Early Morning Row

Not much to report on the Dave boat, I'm still burning through the sandpaper in preparation to getting a finish on the boat . I did get out yesterday for an early morning row even though the wind was more than I like. I've got three lakes close by that I rotate through depending on which way the wind is blowing. The wind isn't your friend in a small boat.

I ended up in Round Lake in Hayes State Park which in the last couple years has become the home for several beaver families. I haven't seen the beavers in over a year so yesterday I checked the two lodges to see if they are laying up a stockpile of freshly cut branches for the winter. The smaller of the two lodges had a few new branches but there were none around the larger lodge. Beavers aren't welcome in the park as they alter the drainage patterns in the park. I haven't talked to a ranger to see if they have been successful at trapping any of the beavers.

I didn't plan it this way but the transom on my rowboat ended up with a gunsight in the stern to help me keep the boat going in a straight line. The notch in the top of the transom acts as a gunsight that I can line up with a tree or house around the lake. Pulling just a bit harder on one oar or the other to keep the sight lined up keeps the boat going where she should.