State Park Sabbath Part II

High: 71° F
Low: 49° F
Conditions: Evening thunderstorms and wind.

For our State Park Sabbath this week, we headed to the very lovely Swan Lake State Park, located not far from the coast, for one last swim and picnic before cooler weather arrives.

The lake is really lovely, and a great spot for taking a dip or a quick sail.
Swan Lake takes its name from the neighboring town of Swanville, which used to be called Goose Lake (perhaps a caninaturalist out there mis-IDed their bird the first time around?)

We didn’t see any swans or geese, but we did see a bald eagle, which was not nearly as scary or fierce or adversarial to Ari as this very menacing kite:


After a good 10 minutes of barking, it was pretty clear to EVERYONE in the park that the caninaturalist and kite were never going to be friends. So Ari and I decided to vacate the beach awhile and explore the woods, where we wouldn’t be tormented and taunted by multi-colored canvas tethered to a spool.

One of the most notable features of the park is its mature white pines, which tower over all the other foliage in the place. We estimated that several of these trees must be well over 100 years old. The strange canopy on this tree seems to suggest that it used to be crowded in by a bunch of other trees.

We were also really impressed with the great job the park staff has done in protecting the landscape, like creating these bridges over marshy patches and rivulets so that the ecosystem won't be disturbed. The caninaturalist didn't seem to mind that they also meant her very dainty feet would stay dry.

In the winter, Swan Lake will freeze so thickly that it will become a kind of superhighway for cross country skiers, snowmobiles, and even trucks driving out to ice fishing shacks. We can't wait to check it out then, too. (Hopefully, that damn kite will be gone by then!!)