Beautiful November Day

So rare to see a warm sunny day WITH water in November. By this time each year many paddlers have hung up their paddles and are waiting for the pool sessions to begin. There was a whole bunch of paddlers out enjoying the Kettle yesterday. It was fantastic to see so many women out! Our group running down the river actually had more women than men. Not something I see often around here but it's happening more frequently. Today I decided to give Montana a taste of easy whitewater. I have only paddled her twice on flat backwaters on the Mississippi so this would be the first moving water. Armed with my three favorite open boaters as friendly instructors I warmed up on the flats above the rapids. I then started down river right with Alan, Dan and David waiting to play "catch" if needed. I made the eddy at Warm Up wave and then paddled down over the slide and into the eddy at Shoulder Hole. I practiced ferry's for a bit and then decided that it was time to change out to my playboat for the rest of the run. Many thanks to Alan, Dan, and David for being so patient. Being a crowded river I didn't feel comfortable paddling it down and would like to work on the basics on a easier river until I get the techniques down. It's funny how you view a river by what is under your butt. Yesterday was feeling it out and seeing just what to expect from her edges and stability. I like it! It was exciting to try out something new on the river...just like being a newb again.

Apple Cake

Apple Cake...best for fall paddling!

German Apple Cake
Here's the recipe for that cake I brought with to Lake Superior. I'm going to give the original recipe and I'll add how I changed it. I never follow recipes completly by the letter...so here it is. Enjoy!
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil..I used canola or grapeseed
1 tsp real vanilla extract


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon...I also added 1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups chopped peeled tart apples..I used almost 5 cups of Haralsons
3/4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts..I used 1 1/2 cup walnuts

Directions: Peel and chop the apples and soak them in a bowl of cold water with a splash of lemon juice added. Set that aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. In another bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add to egg mixture and mix well. Drain the apples well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9x2 in. pan. Bake at 350 for 55-60 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened...I used 1 and 1/2 pkgs
2 tsp butter...I used about 2 tablespoons.
2 c. powdered sugar...I didn't measure. I just kept adding until it was the thickness I wanted.Directions: Beat cream cheese and butter together and then add powdered sugar. Refrigerate the left overs. There usually isn't any.

Montana

My belief in life is that if you ever stop learning or trying new things you're just sitting around waiting to die. I've been paddling with some open boaters now for a couple of years and have looked at their choice of boats with curiosity. This summer at the Wausau Whitewater Park Michelle lent me her Ocoee for a spin. I surprised myself by being able to actually paddle it...per se it was the bottom of the course but it went much better than I expected. When I got home I did some checking. First off Ocoee's are next to imposible to find used...anywhere! The new ones cost more than I can afford. I was overjoyed when I found one on craigslist of all places for a very, reasonable amount. The only catch was someone else had dibs on it and she would contact me if it fell thru. Several weeks later Kate contacted me and said it was mine for the taking. Whoo Hoo! I went right over and picked her up. She was in almost new condition fully outfitted and all I needed was a paddle. Strange feelings have emerged since I bought this boat. I have waxed her twice. Will not let her play on the Verm...too many rocks. I have also named her...Montana. She looks like a Montana. Today after applying the second coat of wax and wondering about the turn of events I came to the conclusion that I have bought a much needed pet. Since my pugs are all gone it has taken everything I have to not aquire another pet. My lifestyle right now would not be good for a dog or even a cat. Don't worry about me giving up my kayaks though. This weeks outings have been Jackson...3, Montana...1, Maybe two later today.

