Just outside of town, the Raquette River and the lake from which Tupper takes its name
provide unique views on both sides of Route 30.

Divert off the highway to the Whitney Estate on Little Tupper Lake.  The DEC operates the complex now.

The main Whitney house, sited for a commanding view.

Across the lake, the obscured mansion is being updated.
One of only 3 residences on the entire lake,
the millions it cost might well be worth it.

Once the view from Avery's Place on Route 10,
there is no longer any trace of the old hotel.

End the trip with peace as the sun sets beyond Stewarts Landing.

Sunset Cruise

An October evening is an excellent time to be floating in a kayak,  watching as the sun sets beyond the water and trees.

The clouds are in position to provide a canvas upon which
the superb oranges, pinks and reds can contrast with the unscattered blue beyond.

The barest of cool breezes is urging me towards shore,
but the rate will not get me there until after dark.

And I don't want to disturb the mirrored surface of the water with my paddle,
since it is far more disruptive to reflections than the ripples from the rising fish.

The seasonably abandoned camps and cottages are disappearing into darkness
even as the tall, sparse pines come to prominence
as dark silhouettes against the orange of the sky.

I zip my fleece and contemplate the warming exercise of the way home,
but the shifting colors bid me, "Stay a few moments more."

More of the subtle progression from color to darkness is reward enough...

...but while swinging my paddle through its arc
and finally turning my gaze away...

...I am pleased to see that the sunlit moon
had appeared in the east
to illuminate my journey home.

 

Even so, it is impossible to resist one last look.

A Beautiful September Day

It was one of those spectacular September days that make one disregard the knowledge that the changing colors are a harbinger of colder days to come.  After the sun chased the rising vapors off the water and partially warmed the crisp morning air, it was time for paddling.

I think this gent found me rude,
since my launch disturbed his peace.

The trees in the swamps always change first.

Lots of reds.  Not many yellows yet.

Rock with bigger rock in the background.

The dragonflies also enjoyed the fine day,
and were out in force.
If you look closely, you can see a light-colored blob of pixels above the heron
that you can pretend is a dragonfly.

The heron flew away, but I caught up with him later.

Others in funny boats were also about.

As I paddled, I noticed a fluttering atop the water.  Closer inspection revealed a large dragonfly, upside-down and desperately trying to get airborne.  How he got into the predicament is beyond me.

I scooped him up on my paddle and deposited him on the bow of my kayak, but the wind was too strong, and he was back in the water again.

Not doing so well.

I scooped him with the paddle a second time, but deposited him into my hand.  Maybe I scared him into leaping into the air.  He soared up into the neighboring treetops.  I wonder if I now have a place in dragonfly mythology.

Heron rediscovery in the not-too-distant shallows.

"You talkin' to me?"

I'm thinking that a heron never has both eyes on anything.

It's not all wild going upstream.
This guy used sound waves to protect his turf when I got too close for his liking.

And he had a wookie for backup.

Then a pair of loons provided entertainment.
This one has quite a bit of white showing on the head.
Old age?

Is that a green foot?

And is that a feather in his beak?

Much less white on this one's head, and the beak appears shorter.
Perhaps younger?
Or maybe it's the male, with less gray or white due to less childrearing responsibility.

The zebra-striped "necklace" is quite pronounced.  I wonder if each loon's necklace, like human fingerprints, are unique.  I will believe so until proven otherwise (see the other loon above).

The loon show was over, I headed back to begin the less exiting portion of the day.  High overhead, an eagle flew by in the "pointless to attempt photography" zone.  But his appearance finished off the adventure nicely.

I'll allow myself the delusion that this glorious weather will last forever.  Until it doesn't.

Sunny with 70% chance of obscurity

Every eclipse does not come from Japan.

 It was time to enjoy the solar eclipse in Rochester, NY.  The travel budget exhausted, a trip to the "Path of Totality" was out of the question.  So ten minutes before peak viewing time, a pinhole projector box was constructed so that we could enjoy a visage of the 70% obscured sun.

A fine piece of engineering, don't you think?

My lovely partner, Mary, demonstrating proper projector viewing technique.

Why are there two suns visible?
What planet are we on?

It took far too long, but it finally became apparent that multiple images
were the result of unexpected holes in the corners of the box.
Not all bad, these holes provided different exposures due to their larger size.
Not all good, the larger holes were less well focussed.

Finally got it more or less right
with the pinhole providing the projection.
Pretty good representation of cloud cover, too.

Performance might have been better if this box was used.

Had I been in the path of totality,
I would have had one of these.
Never thought about it before,
but if you ignore the cap text
and consider way the bright yellow surrounds the dark area...

Bottom line?  With 70% of the sunlight obscured, it was a brighter than usual day in Rochester.

-----------------------------

Improvements to be considered

for April 8, 2024

A fine rendition via optics.

A similar approach including pool and beverage.
Maybe the pool is not appropriate for the next eclipse in April of 2024.