Navigational Tabs

Thursday, October 21, 2010

20th and 21st States–Rhode Island & Connecticut (Oct. 25, 2010)

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Night before… red skies at night, sailors delight!?

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I’m not sure if it is cheating or not… but WAIT, it’s my game and I am making the rules… so, it’s NOT cheating.  I kayaked both states at the same time.

I put in in Westerly, Rhode Island and paddled back and forth from RI to CT down the waterway to the mouth of the Little Narragansett Bay.

See Map.

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Now… here was the most interesting thing about this paddle… white geese.

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However, it was over a four mile paddle to get to the mouth of the Bay and by then I was too tired to explore the more interesting areas.   Eight miles was a long paddle at that point in time.   I wish I could have found a place closer to put in, but so much of that land is private and it’s hard to get to the water or find a place to park.  It was a real struggle for me to get back to the boat ramp.  So sad.

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But I enjoyed exploring the beach areas I could get to and was looking forward to moving on and kayaking NJ, DE, MD, etc..

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The fall colors were near perfect and I never tire of old stone walls.

19th State–Massachusetts (Oct. 21, 2010)

Wow, what a pleasure.  I got to meet Kay (known as “Oldmapsne” or the gal in the red van with stars all over it).  She is a tad older than me, I’m not saying, but had no trouble at all keeping up with me in her little red kayak.  What fun.  Saw a beaver mound.  Had lunch on her deck.  And the house is a treasure trove of old maps, a genealogists paradise.

Note from Kay:

I live on ... and we kayaked on Secret Lake in Athol, Massachusetts! Such a nice day that was ... so glad you came by and made me get out on the water for the first time that year.

Kay

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Photo by Kay.

Thought some of you might enjoy our dialog that day.

Dear Kay,
 
Thank you for a lovely evening last night and for the tasty dinner... and all the laughs.  It is truly a pleasure to meet my kind of crazy person, for a change.  I'm really glad you turned my luck around.   Hope we can paddle your little lake today.  What a great place you have here.
 
Charlene

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Good morning! It's fun to have you here ... makes me think I really am part of a society (vandwellers) I didn't even know existed a year ago!
 
I hope we don't freeze our butts off!
 
Kay

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Your butt???   My butt sits in water!
 
You could wear my wet suit and I could wear my fishing wadders.
 
Charlene

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No wet suit for me ... too much work involved getting in to it! I've got a cushion, and I won't be sitting in water, just on a cold seat!
 
See you soon!

Kay

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Weather could not have been better.  I forgot the story of this boat… I’ll have to ask her again.  I think she built it herself?!

She sells old maps of the northeast online at http://www.oldmapsne.com/ .