Kayaking Sturgeon Pool

Posted on by Brownski

Sturgeon Pool is another paddling spot that has been on my list for a long time. It is a relatively wide section of the Wallkill River, just above its confluence with Rondout Creek, where the northward flowing water is imprisoned behind a hydro electric dam.

Route 213 in Rifton NY

I’ve paddled the Rondout multiple times, both in the Kingston area up to Creek Locks (a dam built as part of the D&H canal) and above downstream from where the Wallkill empties into it. I’ve also canoed the Wallkill itself upstream of Sturgeon Pool in Walden, NY.

On Friday morning I had business to attend to in Albany so I decided to carve out a couple hours for exploration on my way home and fill in a gap in my upstate paddling resume.

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Tagged: Hudson Valley, Paddling10 Comments

Kayaking in Rye NY

Posted on by Brownski

I’ve had my eye on the Long Island Sound as a paddling destination for a while. I’ve worked in a Westchester County for years and have customers all along the Sound. Driving around the area, I constantly pass by bits of water in New Rochelle or Mamaroneck, that make me say “That looks like it would be fun to paddle. I wonder where I could put in.”

Rye Town Dock

That is always the question. Along the Hudson, there are many spots where I can launch my kayak for free and the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail website makes finding them easy. My resource for finding launch spots outside my home zone is paddling.com. It’s useful, but not nearly as good as the site for the Greenway. Many of paddling.com’s entries lack detail.

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Tagged: Paddling14 Comments

Season Pass Math Fail

Posted on by Harvey
Maple Ski Ridge

I started cross country skiing at age 30. By the time I was 40, I was fully hooked on snow sliding. I was jonesin’ to ski by Thanksgiving, and often there was no snow in the woods.  I started to ski at Gore.

I didn’t have fixed-heeled gear. I took my 210s and leather boots over to the mountain, bought a ticket at the window, and skied.  For several years, Sunway, Gore’s classic green trail, was all I could handle.

I’d do twenty laps, which was a lot of turns, for an advanced beginner on skinny skis.   I was having a blast and never really thought too much about the price of the ticket.

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Tagged: Ski Life33 Comments