The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Leni Santoro

Liz and I got up early and were back in Milford, PA. by 10 a.m. Folks were sitting having their coffee outside of Jorgenson’s Deli, while Liz went inside I stopped to take a photograph of a white motorcycle pulling a white “carriage” which was parked across the street.

The motor cycle and carriage were custom built by D&D Custom Cycles and are available for rental. As a matter of fact, the carriage is booked for a wedding on September 6, the same day as the Light Up the Delaware River Party.

Many of the places we tried to go to in Milford were closed, either we were too early, or it was because it was Sunday. However, we were able to leave flyers at Jorgenson’s Deli and taped the information to the doors of several other businesses.

Both of us realized we hadn’t eaten anything yet and so we stopped at the Milford Diner –  to hang talk to people, hang the flyer-invitation and to eat.

Feeling refreshed, we headed out of Milford due south on Route 209 to Bushkill. First let me say, if you have never traveled on route 209 south from Milford to Bushkill you don’t know what you are missing. The road is incredibly scenic and runs close by the Delaware River for most of its 25 miles. There are also several places to shop, bicycle or re-fresh yourself either beside the river, or as we did beside Dingman’s Falls. There is also a National Park Service information building at Dingman’s Falls. We were able to leave a stack of flyer-invites and talk to the people there.

From Dingman’s Ferry we continued our travels down 209. It wasn’t long before we started pulling off 209 and stopping at campgrounds and camp stores. This was our last day out on the River Road trek and we planned to make the most of.

As we traveled from place to place along the river, we started a list of places that were “must stop.” Campgrounds, parks, laudromats, grocery stores, delis – basically anywhere two or more were gathered. Sunday was definitely more stop that go.

The nice thing about parks and recreation areas is that they have bulletin boards. The not so nice part is that the bulletin boards are usually locked, perhaps they are reserved for official campground or park information. Fortunately for us, we had plenty of thumbtacks and tape.

Providence was still guiding our steps on Sunday, for we found a wonderful family picnicking at one of the parks where we stopped. The mother turned out to be a molecular biologist who promised she would tell others about the Light Up the Delaware River Party and took many flyer-invites which she will pass around and post at her place of employment.

Last stop along 209 was at the Bushkill rest area and boat launch. Here Liz passed out flyers to folks near the boat launch while I ran to catch a canoe rental van. Perhaps, I said to the driver, our event might be something that owner might consider as worthy of his time and effort. I suggested that perhaps the owner might want to organize canoe trips an that day around a light up the Delaware theme.

After we left Buskill on Route 209 it was time once again to head back north to Milford, PA.  Though, we did make one last stop at the Eddy Farm where we left flyer-invites, before getting on Route 97.

By the time we left the Eddy Farm it was already early afternoon and we had planned to get to Hancock, via route 97, by five or six. It was looking more like seven or eight at the rate we were going.

Still, inviting people along the riverbank (via route 97) was important, and from Milford, PA to Barryville, NY as we drove along Route 97, it seemed that every time we got back in the car it was time to stop and hand out the flyer-invite.

And stop we did, at just about every canoe rental/docking place, a tavern or two and a great ice-cream shop, Dips-N-Dogs, that just opened this spring. The owner/operator, Erika King and two of her children, came outside to take a photo in front of their store.

No major getting lost on Sunday, though we did have to turn back once because Leni dropped her glasses at Kittaniny’s main location. Fortunately Liz had good eyesight and found them almost immediately upon our return there.

It was decided that we would by-pass towns and villages that we normally frequented such as Narrowsburg and Callicoon. There were two reasons for this, one was that we would most likely be in touch with with those communities upon our arrival home and the urgent need to press on to Hancock, where we hoped to meet someone from the Hancock Herald.

Finally we made it to Barryville. The visitor’s center was closed, but Liz left the invite at their door. She then headed over to the ice-cream shop and spoke to the lady behind the counter there.

From Barryville we continued up route 97 to Hancock.

We were much later in getting to Hancock, NY that we had originally planned. One of the first things we did was to contact the Hancock Herald. Needless to say cell-phone service along the Delaware River corridor was sketchy at best.

The editor of the Hancock Herald expressed her regrets and explained that she would be unable to meet with us after all due to being on another assignment at the time. However, she suggested that we take a photo and send it to her in the morning, both of which we did. Having arrived in Hancock at the dinner hour it was difficult to find someone to take our photo in front of the building. Liz left the flyer-invite and a note at the door of the Hancock Herald, then took a photo of me in front of the building.

And so ends the three day river road trip of the two grannies. We hope you have enjoyed reading about our trip.

Our thanks go to all those who took our flyer-invite and especially to those who took more than one in order to share the message with others in their communities.

A very special thank you also, to all of you who will be partying on Labor Day Weekend Sunday and will, at 7 p.m. take a glass of water and pour it into the Delaware and will then, at 7:30 p.m. light a candle in solidarity with people all along the river who will be doing the same thing in a show of support for the river and for tight environmental oversight and control over the gas drilling and hydro-fracturing process.

If you are having a party and/or will take part in lighting up the Delaware River from Philadelphia, PA to Hancock, NY we ask that you take a photo and send it to either Liz Bucar at ljbucar@earthlink.net or Leni Santoro at Catskill.Chronicle@yahoo.com . We want to include as many photos of people poring a cup of water, lighting a candle or just celebrating along the river as possible on a map of the Delaware, which we plan to bring to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC).

The commission has scheduled a public hearing on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to take testimony on its proposed revisions to the draft docket for the application by Chesapeake Appalachia, LLC. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. at PPL’s Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center in Hawley, Pa.