Keuka Lake is Shaped Like a Y

Since it is such an interesting shape, we were determined to see all three ‘arms’ of the lake. The problem is that there are only a few public launches on the lake - all of which are at the two northern tips. We decided to paddle from Keuka Lake State Park, on the shorter of the two arms, to the intersection to make sure we could check out the whole lake...

Paddling with the Y-intersection in site!

Ben making dinner plans with Rob (on a cell phone in a kayak...)

At first, paddling felt really hard (we got up at 6am and had a 1.5 hour drive to get to the launch), but after a couple rolls in the frigid (yet still warmer than Cayuga) water, we were awake and energized!

We made good progress, paddling with the wind at our backs on the way south. The shores of Keuka felt much less industrialized than Seneca (two salt mines) and Cayuga (power plant), which was a nice change. There are also fewer developed areas on the hilltops. The cottonwood trees shedding in the early morning light coated the surface of the water in a thin layer of fluffy snow (wish I'd taken a picture!).

We had lunch on a little stony beach (which probably wasn't public, but was at least hidden from view). The sun was strong, and even with multiple coats of sunscreen and a baseball cap I still burned my ears and arms. I have also been informed that I now have a redneck tan line. Awesome.

Date: Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Distance: 13 Miles