Date: 2004-07-25
From: Delaware Water Gap

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

   My brain is still drifting down the Delaware River...ahhh. My goal is to with Gaia and K-less for K-less birthday in 2 nights. Sunshine and I had a genius idea. Lets do nothing today and then hike 42 miles over the next 2 days. While we may soon regret this choice, it allowed us to chill with Gordy again, to go to church, and to relax...what a relaxing day it was.    I awoke at 9:30 am to hear pastor Karen inviting us to join her for the service. Sherriff went up to the service and I said that I would be up soon. I asked if anyone else was going and to my surprise A-dog, Sunshine, and Gordy joined me. Both A-Dog and Gordy said that they have basically never been to church and Sunshine had not been in 13 years (he's 25 now). We walked in and I started to walk to the front out of habit...thaen I looked back to see that my 3 friends had settled in the back row. I turned around and I joined them without causing to much of a commotion. It was so cool to have other hikers around me for the service.   The church service was awesome! Pastor Karen gave a great sermon about serving God and others with "heart and hands". Her sermon was all quite rooted in the word and was enjoyable. In the prayer time she even prayed for us hikers. The only awkward moment came when the collection plate was passed around and none of us really had any money on us. I don't think that hiker guests are their target anyway. After teh preaching came the highlight of the hour: the guest jazz choir was leading music. In my 3 years attending a Presbyterian church I never heard such lively music...apparently some of this churches members had not either . The final song was awesome and featured an amazing female vocalist. She was older but was so "hip". As we finally left all of us were singing "everybody praise the lord"...in jazzy unison.    We discussed what to do for the day as we walked to the "Trail's End Cafe"for coffee. Despite the restauraunt being only a quarter full we were quite rudely informed that the cafe was only open for "full brunch"...not"just coffee". We left to head for the Diner instead. When we entered we were placed at a booth for 6, even though there were only 4 of us. Our waitress was already upset by this as she greeted us withthe charming words: "Do you know what you want to eat"? She would continue to be short with us all meal. She visited us 3 times. Once for drinks, Once with food, and Once with teh check. She never checked on our food, checked for refills or even said one friendly word."NO REFILLS FOR YOU". We escaped the diner before she could eat us and then Gordy came up with what to do for the day: tubing.   We did not have swim trunks so we went to change. Even with the gifts I had received recently I did not know about spending 12 dollars just to float down a river, but then, unsolicited, Gordy said: "I just received some money..I have you" (awww!). By 2pm we recruited Mad Scientist and all 5 of us went to go tubing. I wore my smelly hiking shirt in order to help clean it in the river. I heard a minimum of at least 2 comments about our "stench" while we waited at the "Pack Shack" to leave for teh river (haha). After hearing the rules we hopped out of the van to enter the waters of the Delaware River. One by one Gordy, A-dog, Sunshine, Mad Scientist, and I submerged ourselves in the river.    I cannot imagine a more perfect way to spend 4 hours. As we began our float a mountain ridge with an exposed rock face towered to our left, birds flew high above, and lush vegetation lined the shores. Train tracks, another soaring ridge, and Interstate 80 were also all in view of the water. While I could have dealt without the interstate it was gorgeous. The sky was teeming with large cotton-like clouds, but with enough blue interspersed to allow the sun to shine down on all of us. We were all laughing as we floated away.   Over 4 hours we progressed from quiet floating, to insane yelling. We splashed each other, laughed, and paddled with our hands and feet. Early on A-dog and I talked about sports as we floated. Soon we found all 5 of our arms linked and we floated on together. We were all so happy and so amazed by the beauty. Eventually I split up and took a nap while I floated. I sang praise songs, prayed, and reflected. Slightly further up river I sang the song "The River" by Garth Brooks. "You know life is like a river, ever changing as it flows, and a dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes...ahhh. I cannot fully describe just how awesome going tubing was. I finished my float as I hit some very mild "rapids". A boy paddling his boat saw me "just in that thing" and told me I must have "big cahones"...I just laughed. When we neared the drop off point I went to the wrong shore...DOH! Fortunately a local with a power boat towed me across the current to the correct shore. As my tow ended my friends were arriving on shore as well. It was so sweet!   I finished my night by having the "Hotdog and Apple Pie Special" for $1.49 at the bakery and watching Sunshine and Gordy have yet another "Pie Contest". Using no hands they devoured a whole Chocolate Cream Pie...it was sick! When I recovered from laughing I said hi to "Tang"(aka Flava Flav), "Burnie" and Amanda (aka Gorbachev), as well as other hikers at the Pizza Place. From the point of tubing on I have been totally calm...and totlaly out of it.    I finished the night by trying to call Carla (my sister ), reading some journals to Amanda, and then curling up on the floor to read the book Pride nad Prejudice. Ive read 25 pages and I know that my mind is gone. Now that this journal is about finished I am ready to drop out. My 3 days here in Delaware Water Gap have been such a huge blessing! Tomorrow Sunshine and I will hike out. Hopefully my brain will return from floating down the Delaware River....Goodnight, Beatbox   ttt