Sunset Paddle on the Hudson

Last night we went up to Cornwall to join a local outfitter, Storm King Adventure Tours,  for a sunset paddle.  We left Cornwall and paddled north.  The tide was very low exposing fallen trees.  The water was so shallow that 100 yards from shore we had to get out of our kayaks and pull them into deeper water.  Sand bars were exposed.  

It rained lightly part of time which was nice.  We then went under a trestle and up Moomba Creek where a beautiful marshland opened up before us.  The water was like glass.  There were kingfishers and swallows darting about.  Marshflowers bloomed yellow and purple.  









Daniel played around with the solar app on his Android with some interesting effects.  The sky was not this scary thank goodness.

It was more like this as the sun set and we headed back to the Cornwall marina.  









 This was my first time out in my new kayak and it was perfect.

Where the Hudson reaches a critical mass.

After the Lake Tear in the Clouds and various creeks, the water of the Hudson River forms this, the Hudson River Gorge.  Hudson River Gorgeous is more like it.

Ice Meadow on the Hudson River near Warrensburg

This past weekend we had the chance to visit the ice meadows along the Hudson.  They are so named because in the winter the rock ledges accumulate great depths of ice, especially frazil, a slushy type of ice.  This creates a unique eco-system and a home for many rare or unusual plant species.  It's a beautiful site and thankfully is protected. 

This purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) isn't rare,
but so beautiful. 

This smooth carrion flower (Smilax herbacea) doesn't smell quite so bad as its name suggests...still, it's pretty bad.

And this anemone (Anemone sp.) is simple but sweet.  There are several closely related species in the northeast.  We won't know which one till the specimen can be checked in the herbarium (prob. sometime in November).

Daniel and local naturalist Evelyn Greene search for the dwarf sand cherry (Prunus pumila) which is so fussy it only grows in ice meadows.  Evelyn is very knowledgeable about the ice meadow and about frazil ice.  She shared this link to a video about frazil ice in Yosemite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9V9p4mFEYXc&vq=medium#t