Lower St. Louis on a Beautiful Fall Day

Happy Birthday to Dan! One of my three favorite open boaters. We celebrated in the best possible way...on the river! Aaron, Alan, Dan and I hooked up to catch a last run on the Lower St Louis before they cut off fish flow at the end of this month. The weather could not have been better...warm and sunny...the leaves just starting to turn colors. I haven't been on the Lower for quite a long time. I still hadn't ran Octopus and the Swinging Bridge yet. My first attempt at running Octopus was aborted due to a 20 foot log jackknifing out of the Beak in front of me blocking me from coming out of the Room. That was June 2007! Well today was the day...we had a small tight group and we were on the river to just enjoy. We leisurely meandered down the lower enjoying every possible bit we could and doing quite a bit of videoing. We set up at Octopus and scouted...everyone had a great run. The day was cruzing! Even the Boneyard was enjoyable for almost all of us. We pulled out and scouted Left Slot and the Hanging pool. With video set we all styled it. By then the Swinging Bridge was completely full of people watching us and more on the side of the river. Snakebite was just fine and we paddled towards the cheering crowd on the bridge. They were applauding us when Alan whipped off a roll...sheesh...the crowd went wild! Funny how we just ran all THAT and what tickled them the most is a roll. We pulled over and it was decision time. Dan has been wanting to run Fin Falls in an open canoe for awhile. We discussed it and the boys were all for it. I had a stellar day so I said I would run the video. At the top of Fin we scouted. I set up video and Aaron had the rope after deciding to not run it leaving Alan and Dan. Alan has speculated that he's never heard of anyone running Fin in an open canoe before so this was going to be something. Alan paddling a C1 led off and waited for Dan. Long story short Dan and Alan both styled it all the way down! What a great way to spend a birthday! Everyone has their top shelf of river memories where they store moments of very special runs. This run definitely went on the top shelf. I took a few photos along the way but here's Dan's video from the day.

A Day with Joi!

Joi Electa is a well known, talented artist who lives in God's country...the North Shore of Lake Superior. Each year I go to the Gunflint with friends and this year I stopped in Beaver Bay to spend the day with Joi, learning to oil paint. We met for breakfast and talked mostly about our common interests of nature. The wolf family she has been watching and where we may go to paint. We decided on the Beaver River. We walked down to the mouth and then continued up the river. Climbing almost dry falls and just following and enjoying the river. I had to force myself to turn back or I would have continued to follow the river all day. It was just one beautiful discovery after another and I can't resist seeing what is just around the corner. In Joi I found a sister spirit in this adventure. We had a great hike and talked a lot about what it looks like with all the spring melt crashing down the bed. But we had a mission and that was to oil paint. We headed back to where we left our supplies and settled in to paint. Joi has been painting since she was 6. It shows! She explained the basics and touched on the complexities of oil painting. I guess I never really thought of all that goes into painting. My misconception being that I thought you either had the talent or not. There's so many things involved that it really is a learning process...technique, lighting, mixing of colors, depth, balance, layering, brushes, the list goes on. I attempted to paint part of the Beaver River under the bridge. My "real" life is busy and stressful and I'm always looking for peace. While painting you need to put everything else aside and just concentrate on what's before you. I came away from the day thinking I could do this but I just need to learn more and keep painting. Joi was a great teacher...very patient! The day ended too soon and I had to be back on my way north. I had a small painting next to me and the smell of fresh paint lingered in my truck for days...it was a good smell as it brought back the peacful day spent with Joi.

Rapids Riders Vermilion River Clean Up 2009

The weather was forecast to be gloomy and wet...they lied again...it was sunny and beautiful for the clean up. A great group of people assembled this morning to take on the Vermilion clean up. This is not a clean up for wimps. The amount and type of trash that gets thrown in the river combined with the steep cliffs and horrendous trails makes for a grueling mornings work. It's not for everybody but the special people that showed up today can count it a morning well spent. A mountain of trash was collected and carried up the cliffs. The annual bike count was low this year. Maybe about 5. One grill. Lots of scrap metal and bags of trash...mostly alcohol related. Thanks to our sponsors...Shred Ready, Midwest Mountaineering, 3M, Friends of the Mississippi and of course Rapids Riders there was enough swag that everyone who came was able to get a door prize. Doug Ritzinger winning the Shred Ready Helmet. Sara Koop and Jodi Buche both won NRS throw bags. Great job today everyone! Special thanks to Graeme and baby Murphy for holding down the headquarters freeing me up to get down and dirty in the river...again!

