Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Wednesdays at Raccoon Lake

           I love this new thing where I have Wednesdays off.  Both the kids are in school all day.  The wife is seeing clients in the city.  It means that I can strike off on my own as soon as the little people board the school bus.  I used to avoid Raccoon Creek because it was always so busy on Sundays, my erstwhile hiking day.  But if you can get there on a weekday, when there are fewer people around, it is by far the best local outdoor destination.  I can spend five glorious hours on the trails or on the lake and still be home in time to complete most of the tasks that my wife left me on her "honeydew list."  
          The south side of the lake has most of the development: road, beach, fishing spots, trails, boat rentals.  But there's an isolated picnic area on the wooded north side of the lake--pictured at the top.  You can only get there by boat; there are no roads or trails.  It's just a little wooden dock and two picnic tables in a clearing.  I loved hanging out there.  Because the only access is by water, you somehow feel as if you've got your own defensible piece of lakeside real estate there.  It made a great spot to spend an hour before hiking some trails along the valley walls above the lake.

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