Pictures from outdoor exercise.
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No pictures but certainly outdoor exercise.
I had some work done on our long country gravel driveway. I also had a concrete pad poured where it meets the road as I'm tired of filling in peel out divots from the family (and perhaps myself as well TBH) accelerating onto our quiet country road. Pour happened last Wednesday.
Since we can't drive on it for seven days, I made arrangements with our neighbor to allow us to use our adjoining gate on the back forty (as we call it). We leave the house through our backyard gate, drive down into a draw with a dry creek and then up the other side, through another gate where the back corners of our properties meet, and then across his pasture to his back gate, and then around his garage and onto that country road. Three gates to open, go through, and close again once you're on the other side.
The next day after the pour, Thursday, it started raining... hard. Concrete was set so no issues from the rain there. I was at home for the day and that evening I decided to lend a hand as my daughter and my wife were on the way home from their respective jobs more or less at the same time. Since I had closed the gate at the top of our drive, I knew the livestock could not get onto the road even if they came into our yard, so I opened the backyard gate in the driving rain and left it open. I had some trouble getting up the far side of the draw even in my 4x4 truck but made it to the second gate and left it open too as there were no livestock in sight and the poor beasts were unlikely to roam in this downpour. I made it to the last gate and opened it and used my truck to block the opening.
When my daughter arrived in her AWD Nissan Rogue, I told her to wait with her Rogue blocking the second gate until her mother arrived. When my wife arrived a short time later in her 4WD Sequoia, I let her through and then closed the gate behind her, drove down to the second gate and closed it behind us as well.
The drive through the draw (and the no longer dry creek) and up the other side was where it got challenging. The steep part on the East side had a path cut into it with a dozer a very long time ago so, while grass covered, it was hard rock. But where the cut stopped, it got messy. All three of us in our "off road" vehicles basically went up the rest of the way more or less sideways. We all made it with me being the last one through the backyard gate. I didn't stop on the slight slope up to the garage apron, I'd never have got going again in the slippery mud under the lawn. I parked my truck in its spot and walked back to the gate, in the rain, and close it.
(Did I mention that for some reason I hadn't put on a raincoat before I started all of this?)
The story doesn't stop there. It kept raining all night. Early Friday morning, both my girls needed to get to work. My daughter was a bit freaked out about driving through the mud, so I drove her Rogue. She elected to walk. My wife followed in her Sequoia. No issues driving down into the draw and through the running creek but up the other side, where I had had trouble the afternoon before, was a nightmare. I lost track of the number of times I lost momentum and had to back up a bit to find ground that wasn't squished into a greasy muddy mess, but I finally got her Rogue through the second gate.
My wife's Sequoia was fairing no better, barely getting a third of the way out of the draw. So, I walked back down to her. She walked up the draw to my daughter and her Rogue and they waited while I tried again to get out of the draw. I backed down to the very bottom and then some to get a run at it and gave it some beans.
I was all over the pasture, sideways more often than not, cranking the wheels one way and then the other to get any scrap of purchase for the tires. Had to back out of my ruts more than once and try again, and again. Finally, I was through the second gate and next to the Rogue. The Sequoia was no longer white, now covered in mud and wet grass, even across the windshield.
The drive to the last gate was uneventful. I opened the gate and told the girls not to stop on the other side as the ground so soggy I didn't think they'd be able to get moving again.
I closed the gate and walked back home down our driveway in the rain (but with a poncho on this time).
When each of my girls came home that day (my wife first and then again for my daughter), they parked in my neighbor's round bale paddock, and I met each of them at the head of our drive and ferried them home with the rain still falling.
The rain stopped yesterday morning (Saturday). I may have to try and get my truck through the draw later today. More rain coming tonight, and I may have to work tomorrow.
We'll be able to drive on the new concrete pad Wednesday evening. I'm looking forward to that.2 -
That sounds very messy... Talk about a great way to make you appreciate the new poured pad. lol1
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@d_thomas02
I think I would have left most of the vehicles outside the gate by the road and chained up the most capable one to use as a shuttle.
Many years ago I was doing field work looking for landslides and measuring headwalls near incipient channels that had received different kinds of forest management. We were all over the coast range. It wasn't bad work, but plenty of 'schwacking. Access to one of our sites was down a fairly long spur road to a landing. There wasn't a good place to turn the truck around down there, and the road was wet and muddy. I opted to back down the spur road so it would be easier to get out. In addition to not having to back UP the road, having the truck parked facing uphill put more weight on the drive wheels.
We made our measurements and got back in the truck. The truck was going nowhere. We chained up and the truck had no problem climbing back up where we took the chains back off.
Unless your 4wd rigs have a locking differential or a LSD, you really only have two wheel drive, and unless you have mud tires, sloppy mud fills the tread voids and that's as bad as wet corn snow for traction.
