Monksville Reservoir Kayaking

Monksville Reservoir in Ringwood NJ is right in my backyard, but I’d never heard of it until the other day. Somebody saw my kayak on top of my car and struck up a conversation on paddling. When we were done discussing what we liked about our boats, we shifted to where we paddle and he said he always goes to Monksville.

Monksville Reservoir boat launch

Huh, really, where is that? I punched it into Apple Maps and realized I’d driven over it many times on my way to Mountain Creek Ski area. It looked like an cool spot so I went ahead and pencilled it into my list of stuff to do on my week off. So I looked up the stats.

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Kayaking North South Lake

I used to spend more time at North South Lake than I do now. When my kids were younger, we would go there for weekend camping trips or just to use the lake and beach for a day. It’s a great place to introduce kids to camping.

North South Lake map

In addition to swimming and hiking and canoeing at North Lake, there are all the other great things the Catskills offer in the surrounding area. Hunter Mountain is right up the road.

The trailhead to Kaaterskill Falls is right there and just a little further south is Esopus Creek where you can rent tubes and spend the afternoon floating downstream.

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Do You Remember Ski Totes?

I’ve heard it said that nostalgia is a powerful drug. I have to admit I indulge in it myself from time to time. Technology moves forward and most stuff we have today is better than it was thirty years ago. But it isn’t always more fun.

Take the Ski Tote for example. It’s just a cheap plastic clamshell device with a handle that makes it easier to carry a pair of skis and poles in one hand.

Ski Tote

When I started skiing in the 80s, you saw Ski Totes everywhere. Like glacier glasses and CB jackets, they were just there. I didn’t have one — I could barely afford skis — but the people that did were proud of them. They had a real cool-kid vibe.

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