Pictures from outdoor exercise.
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Today was a 19.9 mile paddle on moving water. We were going downstream. Most of the trip was great. We put in at 10:00. We saw a very few other groups the first ten miles. I haven't done this stretch in a few years except about 1.5 years ago when it was in a HUGE flood and my buddy and I went on an adventure. I'm pretty sure I wrote about this.
This trip was more mellow and beautiful. My buddy just got a "new" boat; his first solo canoe. It's the yellow one. This was the trip he got it out for the first time other than a little time in a reservoir with the previous owner before he bought it.
By the time we got to the half-way point, we were behind the early morning crowd and just at the front of the afternoon crowd. In fast boats, we had come upon sight of another group, so we put on the juice and passed them to be back again in a quiet place. But at the half-way point, a group of folks in tubes and the like were just launching. We boogied on past them. With the upstream wind, we never saw them again.
The next couple hours was a tiny bit more crowded. Just a bit. We saw maybe three or four other small groups of paddlers. Then when we got to the last 1.5 miles or so, it got nuts. In fact, it was like dodging a moving parade of people in tubes towing coolers of liquid refreshments. Holy cats!
I was frankly surprised how few motorized boats we saw. It was a great day; I'd do it again.
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There won't be any outdoor exercise for a while. It's not safe to breathe the air right now.
My street mid-day:
The boat ramp at the river:
The Masonic cemetery:
Staring directly at the sun mid-day:
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The air has improved dramatically the past week. There's still some smoke/haze some days, but it's mostly not at ground level nor as thick. We can see the sun when the fog clears in the afternoon.
I got invited to join a group of paddlers yesterday. We had a nice day on the river. This is a small group of people who like to PADDLE not float. We covered 20 miles in just under four hours, and 48 minutes of that time was a lunch stop.
I got to try out a new paddle. It's very light - just 15 ounces. Unfortunately, it was about two inches too long. I'm going to get a shorter one, and the person who sold it to me will use it as a demo/instructor paddle for people who aren't as vertically challenged as I.
My boat is pretty fast, and some of this group is, well let's just say they are older than middle aged. I still struggled to keep up much of the time. I give myself slack, though. One boat was a tandem. Two engines! Another was a Clipper Sea-1. That's almost 18' long semi-decked canoe that the paddler had built specifically for him to run the Yukon race. He's entered nine times and finished six. Holy cats. The other fellow has been racing canoes for 50 years. So it's not like I am slow. Just ~relatively~ slow.
Nice day. I just wish the sun had come out sooner than 25 minutes after we got off the water. Oh well.
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Group picnic with my SE MI Elder Orphan group buddies today (very fun) at Kensington Metropark, then a solo bike ride, as long as I was there. Mid-Michigan is coloring up nicely.
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Wow look at those leaves! We're not going to get a lot of color here this year. Too hot dry all summer, and then the smoke.
I got back out on the river yesterday with that group of fast people. We paddled 15.5 miles from Pengra to Island Park. This section has braided channels and trees in the water to avoid. It also has some small rapids as well as some shoals that would really damage my boat. Fortunately I didn't touch a single rock.
I tried a paddle that was two inches shorter, and it's almost the right size. I think one inch shorter will be PERFECT. The group is already planning next week's trip, and when we do something down in the mid-valley (no rocks to worry about), one of the guys is going to bring a carbon Voyager for me to try. It's only six inches longer than my boat, but it's a few inches narrower. And carbon is even LIGHTER and stiffer.
My average moving speed was 6.4 mph, and it didn't even rain that much!
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Still at it, same boat, same river . . . different 70-something-y/o stroke rower (in blue), Melissa. Me in yellow in bow.
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What a beautiful day for a day in the shell. Just gorgeous!
I skipped on the "fast canoe group" last weekend to go hunt mushrooms. I think they took this week off due to the beautiful but cold weather and low river levels. I hope they invite me back.1 -
I enjoy walking the hills in my town - they force a little extra burn and the view!1
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Lovely autumn colors!
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More beautiful foliage - morning hill walk.
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The leafs seem extra colourful this year... Maybe Mother Nature trying to make up for the covid debacle...
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Just finished my latest boat, a Bear Mountain Redbird. It successfully escaped the basement workshop and is on the truck waiting for decent weather for it’s maiden voyage.
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Wildflowers from today's walk.
Spring Beauty (Claytonia sp., probably virginica), Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Trillium (probably Trillium grandiflorum.
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A freak snowstorm last Tuesday followed by a killer freeze.
My blooming lilacs.
Three of my four lilacs got bit but the fourth's blooms were still buds so didn't freeze. It's blooming now.
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The only picture is in my mind. I didn't bring a camera. I was worried about swimming out of the boat.
I got a "new" whitewater canoe. It's over 20 years old, but new to me. Mad River Outrage. It's 12' long with lots of rocker. I tried to get in once, and it threw me in the water before I was even in the saddle. I've spent a lot more time in whitewater canoes since then, and I bought this one from a buddy. I think I'm going to like it.
I drove down to a river access on the downstream side of town where it's shallow and very little current. Near my house is an eddy, but past the eddy is strong current. Not a good place to swim. I got in the boat and paddled about a mile upstream. Slowly. It's so much different from my ultralight. Instead of sit and switch, it's one-side paddling with a correction at the end of EVERY stroke, or you'll spin in circles. The boat felt really solid. I am now looking forward to getting it on some whitewater.2 -
My wife and I walked the dog in one of Ottawa's many parks. The tulips are blooming... almost as lovely as my wife... almost...
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