Sunday Afternoon Pontoon Boat at Black Moshannon

The coming week is supposed to be a rainy one. Unsure of whether we'd get the chance again anytime soon, my husband and I decided to go swimming at Black Moshannon State Park.

We left home around lunchtime and found the beach mostly deserted. A few parents and their children, mostly. There were family events, like picnics, but it was not overwhelmingly busy.

We finished up our swim (the water not as chilly as the last time due to the recent hot days) and walked back to our car. There was a pavilion on the hill above the car that nobody was using, so we took our chairs and books and a drink, and sat in the shade nearby.

Around 3 pm, we noticed a small crowd gathering by one of the docks. Two ranger vehicles pulled up and the crowd of people got onto an adorable little pontoon boat, which shortly pulled away from dock, taking them on an expedition out onto the lake at Black Moshannon!

Sitting in my chair on a hill pretty much directly above the dock they left from, I had a bird's-eye view of their little boat, setting off on adventure unknown. I started singing, "JUST . . . sit right back and you'll hear a tale! A tale of a fateful trip! That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship!"*

And as the boat left land, I scurried over with my camera to where I could get a better view of the boat through the trees. This was one of my better shots, as the castaways - I mean, their little expedition - sailed off among the green trees, the green waters, the beaver dams, and the endless water lilies.

Of course, I had to look it up when I got home, to see what was going on, as I had no idea you could take an organized boat ride at this park. And it turns out that Black Moshannon State Park offers these little pontoon boat rides about every other Sunday afternoon.

There is no charge, but donations are accepted. The pontoon boat leaves boat launch #1 (just across from the boating concession) at 11, 1, 2, and 3. They say each boat fits 12 but I counted more people than that in it. Trips will be cancelled in the event of high winds or other bad weather.

August 29 is the next one scheduled, but they say they plan to add more dates in September and October. I do think a fall leaf peeping trip, once the foliage colors start to change, would be just lovely!

Let's have a silly, fun song to go with this image from a lazy Sunday afternoon: Lyle Lovett, If I Had a Boat.

*For my non-U.S. peeps, this is the theme song from the TV show Gilligan's Island.   :-)