Surprises at Lake Luzerne

 Hudson River above Rockwell Falls, July 19, 2012

Today I went up to the Hudson River at Lake Luzerne.  My task was to take the GPS coordinates of where I found the Slender Milfoil in bloom on mudflats above Rockwell Falls on July 7.  A couple of botanists have asked me to send them pressed specimens of the flowers of this aquatic plant, since it only blooms -- and rarely so -- when exposed to air with falling water levels.  And those botanists do like to have GPS coordinates, in order to map the locations of plants in their collections.  But boy, did I get a surprise!  Those extensive mudflats that I found on July 7 (see photo below) were rapidly disappearing (see photo above), due to a couple of heavy rains over the past few days that have caused the river to rise.  I'm very glad I had already collected the specimens, and luckily, the water was still shallow enough to allow me to wade to where I had done the collecting.

 Hudson River above Rockwell Falls, July 7, 2012, showing extensive mats of Slender Milfoil in bloom.

There were still some patches of Slender Milfoil above the water, but much of it was now submerged.

Those plants that yet remained above water appeared to be still in bloom.

I had to smile when I saw extensive patches of Creeping Spearwort still merrily blooming away, although now completely submerged.

Regular readers of this blog may remember me eagerly leaping from my canoe a month or so ago,  surprised and excited to find a single flower of Creeping Spearwort.  How was I to know that this would be a banner year for this wee little buttercup, and that I would ultimately see them this year by the hundreds?

Golden Pert is another one of these riverside plants that will vegetate under water for years, and then, when they do get their hour in the sun, will burst into radiant bloom.

I almost stepped on this rather large Green Frog before it surprised me with a giant leap.  But then it held stone still for me to take its picture.  Thank you, dear froggie.  You look quite comely next to that little trumpet of Golden Pert.

My GPS task completed,  I headed over to a stream that runs from the lake  to the river.  (Yes, there is a lake at Lake Luzerne.)  There's an island in the middle of this stream where, years ago,  I found abundant Smaller Purple Fringed Orchids growing as thick as dandelions.  Then somebody mowed the island, including the orchids while they were blooming,  and I rarely find any orchids there anymore.  Maybe one or two, on lucky years.  I had already searched through the grass a couple of weeks ago and found no sign of them.  But I like to walk along this pretty stream, and of course I glanced in the island's direction.  Just in case.  And WHOA!  What are those purple flowers out there?  They're not the right color for Purple Loosestrife or Heal-all.  Could they really, REALLY be the orchids?  Look how MANY there are!

So I waded across the shallow stream to see.  Yep.  Orchids, indeed.  Fourteen of them, just in this bunch alone.

I searched around in the knee-high grass, and there on the opposite bank, I found another. 

And another and another and another and another and another.  Twenty orchids in all, including this beauty at a perfect stage of bloom.

I even found one that was all pure white, a very unusual occurrence.  Like a cloud of tiny angels ascending into heaven.  Or a flock of tiny peace doves descending to bring a blessing.  Oh happy day!

Riverscape Up North

Monday was a sweet balmy day with a clear blue sky, but I couldn't get out until mid-afternoon, too late for a long hike, but early enough for a drive up north to Lake Luzerne and an easy walk along an ice-filled Hudson.  I'd heard reports of eagles feeding up here, but I didn't see any that day.  Yes, it would have added a note of excitement to see eagles, but the beauty of the riverscape was enough to fill me with joy.

There's a long stretch of road that closely follows the Hudson going north out of the village of Lake Luzerne, eventually reaching a dead end at a state forest recreation area.   I had hoped to reach this state forest area and its many trails along the river, but the road turned to soft mud where the pavement ended, still miles from my destination.  I feared my car might mire down, so I turned back toward Lake Luzerne, happy enough to enjoy the view from my car, with occasional forays on foot where I found open fields.

Bad New, Good News in Lake Luzerne

We'd heard that the Hudson had reached record levels of flooding today, but had no idea what that meant for homeowners along the river at Lake Luzerne until we crossed over the Rte. 9N bridge this afternoon on our way to Rockwell Falls. Never in all the years I've been living in Saratoga County (41 years) have I seen the river so high. I sure hope the folks who lived in these houses got safely away. Just tonight, I learned that a dam upstream in Indian Lake is in danger of giving way, which would flood the Hudson with millions more gallons of water. That would be very bad news, indeed, for all the communities along the river.

The Hudson falls through a narrow gorge at Lake Luzerne, and today all that excess water came charging down the gorge with unparalleled ferocity, the watercourse so filled that the falls was completely drowned beneath that raging water.

Here are a couple of still photos of that ferocity, but do continue down to my previous post to see some videos that capture more of the river's sound and fury.

Not all the news was bad in Lake Luzerne, however. We were delighted to find our favorite ice cream parlor, Papa's, has reopened under a new name, Upriver Cafe, after having been closed all last year.

There's no finer way to spend a summer afternoon or evening than here on this beautiful deck overlooking the Hudson, enjoying a full meal or an ice cream treat.

You can also get breakfast here, Wednesday through Sunday for now, but seven days a week as the summer comes on. We ordered a chocolate malt to share, and our waitress told us the cafe will be open all year, not just during the summer season, as in past years. (There's cozy seating inside.) Let's all get up there and help keep this one-of-a-kind restaurant going strong.

Another relatively new attraction in town is the Adirondack Folk School, located in what was once the Lake Luzerne Town Hall. Now in its second year, the AFS is the only school of its kind in the country dedicated to teaching the arts, crafts, and culture unique to the Adirondack region, according to a brochure I picked up in the town's very pleasant little library.

One of the librarians there, Roberta Games, also teaches a class at AFS called "Adirondack Floral Art," using native plants, twigs, birch bark, feathers, and other natural materials to create arrangements that represent the beauty of the Adirondacks. Looking through the course listings Roberta gave me, I was astounded by the variety and quality of the offerings, from the expected pack basket and rustic furniture courses, to instruction in fly fishing, canoe-paddle carving, and even classes in how to make toboggans or a traditional corn broom. To learn more about this remarkable year-round school, visit their website at www.adirondackfolkschool.org.

A few minutes after I posted this blog, I received a note from the Adirondack Almanack's John Warren regarding major flooding in many parts of the Adirondacks. The Almanack has published a regularly updated round-up of flood conditions throughout the area, which my readers can access by clicking here.