Beautiful day

Up early and caught this sunrise on Rock Lake. Couldn't pry the girls out of bed after our late night movie extravaganza, so I paddled alone. What a beautiful morning.

I was hoping that Chris would be out paddling. He paddles a C1 most of the time. Makes for a good workout and it is fun trying to hang with him. So I paddled my Summersong the fastest canoe I have. I started with my epic comp. carbon kayak paddle. Chris didn't show, so I switched out and went back to my Bell Carbon bent shaft single blade.

-

I think I'm a canoeist.

I've been paddling single blade exclusively this season. If I had any kayaking skills, I've lost them. I'm faster with the kayak paddle in the short term, but for comfort, I'm a single blade man.

Didn't get the hours of paddling I wanted to get in this weekend. Girls were focused on getting a dog and hanging with their cousins. (Still on the search for the perfect pup)

-

We did go for a long walk and did walk out to the point on Fowler Lake where Grandma's ashes are. That was pretty cool.

It was a beautiful day - The Capt'n

"O" Dark 30 Paddle

Perfect weather - Got out for a 2 hour early morning paddle (beat the wind) as the wind was building out of the west. Followed up with an hour walk to the local coffee shop for a mocha and bagel. It was great to get out there after the rainy and 40 degree weather of late.

Kids slept in - then it was off to look at dogs at our local animal shelters. Searching for the perfect pup or ole salty sea dog... We'll know when we find the right one.

We are planning a family paddle tomorrow. Weather man is sending us some good paddling and some even better weather.

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of my mom's passing. Paddling Fowler Lake where some of her ashes are spread may be in order. Have to see what everyone is thinking.

Hey Mom, Thanks for everything! - Bri

Moose Over

The next best thing, reading about it:

I've signed up for a Quetico / Boundary waters newsletter. This is what they are reporting:

Spring is one of the best times for viewing wildlife in the canoe country and on the Gunflint Trail. It feels like all of the animals are out gathering and greeting each other after the long winter.

Moose have suddenly re-appeared, wolf pups were spotted alongside the Trail, and even bears have been seen in the ditches. Fox and grouse are popping up everywhere and the loons have announced their return by singing their beautiful song. Ducks are splashing in the open water and birds are forever chatting to each other in the treetops.

How cool is that? Can't wait to get up there this summer.

-

Spring is the time for cleansing the earth and soul when fresh starts and new beginnings are made possible by the sun's healing touch. - Voyageur Susan MP Prom

Keep it moving

Dropping in after the last portage we hit our stride. We were within hours of the finish, totally in sync and keeping the boat moving. The GPS was giving us good feed back. I commented to Mark, " I'm paddling with one arm and eating a piece of chicken, and were still going 6.2 mph".

Having never been on a cruise ship, I imagine that Mark's floating buffet was any cruise ship's buffet equal. I was introduced to "Cheese Its", (now my best friend ) along with this very good tasting energy drink "Emer'gen-C" a fizzy drink mix (a super energy booster). It has all the good stuff that an aging sea dog needs... Glucosamine, Chondroitin and lots of minerals. And it tastes good warm.

We had pretty much settled in for 3rd boat in, as we had not scene the team of Bob-Mike and/or George-Melissa in quite a while. When we came around a bend in the river and got a glimpse George and Melissa. We already had the boat moving pretty good. A quick glance from Mark and a brief discussion, "Lets reel them in"; We were now hauling ass.

We held a pace in the high 6's low 7's for the next hour and a half to blow right by them as they had pulled over to stretch there legs. I don't think they ever saw us coming. Mark steered a course going right around an island and they went left. I think George was taken back a bit by our brisk pace. We never looked back and ended up the second boat in. Bob and Mike in a Kruger Cruiser had arrived 45 minutes earlier and were waiting on the shore for our arrival. It was a great run down a grand river.

The festivities at the finish line were hoping. Good food and a lot of spectators. Hung out with the small contingent of WaterTribers had a couple of barley pops and watched the H.H. Challenge presentation.

Steve (Kneadingwater) is a character. He had some great stories of the last Everglades Challenge. It was great to see him here.

The event and weekend were winding down. What a wonderful experience and so many great people supporting the Verlen Kruger Memorial. A dip of the paddle to the race director Dan Smith and all the volunteers! I'll be back again to do this event.

