June 14: First Contact

Left NYC harbor, passed Manhattan and continued up the Hudson, stopping at Croton on Hudson and Kingston. Fun fact: the Hudson is tidal (4-5 ft tide) ALL the way up to Troy!!! Like a hundred and fifty miles up and there’s a friggin’ tide. It’s interesting, but also important, because when traveling at 7 mph, 2 mph either with or against you makes a big difference. Anyway, we made it to Shady Harbor Marina. It was a big day for the crew of the mighty Razor’s Edge, because the marina was having a wknd shindig pretty much just for Loopers. We were anxious because this was the first real time we would stare face to face into the eyes of real live ’Loopers’. Nervous? You bet, because you only get one chance to make a first impression. Even a single nervous tick could blackball us for the next 13 months. But I think we did well: the first afternoon Debbie did wash with the other Looper ladies, and I drank beer at the bar with the men until she was done. I think it will be difficult settling into into this routine, but like Frodo and ’the ring’, this is my cross alone to bear.

Here’s a video with a bit of our trip from NYC to Slim Shady Harbor.