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.