Summer Day at Bald Eagle State Park

We're having another couple of days of heat advisories in central PA, with temperatures in the 90s F (that's 32+ C). I have been doing very poorly with the heat this summer, so we limit our outdoor activities on such days. We try to go wherever we're going earlier so we can get home quicker, in order to avoid being out during the hottest parts of the days.

This past weekend was Art Festival time in the State College area. That meant lots and lots of visitors to town, very crowded conditions, and more traffic. For once, I didn't go to any of the fests, not even the local one in the orchard. It was just too darn toasty out for me; the thought of leaving our air conditioned house and heading toward hot and crowded conditions sounded appalling.

But Monday morning, after all of those events had wrapped up, my husband and I decided to go to Bald Eagle State Park for a swim. We found the beach relatively deserted, and there were breezes blowing around the lake. It was very low-key and pleasant.

We sat under a shady tree on our chairs, people watching, and then we went in for a really lovely swim. The water there is not cold, like it is at Whipple Dam and Greenwood Furnace. It was almost as warm as bath water, and not nearly as dirty as you might expect it to be this time of year. Most summers, we cross Bald Eagle off the list by mid-July because the water gets dirty so quickly.

But the water was lovely and clean and silky on my skin. It almost had that turquoise look to it, like you get in the Caribbean. Neither of us really understood it. But we enjoyed it fully. We lingered. For once, I didn't want to get out of the water! Not ever! Put on your swimsuit and come on in! The water is fine!

My soundtrack song is Chloe Ament, with The Water Is Fine.