90 degrees, high humidity, never a fun combination when planning a run. I knew the tides were low, so I had to avoid that. Finding somewhere with regular access to shade, and spots for breaks was on my mind last night.. I hadn't decided till after breakfast with Desmond that Lake Rico was probably the best choice. I figured it would be a good chance to check out a side of the lake that I really had never checked out. Ironically, after a dozen or more trips to Rico I never really went to that section. This part is known as Furnace Pond.
Right off the bat I was happy with my decision. A fellow yaker voluntarily offered to push us in, which rarely happens. Starting the trip off right, we were greeted with a steady cool breeze blowing over the lake that was probably the highlight of the day for me.. It kept us far cooler than I thought we would be on a day like today.
One of the other reasons I chose Lake Rico was swimming. Its a clean, crystal clear lake with soft sand beaches dotted around the area. Taking a few stops for a swim really helps to keep us out on the water for about 5 hours.
After our first stop at one of our favorite sandy beaches, we headed across the lake to the Furnce Pond area. This section is actually very different from the other areas of the lake. There are sections of marsh brush that makes for a fun maze of steams all along the shore. This section of the pond is directly in line with the runway for Taunton Municipal Airport, so if your timing is right you will get a close look at small aircraft taking off and landing just over head above the tree line.
After exploring Furnace Pond, we took a stop at another beach which Desmond wasn't quite satisfied with. I have to say, the first beach we stopped at was really nice.. Clean sand, a nice slight drop off, calm water.. So after stopping just for a few minutes, we decided to double back to the first beach for another swim there. Its a quick straight away directly across the lake to the first beach, and only took us a couple of minutes to get across, after a quick pit stop for Des in one of his favorite "hiding places" along the side.
We made it back to the first beach and I had a chance to put the waterproof case on and get some underwater shots with Desmond swimming. We were surrounded by curious fish the whole time that were no bother at all. Actually pretty entertaining for Desmond, who just this season has really fallen for swimming. We spent a good hour at the beach before heading back to the truck.
An awesome day I'd say. We really lucked out with our choice, and made the best of the day out on the lake. As always, I highly recommend kayaking or canoeing on Lake Rico if you have the chance. It's one of the best in the area.
