Hudson River Expedition 2007 On a clear, crisp morning in late September of last year, I shook hands with Vittorio once again - this time in Albany, New York. As I supervised the unloading of a Venetian gondola from the back of a moving van, I also met Enzo Liszka and Bepi Suste for the first time. These two gentlemen had flown out with Vittorio to take part in a history-making adventure. Later that night, we were joined by gondola operator John Kerschbaum from Minnesota, and Chris Harrison, who is my senior gondolier in Irving, Texas. On October 1st, we embarked on a six day, 150 mile row from the state capitol of Albany, down the Hudson River to Ground Zero in Manhattan. The expedition was a tribute-row in honor of the "fallen heroes of 9-11", and we received amazing support from the everyday working heroes at FDNY and NYPD, along with hospitable folks in many cities and towns all along the river. Publicity was expertly provided by the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau in Irving, Texas. After the rowing was complete, the gondola was hauled out on her trailer and towed behind an FDNY truck in the Columbus Day Parade down 5th Avenue. 
Houston Gondola Expedition With the support of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau in Irving, Texas, I planned a one-day expedition in the city of Houston, Texas. After extensive research, I chose the Buffalo Bayou, an historic waterway that winds all the way up into the downtown area of the city. I spoke with a number of locals who all said the same thing: "the bayou doesn't really move, maybe a half a knot, but watch out when it rains!" When my rowing partner, Chris Harrison and I left our hotel on the morning of the row, it was raining, and had been raining all night. Our trip down this "slow moving bayou" was an exciting, high-speed ride which brought us to our turnaround point well ahead of schedule. Once we'd turned around, we not only faced a current, but an unexpected wind shift as well. It was a challenging row that took us twice as long as was expected. We worked hard, learned a lot about ourselves and about rowing, and arrived successfully at our designated destination. The Houston Gondola Expedition was held to honor the Boy Scouts of America. We met with a number of Scouts, many of them Eagles, at the starting point of our row. The day after the expedition, the gondola was brought on-trailer into the Reliant Arena and displayed at the Sam Houston Area Council scouting convention.
OKC Gondola Expedition
Report pending
