Foster Joseph Sayers Lake Boat Ride

By Linda G. on July 16, 2016

We spent the past weekend at Bald Eagle State Park, where we attended the Bell Family reunion.

The 1,730-acre Foster Joseph Sayers Lake is the focal point for water-based recreation in the park. The lake is named for PFC Foster Joseph Sayers, a World War II hero. Sayers received the Medal of Honor for acts of bravery on November 12, 1944 near Thionville, France.

On Friday night, at our family reunion dinner, Dick had asked who would be interested in seeing the lake by boat. Several cousins raised their hands, along with Bob, Cynthia and I. Dick said he would contact a friend to see if he could set up boat rides on the lake. On Saturday, while Bob, his sister Cynthia and I explored the park and nearby locations, ten of our cousins rented a pontoon boat for the afternoon. As far as I know that left only Bob, Cynthia and I to go on the boat ride with Dick’s friend.

At 3:30 pm Bob, Cynthia and I arrived at the marina and looked for Dick and Mary Ann. We found Dick and Mary Ann (and a few other cousins) on a hill overlooking the marina.

Cynthia chatting with Dick and Mary Ann

Dick said that his friend (I think the friend’s name was Doug) would be there at 4:30 pm. So, for the next hour, we visited with Mary Ann, Dick and a few other cousins. When Doug arrived with his boat, a small motor boat, Cynthia decided she would not be comfortable riding in the boat. I had my qualms as well. Would I be able to step into the boat over the seat? I have an arthritic knee, which can be quite stiff at times. Cynthia has at least one artificial knee. She did try to get on the boat but wasn’t comfortable doing so. I was able to step into the boat over the seat, but I know it wasn’t a graceful sight! Cynthia returned to The Nature Inn, while Mary Ann, Dick, their son Jim, Bob, and I went for a boat ride.

The Foster Joseph Sayers Lake is nearly eight miles long and has 23 miles of shoreline. Our hour-long boat ride allowed us to see most of the lake.

The highlight of our weekend at Bald Eagle State Park was spending time with our family. The most exciting time for me was the boat ride. I had never been on a motor boat before that held less than a couple hundred people! At times the ride was more than exciting; it was exhilarating.

Thank you so much, Dick, for arranging this boat ride. It was a most memorable experience!