Callicoon 2023
Where: Callicoon NY
When: 8/12-13/2023
With: Xeth & Chip
On June 11, Xeth sent out this message:
Hey, you boys have any interest in kayaking on the Upper Delaware this summer? I know it's a bit of a schlep. But there's a cushy campsite in my backyard... Beeyooteeful river...
There was general agreement, and about a month later we'd confirmed the weekend of August 12 & 13 for the gathering. Chip announced he'd be arriving a day early, in part because of the length of his drive, and Dave planned on a Friday evening arrival. I said I'd be there by mid-morning Saturday, figuring on leaving Hopkinton by 6AM. Both Chip & I mentioned early departures on Sunday, to get back for previous commitments.
Friday night I got my car all packed up - changing my mind on several items over the course of the evening - and I pulled out of the driveway at 5:50AM. It was a 240 mile ride to Xeth's, but the majority of it was highway driving, mostly on Route 84 through Connecticut. The early start meant no traffic issues, and my iPod playlist kept me occupied for the trip. I pulled into Xeth's driveway at 9:30.
A quick honk of the horn let folks know I'd arrived. Chip came out to greet me and told me that Dave would not be joining the festivities. A pipe had burst in one of Dave's properties, and he had to stay home to deal with it. Xeth came out soon afterwards. He and Rose were taking care of a friend's dog, and it wasn't really comfortable with strangers, so Xeth was keeping it calm. Rose was a bit under the weather, and other than a brief chat after I'd arrived, we didn't see much of her for the weekend.
Speaking of weather, storms were forecast for the afternoon, so we decided to head to the river right away. There was the obligatory stop at Peck's Market for sandwiches, then the drive to the put in at Long Eddy. After leaving the kayaks at the river's edge, Chip & I looked for a place to park our cars. A field next to the access road had a few cars, but it wasn't clear if it was public parking or private property, so we drove a bit further and parked next to the railroad tracks.
Back at the river, a carful of women had arrived and were getting ready to head out in float tubes. We should have asked them about parking...oh well. We packed up quickly and pushed off for our journey. I returned to shore briefly to look for something I thought I'd lost, then found it resting on top of my kayak, just in back of my seat. I secured it and joined Chip & Xeth on the water.
The next four hours were spent drifting along, paddling from time to time, navigating the occasional stretch of rough(er) water, and keeping up a couple of running conversations. The day started out overcast, but the sun came out and it was quite pleasant weather. There were even wildlife sightings of bald eagles and deer along the way. We took a break for lunch at a sandy spot along the riverbank, but otherwise just floated steadily downstream.
We arrived back in Callicoon mid-afternoon and hauled the kayaks back to Xeth's house. After a short break to clean up, Xeth drove us to Long Eddy to retrieve our cars. Back at the house, we had a bit of a jam session in the living room, then walked into town for the evening. It was too early for dinner though, so we walked around town, checking menus and entertainment offerings. We took Xeth up on an offer to check out an interesting area nearby, and headed south out of town.
Right about that time everyone's phone chimed with an alert - a tornado warning! There were dark clouds to the north, and the wind was picking up, but we decided to keep going. Xeth led us to a former campground just south of town, now owned by a land trust. We followed a path through open meadows with scattered trees, passing a handful of falling-down buildings before we took a side path to the river. We only stayed a short bit before the wind began blowing much harder and we retraced our steps back to town.
Rain began to fall as we got back to Callicoon center, though not heavily. We headed to the Callicoon Brewing Company, in the former Olympia Hotel, for dinner. Chip & Xeth had eaten there the night before, but felt a return visit was worthwhile. We had a relaxing dinner at a table out on the porch, with a view of the street scene in the center of town. A band at an adjacent restaurant provided a musical background. I took advantage of the restaurant's WiFi to send Jane some messages & photos.
It was still raining lightly when we finished, but weather radar indicated heavier rain was on the way. We went to another restaurant to get a burger for Rose, and enjoyed some excellent jazz while we waited. Unfortunately, the band took a break after finishing the song they were playing when we entered, but Chip struck up a conversation with some of the patrons at the bar while I watched a baseball game on the TV.
Burger in hand, we made our way back across the bridge to Xeth's house, arriving just as the rain began to get heavier. We settled into the living room and spent the next couple of hours playing music before calling it a night around 9:30. I'd brought a tent to set up in the yard, but Xeth offered his couch instead and I accepted.
Chip had announced earlier that his "early departure" on Sunday would in fact be at 5:30AM. He had to be at Squam Lake in NH by 11:30AM that day, and he figured it would be a 6 hour drive. Realising he'd awaken me when he got up, I said I'd head out at the same time. So we got everything packed up and ready to go, said our goodbyes to Xeth that evening, and went to sleep.
The next morning, our alarms went off at 5:20 and we pulled out of the driveway right at 5:30. Unfortunately, the dogs noted our departure and we left to a hearty round of barking. A morning fog made for an interesting atmosphere as we made our way across the bridge and onto the roads toward home. No traffic at that time, so it was relaxed, pleasant driving. I didn't have a network connection on my phone, so I had no navigation, but I'd noted the roads on the way in and found my way without any problems.
I made one stop for gas, but otherwise just listened to my iPod and drove. Around Bethel I restarted my phone, restoring my network connection and navigation. Chip passed me at one point (he'd left ahead of me, but must have stopped - gas & breakfast?). I noticed his kayak seemed loose, so I texted him and he replied later that he'd stopped again and tightened it up. An hour after leaving Xeth's I was back on Route 84, and about 2.5 hours later I was pulling in to my driveway. Just in time to join Jane & Andy for breakfast!
