Memorial day paddling down by Cape May

[Jay H]

Daxs and I spent 3 days down at her new house by Cape May paddling in and around the place...

After driving down very early saturday morning, we paddled the Tuckahoe River near the Lester MacNamara preserve out towards Great Egg Harbor and the looking power plant there. Never made it to the bay due to our meandering and exploration of the brackish marshes there.

Sunday, we launched from Stone Harbor and into Hereford Inlet, exploring the intercoastal waterway north to Avalon and the marshes there, home of ospreys, plovers, terns, gulls. Got a chance to play with windy seas and more ocean like conditions past the Ocean Drive bridge.

Monday, was a leisurely paddle/float on the Oswego River between Oswego Lake and Harrisville lake in Wharton State Forest. Very shallow, very leisurely float, but a fun peaceful place in the pineys.

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=551020550&security=qNBmGW

Jay

 

[BorealChickadee]

Yes, that's pitcher plant. Nice shots. Fall and spring migration will be a great time there for the birds.

 

[Paradox]

Last Memorial day I delivered a boat from Anapolis, VA to marblehead, MA via the Chesapeak-Delaware canal. At the time the Delaware River struck me as a very dismal place. Flat, full of deadheads (logs in the water) and other flotsom, and most notably a nuclear reactor that dominated the horizon for 20 miles in either direction. It's good that I found this trip report to let me know that goods things are there to see.

 

[Jay H]

Thanks for the ID BC... They were all over the place down there...

Paradox, The delaware river is long, of course, spilling out in the delaware bay and the ocean, the upper portions of the river is pretty nice, there is some nice flatwater up towards PA/NY border and it is common to see bald eagles. Saw one last year on a sandbar when the river was kind of low when I kayaks it around Milford, PA. When you get down to the bay, you will see lots of commercial shipping as delaware bay is a well used shipping lane. I think the nuclear reactor you mention is in Salem Creek...

Cape May is well known for the bird migration as the birds will top off in and around Lewes and then make the ~17 mile journey across the bay and stop by the cape may area. In fact, when Daxs and I took out at Hereford Inlet, we saw about 5 folks with tripods and spotting scopes out looking at the various seabirds flying around. Lots of good marsh areas and brackish areas to look at birds.

Jay

 

[daxs]

It was a great initiation for me and my kayak. I got a flat meandering river, some saltwater paddling complete with wind and chop and then some challenging paddling thru current and around obstacles and shallow water on the Oswego. Excpet for some brief showers on Saturday, the weather was perfect and for the most part, no bugs.