Blog Posts - Lake Clear

Sunset from Boathouse Bay...and Our Facebook Group

7/7/2016

By Ian Gregory McCluskey and Colleen Beanish

Thanks to Ian McCluskey for the great July 16 sunset photo from Boathouse Bay posted here and to our brand new Facebook Group. The group is entiltled For Everything Lake Clear and is a closed group. If you are a member of the LCPOA, you simply click Join, and you will be given access to view and to share. What a great idea!
You can also access the group by clicking the Facebook icon at the top right of each of our website pages.
Enjoy!

Mother Nature's Present

25/6/2016

Submitted by Guy Jamieson
June 21, 2016

Just a little present from mother nature when I arrived at the cottage on Sunday. Pine tree pollen I suspect!

Tale of Two Mornings - Spring at the Lake?

9/5/2016

Morning of Saturday, May 7 - 7:00 am - Taken by Loran Monahan from south side of the lake.

Morning of Sunday, May 8 - Care of Neils at Opeongo Mountain Resort

Spring Really IS Coming...

7/4/2016

Submitted April 5, 2016 by Lorne Monahan
Two photos are of waterfall beside our house, which has greatly slowed down due to very recent freezing temps and one of 2 ducks amidst lake ice.

Cool Steamy Fall Morning

15/10/2015

On a quiet Thursday morning around 7 a.m. when there was frost on the windshield on Frenchs Road.
Submitted Oct. 13, 2015 by Carolyn Desjardins

Quadcopter Drone Aerial Photos of Lake

7/9/2015

Shane Simpson took some aerial shots of the lake using a radio controlled quadcopter (drone). He is situated in Heideman's Bay, the furthest southeast part of the lake.

Awesome pics, Shane!

Fondest Memories from '67 and '69

20/7/2015

Dear Sir or Madam:

     I have visited Lake Clear just twice, and have longed to return ever since. The first visit was during the Summer of 1967, as our family traveled west, toward our home in Michigan, on our way back from Montreal, and Expo '67. The second time was during the Summer of 1969, when Lake Clear was our sole, intended, vacation destination, and when we were able to camp for two weeks. I was 7, and 9 years old during these trips, respectively. Our dad had purchased a one-wheel, two-trailer-hitch, tent camper, which we used for both trips. I'm not even sure of the exact route we took, but I remember that when we left the main road, we drove between fields of alfalfa or soybeans, (can't recall) and stopped at a farmer's home to make our reservation. The man who owned, (I'm assuming) this property, and the half dozen, or so, camping spaces next to the lake, also maintained a small store near the dock. I remember that he raised cattle, (dairy, I'm assuming) and that these cattle would walk next to the camp. I'm not sure where they had come from, nor where they were headed, but I remember the sound of the cowbells early in the morning. We knew him as "Cliff." On Saturdays, Cliff would fry fish and chips, and his wife, (again, I'm assuming, and I do not remember her name) would bake fruit pies. Folks came from all over the lake on Saturdays to sample their locally famous fares. The only identifying feature I remember about Cliff, was that he had one glass eye. Also, he didn't care for frog legs. He was curious enough to come to visit our camp when frog legs were being fried once, and just to tease him a little, our dad offered him a taste. But, Cliff politely declined. I remember Cliff and his wife as being very, very friendly to us. "Us" included our mother and father, Monica and Jack Matthews, and my 3 brothers, Tim, Chris, and Brian.
     I remember a seldom-used, two-track trail which ran from the campground road, through the woods to a small, several-acre, spring-fed lake. Next to the lake was a small shack, which is where Cliff told us he stored equipment to collect sap, and to make maple syrup. Down from the shack, at the lake's edge, was a small rowboat, which was slightly leaky, but usable with sufficient bailing. Even in the middle of this small lake, one could easily see the bottom, and all of the bass and trout as well. These were larger fish, on average, than we had seen in Lake Clear, but also more wary, and more difficult to catch. Our dad managed to reel in a 37" Northern Pike on the last day of our 1969 visit, which was the biggest catch of our entire trip.
       From the campsite, we walked across a small, wooden bridge, and up a small, sandy hill to a hand pump, for our water. On the way to fill our containers, to the right of the bridge, (& bordering the campsites) was an area of water full of lily pads and bullfrogs.  A little farther on our left, we could see many recently-hatched turtle eggs on a sandy grade to the water, and a beaver lodge a short distance out on the lake. When we were fishing, and we'd get too close to a beaver family, the adult would give a loud slap of it's tail on the water, and the little ones would quickly "disappear."
     These are among the fondest of my memories as a child, and if I ever get the chance to return, I intend to take advantage of it. If anyone there can remember Cliff and his wife, please feel free to reply with any additional information. Our father passed a couple of years ago, but I would love to share any additional information with our mother, who is quite well, and who will be 80 years young in September.

