Lake Arthur Sunset
A few weeks ago we booked a weekend trip to go SUPing or Stand Up Paddle Boarding at Moraine State Park. We decided to make it a camping weekend because we were in desperate need of adventure! I can’t tell you how many times in a row our past camping trips have rained the ENTIRE TIME!!! Maybe the last 7-8 trips! I’m all for rain but that is a bit tough to push through when you just want to sit by the fire with good company and a hot dog!
Moraine is debris (sand, mud, rock) left over from a receding glacier. Moraine State Park was created from a glacier in the last Pleistocene era. The glacial lake was formed, because north-flowing waters were impounded by the glacier. When the glacier receded, and the lake evaporated, a flat land mass was created. The flat land mass left behind was rich in Limestone, Clay, Coal and Shale. It was heavily mined and the land destroyed. In 1926, Frank Preston and Edmund Watts Arthur started to work to form the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and rehab the land. Lake Arthur takes it’s name from Edmund Watts Arthur and is entirely man-made recreation of the glacial lake.
Moraine State Park doesn’t offer primitive camping so we decided to book a spot at a camp ground close by, like 10 minutes close-by. We knew it was going to be spotty, we arrived just in time to get our tent up before the first rain came. It didn’t last that long, 15-20 minutes maybe, so we took the time to relax and read in the tent. The second time we had a nice fire going and the beginnings of dinner when it started to pour! We made a mad dash for the tent, soaked, but managed to save half of dinner. This was the big rain with thunder and wind. It didn’t last long either, we finally were able to make a fire and get the rest of dinner going.
I’ve really been digging getting out for sunset lately. The lovely light pinks and deep blues, oranges and reds draw me in. After the two storms, I figured there would be interesting clouds and light, so we headed over to the boat launches. I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go, we ended up driving around, checking out a little boat launch that was next to the camp grounds. I wasn’t sure this was where I wanted to be, so we hit the North shore and even there, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to be, so lastly we hit the South shore. I found docks and fishing shore right away and the light was starting to come in. I’m liking shots with docks in them these days but I was really excited to capture the sunset over the beach area where the rocks were. A boat coming in late made some small waves and when they crashed against the rocks, it looked like mist. The area was busy when we first arrived but as it got dark the folks fishing there packed it in and soon I had the whole place to myself … well and the bullfrogs!
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