Memorial Day Float trip-3 days, 3 nights

“Seems to now be more of an annual sharing of the time with Stalker and his 2 sons, Starburst and Langley (Tim, Darren and Trenton). It's been a year since our last meeting and again, this was so much fun to spend time with them. Also in attendance were Ice (Jeff, whom I've shared 2 Big Bend adventures with) and his 2 close friends Brad (Pitt) and Kevin (Costner) and of course Dutch Oven Dave and his lovely family Polly, 2 grand children Sarah and Justine. Along the way we picked up some dude named Isaac (kayak dude), whom I made tremendous fun of as he pulled into the camp ground on Friday night sporting a beautiful yellow sea kayak. I think I said something about the ocean not being anywhere near here and he better take that bananna cickle thing on outta here before the natives get restless....and of course there was ME and Khatru.

The party began before I even arrived at the camp ground. Tim and sons had arrived early in the day and scoffed our usual camp site and set up base camp. I arrived in time for baked beans and beer. Then Dave and party showed up and shortly after a car load of Chicagins from the far off land of Chicago. They drove like 10 hours to come down, but, I'll let those buggers tell that tale. We all had plenty of room to set up and did so, and stayed up till late talking, consuming snobby beer, smoking snobby cigars and generally being snobs. We had a roaring camp fire going as Tim and I brought some killer wood for the evening, which we pretty much used up, saving some for the morning ritual fire. Sometime we all retired and awoke to a miserably fine morning which would portend (big word usage) OF things to come...blue skies, clear cool water, sweet fragrant air, ice cold beer...yep, another miserable day on the river. We broke camp early and made the put in early and got under way early...we had all day to do 7 miles. That 7 miles took all day to do, too. Thank god we had all day. We loafed, lolligagged, fished, swam, took breaks and napped at the helms of our canoes. I had a lil person in my boat pretty much the entire day, and Khatru swam and ran to his lil hearts content, eating and rolling in whatever he wanted to. He now has a tummy ache from eating EVERYTHING and it will be 3 days till he has energy to lift his curly Q tail. Its tough being him.

We arrived at the famous "Dump Zone" and Dave, Jeff (in his new Kayak styled canoe with a trunk) Costner/Pitt (in the Tokin Bunnie) made it through unscathed, Tim rammed it head on and did a cosmetic readjustment to Stalker's Yacht. I went through in traditional style (in a prone and sleepy position...to the delight of the onlookers) and then Darren and Trenton, like father like son's, rammed it head on and muscled their way through....LOL...I thought they were gonna suck water. The crowd on the banks gave them a 8.0 for getting through.

In short order, we made my favorite camp site and set up the evenings base camp. I love this site. It is at the beginning of the prettiest curve on the river. I try to camp here on each visit to the Points.

With Camp set up, Dave and Tim went to collect fire wood and I got the kitchen in order. When they returned the food began to be prepared, when Jeff went on a hissy and told us that his contribution to the evening buffet had been left behind in Chicago...some sort of Korean beef thing...according to reports, Jeff's mom was enjoying our dinner...LOL...next time dude.

Jeff did demonstrate his backers oven and made a delicious desert for us all. There was NO lack of food or beverages...I cranked out a batch of frozen pina colada's and we had a roaring fire and generally got really tight.

Sunday morning...huge breakfast of awsomly prepared breakfast burrito's prepared by Jeff and team. Excellant coffee prepared by Tim and the Chi-Town coffee snobs. Broke down camp and off we went into another miserably perfect day. We rounded the corner into the zone that is my favorite camp site, where I sprung up like a jakass in the box and jumped overboard into the clear blue water of a prime swimming/fishing hole. It was sublime!

We, again, enjoyed a day of general laziness and made camp at a regular float camp which provided us with ample room to spread out and take over the area. While setting up my tarp, the dude in the Kayak (Isaac) turned up asking us if there was room, I said NO, go away and take that yellow thing on outta here! LOL...nah, I said that I thought that there were 2 other camp sites and he was welcome to stay and even invited him to join us for the evening festivities of eating, drinking and fire dancing. Turns out that he is from St Louis and he had heard rumors about this particular river (sssssssssshhhhhh, don't tell anyone where you really were Issac) and he was overjoyed to find the rumors to be true. Also turns out that Isacc will be easily swayed to the Dark Side of the Canoe force. We blew him away with the quantity of food, beer, gear that we had...LOL. YES!!!! another convert. Hope you make it out again IIsac.

He said he would work for his food, so we let him split the wood for the fire and wash all of our dirty nasty dishes, then he cleaned out all our canoes and swept out the tents and picked up after us...Thanks.

Monday morning...Tim and crew pulled out early as they had the longest drive, Jeff made biscuits for them on his backpackers stove/oven...they really were great.

then Dave and Polly got to making the usual fare of Cinnimon Rolls, coffee, scrambled eggs, sausage biscuits and gravy. yeah...just a mild mannered breakfast...unfortunatly, I had taken the tent down, and had no where to take my after breakfast nap.

