Chittning Pond, Bridgewater

Friday, August 18th, the kids were stir-crazy, so we loaded up our Igloo cooler with munchies and took a day trip to Chittning Pond in Bridgewater, NY. Chittning Pond is a misnomer, I think. It’s a veritable LAKE. This state fishing park is located west of Bridgewater on Route 20. Admission is free.

For a weekday at noon, it was rather busy– four other small groups were there besides us. It also seemed to be a favorite site for locals to park their cars to eat their lunches. It is indeed a great view by which to eat your lunch.

The lake view is gorgeous. There are a few nice, neatly mown trails to walk along. The kids loved this! We spied grasshoppers and milkweed bugs, and there was a healthy variety of trees and flowers to investigate. Blue herons swooped down across the surface of the lake and gobbled up the foolish fish who dared swim in shallow waters. Sparrows cheeped and fluttered around us. This little country walk was probably my favorite part of the trip.

Unfortunately, we found a dead bird in the grass. A kingfisher! I had never seen one before. I wonder what happened to him.

Fishing was… OK. The Historian caught a 9-inch bass, but tossed it back in. We probably should have kept it, because it was the biggest fish of the day. Sniffy and Beetle Bailey all caught smaller sunfish. we kept one to bring home, so I could show the boys how to gut and clean a fish (the girls opted out– WIMPS!). Better fishing is probably to be had from a boat in the deeper waters of the lake.

While the others fished, Injane and I tried to find a clean area of grass unspotted from goose dung (a relatively arduous task) to spread our blankets and read and draw. Injane is a budding artist. She made a lovely colored pencil drawing of the lake.

For a day trip for the fishermen in the house, it was fun. Sniffy didn’t want to go. Everyone else was hot, thirsty, and bored after several hours. The trails were the best part of the trip.