Hudson River Paddle Part 7 - Day 2 On the River: Bronck Island to N. Tivoli Bay

Another long day, this time about 27 miles. Here's my 8/12 journal entry, with pictures thrown in. Italics indicate tonight's notes on the day: 

A mixed day today - woke up to a glorious sunrise (yay!) then fell back to sleep and got on the river late again. OK, 8 am is less late than 10 (my Waterford start time) but it was so calm at 6 and by 8 I found myself fighting a nasty headwind. 

Still had moments, though! The first couple of hours were like, effing wind, effing wind, effing wind --

oooh eagle!

effing wind, effing wind, effing wind, (e.w. for short from here on)

oooh flowers!

e.w., e.w., e.w.,

 oooh, Amara Zee circus barge! This one started out a bit farther away as "What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks kind of boat is THAT?" but I figured it out as I got closer.

e.w., e.w., e.w.,

oooh lighthouse! (Athens-Hudson Light)

 Amazing numbers of eagles up here! Also great blue herons flying off with their cranky "Grack, graaack" every twenty yards of something like that.

I was getting a little depressed with the wind and I was afraid it was going to be another sunset arrival at my Tivoli area campground (I had been planning on Turkey Point but a friend in the Tivoli area told me about a better spot that I could use if I asked permission and camped with care), but I cheered up when the wind died down and even more when I checked my location and realized that I'd moved over into the day's last chart earlier than I'd expected to (day 1 I'd been a bit obsessive about tracking my location on the chart, day 2 I was trying to loosen up on that).

The nicest moment of the day may have been when I was waiting for a tug to pass before crossing to check out the Saugerties lighthouse (2nd lighthouse of the day, woohoo!).  

They were a ways off, so I was just sitting by the nun across the way waiting, watching the clouds go by and listening to the birds. I'd been in this weird rush mode earlier in the day with the late start and that lousy headwind; when I stopped to wait, my destination was in sight, and I knew I'd be there in plenty of time. It felt good to just stop and enjoy drifting there for a moment.

 Saugerties Lighthouse. This one's actually a B&B, and I did briefly toy with the idea of splurging on a night here. That would have been really neat, but I checked their website and it turns out to be expensive (not surprising of course) and then they had a two-night minimum stay. I wasn't on anybody's schedule but my own, but that wasn't on my schedule. 

Excellent paddling weather, aside from the morning wind -- cool, with a few light showers. 

Arrived in plenty of time to pick a nice spot, set up camp, make a few phone calls to friends about meeting up on Wednesday evening (plus one to TQ just to say hi). Watched the barges go by for a little while, then fixed myself a delicious dinner of pasta with sauteed squash, sopressata, onions and 2 cheeses (parmesan and smoked gouda). Thoughts of saving some for the breakfast eggs went out the window with the first bite.

the bravest heron of the day, most flapped off the minute they saw me (which was always a minute before I saw them).

Bedtime now. Tomorrow's destination: Norrie Point. I'll be camping on Esopus Island, I hope to set up there and then head over to the Norrie Point Marina, charge things, get a shower and one way or another meet up with Ralph and Donna and Susan. Short paddle, and I'm ready for one of those!