Kayak Trip #52 Upper Chain O' Lakes, & Feeding Fish at Whispering Pines, 9-5-12

This afternoon, we headed back to the Upper Chain, this time armed with a bag of oatmeal! Last time we were there, we saw lots of fish at the dock by Whispering Pines Park, and decided to go back and feed them.

I have lots of memories of feeding the fish when my parents took me to this park as a little girl. At that time, the park was privately owned, and there were all kinds of fun things to do there. The dock had little vending machines that dispensed oatmeal when you put in a coin. This was pretty cheap entertainment for our family with 5 kids. I think my folks probably brought their own oatmeal to save a few cents. :)

Here is an interesting article about the history of the park from the Waupaca County Post. Whispering Pines is now part of Hartman Creek State Park as it was willed to the state in 1975. I also found some awesome photos and old postcards from the early days HERE.

Ducks on Lake Orlando

Underwater shots of bluegills.

They were just inches from my camera,

and in fact seemed quite interested in its bright, orange color.

Underwater video of fish.

Hubby feeding fish from the dock.

Fish coming to the surface to feed on oatmeal.

A green heron at the next dock. Also saw a large turtle.