-

Outstanding day on the river. - The Capt'n

Taming the Grand River

80 canoes and kayaks of all shapes and sizes entered the H. H. Challenge. More a challenge then a race, paddlers seeded themselves not only by starting time, but by where they put in on the river. It was a neat way to do it as everyone was at the finish within a few hours of each other. We seeded ourselves with the expedition canoes and kayaks that left at 7:00am

Event organizers moved the start down river by 5 miles to accommodate the large turn-out. The new venue was very nice with a lot of parking, A little muddy at the put-in. There were some very good paddlers attending. Bob Bradford and his son Mike were also in a Kruger Cruiser.

It was your basic low key start with a ready set go. Boats that were challenge / racing sort of waited for each other to get settled. Kinda like you see in the Tour De France bike race.

We paddled 3 a breast for a while. A Kruger Cruiser (Bob) and a traditional tandem kevlar canoe (George)pulled a head as we backed off into our challenge pace. Both Mark and I were happy to keep the boat moving at 5.1 - 5.5 during this section of the river. There would be plenty of time to crank it up. We kept them in sight and ran our own challenge.

A highlight for me was paddling past Verlen's House (Base Camp) and meeting Jenny Kruger at the finish. What a wonderful kind woman.

We didn't have too many photo opportunities as we were in a challenge, but this was a must slow Kodak picture moment.

There is a small sign hanging over the river that says "Kruger Base Camp" and gives the distance to New York and Cape Horn by river. Very cool.

There were three portages along the route. Mark stowed the cart wheels for ease of portaging. It allowed us to portage comfortably and real in Bob and George that were just ahead of us.

There was a little competitive race bantering going on as we wheeled our boat and they humped theirs. At one point we slacked off and let them go, dining on shake and bake chicken and cheese its. Mark is a master chef when it comes to race/challenge food. It was a grand buffet. I almost felt guilty as George and Melissa were lugging there canoe and I was having a second piece of chicken. Poor George, but I got over it.

Check back tomorrow for more event highlights - The Capt'n

Hugh Heward Challenge

The Hugh Heward Challenge is an outstanding event in its own right was made even better by the fundraising efforts being made for the Verlen Kruger Memorial.

The Verlen Kruger Memorial statue will be located in Portland, Michigan on the banks of the Grand River, which coincidentally is the finish of the Hugh Heward Challenge.

Mark Kruger Canoes and I teamed up in the H.H. Challenge as a shake out paddle and a chance to hang out and prepare for the Missouri 340 River Challenge in July.

After a very pleasant 6 hour drive and a great mexican lunch, Mark and I jump in Verlen's Kruger Cruiser on Friday. We got in a quick 5 miler to check out the boat and get things tuned up and adjusted before the big event.

We both felt really comfortable in the boat. It didn't take us long to get in sync. A seat adjustment, tweaked the rear steering controls and we were off.

With the boat ready to go, we headed back to the house to fill water bladders and food sacks. Our shake out paddle gave us a glimpse of how warm it will be out on the river and what we thought our time would be for the challenge.


Tune back tomorrow for more of ManituCruiser and DaBiscuit tame the Grand River. - The Capt'n

Gone paddling

Quoting SandyBottom - "Gone paddling for the weekend"

-

Heading to Michigan for the weekend. Packing up the Jeep tonight and head over early Friday.

The plan is to meet up with Mark and Michelle in Lansing. Then take a brief cruise in Kruger Cruiser to get things situated, carbo up hydrate and get a good night's sleep. Saturday is race day.

I am pretty jazzed about paddling with Mark this weekend. The weather looks awesome! Pictures and a recap of our adventures upon my return.

It all just happens, doesn't it? - The Capt'n

Always on the look-out

I'm always on the lookout for new games for the kids to play while on our Peak camps. We get tired of the same ole games all the time . You know; like knock your neighbor down, push and shovel, whack a friend with a stick and my favorite- who stole my marshmallow roasting stick and why is my forehead bleeding?.

Anyway I was introduced to this new game ( new to me) called "Hillbilly Golf" It goes against my number one rule during my camps "NO PICKING UP STUFF AND THROWING IT" But I must admit - It's a hoot.

The true test is when I play it with my girls next weekend. We'll be checking the "Fun Meter" before introducing it to the group.

-

Doubtful it will replace dead carp polo, cause when it comes to fun, well you know, nothing like tossing dead fish around when your a kid - The Capt'n

Inspiring

As I gather my gear and thoughts on the up-coming paddle this weekend with Mark From Kruger Canoes. Mark sends me this quote from Verlen.

