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I'm one of the most fortunate folks in the world that my office is within 10 minutes of a wonderful stretch of the Susquehanna River about 35 miles downstream of where it leaves Otsego Lake. Working at a college, my summer lunchtime can be extended without too many issues so I take advantage of it to paddle whenever I can. There are at least 5 or 6 stretches I can paddle easily based on water conditions and if getting out at mid-day becomes an issue, I'll just hit the water on the way home. Being alone I'll typically paddle upstream and then return with what little current there is back to my truck. The other day I was able to get out on my favorite stretch and that's where these photos were taken.
This is the starting location for my little adventure. A lot of folks complain, and rightfully so, at times about NYS but one thing I do think my home state does well is to provide access to the water. The parking lot here can handle at least 25 cars or so and there are concrete steps down to the water. Once on the river I'll head upstream to my turnaround point; a bridge that carries traffic on I-88 over the Susquehanna. On this day the usual cast of characters made an appearance including the following...
This stretch also hosts many beaver as well as eagles...
There was another eagle that I never did see on this day. I headed off to the other side of the river so as to not disturb this bird while taking the photo. Tucked underneath the trees on the bank, all was quiet until an annoyed "CHIRP!" sounded out from above. The eagle stayed out of view in the branches above but stayed out of sight the entire time.
Not too long after seeing the eagles I hit my turnaround point
From here I took a quite water break and headed back to the put-in. Along the way I came under the usual grouping of turkey vultures overhead. Both the state and town DOT crews have pits on either side of the river where road kill is deposited making this a place where you'll always get to see these scavengers. It's difficult to see them in this photo but at one time I counted over two dozen vultures flying above me.
From here it was another five minutes or so and I was back at the truck; another lunch time paddle was over. On the whole this is a pretty unassuming stretch of water. In fact, you can always hear traffic from I-88 in the background but once you're on the water, you never know what you'll find. Besides the wildlife in these photos, on this day I saw a cormorant on the river for the first time ever. I know they're up on Otsego Lake but I'd never seen one on the river until this day. Most days you'll also see turtles, crayfish scurrying along the rocky bottom, the occasional deer and even some large carp in the shallows. While not wilderness, it's a great oasis to escape to whenever the need arises and I feel most fortunate to have it in my own backyard.
That's all for now. Take care, happy paddling and until next time...be well.
snapper
This is the starting location for my little adventure. A lot of folks complain, and rightfully so, at times about NYS but one thing I do think my home state does well is to provide access to the water. The parking lot here can handle at least 25 cars or so and there are concrete steps down to the water. Once on the river I'll head upstream to my turnaround point; a bridge that carries traffic on I-88 over the Susquehanna. On this day the usual cast of characters made an appearance including the following...
This stretch also hosts many beaver as well as eagles...
There was another eagle that I never did see on this day. I headed off to the other side of the river so as to not disturb this bird while taking the photo. Tucked underneath the trees on the bank, all was quiet until an annoyed "CHIRP!" sounded out from above. The eagle stayed out of view in the branches above but stayed out of sight the entire time.
Not too long after seeing the eagles I hit my turnaround point
From here it was another five minutes or so and I was back at the truck; another lunch time paddle was over. On the whole this is a pretty unassuming stretch of water. In fact, you can always hear traffic from I-88 in the background but once you're on the water, you never know what you'll find. Besides the wildlife in these photos, on this day I saw a cormorant on the river for the first time ever. I know they're up on Otsego Lake but I'd never seen one on the river until this day. Most days you'll also see turtles, crayfish scurrying along the rocky bottom, the occasional deer and even some large carp in the shallows. While not wilderness, it's a great oasis to escape to whenever the need arises and I feel most fortunate to have it in my own backyard.
That's all for now. Take care, happy paddling and until next time...be well.
snapper