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@mtaratoot
My truck does have differential locks. Normally in these parts, one only needs 4WD two or three days out of the year for snow and chains are an unneeded luxury that just tears up the roads.
The Rogue has highway tires that were on it when we bought it used a few years ago, and the other two have all season tires. Three of us, three vehicles, all with different schedules. The walk from the neighbor's hay paddock to our front door is just over a quarter mile. Aside from the rains Thursday and Friday, and again tonight; the weather is favorable.
Thanks, bit we'll hoof it until Wednesday.
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I always kept chains in my '77 Celica GT. I never used them in northern Utah; they kept the roads pretty clean.
I bought my truck new in 1977, and I bought a set of chains for it. A local store has a deal that if you buy them in the fall, you can return them in the spring if you don't use them. Well, I just kept them. In the quarter century I've driven that truck, I've never had to chain up. I run BFG T/A Radials. I got 71,000 miles from the first set and 61,000 from the second set. They wore faster for a few reasons. I'm 37,000 miles into the third set. I had a knock-off of a Yokahama before that after I took off the factory tires. I may or may not ever need a new set of tires for the truck; if I do, it will be the BFG again.
The car? I just bought that in October. It's a capable vehicle. Allegedly. I bought a set of chains, and I hope I never have to use them. I really don't drive that much, it's kind of silly to have two vehicles, but the "young" twelve-year-old RAV4 is actually pretty nice to drive. In fact, I'm off to meet a friend to get a bagel RIGHT NOW. I would walk, but I'm bringing her a paddle to borrow for a month or two.1 -
Hello!
You haven't heard from me lately because I was on a rafting trip through Grand Canyon. Everyone on our trip was over 50. The youngest was 54, and the oldest was 71.
We drove 2.5 days to get there, rigged our rafts the next day, and launched the day after that. We spent 23 days below the rim rowing, hiking, and just gawking at the amazing grandeur of one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. I am so SO fortunate that this was my fourth trip down there. I've been in October, March, and May. I won a permit for April 2021, but it got deferred because of COVID. With all the rain and snow down there, we had amazing blooms. Unfortunately, it was also cold, so the bloom was later than normal. What WAS blooming was off the hook, but the Ocotillo had just started. The hillsides were green - amazing. They were also covered with gold from the brittlebush everywhere. There was some big snowmelt runoff, so there was lots of wood floating in the very very brown water. Some beavertail and hedgehog cactus were blooming as well as so many different things, but the cholla and prickly pear weren't quite out yet.
We had a group of eight people. We had cook teams of two, so cook one day and have three days off. Cooking was just one of the things we had to do every day. There's always lots of work on a river trip. This was no exception. We had three layover days where we didn't move camp. Lots of good hiking, but also lots of good food. I gained eight pounds in the month I was gone. Now back to getting my mass back to where it was when I left. I'll give myself a month to recover. We ate grilled salmon, pork chops, steaks, lasagna in the Dutch Oven, jambalaya, and oh so many other things. We had Dutch oven cakes a few days. Lots and lots of calorie-dense food. I recorded 3300 calories per day, but in reality might have eaten more. I might post a picture or two. I'm now officially back from "Shore Leave," although I enjoyed rowing the 18-foot raft away from shore every morning. Back to daily updates. Back to the routine of life above the rim.
The water level was fairly friendly, but the 5th wave at Hermit was the biggest river wave any of us had ever seen. One of the rafts almost left the water. I looked downstream at it, and about 2/3 of it was in the air. The person in the bow left the boat and dropped back into the boat and bounced. A few days before, he got thrown from the boat in a very small rapid. We all had good runs at Hance, Horn, Granite, Dubendorff, Upset, and Lava Falls. I rowed Mile 232 Rapid (A.K.A. Killer Fang Falls) and had an easy run; that was great because this rapid in the past has given me trouble. In 280 miles of river, we had no raft flips and just the one swim. We had an inflatable kayak with us. The woman paddling it did swim several times; she estimates about a dozen. Another person who was with us for the first time brought a pack raft and paddled it a few days. He had a few swims. All it all it was a great group and a really excellent retirement party.
I got home late last night and took a shower. My grass is over a foot tall, so in addition to gear cleaning, I'll be doing some mowing today. It's good to get some rest and let my body recover, but I'd go back next week for another lap if there was any way I could.4 -
Sounds like an amazing trip! Well done!!0
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Here's a few pictures from my Canyon trip:
We had spectacular views every day. Every one was different, and they were all spectacular. Here's an example:
The desert was going to be blooming like CRAZY. There were so many flowers. Oh my. The canyon was green from spring growth. The flowers were late to bloom, and we didn't see any cholla or prickly pear in bloom and just a few ocotillo, but the beavertails were going nuts. The hillsides were gold from all the brittle bush and orange from geranium and all colors from so many flowers. Here's just a few:
The hikes were great. One spectacular one went up to a wall of Tapeats Sandstone that continued past some Hopi ruins and up to a fantastic view. There were also some pictographs along the smooth rock where they were protected from the elements.
