Date: 2007-08-01
From: Prospect Rock, NY

To: Lake Lodging Greenwood Lake, NY
Miles today: 9.0

Woke up around 9am with a nice cool breeze on Prospect rock. While eating my breakfeast a group of 5 section hikers came by and marvelled at my tent location as they did the morning before. I could look right down onto Greenwood Lake and watch the boats. I decided that I was going to go down into Greenwood Lake, NY and find me a beach. It was just too hot and the lake too tempting to not do so. I forgot to mention that I saw a 5 foot(+) rattlesnake, yesterday, right in the middle of the trail. I just stopped and took pictures and let her move on off the trail. I did not want to pass in front of the viper. It had 17 rattles. That is the most that I have seen on a Rattlesnake. "Shadow" told me that he saw one with 21 rattles. I did not believe him, I do now. I went down to hwy 17A and tried to hitch, but walked the 2 miles into town to get there. The ride possiblities did not look good. It was good that I quit hitching before the town line because there was an undercover policeman right there and hitching is illegal in NY. I did talk to him and asked about lodging; and said, "thanks buddy" as I left. I thought to myself, "what are you doing calling a policeman, 'buddy'". I usually just say, "Yes sir, and no sir". I went into a bagel shop and asked the owner to make me a unigue New York bagel. He made me a cream cheese lox everything bagel with a slice of onion. I loved it. He told me of a cheap hotel called lake lodging that Ingrid runs. He said tell her that you are a thru hiker and she will take 45 dollars off of the room price. I went down to the hotel and it was true. It was not "The Shang-ra-lah"; but it had cable, a nice bed, and a hot shower. I quickly walked about a mile down to the public beach. As I was paying to enter, the girl asked if I was a local. I said that I was not. She said, "your not from Orange County?" I turned up my southern accent some and said no, "I am from Dallas, Texas." She said in that case, I could just pay like I was a local. I told her thanks and went down to the beach area which was kind of gross with all of the "goose butter" on the ground. I found a concrete barrier to lay on that was clean and got my first real sun of the year. As I layed there. I thought about how I was the only single person of my age. Most of the single women were too young and all the others had "rocks" on there left ring fingers. So, I just tried to keep my eyes closed and swim some and jump off of the dock some. I did see one dad with his 2 sons that were going to fish. It was the cutest thing ever when they went over to the side to fish and 10 2-10 year old boys followed them and watched them fish and when they would catch a fish; they would put the fish in the sand buckets. I told the dad that he should have brought 10 more poles. He said that they still would not have been enough. For all you parents out there: kids love to fish! I got a good burn going and went back and had a beer at Murphy's Tavern and was not "feelin' it". I then walked across the street and got a 1/2 chicken and some rice and beans. It was a Puerto Rican restaurant and I was served by a female that looked like a young "J-Lo". Es muy caliente. I then was walking back to the hotel when I saw O'Hare's Tavern. I went in. Oh, what a mistake, I think. When I went in, I saw they had an internet jukebox which I soon had "Fire on the mtn" and "she's a bad mamma jamma" going. Soon the 6 foot blonde haired, blue eyed, Estonian, 30ish female bar tender was giving me shots of Crown Royal and giving me money for the jukebox. The next thing I know. I woke up alone in my hotel room at 3am with headache and I jumped into the shower.....Whew, I need to learn some restraint!