The author and their friends went kayaking on the Musconetcong River near their home in New Jersey, which provided beautiful scenery just 20 minutes away. They were guided by Vaughn and Lee of Living Adventure Tours and saw herons, turtles, flowers, and other sights along the river. The author argues this kind of eco-tourism should be encouraged to preserve natural areas and provide jobs, rather than over-regulated.
1. A new view
Of our backyard
What we discovered only 20 minutes from
home!
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
2. A new view of our backyard
We’ve kayaked in some pretty interesting places…Florida, The
Carolinas, Virginia, Maine… So we were pretty impressed when
Vaughn and Lee of Living Adventure in NJ took us some place just
as beautiful: The Musconetcong River, just 20 minutes from our
home in Morris County, NJ.
Enjoy the pix…they don’t do it justice, but take a look. And to
those beautiful blue herons that swooped away before I could get
my camera out of the dry compartment…next time!
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
3. Yup…this is New Jersey. Off Waterloo Road near Waterloo Village.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
4. Yup: This, too, is New Jersey. Same area.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
5. Karen heads out as Vaughn (hydrating) and Lee get ready.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
6. I had a four-winged passenger for quite awhile. By the way, those are reflections of the sky
and clouds in the water next to my kayak .
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
7. Here’s Karen, in pic on the right, and me rolling on the river. That’s Lee in the blue kayak.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
8. Lots of beautiful white, yellow and purple flowers in the
water and on the land…
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
9. Turtles, sometimes five or six sunning
themselves on a downed tree or rock,
were all along the river, urging us on
our way.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
10. Karen and Lee chat quietly as we relax on the Musconetcong. Vaughn leads the way
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
11. Vaughn, Lee and Karen go under a bridge from the Trade Zone to Waterloo Road.
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
12. Our intrepid guides, Lee and Vaughn, take a salad break on the river. Thank you, guys!
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
13. I hate to bring politics into this, but…
What a wonderful, relaxing outing we had, thanks to Vaughn and Lee. As
someone who has experienced the negative impacts of the Highlands Act, I can’t
help but feel that the state should be encouraging more eco-tourism activities like
what the folks at Living Adventure in NJ offer. It, at least, gives us all a chance to
see what it is we’re trying to preserve. Managed correctly, this also could create
jobs and maybe generate some revenues for municipalities and counties that
have been financially hurt by the Highlands Act. I hear, however, that certain
people in the state government would like to see businesses like Vaughn’s vanish.
While some regulation may be in order to be sure operators know what they’re
doing and are legit, I have a message for state officials who think we shouldn’t
encourage eco-tourism: Are you nuts?
By the way, I have no financial or other interest in Living Adventure or any other
business like them…except Karen & I will be back to kayak again if the state
hasn’t regulated Vaughn and the other tour operators to death….
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
14. The End
Special thanks to
Living Adventure Tours
For a great day!
http://www.livingadventuretours.com
Kayaking on the Musconetcong River June 2012
