Desolation

No, it’s not my state of mind, although I could yet get there, the way things are going.

No. Yesterday it was a destination.

Grant calls it an LSD trip. Look. See. Discover.

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After seven years, we are still finding new places to visit, partly because medical treatment has made it possible, on a good day, for me to travel further.

Additionally, a neighbour who knows the area well often offers good suggestions.

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Yesterday, therefore, we set off to Lake Desolation.

The problem with so many of our lakes is that the public have very little access to them.

You could say that my hobby is “drive-by shooting”.

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At least I caught glimpses. For Grant, concentrating on driving, it was a little frustrating.

Only when he saw the photos this morning did he appreciate that the lake was quite nice.

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Midweek, post Labor Day, it was very quiet. In high summer there would no doubt be more activity, but for us this was a perfect time to visit. In a couple of weeks, when the leaves have turned, we expect to come back this way, though perhaps not to Lake Desolation because this was not the end of our exploration…

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Consulting Google Maps, we’d decided to prolong our trip toward another lake and setting off, we first came upon a turning into the woods that we had to check out.

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This led to another small lake where an elderly (my age!) couple gently paddled kayaks along the shore. Strangely, the lake seemed to be called Archer Valley.

There we were able to park and watch butterflies and dragonflies flitting about. Regrettably they declined to pose for me.

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Continuing, we soon came to the bridge we’d been heading for which appears to be both:

Batchelorville and Edinburg Bridge.

(According to the GPS, that’s pronounced “Ee din bur”.)

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Whatever the name, it’s a long bridge that spans the narrow end of an impressively large lake.

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We opted to turn north along the western shore of Great Sacandaga Lake.

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Which had sandy beaches dotted with unoccupied lounge chairs.

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Expecting to be frustrated once again, I shot pictures where I could.

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Tantalizing glimpses of the lake through the trees.

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But to our delight, we came to public parking.

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The bridge we’d crossed is way in the distance there, though it is not nearly as far as it looks.

At midday, the light on this cloudless day was rather harsh, but I took a picture of the shore to show the extent of the drought. Normally this would mostly be under water.

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Ponderosa Pines offer shade to this extensive public access.

We didn’t need shade on this perfect day, sitting on a bench to enjoy complete peace, the only sounds insects singing and a gentle breeze stirring the trees.

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We pressed on toward Conklinville Dam which took us back across the lake.

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Quite a small dam. A photo we’d seen made it look more impressive.

The dear darlings had been offered early lunch before we went out, but it was now getting late and the man was needing food, so we set off for home along empty roads where a few splashes of colour were in evidence.

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At this time of year Japanese knotweed lines the roads. It is very pretty but seriously invasive.

It does however have medicinal properties and may be used in treating Lyme disease and inflammation. It is also toted as an anti-viral and may support brain health.

According to Google.

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Following the Hudson south, we were soon back in Greenwich which is already looking autumnal.

Our outing was not that long, a little less than four hours. For a preliminary “look-see”, it was quite successful and we plan to do it again, using a slightly different route, when the leaves are more colourful.