I also forgot to mention that I enjoy paddling – a lot. I took the canoe out today and paddled the Oak Orchard River through a portion of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in Genesee and Orleans Counties, NY. With the exception of all the downed trees that I had to portage over or around, it was an enjoyable, flat water paddle.

Adding to the pleasure of the trip was the abundance of wildlife I was lucky enough to see. Right on the onset, I saw a redtail hawk (you might be able to make him out perched in the snag in the middle of the photo above), a heron, a woodchuck, some deer, and then I saw these guys: there were three of them in a maple tree that was covered in wild grape vines. The young raccoons were gorging themselves on the grapes. I watched them for about 20 minutes then continued on my way. Because this section of the Oak Orchard passes through a large swamp, the river is all flat water. So, I paddled in as far as I could until I had to turn around so I could get back to my truck before dark. The funny thing was that on my return, the raccoons were still in the same tree enjoying their grapes.

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