I had looked forward to kayaking Hawley Lake all summer but, unfortunately, the Pandemic hit at the start of spring and everything shut down and nothing opened back up until nearly fall. Turns out, fall is a great time to kayak Hawley Lake. We hoped the colors would have changed by the time we made it out there but even the first week of October only displayed changes in a few trees around the lake. Seems this year, the colors are slow to change. But the early morning light cast a beautiful reflection on the water and we were blessed with a somewhat windless day. We paddled peacefully around the few fishermen as they sat serenely on the glass-like pond while large fishing birds flew overhead and crept along the shore competing for the fish. A golden eagle, ospreys, mergansers — and even an ibis! — made Hawley Lake a detour on their migrant pathway.