I always love the hikes up to Nankoweap and Elves Chasm.
This was my fourth trip down there. I have been in October, March, May, and now April. I hope I am fortunate enough to have more opportunities to repeat this expedition because it really is indescribably, and no pictures or stories can actually convey the majesty and the experience of being there for almost a full lunar cycle.3 -
Amazing!! I've not yet been to the Grand Canyon... but it's on the bucket list.1
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Amazing!! I've not yet been to the Grand Canyon... but it's on the bucket list.
A neighbor is doing a rim-to-rim-to-rim trip this summer. Sounds really HOT. She's starting on the North Rim, running/hiking down and back up to the South Rim where she'll spend the night before going back. I kind of like river travel; it's a whole other world, and I'm still exhausted and recovering from it.0 -
@mtaratoot, that looks like a wonderful trip . . . and pretty great timing, since I know it's a little unpredictable when bloom will hit.
A couple of my rowing buddies recently moved out to that area - both actually work for the national park. I've been treated to a continuing sequence of amazing photos from them on Facebook, and your lovely photos are a great addition to that. (I need to get out there, since I'm betting I could get an insider park tour .) 1 -
@AnnPT77
You definitely should go, even if you just get to visit the rim and/or hike down all or part way. Most of what we saw can only be seen from the river. There are several places you can hike down from the rim, but to travel downriver, you need a boat... and a hard-to-get permit. I went to the South Rim once when I was getting done with grad school and was doing some random research work. I had a little job for the Forest Service in Flagstaff, and I made a detour to see the Canyon. Gorgeous. If you even go 100 feet off the road on a trail, you'll see so many fewer people.
If you get the chance to do the river trip, definitely do it. It's not cheap to do it commercially. Most trips use motor rigs even if the customers travel in oar-powered boats. We saw several groups doing row trips; four passengers per raft with one man or woman on the oars. The big motor rig carried all the gear. I think these trips are about 14 days or so and are called "hybrid" trips. The trips where all customers ride on the motor rig don't look as comfortable, but are an option for people who can't take that much time off. It only takes a week to go by motor rig; you'll hardly get time to soak it all up, but if that's all you can afford time-wise, go do it.
In the winter, private oar-only trips get 25 days to Diamond Creek. Shoulder season like we had we got 21 days. In high season, it's 16 days. We took two extra days to float from Diamond Creek down to Pearce Ferry. Some passengers on commercial trips fly out by helicopter at Whitmore Wash.
If money is no object, you can go on a commercial dory trip. I think that would be a hoot. Of course you will have to bail in a dory as they don't self-drain like a raft. It's like riding a cork. the dory guides are experts; you can bash into rocks without hurting a raft, but you can't do that with a wood and glass dory.1 -
There's a new, fun-looking thing here that was on my bike ride today: A self-service kayak rental! Here's a couple of views:
It's in a little pocket park on the bike trail, with an esker-edged lake/pond. It's had an adaptive kayak/canoe launch dock from early on, but the rental thing is brand new this Spring. I did a double loop on the trail today, so took a photo on pass #1 (shown above). On pass #2, 3 people had rented 3 of the kayaks and were just heading out to fish. They let me heft one end of one of the boats to test the weight: I'd say somewhere in the 30-40 pound range, very manageable. I hope this works out, doesn't result in vandalism or anything!
This is what the adaptive launch and water looks like (I may've posted about this before):
I did a double loop on the trail because there's still flooding under a low highway overpass over a frequently-flooding local creek. It's getting close to low enough water where I'd feel OK riding through (saw a guy who'd obviously done so, got a bunch of sketchy-looking mud splash up his um, upper glutes and low back
) There's a rough trail up under the overpass, but I didn't feel like bucking my heavy hybrid bike up the steep bank, under the duck-down passage, and down the other side, so did the double loop on the South end of the trail instead.
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What a neat idea!! I've heard of rental bikes and scooters. This is next level!!
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@AnnPT77
That's a pretty neat little rental kiosk. Very affordable too. Good to get people on the water! They are for sure "lower quality" boats and I'm sure they are cheap paddles, but it's still better than no boat. Even if you could buy one of those boats for $200 and a paddle for just a bit more (plus a PFD), with this you don't have to car-top it to get some time paddling. A great way to pique interest in paddling and get someone in love with their next hobby.2 -
I think this is also pretty great for apartment dwellers who can't wrap their mind around where to store even a small boat. I'd be fine with a boat in the living room, but I know that's not mainstream for folks with limited space and different priorities! 😉1
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A poor photo of a nice turtle bask-in (with charming turtle stack!) from a recent bike ride. (Photo is zoomed/cropped phone photo, so best I could do.)
