The River
(Rockaway)

.... a 'scouting trip' on a sunny Saturday

River Cleanup: Rob Grow of Potbelly's will conduct his second annual  "Potbelly's Spring River Cleanup" this coming April at the Rockaway River in Rockaway from the falls behind the Fire House to the falls at Jackson Avenue. Volunteers are needed and urged to call Grow at 201-602-6835.
 

Cruising Down The River ...
A photo essay by Mary Ann Decker
     Rob Grow of Potbelly Riverside Cafe, his brother Jeff, and their friend Wharton Mayor William Chegwidden took a three-and-a-half hour "scouting trip" down the Rockaway River in their kayaks on the crisp, sun-filled morning of Saturday, Sept. 19.
     Grow was checking for areas he and his crew of volunteers could target on Saturday, Oct. 10, when Grow conducts his first annual "Potbelly's Fall River Cleanup."
     "Our cleanup next month is between the falls behind the Fire House and the falls on Jackson Avenue," Grow said. "But if we get enough volunteers, we will extend the cleanup to well below the Jackson Avenue falls."
      The threesome started out below these falls in Rockaway and finished above the first set of falls in Boonton.
      The plan here was to photograph the three as they left Rockaway, shoot them from the Gardner Field bridge as they came through Denville, and then capture them on film again at the finish.
      It almost worked ...
The starting point, the Rockaway River falls at Jackson Avenue in Rockaway
Jeff Grow (left to right), Rob Grow and William Chegwidden strike a pre-launch pose.
After reviewing their plan over coffee, the trio heads for the water.
Boarding can be tricky ... don't want to get wet before the launch.
With smiles and waves, the fleet takes off down the river.
... problem was, the anticipated meeting and photo op at the bridge in Denville never came off because the fleet came through much earlier than the appointed time and, by the time the photographer got there, this is the only threesome that was found floating in the water.
First to the falls in Boonton was not a problem at all.
A tad tired but pleased with the trip, Jeff Grow and Chegwidden exit the river.
Reversing the route and paddling upstream was not an option, so the trio tied down the kayaks on a trailer pulled by Grow's jeep for the trip back to Rockaway. All agreed that the trip was exhilirating and the crisp, clear weather couldn't have been better. "We found a few spots along the way that will need our (cleanup) attention next month," Rob Grow said. "All in all, it was a terrific day."
The only disagreement came about as to which part of the trip was better. Rob Grow and Chegwidden said the trip from Denville to Boonton was better because "... the river was wider and gave us more chances to explore."  Jeff Grow, a lawyer in Rockaway, preferred the first part of the journey when the current swept them along "... and we didn't have to do that much paddling."
Volunteers are being sought for the 2010 spring cleanup in April. Call Rob Grow at 201-602-6835 to to be placed on the call-back list when the spring cleanup plans and have been solidified.