Sunday, September 4, 2016

Mentor Lagoons (9/4/2016)

Sunday, September 4, 2016
Headed north for a "hike along Lake Erie" at Mentor Lagoons Nature Reserve. First, we had to shorten our hike because no pets were allowed on the Marsh Rim or Lakefront Trails.
The Prairie Trail was about a block long
First view of Lake Erie on the Woods Trail 
A couple of the paths were wide and graveled, and the city of Mentor provides golf carts to allow people with disabilities to experience the trails!
A side path suddenly drops off!
Gus surveys the erosion that has taken this trail
Arisaema triphyllum/Jack in the Pulpit seeds
The other trail to the "beach" ended in more erosion
How recent was the erosion?
Because the Shoreline Loop Trail was washed out, we trail-blazed through the woods after following a narrow path that a few bikers had used.
Regina septemvittat/Queen Snake,
a third of the 1.5 foot long snake
Kent and Brynne (and Gus) on what's left of the beach
Paw prints
We trail-blazed from the "beach" to find another narrow trail.
Pantherophis alleghaniensis/Baby Black Rat Snake (foot-long) (KSS)
We ended up on the official Marina Overlook Trail.
Gus and the first quarter of a snakeskin he found
Mentor Lagoon Marina wet slips
Most of the porta-johns were private,
but the gray one is marked "Public Restroom"
The other end of "West Beach"
A Mentor lagoon?
View of the Mentor Harbor breakwall
Wow! An inflatable waterslide of her own!
The Mentor Marina had two concentric circles of wet slips, and the docks were embellished with sheds, shade tents, grills, tables and chairs, nautical decorations, and many had golf carts. The Mentor Lagoons Yacht Club had a big facility with a restaurant/bar and a large storage building for boats.

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