Also, just for fun, a literally-true (but slightly misspelled) chalked message on the bike path:
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A poor photo of a nice turtle bask-in (with charming turtle stack!) from a recent bike ride. (Photo is zoomed/cropped phone photo, so best I could do.)
Also, just for fun, a literally-true (but slightly misspelled) chalked message on the bike path:
Happy turtles!! And I'm not in a rush to get to Valhalla so I'll walk rather than biking... lol1 -
I have been out and about a fair bit lately. Here's a little synopsis of some of the trips.
Last week I went paddling two days (Sunday and Thursday). It was about 18 miles each day. The second day launched from where the first day ended. I didn't really get any pictures, and that's OK.
On Monday and Wednesday, I went to the aquarium and did some diving. Wait. That's not even outside. Never mind!
Then this past weekend I drove over to the coast to meet a friend. I bought a car from a friend who was moving to Australia in October; this was my first night "camping" in the car. We had a little RAV4 party. Hers is a couple years newer, but has a lot more miles. She was paddling a decked kayak, I had an open canoe.
We walked on the beach, drove to town, walked on the shore where the waves break on rocks, had a nice meal at the brewery, then went back to camp and saw the sunset.
We paddled a neat canoe trail the next day. It starts in a lake and goes out the river outlet from the lake out to the sea. So you get lacustrine, riverine, and estuarine environments over three miles. Then we were out in the dunes. The wind was horrendous, so we didn't make it all the way to the ocean.
There's a tide gate along the river, and there's a portage made of polyethylene skids, so it's a very easy portage both down and back up. The water was higher in the lake than I've seen previously, and the tide was in; both sides of the portage were pretty easy.
The last quarter mile upwind on the lake was a little scary. There were whitecaps. I thought I might get flipped; my canoe is kind of "twitchy." I didn't. My friend said SHE even thought she might get flipped in her kayak, and it sheds wind better. Of course from a kayak with a skirt, she could have rolled up. I would have just been swimming.
On the way home, we stopped and did a short hike up a creek that has lots of small waterfalls and a couple larger ones. It's a nice hike; it was kind of crowded since it was a beautiful weekend day. We never go just for the hike; it's too long of a drive for such a short hike. We seldom do it on the way back from the coast because there's not time. Well, this time we did it.
Yesterday I hiked up a local peak that's the highest in the coast range. I hadn't been up this year. Hiked a bit more than seven miles through beautiful forest and saw a bunch of wildflowers. There were different flowers blooming along the way to the top. It was really windy up there, but I stayed a while as it was one of those rare days you can see the beach and even the waves crashing in (and the bridge over the bay) and also the Cascade volcanoes to the east. Usually you can see one or the other; sometimes neither. Every now and then, you can see both. Nice day.
Today I'm taking friends for a 15 mile paddle on the river again. Maybe there will be pictures. Maybe not.
This retirement thing is quite nice.
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I'm surprised to see leftover snow. You must have been at altitude!0
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It's only about 4100 feet.
There were just two patches of snow that I found. I think it was blown into a protected and shaded spot and won't be there much longer.
Yesterday was also a nice day. We saw a small flock of white pelicans. That's extremely rare around here, but I hear it's becoming less rare. It may be the first time I've seen them locally.2 -
Paddled a canoe about 3.5 hours (18 miles) on a river. I tried out a new shorter paddle, and I do like it. I'm happy to add it to my quiver. We started at a place I haven't been in maybe ten years. The river is "wilder" there with more hazards, but nothing that was unavoidable for a person with good boat control. There were for sure places where strong current was flowing directly in to down trees and branches. Not a place for a beginner. We only saw about six or seven bald eagles.
When I went to go pick up that nice paddle, I saw a very nice sea kayak paddle and contacted my friend to see if she wanted me to buy it for her. She did; I did. She likes it very much. I almost kept it for myself, but lately I've been doing a lot more canoeing than kayaking. It adjusts from 120 cm to 130 cm and weighs only 22 ounces (a little more than 600 grams). If I want to take my sea kayak out, she said I can borrow it. I told her to also keep the other paddle I loaned her for now so she can use it as a spare. I always like to carry a spare. Now I have a good collection to use in canoes, too.
We had to fight the wind quite a lot. That made us glad we decided to just run 18 miles instead of 23.
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@mtaratoot - So, maybe tell a boat nerd like me a little more about the new paddle? Composite? Weight? Bent (angle?) or straight? Etc.
Also, I'm curious whether you've ever tried double-paddling your Advantage. I saw a guy at a big kayak demo event race a similar solo canoe against a kayaker, both double-paddling. It looked good with a narrow, low-ish canoe with tumblehome. I've thought about trying that, but my (cheap-ish) kayak paddle is too short, not adjustable.
