Recently my family spent a week at a cottage located on the shores of Sky Lake in South Bruce Peninsula.  Exploring the map, I discovered that just up the road there was a little river connecting Sky Lake to another lake!  This lake was Isaac Lake.  Let the paddleboarding adventures begin!

 

 

A healthy dose of bug spray, and I was on my way.  

There’s a nice parking area on the side of Red Bay Road where I was able to unload my paddleboard and drop it into the river.  It wasn’t long before I realized that my adventure wasn’t going to be all that great.  The grass and weeds protruded the surface.  The lily pads and pickerelweed were everywhere, which is always a nice sight. 

 

 

Besides some common birds, the only wildlife in sight was the double-crested cormorant.  These black, light-deflecting birds are almost impossible to shoot.  This one shot I did get had the bird with its wings permanently opened as if he was enjoying the breeze high up on a dead tree and soaking up the sun. 

 

 

Although I was well coated with my bug spray, the deer flies were atrocious and seemed to stomach my bitter poison in exchange for my sweet blood.  

 

 

As I arrived at the lake (marsh), I decided it would be best to turn around.

 

 

Isaac Lake may be an interesting adventure in different seasons, but in the heat of the summer, I wouldn’t recommend this one! 

 

—Mike Seiler