10-23-11 Peace Meadows

I didn't have a lot of time but I wanted to get back out on the boat.  It has been a long time since I've been paddling because of ....well, everything.  My back, softball, hunting, blah blah blah.  Well softball ended yesterday, the weather is beautiful today so I wanted to get back on the water.  I took the morning to clean the house and  start picking up the leaves in the yard.  I finished around 1:00 and got my stuff together to head down to Peace Meadows.  I was a little nervous about how it would be to get in the boat but it wasn't bad at all.  The weather was outstanding, sunny and around 60.  The leaves have started to change, I actually thought they would be further along than this.  Aside from some beautiful surroundings, there isn't much to report on from this trip.  I did see a deer, but other than that and a few ducks here and there, not much in the way of wildlife.  I had three speedboats come whizzing by with two guys in each boat.  They were drinking.  I found it kind of ironic how they were buzzing around on the boats, drinking, carrying on amid all this tranquil beauty.  I'm happy that I'm me and that I can enjoy the peacefulness of the area and not that I feel like I have to speed around drinking to enjoy it.


Here are some pictures from today

Peace Meadows 10-23.11

Here's the route I took.  Not a super long trip, just under 6 miles round trip.


View 10.23.11 Peace meadows in a larger map

Swim with your boat day!

Went to "swim with your boat day" with the Hackensack River Canoe and Kayak club. The event was held at Green Turtle Pond in Hewitt and it was such a great experience. They went over a bunch of safety things including PFD's, whistles, etc. Showed all kinds of gear, safety and otherwise and then showed how to do an assisted rescue and a self rescue. Then we got a chance to swim around in our PFD's and then practice doing a wet exit and assisted rescue. With my back hurting the way it does I was doubtful that I could accomplish it, but I did. Painfully. The design of my boat also made it quite difficult, mostly because of the open cockpit, but It was an awesome experience and certainly made me feel a lot more comfortable if I were to fall out of my boat.

Swim with your boat - 7/23/11

Finally!!

I took the day off today to finally get back to paddling. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get in and out of the boat but it proved to not be too much of a difficulty. I started out at Oakwood Park in New Providence, trying to cover more of the Passaic River. I don't know if there could be a harder day for paddling. We're in the middle of a heatwave (my truck said 103) and it hasn't rained in so long there was hardly any water in the river. I didn't go too far because the lack of water made it really difficult to navigate. I spent most of my time trying to find my way through channels that I could get the boat through. I did get stuck only once and finally turned around when I hit an impass. I could have portaged but between my back, the heat and the difficulty in paddling I decided that I would just make it a short day.


The pictures will show you just how low the water was...


It was, however, a pretty day and great to get back onto the water.  Here are some pictures of the river and of some of the animals I saw along the way:

Passaic River 7/22/11

I did see a blue herron also...he and I kept playing tag all the way up and down the river as well as seeing a few sunbathing turtles and a whole lot of carp that kept splashing the water around me as I would pass.


Here is the track I took...

Wish I could get out!!

Well, I hurt my back almost a month ago and I haven't been able to paddle at all. I could probably paddle...I THINK I could get in the boat...not sure about getting out though. I'm going a bit stir crazy so I MAY try to paddle this upcoming weekend. We'll see how it goes.

All of Piece Meadows - 6/5/11

Today, Chris and I headed out to paddle all of Piece Meadows.  We met at Two Bridges Road in Lincoln Park and loaded his kayak onto my truck then together drove up to Bloomfield Avenue.  The water level was really low, by several feet, and flowing very slowly.  We put in the river at around 8:00am.  The trip was a beautiful, relaxing paddle.  The entire trip, which was just under 13 miles, was fairly uneventful with the exception of one blockage that we had to portage.  We slid in the mud and got eaten alive by mosquitos but we were quickly back in the river and paddling on our way again.  We saw only a deer or two, a quick glimpse at an otter and a crane that we seemed to follow down river.



Here is the route we took


View Blmfd Ave to 2 Bridges - 6.5.11 in a larger map

Passaic River, Florham Park to Summit - 5/30/11

After working on the yard and doing the family thing this weekend, I wanted to paddle for Memorial Day.   It was raining this morning but I knew it would pass soon so I set out to hit the river at 9:00.  I got to the launch area on Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park and it was a nice easy launch.  It was a bit muddy but it was easy access and soon I was on my way.  I headed upstream and all of a sudden found myself in, what appeared to be, a lake.  