I had a better kayak paddle ordered (still short), or so I thought, but the dealership fumbled the order (🙄) and I haven't followed up to get one since partly because I don't get the kayak out much. I'd need a longer one for the Advantage, would want to try before buying.1 -
@AnnPT77
My canoe paddle weighs about 13 ounces. It's a carbon fiber bent-shaft. I use it sit-and-switch style in the Advantage (and the Encounter). The Encounter is a much more beautiful boat, but it's best at hauling large loads. It's also very stable; the Advantage is a fun day-boat. I got to try a few of these before I bought a 52" one a couple years ago. My whitewater canoe paddle is a Werner Bandit Carbon. If I could trade it for a 56" I would do it in a heartbeat. I ended up with a 58" and it's just a wee bit long. That's OK. I can make it work.
The consignment shop had a couple of those Wenonah Black Lite paddles. A friend alerted me. The price was nice. They had one that is a clone of my 52" so I bought it. I went back the next day and got the 49.5" one. I was worried I'd just have to sell it, but it's actually quite nice. I figure it will also be good for multi-day trips for the first few days when the canoe is loaded more heavily and I will be closer to the water. Then late in the trip, after I've eaten and drank my way through my supplies, I can switch to the longer one.
I prefer a canoe paddle for a canoe. I use a straight-shaft if I am kneeling. Then I'll paddle one side only and use correction strokes. For go-fast boating, I do sit-and-switch so there's no correction strokes to drain energy from going the direction I want. Zoom!
So when I went to get that 49" stick, I saw a very VERY nice sea kayak paddle and texted my friend to see if she wanted it. It is just about the nicest paddle made. She probably would never have got it if I hadn't seen it. It weighs 22 ounces. While she switched between that one and the 210 cm Werner Little Dipper I had given her on permanent loan, I lengthened the Epic to 130 cm and tried to paddle the canoe with it. I didn't really like it. I usually take the drip rings off my kayak paddles because I wear a skirt. In the canoe, I was getting dripped on even with the drip rings. Plus... a single blade is just more graceful.
For sea kayaking, I usually use a whitewater kayak paddle that is too long for me to use on whitewater. I can still use a high-angle stroke which is what I'm used to. If I had kept that Epic paddle, I would have had to adjust my paddling style when using it. I bet I could do it. That paddle is DREAMY.
Novices don't get it about how nice it is to use a high-end paddle. I always tell people getting in to paddling to spend as much on their first paddle as on their first USED boat. They don't get it. My friend has a whole lot of time in the cockpit, so she could tell the difference right away. I think she's going to really love that paddle. It's no longer made, but Werner makes a similar one. The reality is I'm really more into open boats right now than my sea kayak, so it makes sense for her to use it. I can borrow it.... I bet if I kept it I'd get the sea kayak out more often because it's also a very fun boat. We're doing support for a multi-day trip later this summer. The group will camp about a half mile from my home. I might take the sea kayak out for the first day, then swap out to my canoe for the rest of the trip. Just for grins.
I inherited a wood bent-shaft canoe paddle from a friend that wasn't using it. I had been using it as a loaner. I have another friend that now will get to keep it at his house on permanent loan as my quiver has expanded, and I have extras to loan out.
Paddling is awesome.
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I hiked back up to the peak today. I'm going to go at least once a week to watch the wildflower progression. It's neat to see how the flowers change on the hike from about 2500 to 4000 feet, and now I'll also get to watch how they change over time. So much fun.
Today was just short of eight miles. I started the same place as last week, but I skipped one loop down the North Ridge Trail to the Tie Trail and back to the trail I took up. Instead, I added on the Meadow View Trail - about 1.6 miles through some unique forest up there.
Last week was a rare day I could see the waves on the beach AND the volcanoes on the Cascades. Today I could see neither, so I didn't dally on the peak. I walked around the road back down to a picnic table and sat down to have a beer I brought, to watch the wildflowers on the rocky slope below, and just soak it in. It was cold and windy, and I'm glad I went.
There were so many things blooming. Tiger lilies will be blooming next week. Down low I saw irises and columbine. Vanilla leaf most of the way. Some bleeding hearts still going. Lots of false Solomon's seal. Some cohosh. Some elderberry. No more glacier lilies, but fawn lilies were still going. Some small lupines; there will be an explosion soon. Other plants I need to identify, but mostly it was a fantastic little trip.
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Beautiful day for paddling today. I ran a club trip. We only paddled twelve miles. We only saw ten bald eagles. We had two open canoes and one whitewater kayak.
