Whenever I begin working with buyers that are new or fairly new to Alexandria and a Lake Cowdry property piques their interest, the channel from Cowdry to Darling enters the conversation. As you will see in the video I recorded earlier this afternoon, it is a fun channel with some challenges. It is fun because of its length and how its curves. The current flows towards Darling so it is a favorite activity in the summer for kids of all ages to float from the bridge to Lake Darling. Drive along County Road 22 in this area and you will see them walking carrying their item of flotation to do it again. The Central Lakes Trail passes over the channel so if you are out for a walk or bike ride you will also see the swimsuited floaters walking along the trail to the channel.
A few things to notice in the video. It begins across the lake (my starting point was the Lake Cowdry Public Access). Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center can be seen in the background. In regards to the challenges I mentioned earlier, pay attention when the camera is closer to the channel. Note the submerged cement barrier under the bridge. Because of it, passing between Cowdry and Darling is limited to smaller watercrafts such as SeaDoos and small fishing boats. Paddleboards have no problem too (I have done it more than a few times). Ofcourse the water level plays a part too.
I’ll add one asterisk to my comment that passage is limited to small watercrafts such as SeaDoos or small fishing boats. When I was young (in the single digits), my family lived at Lake Brophy. Brophy is the westernmost lake of Alexandria’s Chain and has a couple challenging channels to get to Cowdry but I recall one summer that we did it. We had an old, small (I don’t recall how many feet long it was but take into consideration that I was young and even at that age, I recall it being small) speed boat that tormented my family with unreliability but on one long summer day, we made it to Lake Darling and beyond. It is a good memory as my mother used to make slushes with fresh strawberries and 7Up and I recall a day with no clouds in the sky, no motor issues and many slushes. My memory might be fuzzy on the motor issues that day but passed time fortunately leaves me with only the positives. Anyway, back to Cowdry. It is a smaller lake but even if you never leave it, life is good. It is clean, has good fishing and is big enough and quiet enough for a nice afternoon of skiing. Another nice perk is the proximity to the Central Lakes Trail and being a short drive or bike ride to downtown Alexandria.