We packed up and headed on downriver and Khatru ran on ahead, loosing everyone, except himself. After an anxious time to paddling hard and fast past some of my favorite scenery (that I couldn't enjoy because of anxiety) we caught up to him at Turtle Cove, where he was waiting for us. Sheesh...dang dog knows this river as well as any human. I scolded him and then tied him up and then had fun in my 2nd favorite spot on the river. Swimming, and floating in the rapid and trying to catch fish, I should a used a net...would have been more successful. Dave said that they were probably suckers...it was more likely that I was the sucker and that they were laughing at me.

On to Boze Mill Spring, where Jeff jumped in swam about turning as blue as the water. I'm pretty sure it had a real shrinking effect on his anatomy (notice I said "I'm pretty sure" and not absolutely positive)

We hit Halls Bay with skill and talent and all made it through with no battle scars. HB's is a class 1-2 rapid that drops a total of 3 feet. The only thing with it is that it is on a curve and its a blind rapid till your right upon it. (hint...stay left).

The worst site of the trip is always the bridge...which signifies...The End.

Note to attendees (and guests)...thanks. Its always great to spend time with you all and share the moments, which are unfortunately so fleeting, but on the river, they somehow last longer than the moments that are spent off the river...

Namarie!!!”

“Sounds like a great weekend!!! And a well written trip report. There you are again, making converts out of random people. What's wrong with you anyway?”

“That's a rather lovely account of your adventures chumley....very well done...what a sweet man of ya to allow that boy to camp with you….banana boat and all….and before you make fun of him….I do recall some local Buxton people murmuring something about a redneck dork from MO putting a canoe in the Pamlico Bay and he (meaning you) had better high tail it outta here….but memory is bad these days….so don’t quote me on it….

However fine and dandy that TR may be...you neglected to mention several items of extreme importance:

What about mileage?.....Yeah that’s right bro…..let's see...I need to calibrate my new jig-ga-ba-bob and wah laa....it seems you may have paddled 53.2906 miles...oh...and that was only the first day....very nice....i'm impressed!

Also....didn't you bag any peaks? You must've bagged at least 4 or 9 of them...no? What about that boulder you climbed up and relieved yourself on....that's gotta count for a 1/2 peak....

GPS??? No waypoint measurements? You're slippin' man....oh wait….are these nuggets of info found your personal website i’madork.com?

Seriously man……it ain’t right you dis out this kind of info….

All right…..time to go…these shananighans must end…..so….what’s that saying ya’ll say out there….catch ya on the flip flop…..”

“I've always thought one should have a canoe and a kayak, at least.

Sounds like a great trip Stikmon!”

“Fun trip! Its been a few years, but I kinda miss canoe trips.”

“And you guys ate like kings! I don't have a breakfast that nice at home! Damn!”

“We will try to emulate you, but it seems this first time around we're all doing our own meals. Maybe once we get our feet wet, so to speak, on our Upper Iowa River.

Thanks for the dry bag offers. I've put in a lot of time and effort scouting (alas, even if from bankside this summer), put a bunch o' moola down for canoe rentals, will anxiously await its return and just am not feeling like shipping dry bags around. A great offer, but I have to draw *my* line on what I'm doing somewhere. LOL!

I think people will do fine. It's probably, maybe only 5 people needing dry bags. And we have a total of 17-ish. I think we'll find dry bags. And I think my Wal-Mart one should suffice, unless you know something I don't. ;-)

A grand trip indeed that you had. I may have to float there some day. But I don't want to go "swimming" (freaking out trying to stay above water, as I know it) in that river!! LOL!”

“the invite is permenant.

SnowNymph...It would be a pleasure to float with you and your gang.

Pixie...ya just gotta come east and see how its done...

Sass...kayak...no, not with the dog...but since he hates being in the boat, why the heck not...but then I'd be like Issac...eating dehydrated meals...naaaaaaaaah. I'll stick with The Bunnie, The Witch and the Dutch Oven...hmmmmmmm sounds like a CSLewis novel”

“But then you'll not be able to paddle in the big waves, unless you get yerself some covers for your canoe and a pontoon-whatamajigik. But you sound pretty content with the river (can't blame ya, sounds like a damn fine river).”

“whitest of water.”

“dang man, your gonna make me just have to give in and get me a boat ain't ya?

hmmmm, Platte would be floatable, I could head out across the plains and make Nebraska if I tried....

Or hell, i could throw the boat on the roof and meet you down in Texas sometime this winter.....


we'll just have to see what the future holds.”

“Thanks for the report Stikmon..sounds like you are doing well.”

“that would be an awsome trip.

We could make like Colin Fletcher and float to the sea...

Next year...Green River City Utah to the Confluence with the Colorado River...7 day float with day hiking on the side. Its already in the planning stages.”

“stik:

When next year are you thinking about floating the Green? I might be interested.

Earlier this year I was thinking about floating the part of the Green that runs through Dinosaur Natl Monument (rafting w/ commercial outfitter).

If you have any links for the section you're comtemplating, I like to see them.”

“I'm not really sure on details...only just beginning to let it become something on the long range horizon. I've read a couple of trip reports that Stratusloop sent to me. It sounds awsome. I can talk to you about it as I get more information. the section I want to do is in Canyonlands NP. Starts in Green River Utah and ends at the confluence of the Colorado River.

The best time to go I think is like maybe spring or fall. Don't want to go in the heat of the summer, and later in the year, there may not be enough water...but since its a controlled river, that may not be an issue. More research is needed. I'll let you know what I find out.”