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@AnnPT77
My canoe paddle weighs about 13 ounces. It's a carbon fiber bent-shaft. I use it sit-and-switch style in the Advantage (and the Encounter). The Encounter is a much more beautiful boat, but it's best at hauling large loads. It's also very stable; the Advantage is a fun day-boat. I got to try a few of these before I bought a 52" one a couple years ago. My whitewater canoe paddle is a Werner Bandit Carbon. If I could trade it for a 56" I would do it in a heartbeat. I ended up with a 58" and it's just a wee bit long. That's OK. I can make it work.
(snip some fun canoe paddle chat)
I test-drove one of the carbon fiber paddles a few years back, can't remember for sure if it was a Wenonah (but as I think you know, I'm a Wenonah/Current Designs fan girl). It was swoon-y good. But it was around the time I bought one of the solo boats, and I kind of spent off my boat budget at the time doing that.
I'd love to have one, would buy one now if I did more paddling. I have a good but not great wood bent-shaft paddle (and actually still have my late husband's longer one, too). I usually carry a less-good straight wood paddle as a spare for versatility. I can paddle sit & switch or Northwoods (or whatever you like to call the other main style), and will choose depending on mood/conditions. As a (?) bonus, the blockier straight paddle is one I don't mind using to poke emphatically at rocks or the like if necessary.I prefer a canoe paddle for a canoe. I use a straight-shaft if I am kneeling. Then I'll paddle one side only and use correction strokes. For go-fast boating, I do sit-and-switch so there's no correction strokes to drain energy from going the direction I want. Zoom!
Good to know. I'd love to try a double paddle in my Advantage if I could test-drive a long enough one without buying it.
I'd maybe trade in the Voyager for a smaller performance touring solo (quite possibly the modern Advantage) if I were padding more these days, especially if I were planning to canoe camp. (This region, it would be flat water paddling.) None of my old canoe-camping buddies paddle away from their cars overnight and do the longer portages anymore.
My very old Advantage, a retired model made for long-ago racing, is too eggshell-like for backwoodsing on (say) the Canadian shield, for my tastes. The Voyager was good for me for recreational paddling at 50+ pounds heavier, and had capacity for gear if needed - that's why I bought it. Now it rides pretty high in the water unloaded so I fight the wind a bit even with the performance hull that likes to track straight, and a smaller boat would still accommodate reasonable gear for me. The very lightly-built Advantage I have now is fine for flat water recreation where currents and rocks aren't too risky.
As an aside, when canoe-camping, Ken (late husband) carried a very long straight paddle as a spare, and would use that standing up when navigating through rapids or sometimes when fishing from the canoe. (We had a mostly-fiberglass Wenonah Sundowner at the time.) In shallow rapids, poling was an option, but the paddle worked better when the water was deeper. Not where he got the impulse, but the book Great Heart (Davidson/Rugge - excellent, by the way), has a photo with one of the native guides (in Labrador, 1905) doing that.
I donated that long paddle to my rowing club for backup use in our small aluminum launch in case the outboard conks out.
I know what you're saying. A good paddle really enhances the experience, not to mention the efficiency on long outings.(snip more fun stuff)
For sea kayaking, I usually use a whitewater kayak paddle that is too long for me to use on whitewater. I can still use a high-angle stroke which is what I'm used to. If I had kept that Epic paddle, I would have had to adjust my paddling style when using it. I bet I could do it. That paddle is DREAMY.
Novices don't get it about how nice it is to use a high-end paddle. I always tell people getting in to paddling to spend as much on their first paddle as on their first USED boat. They don't get it.
For me, doing so much more rowing than paddling these days, updated oars or rowing shells are more tempting, budgetarily speaking. The engineers/owners/former Olympic rowers at Concept 2 keep creating new, better, lighter oars. My older C2 oars are fine, but new ones are tempting. I definitely need new seats for the Pocock double: Wear has them rolling pretty stiffly rather than freely as they should, and it's a "replace" thing, not a "repair" one. That's the top priority now, and as you know boat stuff tends to be non-cheap. (I haven't priced them yet.)
As I mentioned, my kayak paddle is pretty low end, and the bent-shaft canoe paddle adequate but not excellent. There's room for improvement on both fronts for sure.(snip more)
Paddling is awesome.
Couldn't agree more. Any human-powered thing on water is pretty good, but those bicycle-pedal paddle boats require an umbrella drink for best enjoyment.0 -
@AnnPT77
I assume your Advantage is Kevlar or carbon fiber. My Encounter is Kevlar. I am so scared to rip a hole in it. It's ten pounds lighter than my glass Advantage even though it's six inches longer, is wider, AND has much higher sides. It's good for hauling lots of gear, but those rocks.... I am wondering if you have one of the very VERY first models of Advantage. If so, they actually are highly sought after. Kruger designed them for racing, but recreational paddlers liked them so much, and racing hulls changed a bit, that he changed the design after a few years to make them more recreation-friendly. The canoe in that picture above was paddling a Rendezvous. It's a food shorter than the Advantage, and has a fair bit more rocker, yet I couldn't keep up with him if he wanted to scoot off. He was paddling a heavy straight-shaft paddle with J-strokes. For whitewater I use "Canadian" strokes, which is kind of a backwards J-stroke where you do a mini pry at the end rather than roll your wrists over. His form was great. It was a joy to be out with him.
