Following up from my last post, about the beaver’s abandoned lodge, today’s post shows what I found when I decided to kayak the nearby lake. As I paddled back towards the back of the lake, away from where most of the fishing traffic occurs on the lake, I instantly saw this along the bank:
This was early in the morning (after chasing the owls) and there was still some fog over the lake. A little bit later, I captured this next shot, after the sun had risen:
The “fall” colors are not really fall colors, but are dead or dying foliage along the lake bank, due to the extreme drought conditions. Although I didn’t see any beavers this morning, I did hear at least 2 that were in the lodge, chewing away on some branches (on subsequent trips, I have seen a beaver in the lake). So, as I paddled back to the parking lot, I had a good feeling for these animals … it looked like they would survive the drought afterall.
But once I arrived at the parking lot and got the kayak loaded into the truck, I noticed a new sign that was posted by the boat ramp:
Well, looks like these guys are not out of the woods yet! I have since contacted the Missouri Conservation Department (MCD) to find out when/how the lake would be drained. Right now, I’m thinking they may release the water from the dam area. If this occurs, the water will likely go back across the street into the area where the abandoned lodge is located (from yesterday’s post). So, we’ll have to wait and see. So far, the MCD has not returned my e-mail, except for a quick one saying my original e-mail was being routed to the person in charge of the area so he could respond with better information … hope they get back to me!
When you read this blog post, I will likely be just settling into bed in Anchorage. After a short night, I’ll move on to Whittier for a day, then down to Homer where I will catch a bush plane to take me to Hallo Bay Bear Camp … getting excited!