Upper I-O-Wanna Canoe/Kayak Trip, June 3 -5

“Lizs, you better carry that information in a waterproof container.”

“:-) Why, I have a small dry bag for my camera. And a huge ole honkin' dry bag (via the "W" supplier that many, many hate).

I still like to hold cell phones hostage though. ;-)”

“something tells me I may need to wear a dry bag on this trip”

“"Ya shore got a purty mouth" in that dry bag dress, boy.”

“what do Ihear banjos playing?This trip is starting to scare me”

“989 nautical miles later, I'm back from sea trials just this morning.
Damn, I'm glad to be off the water. ;-)

I think I'm going to go home and sleep for a week.”

“Stovie,ex navy?tech rep?”

“spalpeen - I'm a 'technical subject matter expert' at a shipyard. I'm responsible for all the new ship's navigation electronics.”

“Cool,back in time Iwas an operations specialist,also worked at Bath shipyards”

“Just a little update.... with potential tents needed back of each craft

"FOR SURES"
lizs -1
matahari -1 (nice hammock trees may be hard to come by)
prosecutor -1 for sure (probably 2)
Stovey -1 for sure (2, heh, or ONE??? *giggle*)
thelorax and tagalong -1
climbmda -1
hikr1paddlr1 -1

Also, lets look at the MAYBEs I've heard from:
--firebug and Dr. Atomic might make it
--Dutch Oven Dave is a "strong maybe" and, depending if he continues on to another floating destination for a week (yeah, YOU FIGURE it out, like it's hard, lol), he would just be there Saturday. OR... it might be the full weekend. Also, he might have two guys from Iowa along. All three would have their own crafts (and tents, I presume)
--gforce
--Ruby

Other "maybes" on the trip page
--stikmon
--Ivygal
--Hawkeye
--Dickhead”

“Any plans for "community gear" like a larger tarp for group gatherings if it rains? I have a 15x15 cheap tarp that we could rig, if necessary.

After all, we're canoeing, so the extra weight won't bother me.

Just curious.”

“a tarp would be a good thing to have.I got a monster Granite Gear canoe pack that can take alot of gear,I probably will and pamper myself”

“I'll have to send out a list to see about "community gear." Not used to thinking in those terms. In fact, on last year's Namekagon trip I just used my backpacking stove set up -- and caught crap from everyone. LOL!

hmmm... pampered, eh? :- )”

“Yes,some decent food and some vino,nothing wrong with that,If I feel nice I might even shars”

“Hey SCTC, what did you think of Chimney Rock Campground (the very pretty one) vs. being in Bluffton, which also has nice bluffs, plus the little redneck-ish bar and readily available beer? (and no imports)... LOL

And someone please tell me what's a decent distance in a canoe, that you can paddle without killing yourself???

The Upper Iowa canoe map says it's either 15 or 16 miles from Kendallville to Bluffton, which it says can easily be done in a day with steady paddling.

Of course there are other put-in spots that can shorten that up. Currently, I'm looking at making it work to take out on the county road probably 1 mile downstream from Malanaphy Spring. My river info says it's roughly 9.5 miles from Bluffton, which would be the nearest campsite for Saturday night. Is that too much on a Sunday?

Some river info I've seen says it runs maybe 2.5-3.5 miles per hour along these stretches.

Give me a general idea and THEN I'll go to the outfitters... which I need to do SOON.”

“sctc? sexy canoe tripping celt?”

“I don't have a lot of river experience, but lake paddling speed really depends on the canoe. With my usual tandem boat we probably average 2.5-3 MPH on flat water if we are going at a comfortable pace.

Obviously, that speed can increase if you are paddling with current. I would figure that 9.5 mile run would not be more that 3 hours on Sunday, tops.

Regarding the comfort level, I will throw a tarp in the pack, along with better food than I ever take backpacking or on long BWCA trips. My canoe pack is good for a week, solo, so it should have lots of room for a weekender. Bring your luxury items, you don't have to carry them.

There will be wine, scotch, and stogies in my pack. WooHoo!”

“sctc? sexy canoe tripping celt?[i]

errrr NOooooo... well, mebbeee! LOL!

Reference:
“Did some river scoutin' Saturday (and beer drinkin' with the locals in Kendallville and Bluffton. LOL). Now to make a few phone calls... I think my SCTS (secret canoe trip scouter) thinks it looks like a good trip. LOL![i]

so which did SCTC prefer?”

“You did spell it sctc not scts”

“lizs is such a goober. ;-)”

“lizs - trekkngirl & I may have two tents, I'll ask her when she gets back from her Smoky Mt trip she's on now.

I'll be bringing my 2 person tent but she may want to bring her little MSR Hubba for changing, etc....or an escape if I get on her nerves, LOL.