I'd really like to try to paddle a Voyager. I might like it more than the Advantage, but I'm not sure how that would be possible. Maybe this summer I'll get to trade out with a guy I know who paddles one. I'd also like to try out a Rendezvous on some Class 2. My buddy bought one, but I want him to put some scratches in it before I ask to borrow it.
I'm not sure how much I'd like rowing a scull or shell. I like rowing my raft, but that's a whole different animal. Racing seems like too much "work." I have had people tell me the wouldn't want to do the kind of vacations I do because it's so much work, but I don't find it like work. I do like layover days so we don't have to break camp and load the boats, but it's just a lifestyle that can't be beat.
This week I've got some paddling planed, one day of which will be picking up litter. I've got my weekly hike up the peak scheduled. Then I'm helping an organization get ready for a two-day overnight trip they sponsor. I'll be driving a truck full of baggage and/or a van with canoe/kayak trailers for a couple days and loading/unloading guest bags, setting up tables and booths, and all that. That sure DOES sound like work for three days, but it's supporting an organization I really like.1 -
@AnnPT77
I assume your Advantage is Kevlar or carbon fiber. My Encounter is Kevlar. I am so scared to rip a hole in it. It's ten pounds lighter than my glass Advantage even though it's six inches longer, is wider, AND has much higher sides. It's good for hauling lots of gear, but those rocks.... I am wondering if you have one of the very VERY first models of Advantage. If so, they actually are highly sought after. Kruger designed them for racing, but recreational paddlers liked them so much, and racing hulls changed a bit, that he changed the design after a few years to make them more recreation-friendly.
@mtaratoot,
I'm not sure what year it was, but it definitely was a racer when new according to the guy who sold it to me (a canoe shop owner), and from the way it looks. The previous owner modified it with an adjustable low tractor-style seat (similar seat to the Wenonah ones) after he developed (I forget which) knee or hip issues that made it unpleasant for him to kneel as the boat was designed for. I think I bought it used/modified from him in maybe the mid 1980s-ish? It's hard to remember. It's kevlar, but an extra-light layup, very thin, with very thin wood gunwales applied to the inner edge of the hull (not the normal Wenonah extra-cost wood ones - much thinner). The current ultra-light Advantage (graphite) weighs 31 pounds, according to the web site. Mine weighs about 25.
I need a yoke to carry my kevlar Voyager. I don't remember the exact weight - the new ones are a little lighter - but I believe it's just a bit over 40 pounds IIRC (similar weight to my shorter kevlar CD Willow kayak). The Advantage, no need for a yoke: I just sort of hang it on the side of my shoulder with an arm through a thwart.
I need boats on the light side: That's about as much weight as I want to wrangle onto a car or short-portage by myself.The canoe in that picture above was paddling a Rendezvous. It's a food shorter than the Advantage, and has a fair bit more rocker, yet I couldn't keep up with him if he wanted to scoot off. He was paddling a heavy straight-shaft paddle with J-strokes. For whitewater I use "Canadian" strokes, which is kind of a backwards J-stroke where you do a mini pry at the end rather than roll your wrists over. His form was great. It was a joy to be out with him.
I'd really like to try to paddle a Voyager. I might like it more than the Advantage, but I'm not sure how that would be possible. Maybe this summer I'll get to trade out with a guy I know who paddles one. I'd also like to try out a Rendezvous on some Class 2. My buddy bought one, but I want him to put some scratches in it before I ask to borrow it.
I can't recall whether I've ever paddled a Rendezvous (I've paddled a bunch of Wenonahs at try-out events, but over years). It's not my category. I know it's a horrific thing to say to you, but I don't like whitewater. Partly, I'm sure it's that I have next to no experience with it. Around here, we mostly have flat water, rarely anything beyond class II and not even much of that. I'm an intermediate paddler at best, even on flat water. (My late husband was skilled, canoed lots since the age of 11, used to canoe to work in his adolescence, fly-fish from narrow canoes, etc.)
I like long, skinny boats with zero rocker that like to track straight and go fast . . . not that I always go fast, but they're usually efficient to paddle at lower speeds, too. They have what a boating buddy and I came to call a high "whee factor", i.e., you take a stroke and immediately think "wheeeeee!"
I put both Advantage and Voyager in that category for sure, with (IMO) the biggest practical distinction between them for me being the load capacity. Even a backwoods-capable Advantage wouldn't have been great for canoe-camping when there was 50+ more pounds of me, and Voyager was right-sized. Now, not quite so much.
