Canal Kayaking

Keeping an ever watchful eye on the weather (ridiculous humidity or thunderstorms just wouldn't do) I've been counting down until Friday. I had the day off, and I had plans.

 Waking up this morning, everything aligned perfectly.   Sunny and bright, but not humid.  It was under 30 degrees Celsius by noon!  No thunderclouds loomed.  Perfect weather for paddling down the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

 The Canal was built in 1830 by hand (many, many hands I'm sure) to connect the Delaware and Raritan rivers.  This provided a freight route between New York and Philly.   The tow paths on either side of the canal that allowed mules to pull the cargo ships are still intact.

Now this industrial route has been transformed into a really beautiful park that stretches over 36 miles.  You can paddle down the canal, or jog or bike along either of the two tow paths.  My friend Marissa and I leisurely kayaked downstream for a few hours, stopping only for a re-apply of sunscreen and a refreshing beverage.

It never feels like summer until I've had a Shandy.

All along the shore there were wee little frogs, the odd fish, Painted Turtles, and Canadian(!) Geese.   There were other people kayaking, canoeing, running, and cycling. At one point the canal starts going alongside Carnegie lake, where the Princeton crew teams practice and race.  There was a practice going on as we passed by.  The sounds of their oars was muchmore impressive than the splish-splash of our paddles.

It was a really super way to spend a Friday afternoon.

My favourite little walk through town

Today, it is sunny and hot.  Really sunny and really hot. 89 degrees Fahrenheit or about 32 degrees Celsius.  This is not weather I thrive in, and I know this is just the beginning. In a few weeks I'll have adjusted - but for now, I'm going to think back to a simpler time - a time where to battle the cold you just put on another layer of wool...

A few weeks ago (I can't believe it was only a few weeks ago!), when there was still a little bit of snow on the ground, I took a few pictures of my favourite little walk through town as I walked from job #1 to job #2.  It goes right through the heart of an area called Palmer Square, and which I like to think of as Diagon Alley.  Even if it isn't the most direct route, I'll go this anyway way anyway because I like the way it looks.  It goes by a chocolate shoppe, a pub that Einstein used to frequent, a small park, an ancient post office, the best toy store I have ever been to, a fortune teller, and two other pubs.  That makes the 3 out of 4 pubs in town within spitting distances of each other.

Let me take you on the walk with me.

Brick tunnel into the square.

Ancient US Post Office

Another tunnel!

One of the pubs.  After your pint, you can go across the path to get your fortune told.

This brief little jaunt through town almost always puts a smile on my face, not matter what the temperature.  I think it's time for one of those walks now.