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| Strawberry Moon at the Lake, AZ | |
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| | Strawberry Moon at the Lake, AZ | | | |
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Strawberry Moon at the Lake, AZ
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| | Kayak | | 3 Hrs | | 0.00 mph |
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| no partners | | With the Full Moon slated to make an appearance, I decided to hit Canyon Lake to watch the moonrise and enjoy it with as little traffic as I'm ever bound to find it.
The drive out was gorgeous with golden hour light from the setting sun. There was some traffic headed out from the lake, but didn't get stuck behind anyone else heading in. Arrived at the parking area about 20 minutes before sunset to find a few other folk setting up for a paddle. Got my gear together and launched as the sun was sinking past the horizon.
Headed out to First Water Cove, where we bobbed around for a bit listening to the sounds of wildlife settling for the evening as darkness set in. Was glad to catch sight of a number of bats flitting around catching breakfast while also hearing the high whine of a persistent mosquito in my ear...
After the slated time for moonrise had passed, we decided to paddle back out to the main body of the lake to see if viewing might be better given that the moon was expected to sweep low over the southern horizon. As we rounded the bend, we saw that the moon had crested over the superstitions and was putting on a good show. Splashed around for a bit longer, cursing the lack of low light capabilities of my phone and eventually decided to head back in, knowing it was already late.
It was wonderful to be able to enjoy the lake with hardly any motorized traffic and only a few other paddlers on the water. I keep meaning to visit to paddle up-lake as far as I can with hopes of making it all the way up to the horse mesa barrier, but am usually deterred by motorized boat traffic. I forgot to start my tracker when I launched, so no idea how much distance was covered on my moonlight meander.
Wildlife: Saw some turkey vultures up close (but did not photograph) on my drive in as they were hanging out on some of the railings right by the road/parking area. Heard lots of birds, and possibly some frogs, saw several bats out getting breakfast, and got eaten by mosquitoes.
Other people: a few other paddlers out and less than a handful of motorized vehicles on the water. |
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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
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