Upper C :: Trip #4

Sunday, April 29, 2012

River: Upper Colorado
Put-in/Take-out: Pumphouse to Radium 4.5 miles

Flow: 630 cfs (still low flow)
Weather: Mostly sunny, high 50s. Very windy... TOO windy.
Other boaters: Nancy, Bruizer in kayak. 2 boats, plus a kayak.
Wildlife: a few hawks.

It sure looked nice, but the wind was downright brutal. Felt like you should be in shorts & t-shirt, but the constant wind made me get into full-on splash wear, just to keep warm and insulated from the wind.

Very busy day with many fishermen on the river. Out of the dozens of other boats passing by and wading fishermen, we didn't witness a single person catch a fish, or even get a bite. The only excitement was when the wind blew off a fisherman's hat and the boaters scrambled to retrieve it.

Way too busy at the hot springs to entertain stopping.

Couldn't stand the brutality of the almost constant wind and the huge gusts that would literally blow my boat back upriver. My very lightweight craft was easily susceptible to the whimsy of the winds. And of course, the wind is ALWAYS in your face!! After that trip, I'm so ready for water that's moving swiftly and carrying my ass down the river, instead of rowing flat water into a fucking headwind!

Took my time mounting the frame and it was looking absolutely perfect. Moving seat forward 2" was the perfect adjustment for my height/leg length, oar tower geometry seems to be good as is.

Upper C :: Trip #3

Friday, April 27, 2012

River: Upper Colorado
Put-in/Take-out: Pumphouse to Radium 4.5 miles

Flow: 600 cfs (low flow)
Weather: Snowing sideways at the put-in, waited a half hour for a few blue patches. Chilly.
Other boaters: Toby, Dan from Smokin' Moes & Mark. 2 Boats.
Wildlife: Bald Eagles, a few hawks. Mark caught a brown trout.

Cold weather boating, many layers kept me warm. Sun was in & out of the clouds all day. Only my hands got a bit chilly.

Hit the hot springs again, nobody there.

Water levels coming back up a little.

Had some "assistance" in frame mounting, ended up a bit cock-eyed. Always good to set the frame on tubes myself, despite others best intentions.

Upper C :: River Trip Two

Sunday, April 22, 2012

River: Upper Colorado
Put-in/Take-out: Pumphouse to Radium 4.5 miles
Flow: 305 cfs (very low flow)
Weather: Mostly sunny, high 70s. Perfect.
Other boaters: Bumpy, Nancy, other dude w/lesbians... 4 boats.
Wildlife: Bald Eagle sighted, circled above then landed on a nearby sandbar, hung out there watching other boaters pass by for a good 10 minutes.

First ride w/a passenger; Del Anderson took the first ride on the cooler seat cushion. Again, the river was mostly populated by float fishermen ... and you could wade the river in places. Very bony & technical in a few places, but nothing too severe. Take-out ramp at Radium was high & dry with lots of sand bars all around.
Wore shorts and it was the first time my legs were out in the sun for the day. Pasty, white legs. In pictures, it looks like I'm wearing white splash pants.
Stopped for lunch at Radium Hot Springs... and I actually took my first soak in the springs! Have floated past it, stopped by it dozens of times, but this was the first time I actually got in. It was nice to warm my toes.
Frame mounted a bit forward (as in first trip) seems to work fine for hauling a passenger.
Next adjustment: drop bars. Need to move 'em about 2-3" wider, closer to side rails, so the frame rests squarely on the wear patch on the top of the tubes. Got a little overhang the way they're adjusted right now. The only reason for the current geometry of the frame is so it will fit on my car's roof rack. With new adjustments, it's going to too wide to fit within the rails of the rack. I'll give it a try next time I rig the boat... and see if it will need re-adjusting to fit the roof rack after the next trip.

Upper C :: Maiden Voyage

Friday, March 30, 2012

River: Upper Colorado
Put-in/Take-out: Pumphouse to Rancho Del Rio  11 miles
Flow: 560+ (low flow)
Weather: Mostly sunny, high 60, strong headwinds on flat water at the end.
Other boaters: Toby, Nicole & Kids + Darren + Dave.  4 boats total.
Wildlife: Bald Eagle spotted, was landing in a nearby field.... lunch?

Got to use the "Fred Flinstone" move for the first time in the shallows.
Mostly populated by float fishermen ... and you could almost wade the river in places.
Fishing was good! Thought about bring the fly gear, opted instead to just focus on the boat.
Mounted frame a bit too far forward for single person, would've been great w/passenger. Need to move the frame back on the tubes a bit & move seat forward on frame, adjust foot bar. Massive amounts of room in the cooler, have ordered a cooler seat cushion for future passenger comfort.

No incidents, great introduction for my first boat... potential name: "Bubble Berry"

Champagne toast at the take-out!

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/kfo/recreation_opportunities/rafting.html
copy & paste the above link and you'll start to see the magic!