Skill is less important than spirit when faced with hardship and challenge, in the end your spirit will make up for any perceived lack in skill you might think you have. - Verlen Kruger

It's time for this old dog to paddle up.

Super "Boo" Sunday

Boo and I got up early to get in a some training. We were able to beat the breeze. The weather man was posting breezy conditions out of the North, which also means we were at the warmest part of the day.

We played around with seating. Getting the boat balanced was one of our goals today. I ended up moving my seated position forward by 24 inches. It put my thighs under the rear thwart and made my paddle reach a little more difficult but doable.















Time to practice some cornering. Boo throws in a cross bow left. The Wisconsin River at the headwaters is very twisty. Boo holds the cross bow and I paddle hard on the right side. We spin the boat pretty quickly to the left. Notice Boo's left knee bracing on the gunwale. She keeps her head looking forward for balance. This keeps her from being pulled out of the boat when she plants the paddle.















Boo is all smiles after another hour and a half training session out on Rock Lake. We'll have to get her a new life jacket. She is wearing mine in the picture and it really doesn't fit her very well.


As far as her paddle choice; Boo is using a Bell Carbon 48" bent shaft. It was either that or 2"x4" :-)

Ice cream, a great motivator. Boo wanted some too! - The Capt'n

Training Day

Marrissa Emily and I got in a good paddle today. Marissa was up front as the stoker, Emily was running the camera and I was in the back steering. Marissa did really well. She paddled steady for an hour and a half. I thought that was pretty good for her first time out this season.

We do need to refrain from spanking, but all kids need a good paddling. - The Capt'n

Swash-buckled by a girl

Just when you thought it was safe to give the lady the "business". She out-smarts you and posts some non-sense about a nav-system called "Dial-a-buoy".

Having been in the Coast Guard, on an ocean going buoy tender no less, this sounded very much like one of the pranks you would pull on a new seaman when he went to sea for the first time. This picture represents buoy ops on the Coast Guard Cutter Mallow WLB 396 in the late 70's. Two glorious years of scraping and painting buoys.

-You know, the ole mail-buoy watch on the bow in your dress blues prank. Or the go get me a can of relative bearing grease from the snipes in the engine room trick.-

I attribute my dismay and condition to; too much blue death primer and red-lead paint in the late 70's.

So I follow SandyBottom's link to the website, low and behold.... "Dial-a-buoy" Can you believe it- Swash buckled by a girl!

Arr matie, I comes from the time of wooden ships and iron men... Hoist the Jolly Roger!!- The Capt'n

This is so wrong...

One minute I'm paddling the silky glass and the next I'm shovelling it!!. This is so wrong. - The Capt'n

Early evening paddle

-

Nothing like an hour of paddling along the marsh to clear your head after a long Monday in the office. A beautiful evening out on Mud Lake. Took the Bell Yellowstone for a spin. Here is a short film loop of the paddle.

Work is so over rated. - Capt'n

Why is this guy smiling

Well after 2 days of drying out my camera, I am back in business. It would appear that long rides in the car with the camera over the defroster has given my camera life again. Giddy up!!

We're off to our Quetico planning meeting with the rest of the fam. My girls are with their mom on a world wind trip to New York, New York.

Life is good!

A picture is never really any good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet. - Orson Welles

The Players

Act I - The Sting
MadCity Paddlers - The Crawfish River trip was cancelled today do to the weather. I don't see why? Wasn't it just yesterday I was swimming? Come on in, the waters perfect! So I put the word out on the MadCity message board.

Act II - The Players
Jack Burton ( MadCity Paddler) from Baraboo called, and decided to join me. Jack was sporting a new Prijon Kodiak Kayak. It really looked nice on the water. I guess Jack purchased the boat right from Landis Arnold- Wildwasser fame at Canoecopia ( I'd have taken a picture of it, but I am camera-less after yesterday's excursion.)

Act III - Windy cold and down right miserable
Another high wind, 17 degree morning. No worries, the snow was coming, so we had that to look forward to. The question was; where it paddle? Earlier in the morning before Jack arrived I scouted the put-in up in Milford. There really wasn't a good spot to drop in with the high water. So I bagged the Crawfish River idea.

Act IV - Jack arrives, I thought he was smarter than this
Jack arrived and with the temps. wavering around 20 degrees and the wind gusting to 25 mph, we opted for a windward shore paddle of Rock Lake. Good choice as the shore gave us a great break from the wind and the snow fluttered above our heads made for a unique paddling experience.

