Year Round Living on Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario

The last hurrah of summer on Sodus Bay took place over Labor Day weekend. Located halfway between Rochester and Syracuse, New York, Sodus Bay is the largest bay on Lake Ontario. It is a year round slice of heaven that played host to the band, Finding Reason, Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Finding Reason treated both cottagers and boaters alike to a free waterside concert. It was the second and, hopefully, annual "Rock the Dock" party.

Finding Reason is a Massachusetts-based band. Playing acoustic, rock and pop tunes, the three musicians who make up the band are Ryan Morgan, lead vocal and guitar player; Doug Moomjian on the bass guitar; and Hugh Brockmyre on drums. Many of their songs were written by Morgan. The concert, however, was only one of the many spotlights of Sodus Bay.

Although summer is the most active season on the bay, there is much to appreciate year round. Memorial Day weekend signals the start of the summer season. The cottagers begin opening up their homes; cleaning up their yards of fallen limbs and other debris; and readying their boats for the water. July 4th is the official start of summer and welcomes the season with a bang. Following a ring of fire is a grand fireworks display often followed by private shows that rival the official display.

In contrast to the tranquility of a weekday is the popularity of boating, fishing and sailing on the weekends. There are several bayside restaurants that welcome both boaters and landlubbers. For those that prefer the peace and quiet of a canoe or kayak, there is much nature to observe. The bay is home to swans, geese, ducks, herons, turtles and a variety of smaller birds and fish.

Although surrounded by the main land on three sides, there are three islands in the bay. A sandbar separates the bay from Lake Ontario. Because of all the trees on these land masses, the display of leaves in the autumn is gorgeous. Fishing and sailing are still popular and duck hunting begins. Once school starts many of the cottagers close up their homes and head back to the city. Those that remain behind revel in the serenity of the bay. The sunsets are beautiful throughout the year and each season has its own colors. In the fall, the burnt orange and magenta colors probably make the sunsets the most spectacular of the year.

In the winter many sections of the bay freeze; the ice can often get as thick as 18 inches. According to some of the year-round residents, the bay becomes a little city of ice fishermen, snowmobiles and cross country skiers. As many as a thousand fishermen can be out on the ice hoping to bring home some perch, the fish of choice. The wind off the lake can be chilling and fierce and being on the bay does not appeal to everyone. The hardy that do remain year round, however, describe an ever changing scene.

In the spring the ice goes out and the homeowners come back to assess the damage that the ice and wind may have caused. The cycle begins again with new growth and new life. Each year brings a new generation of animals too. One year there may be an abundance of rabbits. Soon after a family of foxes will appear depleting the rabbit population. The next year will bring the opposite, for with fewer rabbits there will be no foxes; thus the rabbits will proliferate.

To the residents, there is no more beautiful a spot than Sodus Bay. Its scenery rivals anyplace on earth. It is easy Finding Reason to never leave Sodus Bay.

Sources: http://www.myspace.com/officialmorganmusic
http://www.greatsodusbay.org/