Warmest Regards,

Mark Matthews
Asheville, NC

"Meese" on the Road!!

28/5/2015

Are they looking for the beach?

Thanks to Opeongo Mountain Resort and Karen Kitts for the photos.

Philip's Update Excerpts from May 14

16/5/2015

LCPOA Update, May 14, 2015

Here it is, the May long weekend, time to get summer started. The lake is ready. The water level is up. The buoys are all put out. The sun is shining. The grass is green - for the most part. No bugs to speak of - yet. And the weather forecast is nice - for Saturday and Sunday, at least; Mondayis forecast to be a little wet. Time to really enjoy the long weekend.

Now, a bit of technical stuff. The low lake level has corrected significantly as Renfrew Power Generation put all logs in the dam on April 30th. There has been no output from the lake since then and quite a bit of rain so the level has risen almost 12 cm. It is still low for this time of year, but much more satisfactory. I noticed that there was a small outflow yesterday so I assume the dam has now been topped. Unless this is a very dry summer the level should remain pretty much as is.

This morning Ray Petrie, Bob Peltzer and I got all the buoys out. Several have had to be moved slightly from their normal position to acknowledge the lower water. So take extreme care initially as there are numerous shallow sections surrounding the markers. Stay well clear of all buoys and do not go between a buoy and the nearest shore. Particularly dangerous areas are; 1. north of Feather (Swim) Island, and 2. south of Turners Island. If you note a location you think should be marked, let Lorne, Wayne or me know. Our thanks to Bob Peltzer for the use of his pontoon boat this morning and to Opeongo Mountain Resort for the donation of the gas, greatly appreciated.

Philip's Update - April 22

24/4/2015

LCPOA Update, April 22, 2015

It has been a strange spring - the snow stayed around much too long, in fact there is still a very small quantity of snow next to our driveway. Snow is usually completely gone by the first couple of days of April. Last week was beautiful - warm with clear skies and no wind, good working weather. So far this week, it has been cold again and rain.

But, Monday was THE day; the ice started vanishing in the morning, and there were just a few small lumps by evening. Just one day before the long-term average ice-off date of April 21st. Time to get the dock in. But, the water level is the lowest I have ever recorded it at this time of year. It is 40 cm. (that's over 15 inches) below this date two years ago. Renfrew Power Generation (RPG), the organization that operates the Hurds Creek dam, is aware of this, as is our Councilor, Bob Peltzer. There is good outflow at present so we will continue to monitor the level and try to prevent any serious problems from occurring. Just watch yourself if you do some early boating, this water level is the normal for late fall. We will try to get the buoys out as soon as possible but we will need to have a close look at all sites to see if we need to modify positions.

1. LCPOA Board Vice-president and Secretary
We are presently looking for two replacements on the LCPOA board. We need a VP who will be willing to stand-in for the president, and we need a secretary to maintain the records of the organization and do the minutes for our three meetings each year. If you, or you know of anyone who might be interested in either of these positions, please contact either Lorne (email at top) or me (email at bottom) so we can have a discussion.

2. Friends of the Library Dinner
This annual fun evening is this coming up this Saturday starting at 5:00 p.m. If you haven't got your tickets yet I suggest you call the BUPL at 613.628.2400 and reserve them. This has always been a super evening.

3. Road Works in Eganville
Some advanced warning that there will be significant road works within the town of Eganville this summer. It could result in some significant delays. As soon as I have specifics I'll put them out in an Update, the call for quotes has only just been announced.

All for now, Philip