Schuylerville Marina, Hudson River
26 (hard) miles
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| Breakfast with Mugsy in Schuylerville |
I write an unprecedented early morning blog for a number of
reasons:
- I slept under / next to yet another bridge last night, and such locations don’t encourage rolling over for another 40 winks
- A major tent malfunction has rendered my habitat into little more than a sleeve, a vinyl envelope, a kind of 70’s leisure suit that, while still effective, does not encourage malingering.
- Mexican food – even if it was the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten – does not sit lightly, or long, for me.
- I’ve got get-home-itis. When the proprietors of this wonderful – and Schuylerville Marina is wonderful – place arrive this A.M., I must pay them before I leave. It’s 5:48, the boat is packed, I’m good to go.
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| Inspecting the tent |
Kate and Rose drove over from Saratoga last night to take me
to dinner, and Three Amigos in Schuylerville is worth a row from anywhere –
great food! Rosie of course charmed our corner of the restaurant, and I didn’t
stop her.
Yesterday’s 26-mile row up the Hudson was a real slog. As
son Matt had predicted, all that water that pushed me through the Erie Canal is
now bedeviling my every stroke up the Hudson. Yesterday was one of my shortest
mileage days …. but also one of the more grueling days as well. Of course, the
boat doesn’t know upstream from downstream; it just needs to be rowed, and ya
gotta pull the oars to move it. So yesterday I tried not to look at the mach
meter or think much about speed – just efficiency, line, and Motown. That I’m a
simple man that can channel his few thoughts in tedium is perhaps, in the end,
my best suit on this row.
Adverse current aside, this stretch of the Hudson is lovely.
Yesterday’s meander past the Saratoga Battlefield, countless graceful herons,
and bucolic farms along the banks reminds me yet again of the beauty in the
backyard. Facing backwards, at 4 mph for 606 miles along some of the most
beautiful waterways in the country (and Canada) gives one the opportunity to
consider what a precious environment we have. Wow, what a tacky sentence, even
for 6:10 AM.
Rosie, Kate … thanks for the joy of your company last night …
and thanks, too, to anyone who has hit the feeder bar at Boys’ Latin? This
whole thing is masquerading as a fundraiser, but the truth is the funds make a
great experience accessible to kids who would otherwise have to take another
path … so, please, participate?
So on that mercenary note, I’m gonna pack up and hit the
trail – Lock 5 opens at 7, and I want to be knockin’ at the door when the Canal
Crew arrives.
Today’s Thursday … I’m hoping to be on Lake George by Saturday
afternoon. Maybe I make it all the way, maybe I’ll have to do a final overnight
on a favorite island on my ancestral waters … but the end is in sight!
Big ups,
Peace, love, and
happiness
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| More equipment damage - but Al's temporary repair to his guide boat seems to be holding |
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