Down To The River In Kayaks... (Fourth Leg)

To quote Nature Girl "things are beginning to get wild!"

On the south side of Dyckman Street, one steps through a fence onto a mostly unpaved, smaller walkway than the broad paths and more manicured expanses of Inwood Park...welcome to lower Washington Heights! Tall sea grass, "bushier" bushes and more than a few weeds line both sides of the trail and there are even traces of sand underfoot. On the fence is a small, strange sign...

And, less than 200 ft. or so on the right is a break in the untamed foliage, leading to......kayaking!

It was about 10:15 a.m. so we'd been on the road for approximately 1 hour...a perfect time to take a little detour and break. NG chatted up Kevin, who runs this free (yes...free) kayaking clinic that (we believe) is sponsored by NYC parks and recreation. Wouldn't you know that, after returning from this day's stroll, I open up my "hometown newspaper" (the Sunday NY Daily News...what else) to find a small piece on the park's kayaking outposts along the Hudson River (there are four, from the Battery to where we were standing). Three Sunday morning sessions that lasts about a half-hour each...and did I say free? There is a donation box, to help with upkeep of this nifty boathouse and pier.

Kevin must have been eager for a laugh as he wanted to sign us up immediately for the next available boats. Me! Jumping willy-nilly into one of those skinny slips of a sea-worthy vessel and being thrust out into the supposedly clean Hudson River. Sorry Riverkeepers, but I haven't totally bought that the Hudson is now as pure as the day old Henry sailed up it 400 years ago this year. (Thought to ponder -- Does that make our stroll along the Hudson a "homage" to Henry? Will this "journey of discovery" find its way onto Wikipedia for future generations of intrepid explorers? I wouldn't bet my oars on it.)

As we left Kevin with a "definite maybe" to return before the boats are locked up for the season after Labor Day weekend, we marveled at this amazing discovery among the reeds and weeds. After a bit of cajoling (or brain-washing) from NG, I lost my senses completely and agreed to go back the next Sunday (which would have been today...the day I write this) to "take the plunge" into the Hudson via kayak. Inclement weather (thank you guardian angels) has forestalled what I know will be a nasty case of skin irritation (at the least) caused by some bacteria or other from the mighty Hudson that lands on my delicate arms, legs, neck, face, etc. during that half-hour (and you can bet my mouth will be staying firmly shut the whole time -- yes, I can keep it closed when necessity dictates). All Henry had to worry about were the slings and arrows of hostile natives...

There will be a special "side-blog" about the kayaking trip, now scheduled for next Sunday. Or, you may hear about us on the news next Sunday evening -- one woman cursing out the other as they drift past the Verrazano Bridge on their way out to open sea. I'll try to finish the first leg of "the walk" beforehand, as I'd hate to leave you hanging (and have a bunch of other pretty pictures to post)...