Act V - Taking bar stool paddling to the next level
Afterwards we went for lunch down at Meagan's restaurant and had a couple New Castles Ales. Ah the joys of bar stool paddling.

Finally something I'm good at. - The Capt'n

The best laid plans

Road trip - Oconomowoc River. High winds, 19 degrees, sunny is shining, perfect. With the long weekend, this was going to be my long paddle day. "O" Dark 30 drive to get to the put in. Gorgeous sunrise.

Current is ripping pretty good. Attempted to paddle up-river to Lac La Belle. Made 6 miles till I came up on this bridge. Pulled out and check my options. Didn't look good for paddling through it. I gave it a hap-hazard attempt. There was a little shelf under the bridge, didn't think I could get up it.

Sea Wind on the shoreline while I scope under the bridge, grab a bite to eat and soak up some sun. Still pretty cold out and the wind howling, but the trees are providing a pretty good wind break.

Another shot of the swirling water. I pondered this for a while, as I really wanted to stick to my plan and make it up to Lac La Belle. That would have given me a round trip of 24 miles.

Cut my loss and turned it down river. Temps. in the mid 20's, clouds forming and the sunshine diminishing. It would be a brisk paddle into the wind glad I had the current with me.

What you wont see in the pictures, is me falling out of the boat. Yep... As I was negotiating a narrow section that had fallen trees and I caught a branch right under my collarbone. My momentum and the branch catching me just right, put me tumbling into the water. I was stupefied. I couldn't believe it. I'm swimming for it.

The bonus was I had my new camera and cell phone in the life jacket pocket. Camera ruined, phone, appears to be OK after drying it out on the dashboard. But the real point of this posting is having a ditch kit ( hypothermia kit, dry clothes, dry hat, dry mittens and woolly socks). I had all the right gear for all the right reasons.

Paddle on paddle safe. - The Capt'n

Long weekend

Looking forward to the long weekend - spring cleaning, yard work, gutters, repair the screen door that went flying off in the wind... or paddling. We all make choices. Love those still water conditions of a meandering river.

Weather dependant, One day at a time.

The plan tonight is to get some interval training in. The WCKR group is paddling the Yahara... but it is a 1 1/2 hours out of my day driving.. when I could be paddling locally. Hmm, we all make choices.

Here is the story from the weather.gov

FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
816 PM CDT WED APR 04 2007
...THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN WISCONSIN...
FOX RIVER NEAR NEW MUNSTER AFFECTING KENOSHA COUNTY
ROCK RIVER AT JEFFERSON AFFECTING JEFFERSON COUNTY
ROCK RIVER AT FORT ATKINSON AFFECTING JEFFERSON COUNTY
ROCK RIVER AT NEWVILLE AFFECTING ROCK COUNTY
ROCK RIVER AT AFTON AFFECTING ROCK COUNTY
WIC059-050716-
/X.CON.KMKX.FL.W.0023.000000T0000Z-070410T1800Z/
/NMSW3.1.ER.070403T1800Z.070406T1200Z.070410T1200Z.NO/
816 PM CDT WED APR 04 2007
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE FOX RIVER NEAR NEW MUNSTER.
* UNTIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
* AT 0730 PM WEDNESDAY THE STAGE WAS 11.53 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING AND MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 10.0 FEET.
* THE RIVER WILL CONTINUE RISING TO NEAR 12.5 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING. THE RIVER
WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE TUESDAY MORNING.
* AT 12.8 FEET...THERE IS WIDESPREAD FLOODING OF HOMES IN LOW LYING AREAS
ADJACENT TO THE RIVER IN THE WHEATLAND...SILVER LAKE AND SALEM AREAS. SOME FAMILIES EVACUATE THEIR HOMES. SOME COUNTY ROADS ARE CLOSED

Friday

Looks like I will do a series of lakes on Friday in and near Oconomowoc. It's a nice route as there is a variety of lakes rivers and creeks and portages. I'll scout part of the route for a trip I am leading in June for MadCity Paddlers. I'm shooting for Friday, cause it gives me two days to fall back on if the weather is iffy. The flooding shouldn't be an issue on this route.

Saturday

MadCity Paddlers is having a run down the Crawfish River. I scouted the put-in and take-out yesterday. Water is moving pretty good. Never paddled this section, so it would be cool to do it. It is a section that needs to be run early spring for good water. It gets a little soupy in the summer. It looked cold and un-inviting in the grey conditions.

