Rivers

The Rogue River holds an allure partly due to a lot of advertising done for the summer months for people to come "Raft the Rogue River!" But when you get on the river, the appeal grabs you by the paddle and never lets go. With about 22 class II rapids between the put in by the dam, and Shady Cove, a stretch of about 13 miles in three hours, the river run never gets uninteresting or boring. It's a waterway that demands respect and attention, but gives a nice ride for your time and effort. It's also a teaching run, many of the rapids could also be gone around if one chose to. One of our group, Lisa, learned something about the power of a strainer when attempting to get to another boater whose raft was pinned on the tree, and he was sitting on top among jagged tree limbs. The story turns out well-Lisa has or will have a journal entry... and I'll add my details a little later.
At the other end of the scale is the upper Wood River. A terrific workout along a twisty run that works paddlers while giving a joy ride among meadows and farm land. See my journal entry for more details.
Paddling is enjoyable and on the water is a great place to be on a sunny hot day in the company of friends. Charlotte and I got stuck on the same sand bar at the same time once. It just happened that I grabbed her boat, gave it a tug; she grabbed mine, gave it a push-and voila'! We were both free! When paddling in groups, space is good, and workable. Keeping each other in sight is good practice.

The Learning Curve

I've used this title before and put it on our book section to list useful books for reference. Today, I'm using the title to comment on the 'tween' times when down time from kayaking, for instance, can also mean time to pick up a book and learn vicariously from someone else's experiences. One such book recently was "San Juan Canyons" -A River Runner's Guide. (Baars and Stevenson) Printed on waterproof paper, it's filled with river maps and features, animal and plant drawings, history, and written with scientific terms in viewing the rock and land features along the route. Other books on my shelf about Sea Kayaking, including outfitting, kayak handling and navigation should I decide to return to San Juan Islands to kayak in ocean waters with a persoanlity of their own.
"River Rescue" is a good source book, but it really takes practice to remember all the things one can do to effectively help in time of need. I conclude today with three pointers: 1) take the time to read and learn. New terms and information increase understanding when experienced, and aid in communication; 2) When possible, follow-up with hands-on. Either by training classes or practice with someone experienced with what you want to learn. 3)Do it. Be prepared. You wanted to learn because it interested you, now, follow it through.

San Juan Visited-Part 2

No need to repeat what Mary's journal entry says! Please read it, if you haven't already-she says it all perfectly what the 'part 2' of our visit to San Juan was all about. Lisa has added pictues, including the whale tails:) and Sondra! Pictures of their excursion to Sidny. There's been a little chatter about a future kayak adventure, but right now it seems to be shuffled around behind getting back to our everyday stuff. Not bad, and not to worry-the August calendar is up with a paddle for Friday, August 6-see the calendar for details.
I drove to Lake of the Woods yesterday for a brief morning paddle to take in serene waters and mountain views. What I got was a brisk wind whipping up water and splashing boat waves over my bow as I headed east into the wind from Aspen boat launch. Though the wind decreased by the time I reached the other side of the resort area, it took me half as much time to make the return trip. Kayak surfing anyone?