Another Day at Groton

Our little picnic area on Lake Groton...

I wanted to write about this last night but just could not find the energy to do so.  I did, however, manage to post a link late last night on my Facebook page to a small album of photos from our visit to Lake Groton last week.  So, now I will also post that link here and write a little about this latest visit to Lake Groton...

First, here is the link to the album...  Lake Groton - 15 Aug 2013.

Our original plan was to head back to Groton on Adam's birthday...  August 14th.  Well, the weather didn't cooperate so we postponed the short trip by a day.  Unfortunately, because we postponed the trip, nobody was able to join us.  We still enjoyed ourselves but it was a little disappointing that nobody could make it for Adam's birthday celebration.

Putting that disappointment aside, the weather was awesome!  It was a little chilly when the sun was behind the scattered clouds, but the sun was very warm (actually, it was HOT at times) and the visibility was crystal clear.  We even had some halfway decent wind for the sailboat.  The water was warm too!  

Moonrise over Boulder Beach...  a beautiful beach and State Park...

We spent the day at Boulder Beach State Park.  This park is definitely a hidden gem and, as a result, we have been coming to this park and lake for a number of years now.  As far as parks with beach access go...   there is no other place in Vermont we would rather be.  

Parking is easy with three parking lots each with direct access to all areas of the park.  The park itself isn't all that large, relatively speaking, so keeping your car nearby is fairly easy.

There is a boat cleaning area for ensuring your boats aren't carrying any marine biology from other lakes.  We always ensure the boats are clean and waxed before arriving at any body of water so we have no need to wash down the boats at this milfoil wash station but it is really nice that it is available.

Rigging the sailboat...

There are clean restrooms with dressing rooms.

There is a nice concession stand.  (Hmmm...  I'm getting hungry!)

The beach is beautiful...  nice clean sand...  clean water...  large area...  very pristine-looking.

There are at least 20 picnic areas along the waterfront, each with a table and bbq.  

There are many more picnic tables scattered throughout the park and even near the beach area.  

Just laying around...

There is a new playground for the younger kids.  

There is a covered picnic area overlooking the lake.

There are horseshoe pits.

There is a small beach with boat rentals.  You can rent kayaks, sunfish sailboats, canoes, and pedal boats.  They might even have a few stand-up paddle boards but I am not sure...   Truth be told, these stand-up paddle boards don't interest me in the least...  too much work and not enough cargo space for my photography gear.

Silhouetted slalom water skiing...

There are fresh drinking water spigots throughout the park.

Overall, the park really is exceptionally clean to the point where the word "pristine" enters your mind.  I have to say that this word rarely enters my thoughts when visiting many of today's state parks around the country so this is saying something about Boulder Beach.

We had the sailboat and the kayaks with us so we did a little sailing throughout the day and then did some kayaking when the wind died down later in the afternoon/evening.  We even visited our summer rental house to check on the current guests and the condition of the house!

I sailed down to the close end of the lake to check on the status of a house and property which captured my attention earlier this year.  This property was in full use by a family this particular day so there were no signs of it being abandoned as it has looked in the past.  We've been wondering if maybe the house was ready to be put on the market since it is rundown, in need of some attention, and often vacant.

This little guy was sunning himself on my towel
when I returned from sailing...

I shot some handheld video while sailing.  It is very rough stuff but I was trying out different ideas for a new sailing video.  I'll have to put together a short video using some of these clips and publish it in another blog post.  Not only did I shoot some video from my own perspective while sailing, but I also tested out the camera's underwater capabilities!  I have to say that the camera worked better than expected underwater! 

I've been thinking about what to do for a new sailing video...  new ways to make it interesting...  new camera angles...  new sailing moves...  etc.  I won't start on this new project until next summer but I need to start putting together ideas and a storyboard so I can get all the shots I need.  

Hope you enjoy the photos...   we certainly enjoyed the day!