Today's Paddle

Sig, this page on the Friends of the Kayaderosseras website should give you all the info you need.

We got eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday so I finally got out on the water this morning. Piermont Marsh is one of my go-to spots locally. I got out on the water around 9. A trio of older guys was already on their way back in as I launched from the locals spot on Sparkill creek. One of them told me the wind out on the river was atrocious.




It was a nice sunny day. I was looking forward to the wind because it was kind of hot in the marsh. I paddled out past the pier and into the Hudson proper and headed north towards the Tappan Zee. The guy wasn't lying. It was windy as hell , blowing a little bit south of south-east, and super choppy. I turned it around and paddled straight south for a bit. I was shielded from the wind for a while until I got down towards Tallman State Park where I came back toward shore. It was the kind of day that makes you glad you have a rudder. The current and tides are trying to push you one way and the wind wants you to go some place else.



I explored the marsh a little bit, bumped into the normal assortment of birds and a deer. I got to witness a komorant gulp down a decent sized fish but I couldn't get a picture of him. I was glad to see there wasn't any litter to speak of, just the same old abandoned boats that have been rusting away here as long as I can remember.






As I got back to my launch site, I decided I wasn't quite done so I paddled up Sparkill creek as far as I could go. I always get a kick out of bringing my seventeen footer up the narrow little stream. Overall it was a nice pleasant first day.





I remembered not to tire myself out too much so I was even able to get my boat back on top of my car without assistance; always a plus.

good stuff, really nice place ^^^

Nice TR.  I love checking out where everyone's been on the map.. Thanks for sharing your paddle Brownski!

Should have included that there actually is a place to rent canoes, kayaks or rowboats down there.
http://paradisecanoeandkayak.com/Index.htm

Also some great restaurants in sparkill..

JasonWx wrote

Also some great restaurants in sparkill..

And piermont!

It's that time of year when all my fun seems to come in in two hour increments. Today I squeezed in a solo paddle from another of my local Hudson River go-to spots, Nyack Beach. It's a state park so they charge you to park but they accept the Empire Pass if you have it. The nice thing about paddling here is that if you head north from the parking lot, there's nothing but the bike path, trees and cliffs along the shore. You can forget that you're right outside of New York.




No climbing allowed here, which is outrageous in my opinion.





The bike path cuts up into the trees after a while. Just after that, the river hooks west a bit; at this point, you feel like you could be in a much more remote place then you actually are, as long as you don't look over your shoulder at all the motor boats and jet skis out on the river.





It was a hot, sunny day. The water was calm, completely manageable. I saw the normal collection of birds - Herons, Komorants, the usual annoying Canada Geese. I got a nice surprise when a Bald Eagle took off from the trees right in front of me; of course I couldn't get my IPhone out in time for a pic. On the way back, I was a couple of hundred yards out from the shore when I noticed a power boat on a reciprocal heading, way out maybe a half mile away. I angled away but this guy seemed to be moving towards shore himself. I kept trying to point away from him but it didn't seem to be working. At four or five hundred yards, I stopped and put my paddle up in the air. He veered off and as he went by I was surprised to see a scowl on his face. He actually shouted something and shook his fist at me. Whatever.

My PSA for the day. Beware fish from the Tappan Zee!

did you... get any crabs?

All this love for Nyack..I have worked there for the last 17yrs...
Great boating and now great mountain biking in Blauvelt..

http://www.palisadesmtb.org/

Ha ha. No but there's always hope for next time.  Can you imagine eating shellfish from there, even now? And I do paddle past a couple milk jug buoies once in a while, which I always assumed were crab pots.

Nyack is pretty cool, lots of stuff to do. Are you a climber Jason? What do you think of the cliffs up north of Nyack beach? I m not much of a climber but it always struck me as unfair that they're off limits.

Brownski wrote

Nyack is pretty cool, lots of stuff to do. Are you a climber Jason? What do you think of the cliffs up north of Nyack beach? I m not much of a climber but it always struck me as unfair that they're off limits.

I am a climber. I am very familiar with those cliffs.  There is fun short hike from 9w that goes to the top..Take the kids they will enjoy it.

As for climbing, besides being off limits, the rock is of poor quality. It basically crumbles under any stress..

I think I would naturally do that, sign or no.

Don't paddle with this lady:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/21/nyregion/woman-charged-in-kayak-death-admitted-keeping-paddle-from-fiance-officer-testifies.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

So there's a good reason at least. I see the no-climbing signs and it makes me want to go get my gear. I guess I need to dial back the contrarianism some times.

JasonWx wrote

All this love for Nyack..I have worked there for the last 17yrs...
Great boating and now great mountain biking in Blauvelt..

http://www.palisadesmtb.org/

Where?  It seems from that site that they are trying to bring Mt biking into Blauvelt and some other area parks, but haven't as of yet?  Or am I reading this at the same time as I am trying to work and not getting the full picture?

Marc,
Here's the scoop.15 yrs ago Blauvelt use to have a decent trail network, but it was neglected and some home owners bitched about the riders.. It seems like MTBing is now permitted and they built out the trails and did a lot of maintenance. I rode there last Saturday. I couldn't be happier, and it's only 15 mins or so from my house.

Now they are currently building a huge trail system in Sterling Forest. That should be ready to go in couple of months.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/orangetown/2016/06/14/mountain-bike-blauvelt-park-trail/85660776/

If you want to ride Blauvelt shoot me a email..

Holy hijack guys..  Howzabout you take this chitchat over to the bikethread... Who do you think you are....next thing you know some Canuckistanian will be posting gushy Lovey dovey reviews of Voile Charger BC's..