Cedar Creek

I went paddling with the club on Cedar Creek which is in Double Trouble park in S. Jersey. I don’t remember the town but I had to get off Exit 77 on the Parkway to get there. The weather was outstanding, a bit chilly, super sunny and clear as a bell. This is a really interesting river. It is stained an orangy, brown color from the tannin from the cedar trees from which it gets its name. It is a slower moving river but with lots and lots of twists and turns. In some areas you have just enough room to get your boat through. It is a good place to practice boat control. It was also interesting to paddle a river with no rocks at all! The only thing you had to watch out for was submerged cedar stumps. It was a really nice trip. We paddled for just under 11 miles.

Cedar Creek - April 29, 2012

View 04/29/2012 Cedar Creek in a larger map

Meadowland's Marshes

I took today off of work so I can go paddling. I needed the break from work and wanted to spend more time in my new kayak. I had wanted to try the Meadlowlands Marshes for a while so today was a good day. The weather was gorgeous, low 70′s and sunny with a mild wind. I put in at the Millridge point location in Secaucus. It was a nice, dry put in. I got on the water around 12:30 ish and high tide was at 3 ish so I had the water rushing into the marshes from the Hackensack. I ended up paddling 9.2 miles. Spending most of the time meandering through the channels in the reeds and only occasionally hitting the Hack. It was a nice day and I had a good time. I wouldn’t rush back to paddle this water, but it was enjoyable.

Meadlowlands Marshes - April 13, 2012

View Meadowlands 4/13/12 in a larger map

Flatbrook

I paddled with the club on the Flatbrook. It was a gray, chilly day and the water levels were very low. We put in right where I pheasant hunt which I found to be very cool. I see this area all the time in fall and winter and it looks so different (obviously) in the spring. The paddling was beautiful. This is one of the prettiest paddles I’ve ever done. The area was gorgeous. It was work, however. We must have portaged around strainers at least a half dozen times if not more. Beat up the bottom of my boat again…it has become very clear to me that I need a new boat to handle these rivers. The only casualty of the day was Bob. He had broken something on his canoe and instead of sitting in his normal position was seated higher on the canoe. He went to take a look at a bald eagle that we spotted and in doing so, threw the boat off balance and in he went. Oh yeah, it was the first bald eagle that I had ever seen…very very cool.

Flatbrook - April 2, 2012

View Flatbrook -04/01/2012 in a larger map