I test-drove Encounter, and I'd say it's at least similar, even though Wenonah calls it an expedition solo canoe rather than performance touring (like Advantage and Voyager). But for me, even 50-some pounds heavier, it was just too big a boat, even for me and gear. I didn't have the heft or body configuration to put it at its best, IMO. I don't have your level of paddling skill, of course, but my perception is that it was more about how it rode in the water for me. It's wider, too, and I'm 5'5", plus a it's little shorter than the Voyager.I'm not sure how much I'd like rowing a scull or shell. I like rowing my raft, but that's a whole different animal. Racing seems like too much "work." I have had people tell me the wouldn't want to do the kind of vacations I do because it's so much work, but I don't find it like work. I do like layover days so we don't have to break camp and load the boats, but it's just a lifestyle that can't be beat.
I've raced some in the past, and it was fun, but I don't anticipate doing more. (Never say never . . . ). One nice (?) thing about rowing shell racing is that it's overwhelmingly short-endurance. Summer racing is sprints, usually 2k, or often 1k for masters (i.e., old people like me). We have "long" races in the fall, called "head races" but these are usually around 3500m to 5000 meters, so not all that long, really.
One of the things I love about rowing is that there's always more to learn. To some extent, I perceive that to be true of canoeing/kayaking as well, and maybe it's just that I'm prejudiced, but good rowing has so many different moving parts (body parts, boat parts) as well as the challenge of synchronizing body movements as precisely as possible with other rowers (except in a single). It's just a little extra. Technique can get a person more speed without necessarily any more strength. Also, the racing shells do have a high "whee factor", plus (as you know) you're going backwards, for an extra challenge.
Rowing shells is IMO hard to do in a "try it and see" mode. It takes a certain amount of technique to get the boat moving in a fun/fast way. I'm sure you'd bring some relevant skills from rowing rafts and paddling, but there'd also be major differences. I've been involved with (by now) probably hundreds of people learning to row, and even the very athletically talented people with canoe/kayak experience need a few sessions to get into a racing shell and get it going well without swimming.
Vacation wise, I love a good rowing camp! Craftbury Outdoor Center in Vermont (owned by the Concept 2 people these days) is amazing, a prime example. Lovely private lake, great coaching with a small rower-to-coach ratio, and the best food (scratch made on site, sourced largely from their own and other local organic gardens).
I did love canoe-camping back in the day, when my husband was alive, though. That's how we spent vacations, usually at the huge Algonquin Park in Ontario, which is closer to here than than the better-known Boundary Waters.This week I've got some paddling planed, one day of which will be picking up litter. I've got my weekly hike up the peak scheduled. Then I'm helping an organization get ready for a two-day overnight trip they sponsor. I'll be driving a truck full of baggage and/or a van with canoe/kayak trailers for a couple days and loading/unloading guest bags, setting up tables and booths, and all that. That sure DOES sound like work for three days, but it's supporting an organization I really like.
Hey, fun is fun, and taste in fun is individual. These days, for all of June, I'm helping out with our learn to row class 4 days a week. Mostly, that's very little rowing (only once so far), a lot of coach-coxswain duty, or standing on the dock making sure the oars/oarlocks are oriented correctly by the newbies, guiding them so they land at the actual dock, answering questions, etc. As a natural introvert, I'm exhausted by the end of class from being "on" that long, but I do find their progress and enthusiasm really fun.
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You say "Whee" factor. I say the boat has wheels. Starts the same way.
The Advantage has a full half inch of rocker over 16.5 feet. The Encounter has zero rocker over 17 feet. The Rendezvous has two inches over just under 16 feet, and it's much wider than the Advantage. I sure want to try that one some day. If you're in my neighborhood, we can go try out a bunch of boats. I live less than a half mile from a relatively calm river, and there's lakes an hour or two away. There's a beautiful lake two hours away - Waldo.
The Encounter is, indeed, a tank. I probably should sell it and think about getting a fiberglass Voyager. That's probably more my speed. Still will hold gear, albeit not as much. It won't be as dry, but it will be faster. I should actually just get it out some time soon to see how it paddles after so many miles in the Advantage.
I finally convinced a friend to buy a nice kayak yesterday. He's been looking to upgrade his recreational style plastic boat. I saw one on Craigslist that I thought would be a VERY nice boat. I am shocked it hadn't sold, and the seller lowered the price. I wish I had just bought the thing. The boat is 14' long, so more nimble than my 16.5' sea kayak. It's also lighter. It came with an extremely nice performance paddle that is also pristine. The seller even threw in a nearly new PFD. The kit would cost about $4000 to replace new, and he took it home for a quarter of that. The gear is in pristine condition. I told him the paddle was my finder's fee, but he instead bought me a couple pints.2
