Meadowlands Canoeing Yet Again

Sweltering heat came to town along with the first day of summer. And yeah, it's hot. But we're really a bunch of heat-wimps here. It's not Kuwait or Egypt, just hot enough that everyone cowers in air conditioned homes and offices.

Not me (yet). I haven't turned mine on. But then, I have gone to the movies (spaghetti westerns at Film Forum) and found a lot of reasons to spend time in my office by Penn Station. So I'm tainted by A/C like everyone else, just pretending I'm tough. 

I'm glad it wasn't hot last weekend. I did my annual canoeing trip in the Meadowlands, for fifteen bucks with the NJ Meadowlands Commission. In the past, I've dragged along Roberta, Helen, Michael Kraiger, and Kraiger's kid, but this time, I asked Eric to come along because he's new to town (or rather, moved back after donkey's years out west), and he's not yet immune to my wacky suggestions like most people I know are.

"I don't own any sports clothes," he texted me a half-hour before we were meeting.

I had to laugh. How many times has Roberta gotten that same text from me, even closer to the meeting time? 

This trip wasn't at Mill Creek like my past trips have been. This time we left from Snake Hill, which is great as I have a mild obsession with Snake Hill.

I was kind of annoyed during this trip, because Eric is much stronger than I am, and I couldn't keep up. We'd go wandering off to whatever side he wasn't paddling on, and I couldn't stop it. But still, the morning was entertaining and I had an excuse to buy a new hat and see a bit of the natural world around me, the one sandwiched in-between spurs of the New Jersey Turnpike. 

Photos of this year's Meadowlands canoe trip are here.