Excuse Us, But We’re Rafting Down the Delaware!
Guess who? Never in a rush to leave the starting point at Pond Eddy, Lumberland, NY.
It’s the annual “rafting trip” with my retired educator cronies. We start at the boat rental called Indian Head Canoes & Rafts, Barryville, New York, in two rubber rafts tied together! We head down nine miles of beautiful and scenic New York State waters of the Delaware River. Beer is a must to wash down every form of pork and pepperoni known to man and clogged arteries as well! The bonding thing among old friends is what it’s all about!
Comments: Besides, “Is this good for one’s health?”
Excuse Us for Living 
I guess a recipe using fresh water clams would be too much to ask 🙂
By: John on June 1, 2012
at 1:06 pm
John, Now there’s a thought!!!! You’re ahead of me on that one! Never occurred to me! I’ll check this weekend. Usually all we see is large shad, eel traps (!), maybe an EAGLE, & plenty of hawks to spook us! Thanks for the laugh! Phil
By: philipfontana on June 1, 2012
at 1:25 pm
I did the American River Rapids in Sacramento level 4 a few years back what a mistake your rafting looks alot calmer and more fun-
By: Robert La Bianca on June 1, 2012
at 1:59 pm
Bob, Wow, that’s daring! People don’t realize what dangers these activities are. This trip is just right! That photo in Pond Eddy is like a lake for starters & drinking & eating, not that we don’t do the same along the way. Then the natural current takes us into the rapids, some whitewater, a few water falls if the water is not too high, & then the rocks! Always the rocks to be careful of, bouncing off or getting stuck on! But those damn rafts are tough! So we row as necessary & drink & eat our way the nine miles back to base camp. We leave tomorrow, Saturday, 7AM. Thanks as always. Phil
By: philipfontana on June 1, 2012
at 2:08 pm
As you may remember, we lived close to the Delaware for 35 years. We put our truck-tire pool tubes in the river and floated down from Lambertville Wing Dam to Ewing where we’d left one of our cars. A non-person tube held the lashed-on cooler with our drinks (always important to keep hydrated). Sometimes we used the canoe to accompany the floats. It was always a lazy day. If you come up here to Maine, we have a raft that we can pull behind our boat. The water in the Kennebec is often 10-15 degrees warmer than the Gulf of Maine, depending on the way the tide is flowing. C’mon up and try it out! Then we can chug off around a couple of islands to our favorite lobstah dock. Summer’s are great!
By: Livy Glaubitz on June 1, 2012
at 3:15 pm
Liv, Yes, one of the Windsors, East or West. Your truck-tire tube routine sounds great with floating cooler or canoe! Boat pulling the raft to a lobster dock sounds like fun! Thanks for the invites! Time seems to be the enemy for us all. We need how many lives? Our problem is the American workplace which steals our lives away while we should have been living more along the way before retirement. Oh, to get to do all the things we want to get to! Phil
By: philipfontana on June 1, 2012
at 3:33 pm
well all i am going to say is “have fun!” (i know you are!)
By: margaret on June 1, 2012
at 9:31 pm
Thanks, Margaret! Up at 4:00AM tomorrow, Saturday, & off “to the river”! Phil
By: philipfontana on June 1, 2012
at 9:44 pm
Oh, Happy Days! Phil, it brings me back to my youth. Our get a ways from the social stresses in little old Winfield. That’s right. Back in the early 1960’s we would have make shift yachts. Tied a couple of railroad ties tied together and would pole and coast around the town. We would pack with Ring Dings, and boiled eggs and Pepsi.A couple of milk crates for deluxe seating. e What and escape. Hours of enjoyment. Singing and eating and catching frogs and yes, a little fishing for the Carp. What a delicacy. Almost 50 years ago. Enjoy and be careful my friend.
By: john pacheco on June 1, 2012
at 10:54 pm
John, Sounds like a Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer adventure! There must have been nothing better for young adventurous boys! It’s the bonding thing again! Weather may be an issue this year, but we have had years like this & the weather cleared up. We shall see! Thanks, to the Pacheeck as always! Phil
By: philipfontana on June 2, 2012
at 4:39 am
Hi Phil, Hope the weather held up in Barryville,NY. Mass on June 2 is getting a good old Spring, NorEaster. Today: A chance of drizzle between 11am and 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. West wind between 5 and 9 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47. West wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.
Sunday: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. West wind between 6 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. West wind between 3 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Hope the forcast was correct for the first part. Be careful, Peace, Pacheek.
By: john pacheco on June 2, 2012
at 7:31 am
Pacheeck! Bad weather went through here overnight coming up from the south. Sounds like it’s coming to you from what you say! We had great weather on the River! Just got back! Phil
By: philipfontana on June 2, 2012
at 8:40 pm
I used to go rafting down the Guadalupe River in Central Texas, Austin to New Braunfels, 1968-1993. After all that experience, when I moved to San Diego in 1993, some friends wanted me to go rafting with them down the American River near Sacramento. Ha! After that experience I realized that there is a big difference between coasting down a calm river on an inner tube while drinking beer and actual rafting!
By: Russel Ray Photos on March 31, 2014
at 11:08 am
Russel, Absolutely right!!! Sounds like you’ve had some great experiences rafting. We do the Delaware River up in New York State back down to New Jersey. There is a mixed bag of calm waters & drifting to a little white water action & small water falls…..so we have time to “Eat & Beer” & have some fun! –every June for decades!!! Phil
By: philipfontana on March 31, 2014
at 12:03 pm