That wasn't too bad except for the fact that it was really shallow and I couldn't find the channel to the river.  Everywhere I went I just ran aground and had to push myself to get going.  I had my GPS with me and it was hard to navigate by GPS AND paddle.  I eventually found my way into a narrow channel and slowly paddled my way between high weeds until I came to the river again.  I turned right and headed back upstream. By now it was much easier going to find the channel.


I certainly did see my share of wildlife.  It started with me following a snake that was swimming in the river.  I saw a bunch of ducks, including several flocks of ducklings that would almost skitter on top of the water as I approached.  I also saw a lot of deer.  Many ran away as soon as they saw me coming but a few stood long enough for me to take a picture or two.  At one point, I heard a turkey gobbling.  When I got to the area that I heard him I tried to call him just using my voice.  It worked once but not any more after that.  On the way back downstream, I saw an animal that resembles an otter.  Not quiet sure what it was.  


I did see some interesting "stuff" while I was paddling.  At one point in the trip I saw an old, I don't know, "house".  It was in the middle of no-where and I am not sure what kind of building it was. I also saw, a company that seemed to have a gas powered pump with a hose into the river. I am tempted to call the DEP to see if it's ok that this company does this.  Here are some pictures that I took while I was out there.

Passaic River - 5/30/11

So that is how I spent my Memorial Day.  It was a lot of fun.  All in all I went 11.6 miles.  I went from Florham Park almost to Route 24 in Summit.  I stopped just short.  Here is the map for the route I took:



View Florham Park to Summit - 5/30/11 in a larger map

Bloomfield Avenue upstream to W. Essex Park

Ok, I admit it, I'm obsessed with paddling.  I did all my yard work and stuff as fast as I could today so that I had a little time to paddle.  I knew I didn't have a lot of time and I looked at the map to see how long it would take me to hit the Passaic river upstream from Bloomfield Ave.  It looked like a very manageable paddle for the time I had.  I had hoped to reach South Orange Avenue because I knew I had put in there once before.  I got in the water on a beautiful sunny/hazy day.  The weather is about 70.  I headed up stream and almost as soon as I started I came across two paddlers coming downstream.  We said hello and I continued on my way.  Almost as soon as I got past the Bloomfield Avenue bridge it became very secluded.  It was very flooded timber and I couldn't tell if it was always like that or because of all the rain we've had.  It was hard to follow the river and there were many parts that I paddled not sure of where I was going.  I was hoping that I would be able to find my way back!  I continued on for about an hour in one direction.  I came upon a blockage that I couldn't get around and so I decided to turn around and float my way back.  I did manage to poke in and out of some areas that were flooded just to look around.  It was a short trip, but a beautiful one.  It amazes me how beautiful and remote some of these areas are.  I think that the Passaic river is a very misunderstood body of water and has a really bad reputation, and it's unwarranted.  I think I like it that way...it leaves it more untouched that way.

Passaic River - 5/1/11

Here's the track I took.  All in all, it was just short of 5 miles


View Bloomfield Ave upstream 5.1.11 in a larger map

Two bridges up the Pequannock - 4/26/11

I went turkey hunting in the morning and decided to paddle in the afternoon because it was such a beautiful day.  I started at Two Bridges Road in Fairfield and paddled up the Pequannock.  The river was flowing pretty good, so it was a stiff paddle all the way upstream.  This was certainly a different experience than my past paddles.  It wasn't beautiful at all...it was all through the flood devastated area.  There was nothing but destruction all the way up the river.  It's amazing and sad how these people have to live.  

Some guy rode past me in a motor boat and said he was going on a scavenger hunt...looking for stuff that was washed away in the flood.  He said it's mostly coolers.  The one very interesting thing I saw was an island that had 5 houses on it.  It was very cute and there is no way to the island but by boat.

 On the other side was a dock with stairs up to some parking spaces.  It was really neat.  The interesting thing is that the houses didn't look affected by the flood.


Here's one last picture...just because I like it.



All in all it was a less than eventful paddle...but the weather was 85 and sunny (actually pretty breezy at the end of the trip).  Here is the map of my trip.  It totaled 6.9 miles.



View Two Bridges up the Pequannock - 4/26/11 in a larger map

Easter paddle

Buona Pasqua!!  The sun actually came out this morning...Jeannie said, "you should be kayaking"...and so I did!  lol.  I didn't have a lot of time because we're going to Aunt Carol's today, but I went over to Pompton Lake for a little paddle and fishing.  It was a beautiful calm morning and I greatly enjoyed my time on the water.  I did catch one fish, a pickerel...my first from the kayak.  I have to say, it's a lot of fun.  The only other thing that happened is, my lure got stuck on the red flag I keep dangling from the bow of the boat (for towing purposes) so I had to row all the way back to the boat ramp, get out, unstick it, and then get back in.  A great morning and great way to start Easter.