We will need to rent a canoe, paddles, life jackets, etc.
Canoe camping is a lot like car camping.
Weight doesn't matter very much.
As we are both flying in, our gear will have to be kept to a small amount.
We may need to 'bum' some gear from you nice locals, like the use of your grill for steaks or burgers, or lawn chairs.
The loan of a good ice chest would be nice if anyone has an extra.
Readily available beer and food would be a plus, along with showers in the campgrounds, ha ha.”

“Ya know, we need CMB and Free to come on this trip. That would really make it ROCK!!!!

Really looking forward to seeing my 'old' friends again and making new ones.”

“Stovie let me know gear wise what you might need,I got all sorts of crap and I am pretty close”

“Right off the top of my head, I would say an ice chest. Those things don't fly well.”

“I can cover that”

“Thanks, looking forward to meeting you.
What kind of beer do you like? I figure I'll owe you a couple. ;-)”

“I will have my micro brews, beer selection out there sucks”

“Dang! I think I'll bum a beer or two off of you then! LOL”

“I'll have to make sure I have a supreme beer selection and not just Bud Lights this time around, huh?

And spalpeen, sounds like you've been on the Upper Iowa? ;-)”

“.... with potential tents needed back of each craft

"FOR SURES"
lizs -1
matahari -1 (nice hammock trees may be hard to come by)
prosecutor -1 for sure (probably 2)
Stovey -1 for sure (2, heh, or ONE??? *giggle*)
thelorax and tagalong -1
climbmda -1
hikr1paddlr1 -1
- lizs

Dang! Wonder where poor spalpeen is staying? Don't see a tent listed for him???
LOLOLOLOLOL”

“OK, folks, I am about 90 percent sure Saturday night will be at Randy's Campground and Store in Bluffton. Ummm, yes, that's commercial. Stovie, you can have your food and beer and YES SHOWERS close by.

This is the nearest campground to Malanaphy, which is roughly 8-9 miles downstream. And I think the point of Malanaphy is to see the falls from the river. They're not major, maybe 20 ft. tall??

And yes, we can manage to climb up the root-strewn bank if we want to see more of the bluff. Fun bit of climbing. I did it in the winter with ice, alone, so I'd think we can do it.

Is a 16-mile day too long for Saturday? gotta figure the put-in point yet.”

“;-) Ask spalpeen... I'm pretty sure he'd say, doghouse right now.

LOL!”

“woof woof,off for the weekend(and to find something better than a doghouse)guess I deserve it”

“Ok lizsbaby, check out Randy's selection of fine meats and spirts. Does each campsite have a grill?”

“Hey spalpeen did have that great idea about floating me down the river in an inflated bubble.

So I'm in the bubble aka "Bubble Girl."

:-) Should be a new view of the river from the bubble. hahahaha...

Stovey, I know they have decent cheeseburgers... not sure on the grill. Will perhaps get down there again this weekend to check out. Will warn the locals of our impending trip.

Randy's Bluffton Store:

*Canoe & Kayak Rentals    *Showers
*Shuttle Service  *Riverfront Campsites *RV Electrical Hookups *Ice
*Lunches (carryout available)
*Catered BBQ's/Picnics 
*Cold Beverages/Mixed Drinks 
* Live Entertainment (as scheduled) (DO THEY MEAN US???!?!) lol”

“Just back from a great 3 day trip of backpacking, birding and beer. everyone must have been busy this weekend, no posts. Need a shower, and yes I can see us being the entertainment”

“Welcome back, as they say in Kotter land.

HEY FOLKS, GET SIGNED UP FOR THIS IF YOU'RE THINKING OF GOING. :-)”

“I am signed up..airline ticket bought..Stovie is signed up twice.. but then he's twice a man..lol
Can't wait”

“LOL keep thinking that, trekkngirl!

I don't know how in the he11 I signed up twice. Must be a software glich for when I switched from maybe.

How did SCP remove herself? ;-)

Hey, my airline ticket is bought also!
last edited: 5/09/05 4:33:36 PM”

“I removed SCP by myself...she doesn't need to go ..I am trekkngirl and I need to go..”

“Stovey -- an evil twin?!?!?
last edited: 5/09/05 5:01:17 PM”

“I want the evil one..lol”

“I'm only 'evil' in private, trekkngirl! ;-)

OK, fixed the 'twin' problem.
The 'evil' one is locked away but was told he can return with trekkngirl around, LOL.
Bad boys get all the girls, LOL.
last edited: 5/09/05 5:46:39 PM”

“Cool..Mr.Stovie”

“BUMP

Ohhhh, but girls like the bad boys with sensitive sides. Maybe with both sides you'll kick @ ss with that special gal, Stovey. heeheheee”

“harumph”

“Hey there, sensitive bad boy, ARE you GOING on this trip?

hheheheheheee”

“a shameless bump”

“lizsbaby is falling down on the job.
Get with the program lizsbaby!”

“She is now is she not. Trip is coming up and there are no posts,Trying to figure out mac and cheese or something. Time someone HAMMERED her on this one
peace”