Sunday - Easter

An Easter brunch and our second Quetico planning meeting. Count to date on the trip is six. At this point it looks like we will take three tandem boats. More planning is needed. Route has been sort of selected and the permit applied for.

-

At times on quiet waters one does not speak aloud but only in whispers, for then all noise is sacrilege. - Sigurd F. Olson

Rivers on the rise - cool

They are talking flood warnings south of us on the Rock river. The current is really ripping by us but not at flood stage. We had 1 1/2 inches of rain yesterday.

High winds (30+ mph) and the temps. have dropped into the mid-20's. Maybe a high of 35 degrees today. A great day for paddling if it was January, but it is April. What happened to the 58 degree weather? They are talking snow flurries as well.

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON.A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL GENERATE STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT SUSTAINED WINDS OF NEAR 30 MPH...WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS OVER 45MPH...ESPECIALLY IN THE OPEN COUNTRY SIDE.THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS BY LATE AFTERNOON.

The wind is howling and it is "freaking out" our cat (Oakley). He is running from window to window... phsyco cat!!

meow...meow... meow... - Oakley

The workout -grinding it out

After work I went for a 2 hour paddle on the Rock River. I put in just above the Watertown Dam and did a 2 hour Grind up hill to Pipersville.

The river was moving pretty good. I drifted for a bit to see the tale of the GPS. One section was 3.0 and other section 2.5.

It took me an 1.5 hours of paddling to get to Pieperesville, where the river narrowed so much I could make no further headway. A quick check of the GPS put me at .8 miles per hour in some sections. then at the turn around, zero.

On the return, what a ride. The GPS said that I had a top speed of 8.3 mph. I was able to keep it over 6 mph most of the time. My return time was 35 minutes. Felt like I was flying.

What does it all mean? Don't know. But I wanted to start base-lining my workouts. Paddle with a purpose with these races coming up.

I am have issues with the formatting of this blog - The Capt'n

Un-charted waters for the Capt'n

One needs to be very cautious when picking up the phone. The last couple of times I received a phone call from Mark (Kruger Canoes); I've found myself saying "yes" to this question: "Hey do you want to race a Kruger Cruiser in the up-coming.... with me?"

-

So the first thing we did was sign up for the longest non-stop paddling race in the world. The Missouri 340. Which makes a lot of sense.... right?

-

Misery loves company, so now a handful of the WaterTribe are entering as well. Wayferer, SandyBottom, Etchemin, S.O.S. and the list continues to grow.

-

Then last week the phone rang early Monday morning it was Mark. I waited in anticipation... (You never know what outrageous idea he has come up with while inspired by building the world's best undisputed expedition canoes. He keeps mentioning the Yukon River Quest) anyway...

-

We got to discussing the logistics for the Hardcore Adventure Camp in which Kruger Canoes is sponsoring all the boats for the kids to paddle. When the conversation turned to training for the Misery 340. We needed a plan.

-

We decided it would be good to race the Hugh Heward Canoe Race on the Grand River in Michigan. It's a 55 mile down river paddle, with a couple of portages. We have never paddled together and it would be good to sit in a boat together for a few hours, to see how we do. We will try to paddle together a few times over the next couple of months before the M340.

-

Mark is building us a new Kruger Cruiser for the Misery 340, doubtful that it will be completed for H.H.C.R. in 3 weeks. So we are paddling in Verlen's personal Cruiser (on loan from Jenny) which Mark explained is all tricked out. Am I worthy, to paddle Verlen's personal boat?... Dude come on!!

-

Then I am told the race goes right by Verlen's home on the Grand River and the cemetery in which he rests and ends where the memorial will be located.

-

Mark and I am quoting, "Verlen will be calling out the "huts" for us on this one".

-

There is some serious positive energy around. This is way cool.

-

So how does one train for an event in 3 weeks...

-

Paddle paddle paddle... Mark Przedwojewski

Sleeping Beautifuls

Well the girls were bummed as the weather went bad and it started raining by the time they got moving this morning. Glad I got out early for a quick paddle.

So paddling with them on our favorite route to the Kiltie Drive-in, was postponed. But, somehow our SUV managed to find its way there anyway, ice-cream was happily shared by all.

There is a review of foods eaten while expedition paddling on the WaterTribe site as I write. Though my top notch researchers have found secret blogs - I wont mention any names - cough cough- (KiwiBird)(SandyBottom) that ice cream is on the menu on such a trip like the Everglades Challenge.

So I got the ice-cream thing down, now for the paddling - The Capt'n