Delaware River
Sparrowbush, NY to Milford, PA
by Herta Dusebout

Sunday, August 30, 2009
Trip Coordinator: John Franzetti
Trip Participants: Cheryl Lewandowski, Mauricio Calvert, Debbie Frikkers, Jim McLoon, Ted Wright, Dave Schreier, Lori Yost, Frank Kubitsky, and Herta Dusebout

We met at 9:30 at the Milford Beach access area and proceeded with all but 2 cars to the put in at Sparrowbush, NY.

Having traveled many times through the Hawk's Nest area on RT 97, a few miles north of Port Jervis, I'm familiar with the beautiful views of the Delaware gorge 100 feet below. This is the first time I have been on the Delaware River this far north, and the view at the put in was spectacular. We got on the water at 10:45. There were 9 kayaks and one lone canoe belonging to John.

Blue skies, puffy white clouds, and low humidity made for perfect weather. We soon encountered the first of 6 sets of riffles/rapids. The first section had the biggest waves and it was a lot of fun to paddle through them. The moving current made fast time of our trip and we stopped at noon on a sandy beach for lunch. We were just short of the bridge for the RT 84 overpass. As we exited our boats, a Bald Eagle flew overhead. What a sight! After lunch we continued on our way through more rapids and some Blue Heron sightings. We reached the take out about 3pm. It was a very enjoyable trip for all of us. After the shuttle to retrieve the cars left at Sparrowbush, 7 of us decided on having some refreshments and an early dinner. We took a chance on a place on RT206 in Sandyston, NJ, called Nick's 206 Bar and Grill. The place looked almost deserted, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of the food. It definitely deserves a return visit on a future trip.

Thank you John, for a memorable day!

Herta