2010-10-31 Kayaking the Passaic River at Horseneck Rd. almost into the Great Piece Meadows

This was a 10-mile paddle downstream and then back upstream on the Passaic River from from Bloomfield Ave. following Hook Mountain Rd. and into the beginning of Great Piece Meadow.  I started out the day thinking I would be able to go from Rags’ last day of agility class to a one-way paddle down the Passaic River through the Great Piece Meadows.  The plan was set up nicely with Kathy being dropping a car off around Passaic Ave. in Fairfield and then driving me and my kayak back up to the Horseneck Rd. crossing of the Passaic River in Montville.  When we arrived in Fairfield we saw the river was very low and the take out would be a mess and a and long trek so I chickened out.  More importantly, it was getting late and cool and the days was getting shorter so I wasn’t confident I had time to do the trip safely before I ran out of light.  I have never done this entire stretch before.

I therefore went to impromptu plan B.  I took the car alone and parked in the warehouse complex off of Bloomfield Ave. and entered into the River from there.  I had done this once before but that was when the river was flooded.  Today, the river was low and I had to lower the kayak down a steep embankment to get it into the river.  It was a bit tricky but I got in without incident.

The trip was 10 miles and just under 4 hours going down and up the lazy Passaic River.  There were no places that I had to portage around but it was close at times and the water level was probably as low as it gets.  The autumn colors were still around and there are some nice photographs of the colorful trees and nice reflections off the water.  That is what I was going for.  Wildlife was restricted to a close encounter with a blue heron.  Additionally, I came upon this farm in Montville that had some shaggy horses, sheep and goats that were free to graze up to the river.  So I was able to get a good look at them also.

I finished the trip at 3:15 and had a couple of hours to spare and looking back at it all, I could have easily made the journey through the Great Piece Meadows.  The only thing that could have stopped me would have been a leak in the boat or something.  When hauling the kayak up the steep embankment at the takeout point I discovered the boat  felt very heavy.  I  discovered the back storage compartment was partially filled with water.  Apparently, I did spring a leak and that could have been an issue on a longer trek.  It looks like a pin hole in the back of the boat but I now have to look at getting that fixed or getting a new kayak for next year.  Maybe it was good I didn’t do the whole  Great Piece Meadows paddle.  It will have to wait until next year.

Access point to the river was a steep embankment

The timeline of the trip based on phot stamps is provided below:

• 11:33 – First picture on the water
• 11:37 – Go under Rt 46 bridge (789 feet)
• 11:49 – Go under Rt 80 bridge (4,526 feet)
• 12:30 – Go under Horseneck Road bridge (3 miles)
• 12:54 – Approach horses and goats
• 1:06 – Turn around at blow-down (5 miles)
• 2:03 – Back under Horseneck Rod bridge (7 miles)
• 2:54 – Back under Rt. 80 bridge (9.15 miles)
• 3:10 – Back under Rt. 46 bridge
• 3:14 – Last picture on the water (10 miles)

To view a slideshow of the photos taken on this trip or to purchase downloads ($0.99/download), prints or other items, go to my SmugMug link below.  There is some really nice foliage in these photos to look at, so check out the pictures.  You can also vote on your favorite photos so let me know what you like.
http://fidogenic.smugmug.com/Kayaking/Passaic-River/2010-10-31-Kayaking-the/14549443_vwdjH

2010-10-29 Kayaking the Passaic River at Lord Stirling

Though it hasn’t rained much in weeks, I decided to take this trip at the headwaters of the Passaic River, accessing the river at Lord Stirling Road in Basking Ridge.  I knew I would have trouble navigating this part of the river with such low water levels, but with the leaves in full color, I decided to compromise on length to take advantage of the beauty of the moment.

The foliage didn’t disappoint on this trip.  The trees were red, orange and yellow and they reflected psychedelically against the smooth and still Passaic River.  The only real thing harming the beauty of the reflections on the water were all the leaves that have fallen making their way downstream and the occasional cloud that blocked the sunlight.

