Pros and Cons of Eighth Lake Campground

This is a nice DEC campground. It has more pros than cons in my opinion.  

PROS:

 most sites are large and level and separated from the other sites.

lots of hot water in the showers

access to two lakes! 

large grassy picnic area

benches for dressing in shower room outside the wet stall

easy access dump station

CONS:

Not surrounded by state land so motor boats are around

showers could use update

Small swimming areas, sloped access

close to highway so some road noise

Long walk to anything from many sites

Very few activities provided, must create your own ( not a con for many)

Bathhouse

real mirrors in bathroom, good lighting

 bench is handy outside stall for putting on shoes, few bugs on ceiling, some around lights, but generally clean.  The floors need to be repainted, but hey, it's New York State, they don't spend their money on these things.

Some walls also need paint updates, but the floors in the shower are single surface. That may mean it's old, but it's easier to keep clean and you don't end up with uneven floors with pieces missing.

an average site

rest room buildings. well lit and there are a lot of them

 site 39. A water site. nice and large, wide opening for backing in, nice view of water through the tree. Enough trees for privacy, yet maintains water view.

There's about a 6 foot almost vertical drop to the water. Not bad for most, but if you're 

"mobility impaired" this may be an issue.                             

 Picnic Area: large, grassy, a lot of shade trees available. Not a lot of picnic tables. I'm guessing this area does not get a lot of use.

Eighth Lake beach. It's small and down a hill. However, notice how few people are using it. It could be like your own little beach. This was around noon in August, about 80 degrees,  so it's a time I'd expect there to be people there.

Boat launch for Eighth Lake

Signs are clear and good directions

Another example of a campsite, this is 105, obviously.

They've added kayak racks for storage

This is the boat launch/beach on Seventh Lake, yes Seventh Lake! Two lakes for the price of one!

View to the right of the Seventh Lake boat launch

View of Seventh Lake straight off the boat launch

View to the left of the Seventh Lake boat launch

Easily accessible dump station

Recycling Center, clean and organized.

They also have boat rentals available at the main entrance.

Overall, if I wasn't a die hard Brown's Tract patron, this campground might win me over.

Byers Lake Alaska Kayaking

We had a wonderful trip kayaking on Byers Lake. Because of the make-up of the group we were in, we were separated out ( we were experienced kayakers) and had just two of us with our own personal guide. He was well educated on the environment, not just a bunch of notes someone gave him to memorize. I wish I could remember his name!  The weather was overcast, as usual for anything I do outside, but it was still beautiful.

Great reflections

Gorgeous Mountains, as expected in Alaska.

And they run this business out of a trailer and a couple of pop-up canopies, but don't let that trick you into thinking they don't know their stuff!

Chulitna River Rafting was Awesome!

We took the Chulitna River Rafting trip from the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge to Talkeetna on our Alaska tour. We had a ball. They gave us hip waders to wear to keep dry, but it wasn't needed. It was a smooth trip with great information about the area. We covered the mountain ranges we could see, the water consistency, temperatures, wildlife, glacier background, how rivers establish themselves, etc. I could go on and on, but if you get a chance, this trip was well worth it.  Then it ended at the end of Main Street in Talkeetna, that will be another post!

You can see the other two boats behind us, we were the only ones on the river! The mountain views in the background were amazing, the clouds cleared enough for us to see layers of Mt. Denali but it doesn't show well in the photos.

The width of the river was huge. In Alaska they let the rivers run their natural course instead of dredging them out and forcing the water through unnatural pathways. 

By the end, the sun was even starting to come out. Where ever we were, the mountains were in the backdrop.

Things to do in Baltimore

Take in a game: the Baltimore Orioles and the Ravens have stadiums basically across the street from each other.

see a ship in the harbor

The aquarium is awesome

and there's every possible restaurant

Cool Baltimore Architecture

 I spent the last few weekends in Baltimore, MD. I didn't get a lot of time to explore, but one thing I did see and notice is the variety of Architecture. Being one of the oldest cities could mean that everything has been knocked down and redeveloped, and obviously some of that has happened here. The area I was in was mostly the Mount Vernon area. It is a renewal area where studio apartments run $1000 a month and the parking is impossible. However, the buildings and roads are classic.

These row homes look like they've been around since the constitution.

I like the window that sticks out on the side and the old facade for the store front actually reminds me of old English structures

ok, I just love turrets, but look at the different shapes and parts to this building, more modern buildings seem so square and boring.

Fancy townhouses that border a little park. Many of these are owned by one family.  The amount of greenery in this area and throughout Baltimore was surprising to me.

one family, wow. I must really be a hick.

The roof style reminds me of France.

another fancy facade on the school of art buidling

the mixture of old and new

detailing around doors is very old fashioned

brickwork to add color

windows are so cool, picture does not do it justice

park fence and statue near Washington Monument

Washington Monument in the background

another section of park near Washington Monument

The road around the Washington Monument. You can still see the original brick road in other areas where the pavement over it has broken away.

stone bridge in Chesapeake Bay