Merton Lake July 24, 2010

I didn't get to go out last weekend due to a nasty summer cold, so I had to make up for it this weekend.  My friend and I ventured out to a place I hadn't visited yet - Merton Lake.  It has been on my list for a while.  Merton Lake is located about 25km down the 200 Road, which is just off the highway in Bear Lake.  It is a gravel road, but is in good shape, so there was no problem getting there in my car.

The water was choppy and it was a bit windy when we arrived.  We unloaded the boats and got on the water, hoping the wind would die down.

We headed south from the recreation site, along the shoreline, into the wind.  After attempting to stop and take some pictures, and getting the boats swamped, we decided to head back to the rec site and wait out the wind.

We practically rode the waves back to our starting point, but once we got there, the wind died down a bit, and the waves seemed smaller, so we stayed out on the lake, this time paddling north.

The water at the north end of the lake was much calmer, so we paddled around the reeds and grasses for a bit.

It seems that every lake I go to has some kind of flower I haven't seen before.  These little white ones were all over this area.

We found a little stream meandering through the reeds, and followed it as far as we could.  We couldn't get past this stump due to beaver activity, so we turned around and headed back to the lake.

We managed to follow the shorline around a few more bends, and then made our way back to the rec site.  Just as we reached the shore, the wind picked up again. 

One the way home, we stopped at the Crooked River to take a few pictures. All in all, it was a good trip, but hopefully the next time I'm at Merton Lake, it will be calm enough to see more of it.