Paddling Lake Minatare State Recreation Area

With warm temperatures forecast for today, we decided to cool off for a bit at Lake Minatare. We packed up our gear, loaded the canoe, and made the short drive northeast to Lake Minatare State Recreation Area. We pulled in at a lakeside campsite in the shade of some cottonwood trees and readied our gear for our exploration.

We immediately entered into a grove of cottonwood trees, their bases under water.

It was really fun to weave through all the trees and pass under the arches of their branches.

 We slowly made our way southeast along the shoreline, past some private homes to a camping area towards the dam. Here we beached the canoe

and got out for lunch. We tried eating at a picnic table in the campground, but the bugs were bothersome, even if they didn't bite. After lunch we waded in the water for a bit,

then Sierra stripped down to her swimsuit for a cold refreshing dip.

After watching Sierra swim for about 20 minutes, we got back in the canoe for the return paddle. This time we cut across the open water and headed towards "the Point",

which is the site of the "lighthouse" that was built as a jobs program during the Great Depression. We floated the shoreline past the lighthouse

and back into some cottonwoods on our way back to the car. We all really enjoyed being able to paddle through the trees, it made a day on the water much more pleasant than if we had been paddling out in the open sun all day.