Housatonic River CT

Wonderful paddle from Falls Village upriver  the Housatonic for 5 miles.  Turned around when Rte 44 butts up against the river . The current was just too strong on the bend, and after 3 hours of solid upriver paddling, I decided to go with the flow and head back down stream.
The river was flowing strongly all the way, so the work rate was high,
Put in at 9:40 and turned around at 12:40. Got back to the dam  at 2:40. Took some photos of the falls and dam and drove back to the City. Going down rte 44 all the way back through NY To Amenia and down 22 to I684

The launch is just above the falls .

The Launch at Falls Village  Dam.(Falls Village is a part of Canaan township)

 Houses were far and few between, but there were some very lovely locations. 

 Note  cow  statue on deck

A Native grape

 Great Falls and the associates  hydro plant and dam were all impressive. 

The leaves have just passed their peak, but there were still beautiful displays. I was home in 2.5 hours after an easy going drive. 

Mary Stuart House - Goshen

This big old house, Mary Stuart House was  built 1798 has been the base for my excursions this weekend . Good location, with easy access to area. Lovely place.

My room is the tiny window at the top.

What a great bird bath.

Fall pumpkin decor

Burr Pond CT

On the road to Burr Pond I stopped to photograph the site of the first milk evaporation plant built in 1857, by Gail Border who invented the process

Burr Pond

Drove up to Burr Pond through Torrington . It  was very pretty, but too windy to be out on body of water this size.

Back from Bantam

Went out this morning , put in at the bridge crossing Bantam River. Headed nortwest up to Little   Pond.  Circumnavigated the Pond and then followed the river back  to the small weir, just at the entrance to Bantam Lake's North Bay. It was very windy, paround 20 mph with much stronger gusts at times, It worked out well, it was a fairly short paddle but the wind slowed things and gave me a good workout . Left at 9:20 pulled out at 12:40. 

 Heading north towards Little Pond

 Looking back to the bridge and put in area

 Old road bridge 

It was a good work out with cooler temperatures. The new paddle continues to astound. Great blue heron, mute swans, mallards were out and about.

Back in Connecticut

Friday Night and  ave just arrived at Mary Stuart House in Ct. Planning a couple of paddles this weekend . 
Yankees are playing Texas in the first of the ALCS..
Texas started brilliantly, CC not so, though he steadied. 
In usual Yankee style they came back after a sparking play by Gardner who slid to  first to get on base. A satisfying win;one down three to go.

Millstone River New Jersey (from Archive -May 2010)

The Millstone River was a wonderful day out, beautiful weather and a charming paddle. It runs parallel to the Delaware-Raritan Canal, in places only 100 yards apart.

                            Turtles were everywhere

Hudson River - Yonkers to Hastings on Hudson (from Archive June 2010)

Paddled upriver with the rising tide and turned at high tide. The wind picked up on the way back though and it was a hard slog. Would have been impossible against  a tidal current. A good work out, and a good reminder that the Hudson is not to be taken lightly, whatever the weather forecast says.

The Pallisades


Put in at JFK Marina Yonkers 

Industrial Yonkers 

Stopping for a breather

The wind starts to pick up 

Looking back towards the city

Unnamed Ex- Yacht Club

Nissequogue River - Long Island NY ( from Archive May 2010)

The Nissequogue was a great paddle . As I drove in and then launched I noticed nothing of the old King's Park Mental Hospital in the grounds of the Nissequogue State Park . Coming back the enormous main building and many other buildings loomed ominously in the deserted surrounds.


The broad waters of the river mouth into Long Island Sound were a little hard work , but once on the river heading upstream the paddling was easy.

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Sun baking turtle





Some of the many large abandoned and decaying buildings on the grounds of the old King's Park Mental Institution.

Eerie deserted boulevard
Main building