As soon as I got in I realized the water level was super low because the lagoon area by Lord Stirling Bridge was just a river and not the typical lagoon.  I immediately headed upstream into the Great Swamp but that trip was very quickly interrupted by a blow-down that I decided not to portage around.  I had only gotten into the kayak 5 minutes earlier.   If it was this bad at this juncture I knew I would be just as bad further up.  In the end the trip was a very short 2.5 mile loop.

I turned around and went downstream.  First I saw a Blue Heron hanging by the bridge, he never flew away and then I went under Lord Stirling Bridge.  This was definitely the nice part of the trip as the multicolored forest lazily hung out over the river’s edge.  As the sun came in and out of the clouds the colors changed subtlety in front of my eyes.  It was like a flash back to a Grateful Dead show.  There were many blow-downs along the way but I was able to got in, under and around them.  Eventually, I turned around at one of the more challenging ones about a mile and a quarter down the river and headed home.  I probably could have gotten through it without portaging if I wanted, but enough was enough.  On the way back the sun was shining the best and I got some of the best photos of the day.  I have to be happy with the photos I got on this day.  In comparison, I did this same basic trip on October 29, 2009, exactly one year earlier so you can compare the trips.

This trips timeline is as follows:

• 12:16 – First picture on the water
• 12:26 – See Blue Heron
• 12:30 – Go under Lord Stirling Bridge
• 1:06 – Reach furthest extent down the river and turn around
• 2:05 – Last picture on the river

To view a slideshow of the photos taken on this trip or to purchase downloads ($0.99/download), prints or other items, go to my SmugMug link below.  There is some really nice foliage in these photos to look at, so check out the pictures.  You can vote on your favorite photos so let me know what you like.
http://fidogenic.smugmug.com/Kayaking/Passaic-River/2010-10-29-Kayaking-the/14485809_77Rzk

 

2010-10-23 Kayaking the Passaic River at South Orange Ave.

I had somewhere to be on this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., but the weather was slated to be good and the fall foliage is just about peaking where I live, so I really wanted to get a paddle in before needing to be home at 12:00 noon.  With this in mind I decided to hit up the Passaic River at the access point where it crosses South Orange Ave. in Livingston.  This is 20 minutes from home and I hadn’t been there since the leaves started turning.  Additionally, I knew I couldn’t go far either since it hadn’t rained significantly is weeks and the water levels all over are still low and a few trees are bound to be down blocking my access.

One thing I noticed when I put in is that the brightly colored trees of Red, Orange and Yellow that are present all over my neighborhood are a rarity instead of the norm on the river.  This isn’t to say there wasn’t some spectacular foliage out there.  Hopefully I have one or two more trips in the fall foliage before it all disappears.

I was resigned to take the trip slow, capture the light, where it presented itself, and try to focus on photography of the autumn leaves.  Subsequently, there is only a short 2-minute video segment and very little wildlife to see or comment on.  The only wildlife I did see was a deer early in the trip but he did let me get close to him.

Based on photograph timestamps, the trip is as follows:

• 8:39 – First photo on the water
• 8:54 – Photograph deer
• 9:00 – Reach furthest extent upstream I would go at a series of downed trees
• 9:15 – After paddling downstream I arrive back to the launch site.
• 9:17 – Go under South Orange Ave. bridge
• 9:50 – Reach the furthest extent downstream I would go
• 10:24  – Get back to the launch/take-out point and last picture on the water

To view a slideshow of the photos taken or to purchase downloads ($0.99/download), prints or other items go to my SmugMug link below.  There is some nice foliage just on the brink of turning.  In addition, there are some good shots of a deer aI got pretty close to.
http://fidogenic.smugmug.com/Kayaking/Passaic-River/2010-10-23-Kayaking-the/14368021_2PmDA