New York Harbour - Upper Bay Statue of Liberty

View Liberty State Park Boat Ramp in a larger map






Launched at Liberty State Park at 9:55.  A perfect day, very light breeze, tide rising, warm ( 14C / 57F) and sunny. The only thing to be watching out for was wakes and associated waves. 
Liberty State Park is  well worth a look and I would like to go back with my bike to check it out more thoroughly.

Ellis Island, backed by Battery Park - Southern Manhattan  

The boat ramp was a good launch, but I noted as I returned , that there was a beach of sorts much closer to the bay, from which I could have launched. Where I did put in was however no trouble , just a tiny bit further to paddle. 


There was a great deal of large vessel traffic out in the bay, but none of it was close. The swell and waves produced by them were constantly around me and at times there were waves around 2 feet. 
A sea kayak would have been ideal under these conditions. My Old Town kayak was not really designed for these conditions

Last of the leaves- just north of Port Liberte 

                                             Canada Geese in flight 

Port Liberte Community  

The city reflected in the windows of the ...Golf Club (?)

I poked around a small inlet behind the Port Liberte Community, where I saw large numbers of Canada Geese and a family of Buffleheads.
I returned to the boat ramp at 11:50. It was a short hit out, but most enjoyable.

Hackensack River Meadowlands Marshes - Nov 11th 2010

Veteran's Day  and I took off early thinking to start my exploration  out the Passaic, downriver, but the current around Keanery was strong and I didn't feel like too hard a paddle. Not only that but the boat ramp was completely clogged with reeds and garbage.
I headed to the Red Roof Inn Boat Ramp over on the Hackensack, knowing I still had plenty of time.High tide was 12:20 ish and I put in at 10:45.

 I didn't realize that there was a new boat ramp, with excellent facilities right at the entrance to Cromakrill Creek, where there is a never ending array of marsh and small islands. This area was  extensive and lots of fun. The sound of I95 on either side was distant enough to be perfectly bearable.  The wind was breezy early but dropped to a  gentle northerly for the paddle back. In the marshes of course, the wind was barely noticeable.

Boat Ramp - not on GoogleMaps yet but seems to be around the end of Millridge Rd. 

Great wind vane

I love that NJ pride!

Back at the put in around 2:00.

Delaware-Raritan Canal - Kingston Lock to Alexander Ave.

View Delaware-Raritan Canal Kingston Locks to Alexander aAvenue in a larger map

The canal just down river of Kingston Lock.

Milllstone Aqueduct  

There was a lot of bird action on  Lake Carnegie, which I peeked at from the canal. Will definitely go for paddle on the lake  There were a lot of people  around the area, so I will when it gets colder and its a bit quieter.

Mile post 

 A pivoting bridge. This type pf bridge was pretty common in the US from what I can tell. I had never seem one in Australia, but then again we hardly have any rivers, so a broad range of bridges is not that likely. 

Power lines  make this railway  bridge seem much bigger than it really is 

This opens into a small lagoon known as the "Turning Basin" , obviously it was a  turn around point for the barges 

 I took my time today, trying out my new camera, the new Sony A55. I probably should have read the manual before  I started. It seems such a long time ago that I used an SLR camera.  Working with the settings on manual stretched my memory, in relation to f-stops and apertures, and some practice is certainly in order. 
The viewfinder though, is such a delight. I can actually frame things much better; being able to see what one is  shooting at is a great improvement. I never want to use an LCD screen again if I can help  it 


I arrived back at the put in at 3:35.  It took me an hour and a quarter to get home. Yet another great day's kayaking. 

Hackensack River NJ Fairleigh Dickinson University to New Bridge Rd. (From the Archives July 5th )

View Hackensack River in a larger map
 This was my first paddle on the Hackensack River . It was a curious mix of a very urban environment and  considerable river vegetation.
I put in at the Fairleigh Dickinson University, having missed the road into Johnson Park .

The put in 

I went down river a very short distance,  wanting to paddle upriver on the rising tide and turn around at high tide.


















I paddled up river, passing under the Route Four bridge. I didn't really realize that I knew where I was until I spotted the Saks sign plastered on a wall rising up behind the reeds. 

Past the Mall, there was a creek  on the western side. I went up here for a surprising distance. Lots of commercial activity on the banks, but again, a great deal of vegetation for such an urban area. 

Some type of Solanum I guess.

Back on the river  I continued upriver , at some point( I seem to have forgotten exactly where) I passed under this bridge with a turning mechanism.

I noted something in the reeds, and paddled over, thinking there was a dead bird of some sort. It was a bird, but it was of the plastic flamingo variety. 

It seemed way too good to pass up. I saved it from its ignominious state, and it now resides in  our apartment , gracing our 'garden '. 

Great to see some riverside sculpture, especially  the back view with the homeland displayed so well. Sadly Tasmania is missing, but its still a good rendering.

After about 4 hours on the river, I reached the put in and  I loaded up the kayak with my trophy firmly in hand. 

Having noted that I was so close to the Riverside Mall, there was an added bonus , as I stopped to pick up food for our dinner. A fitting end to a great day's paddling 

Bear Mountain NY (from the archive June 2010)

Put in at Bear Mountain after driving around trying find the launch by  following  the worst map known to humankind (courtesy of the Bear Mountain Park Visitor's Center) . When I finally did find it, I discovered it was not a boat ramp as I had hoped, but a dock. Access was complicated by the fact that one had to drag the kayak down a fairly steep and winding path and then under a railway line before getting to the pier and dock -  all part of the fun.

The wind was calm, but forecast to rise, so I had planned to paddle around Iona Island, where the bird sanctuary is. Seeing a sign prohibiting entry to this area under the railway bridge  I did my civic duty and refrained from entering. 

I figured I would see plenty of birds by paddling around the river side of the island, which I did.

There was not much distance  to this paddle , so I turned and headed upriver under the Bear Mountain Bridge.                                                                                          Around Iona Island 

By this time the wind had picked up a little and the Hudson was becoming a little choppy.  

The Hudson chop

  I paddled under the bridge and noticed a small creek running into the river. It went under a bridge and the foliage became more dense.  Paddling on I was delighted to find a beautiful creek, enging not far along with a waterfall. The scene was idyllic; no one else around, a hot day and fresh water spilling over a substantial rock wall into a rocky pool. There was nothing for it but to stop and have lunch and a swim. It was one of those surprise finds which  make the life of a kayaker so wonderful.

Checking Googlemaps on my phone, I found  the creek was known as Popolpen Creek. Definitely worth a return trip when the weather warms up again. 

Looking back towards the Hudson from Popoplen Creek 

 

Heading back to the dock I saw this huge stag head sculpture  neatly camouflaged on the bank. Another little gem!