This is a photograph I can’t take. W took it about 2 hours into the trip. Getting a little tired. The catch – when the oars enter the water – is not particularly clean; there shouldn’t be any splash but…
Just leaving the dock. These trees were brilliant.
The escort pontoon boat launching.
A few bushes of Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) along the shore between the boat launch and the railway bridge that crosses the lake about a mile south of the boat launch. It’s interesting that this is the only place I’ve seen Helenium autumnale; Helenium amarum (Bitterweed or Bitter sneezeweed) is the most common Helenium sp. in this area.
Color along the shore on the south end of Parks Ferry Recreation Area which is just south of I-20.
My favorite house a little north of the golf course. The owners of this house have left the grounds wild with a mowed path giving access from the house to the shore.
Leaving Old Salem State Park on the trip back. The ‘feature’ in the center of the photo is an island; I finished my row along the shore just to the right.
The mansion just to the north of the Hwy 44 bridge. This mansion has an hypnotic effect on us. My escorts detoured to look at it while I rowed towards the bridge. But they had to take me by so that I could see it up close on the way back. 
A small inlet along the lake. Lots of color and glassy smooth water – a rower’s dream!
The Landing golf course, approaching from the south.
Another colorful view of the shoreline.
Peaceful inlet. Some areas of the shoreline are almost at the lake level.
The color was almost continuous along the shoreline
Some areas of the shoreline are steep. It takes many steps to get from the house to the shore, and back.
Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) flocked to some snags in the water on the west side of the lake. There were many Great Blue Herons, cormorants, and just a few gulls. No sign of the scoters or the Western Grebe that we saw last year.
A closer view of the cormorants.
More colorful foliage.
Coming into the boat launch.
The dock by the boat launch. Back on dry land, and still able to walk. Lake Oconee conquered again.
When we returned to the boat launch after the ‘Long Row’ it was late afternoon and the sun was playing on the water. Perfect end to a great day…
We saw a lone bird swimming and diving in the area off the west shore of the lake just above the Hwy 44 bridge - a little way from the Surf Scoters. At first, it was swimming with its neck tucked down and I thought it was a Loon. When it became alert, however, it was clear that it had a longer neck and was probably a grebe. We followed it, keeping a safe distance, but this is the best photograph we could get. It didn’t panic when we approached but would simply dive when we entered its ‘no go’ zone. 
Based on the fact that its bill was long, slightly upturned and gray, we identified it as a Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis). The only other bird that resembles the Western Grebe is Clarke’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) which is very similar to the Western Grebe but has white in front of the eyes and a brighter yellow bill.
We followed them at a respectful distance and got some reasonable photographs. The shape and gray-black color of their beaks indicated that they were Scoters, either female or juvenile Surf (Melanitta perspicillata) or White-winged (Melanitta fusca) Scoters. Since they would swim away when we approached we couldn’t see if they had white wing patches. 
It wasn’t until we spooked them into flying that we could confirm that they did not have they were Surf Scoters. According to Sibley, it would not be unusual for Surf Scoters to be observed in this area in the winter.. 
Some sections of the shoreline are undeveloped; others are lined with docks. The variety of canopies covering the docks along the shore of Lake Oconee provide distraction during the ‘Long Row.’ 
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Other docks are used for picnicking or just sitting out enjoying the scenery...
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This year we laid the boat on the deck of the pontoon boat for the trip back
Still some time for photographing fall color as we pass
And an egret that was hunting at the shore 
Even the boat launch is photogenic at this time of year
At the end of another successful ‘Long Row.’ 
The first section – through the old forest now reduced to snags. The lake was at full pool – higher than I have ever seen it. The snags weren’t the problem they've been in the past. There was also some nice fall color.
In the second section, lakefront homes, docks and fall color provide a distraction from the repetitive monotony of rowing. 
Some areas of lakefront are steep. Homeowners have installed extensive access ramps and stairs to the lake shore. These homeowners have ‘racked’ their kayaks on the retaining wall at their dock. Sure saves the effort that would be involved getting them from the house to the lake and back for each trip out. 
This is one of the more elaborate boat docks in a small cove. 
I love this house although it probably drives the neighbours nuts. All of the homes along this section have manicured lawns. This lawn is wild and provides habitat for small wildlife. A winding path – not visible in this photo is manicured to allow access to the shore than the dock. 
This is the ‘big house.’ It is the sign that I’m going to make it. It’s another mile or so to the last bridge and then the last run of another mile or so to Old Salem State Park. 
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On a recent trip to Lake Oconee, my husband Walt and son Justin were escorting me in a pontoon boat as I was sculling from the Redlands Wildlife Management Area boat ramp to the Old Salem Park. The first section of this trip takes me through a sunken forest on the east shore of the lake. The pontoon boat can’t follow me through this area so Walt and Justin cross the lake and travel along western shore to meet me at the railway bridge from which point we can travel together. 
As the boat approached cautiously, the snake turned, assumed a more defensive pose and raised its head out of the water to face the intruder. When the boat was about 6 feet (2 meters) from the snake, it coiled into a striking pose. In both of these photographs, the ripples from the motion of the rattle are clearly visible on the water surface. When the boat retreated, the snake continued its way across the lake. Based on the brown stripe running down its back, they identified the snake as a canebrake rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus atricaudatus).
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Walt had started to take photographs again but he wasn’t photographing me. He was aiming the lens out in front of me. I turned and decided to stop (7). It was an unusual sight. A flock of five to six cormorants swimming together. Cormorants are usually loners; it’s rare to see them in groups. Most of them flew off except for two which appeared to be a pair. They lingered for several minutes before they, too, decided to take to the air.
