The most dramatic stories and pictures often seem to be from far off and remote places you traveled miles to see. How about those places close to home? Of recent I have been exploring by kayak Lake Allatoona, 30 minutes away in Emerson, GA. While admittedly during the nice sunny weekends this lake can be a bit “Wally World-ish” with motorboats, during the week (as I am fortunate enough to do) it is a different and beautiful world, populated almost exclusively by turtles, birds, fishermen, and the occasional kayak.

Even as a man-made lake carved out of the Etowah River, this Corps of Engineers lake is a beautiful place. By boat you can find multiple Ospreys and their nests, and I have heard that there is at least one eagles nest on the lake. While reachable only by boat, on my last outing I found a natural and shaded beach with sandy bottom that turned out to be a great spot to stop, have a snack and go for a dip. This is a great place to go paddling but bring your GPS – the lake is deceptively big with lots of fingers.