Essex Environmental Center to South Orange Ave.

I decided to take the day off of work and go paddling.  I have a little time that I have to use and the weather was supposed to be outstanding today...and it was.  It was sunny and 72, what a beautiful day.  I decided to try putting in at the Essex County Environmental Center which is on Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland.  The river came right up to the shore and it gently sloped away into the water.  It was a very easy launch and I managed to launch without even getting muddy at all.  I started paddling upstream and it appeared to me that it was pretty flooded from the recent rains.  I have nothing to compare it to considering I've never been here before, but there were a lot of submerged trees that just seemed out of place.  The water was brown and muddy but there was hardly any current whatsoever so it was an easy paddle.

Shortly after getting underway, I came upon a power generation station.  One of the workers was perched high up on a tower and yelled down to me "ahoy matey"...I think he was just jealous. :)  I continued upstream and came to a blockage.  This was the first time that I ever had to portage while I was paddling.  Luckily for me, the area was just like when I got in the boat...a slow sloping bank and it made portaging easy.  I took the opportunity to take a picture of my boat..

After moving up stream from there I came upon a railroad bridge...not sure if it's still used or not.  .  I continued on my way...it was fairly uneventful.  There wasn't much wildlife to be seen and the scenery was not as interesting as the last time I went out.  The Passaic from this point runs behind companies and houses mostly.  There were some areas that were more remote, but not much.  I made it up to the Route 10 bridge in East Hanover. .  After leaving the bridge behind, I continued as far as I could, up to South Orange Avenue.  It was then that I hit an impassable blockage.  I may have been able to portage but at this point I had gone so far it was time to turn around.  I started to paddle back downstream and enjoyed a leisurely float back.  As there wasn't much current, it wasn't just sitting back and enjoying the ride.  I did have to still paddle.  On the way back, I did manage to see some wildlife.  I actually saw a whole bunch of deer at different points.  One time I managed to get a picture.  .  I also happened to see a whole bunch of turkeys at various points on my way back.  

All in all it was a great trip.  I managed to to go almost 11 miles on this trip.  My shoulders are screaming!  :)  It was a great day on the river and I can't wait to get back out.  Here is the route that I took.  It is tracked by an application on my phone.

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Here are some other pictures I took on the trip.  I can't wait for the foliage to come in.

...it's not all beautiful on the river!

Passaic river from Two Bridges into Peace Meadows 4.3.11

Today was my first real day that I took the kayak out. I started off at Two Bridges Road and went into Peace Meadows. The weather was mostly sunny, around 54 and windy as all get out. I decided to paddle upstream the whole way so that coming back was easier. I was certainly nervous getting in the boat and into the river for the first time.  I wasn't sure how steady I would be, could I paddle upstream, etc.  All the newbie concerns I suppose.  I got into the kayak easier than I expected and started out paddling upstream on the Pequonnock just to see how easy it would be to go upstream (if i wasn't able to, I could get out now before it's too late).  It was certainly easy enough so I continued down and under the two bridges into the Passaic and upstream I went.  As I started out I was surprised at the run down houses that lined the shoreline. Once I made it past the last house, and route 80 to my left I entered Peace Meadows. It was beautiful there, although the trees were still in the winter gray.  It was almost as though I left New Jersey and entered the flooded swamps of Louisiana.  At least that's how it felt to me.  As I made my way up the river I saw a hawk circling above.  Shortly after that I came upon a crane (or whatever those big blueish looking birds are),  He took off from wherever he was and flew up the river.  His wingspan is so wide.  He and I would play cat and mouse for a bit of time.  He would fly ahead and as I approached where he landed, he would once again take off.  I saw two deer on the left side as I made my way up river.  As I came around a bend in the river, I noticed the two deer crossing the river! 

The river was beautiful and although it was still gray from winter, I took a bunch of pictures...here are a few.



At one point, I pulled into a little off shoot of the river just to rest from paddling (or drift downstream) and I shared my space with this little guy

It was a great first day on the river and in the kayak.  I went a total of 7.2 miles, roundtrip and totally enjoyed it.  I can't wait for my next adventure.  Here's the route that I took.

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