Lake Moraine

Yesterday I got some extremely sad news about the demise of a young, strong relative. I needed a bath in nature for grief relief. I spoke with a cousin about the sad news. By the end we were both laughing so that was cathartic. My kind host at the swanky castle agreed when I suggested a stop at the Moraine State Park. I arrived 15 minutes before a boat tour was about to leave. Someone cancelled so there were two seats left. I took one. The naturalist on board was hilarious and I told him so. I thought he was 16 years old and I wondered why he wasn't in school today. My naturalist, Amanda, is not a young man. She helped me stage the photo. We set sail on Lake Moraine.

Amanda says the warm temperatures make for an especially late fall. Amanda says the comedy movie Kingpin was filmed on the highway we just floated under. Amanda has a boatload of fun facts.  Until this week the weather here in Pennsylvania felt like August. This juvenile osprey is dead in the eyes. I can see no soul. (It's stuffed).

Amanda saw an eagle on a snag near shore. Everyone onboard saw the eagle fly up into the tree. The boat approached slowly. For five full minutes we watched the majestic symbol of our nation make sushi out of that blue gill. Amanda has never seen anything this incredible before in her life and she grew up on this lake. Wow! I let the other passengers take the pictures of the eagle. We also saw cormorants and herring gulls. Amanda said there must be a big school of fish in this one bay because there had to be at least 50 cormorants harvesting together. On one side of the lake there was a road leading into the water. On the other side, although overgrown, there was another road. Before this glacial lake was dammed, there was a town there. Under the lake are the remnants of a town. A blue gill could take the road from one side of the lake to the other. The old foundations of the houses under the lake make it a popular place for fish to hang out.

A young family had their photo shoot here today. State parks are free in Pennsylvania and Ohio. I think parks and beaches should be free because young families don't have much money, usually, and children have to get outside.

After the boat ride I fired up the camp stove and ate a can of soup and a mug of tea before I went for a walk. The park has a little bridge over that pond. Northern Mockingbirds are difficult to identify! I think the mocking bird was mocking me by sounding like a chimney swift. Tomorrow I am heading north again.