[Bill Menke’s Journal for August 7, 2010; Peekskill Celebration]. Lee Reiser of the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club organized this kayaking trip. We met at the Annsville Creek Paddesport Center, along Route 9 just north of Peekskill NY. I came via the Bear Mountain Bridge, for the day was beautifully clear and I wanted to enjoy the view. I stopped for a few minutes at the Route 9 overlook on the hill called Anthony’s Nose. It affords a splendid view of the Hudson River and its western shore, including Dunderburg and Bear Mountains and Iona Island. We took a long time getting organized, but by noon had about fifteen kayaks in water. I used Lahar, my West Side Boat Shop Extra Fast Tourer - a sleek kevlar boat. It was a poor choice, for it is much too fast for a relaxed group paddle, especially for a racer like me who would be too fast even a whale of a rec boat. Unfortunately, my plastic kayak, Hraun, was up at the ACA Camp at Lake Sebago and I didn’t have time to retrieve it. Surprisingly, given my all-day efforts as safety/camera boat at the Sebago Youth Regatta two days before, I felt extremely energetic. So I put Lahar to good use, and sprinted about quite a bit. I found the sensation of the boat cutting through the water very pleasant.

We paddled out under the railway bridge, which is quite low, and into the Hudson River, where we headed north. Dunderburg Mountain was right across from us and Haverstraw Bay was to the south. The twin containment domes of Indian Point nuclear reactors Numbers Two and Three towered over the eastern shore. The current was fairly strongly against us, which caused the less athletic paddlers some problem. We hand-railed the shore where it was less strong. We paddled north until we were even with the southern tip of Iona Island, and then dashed across the river to it. Boat traffic, including both large motor yachts and tug-propelled barges, was heavy, so we had to be careful. These craft generated fairly strong wakes, which disturbed the otherwise calm surface of the river. The wakes were not a big problem for us kayakers, except that I had to be careful not to let them splash my camera when I had it out of my dry bag. We continued north, and were now in a spectacularly beautiful section of the river, edged by steep but rounded and wooded hills on both sides – Bear Mountain in the west and Anthony’s Nose in the east. The two are connected by the graceful Bear Mountain Bridge. We rested in a cove near Bear Mountain Pier, and then continued north.

We paddled into Popolopen Creek, squeezing under the low railway bridge just as a train passed. The creek is in a narrow gorge spanned by two bridges, a lower suspension bridge and a higher deck arch bridge. Both are quite picturesque. We stopped at the end of the navigable part of the creek for lunch. The area is quite pretty, with wildflowers and a waterfall, but has too much poison ivy! However, our rest was interrupted by a voice from above, which claimed (whether correctly or not I don’t know) that we were not permitted in the area. We could not understand the words so well, but could make out both the gist and angry tone, so I was unclear as to whether we were being addressed by a ranger or passer-by. I suspect the later, for the tone was angrier and less authoritative than I would expect from an official. In any case, now wanting to make a scene, we packed up and left.

We then paddled southward, retracing our route, more or less, but continuing on past Annesville Creek to Riverfront Green Park, where the Peekskill Celebration was in progress. This festival featured live music and plenty of food vendors. We bought dinner – me, a gyro – and sat around talking, enjoying the sun and the music. The day slowly waned. Lee Reiser conducted rescue training just off the beach, but I just sat around. The sunset was beautiful. At twilight, we put our kayaks, now equipped with running lights, out on the water. After being instructed by a police boat about a safe distance, we withdrew a few hundred meters to the south to watch the fireworks. They were really spectacular! We were close enough that they covered a large portion of the sky. We could see the fireworks themselves and also the smoke trails that they left in the sky, which formed an interesting web-work. The display included sky painting – hearts, spirals, cubes and smiley faces – something that I had heard about but never seen. The many explosions really made the deck of Lahar vibrate. It was the most impressive firework display that I’ve ever seen. After the fireworks ended, we paddled back to the Annesville creek, crossing the dark but calm surface of the Hudson River, guided by the pattern of lights along its shores. The tide was high, leaving just a couple of feet of clearance under the railway bridge. I had to crouch down on my way through. Annesville Creek was very dark, too. We found the launch mainly by heading for the point with the least amount of lights from highway traffic. About ten and a half hours. My 45^th day of kayaking of the year.