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there were three, extremely hot chicks who decided to run the St Louis. Lori, Natalie, and Nora. One by one they gathered in the evening at the Outpost for a little wild wilderness camping. That night they drank a little Summit and watched shooting stars while talking about things only three, extremely hot chicks will talk about. Morning came with a beautiful mist over the reservoir and the promise of a gorgeous day. We drove to the put in and saw a wonderful couple standing by the river. Becky and Dan. Dan looked at us and said Becky, I have to paddle with those three extremely hot chicks. Really, how often do you see three extremely hot chicks on a river? Becky said she understood and told Dan she would wait for him at the Outpost...even if it took forever. So three extremely hot chicks and Dan paddled off down the river. We came to the first wave and played a bit. We soon saw three more men paddling so hard you would have thought the devil was following them in a raft. They slid into the eddy and said that they had heard way over in the small distant town of Jim Falls Wisconsin that three extremely hot chicks were going to paddle the St Louis. They drove many miles because really, how often do you see three extremely hot chicks on a river? So Chris, Daniel, and Mike joined the three extremely hot chicks and Dan to paddle the Louis. While we hung out at first wave, a cute green frog popped up between Natalie and Nora with a wistful look on his face. Being extremely hot chicks he realized that there was no getting any lip from either us and he swam slowly away. Extremely hot chicks don't fall for the "Really I'm a handsome prince routine". Soon a raft with three "domesticated" men and a wife and children on board came floating by. They looked wistfully at the three extremely hot chicks and thought "Really, how often do you see three extremely hot chicks on a river. They floated on down the river. Then the three extremely hot chicks led the men down the river. Several of the men were newbies. Some without a roll or float bags but they did very well on the rapids. The three extremely hot chicks had the only playboats so we played the eddyline in the canyon. Dan's boat was a bit of a cross over so he was able to get some enders in also. We paddled on to Electric Ledge. Natalie and Nora looked at each other and said how do you want to do this? Rock, paper sissor's, and Natalie got to lead. Natalie and Nora styled down and waited for Lori to follow. She styled it down and hit a roll just for fun at the bottom and so the three extremely hot chicks waited to see how the men did. One by one they came down and they all did very well!! We were happy. We paddled out the last set of rapids and prolonged the day by playing around Upstream Downstream for a while. One last hurrah with the seal launch in the reservoir and we were back at the Outpost. Becky was waiting for Dan on the shore. Next time Becky will paddle with us and there will be four extemely hot chicks on the river and really how often do you see FOUR extremely hot chicks on a river?

Midwest Freestyle Clinics

Last year started the tradition of having freestyle clinics the two days prior to the competition. Colin Kemp and John McConville taught some great clinics last year that were so popular Wausau added a third instructor, Brian Tupper, to accommodate the increase of students. Last year my instructor was Colin. I paddle often with John so I was secretly hoping to have the "unknown factor" of the new guy, Brian. I got my wish. Brian has all kinds of mad skills and a very calm personality that enables a paddler to relax and work on skills. Patience being one of the most important traits for a whitewater teacher, Brian had it all. In my class I watched the students visibly improve within the first day and a vast improvement over two days. I would rate Brian as a top notch instructor and I was fortunate to have him. If these three instructors return again next year I believe that Wausau is going to be known for the Freestyle clinics also. Plus the addition of Bear Paw doing the intro to whitewater course I can easily see an influx of many new paddlers to the sport. With these types of instructors I can see so much growth across all levels of paddling ability. It's interesting to see the different needs of different levels of kayaking. I believe it gets to a point that for a very experienced student the technical ability of the instructor is just an afterthought where as what is needed for an experienced kayaker is a coach that can motivate the mind. Someone that knows how to break past that barrier in a paddlers mind to push them to believe the next step is possible. Even with teaching beginners mind control/fear control is important. Bottom line is instilling confidence in your student. That said I can confidently say the beginners that took the classes were confident enough to throw down at the competition. Next year it is going to be even bigger. My only regret is that I wish they would have the classes on Wednesday and Thursday and have Friday as a rest/practice day. Just my two cents. Hint, hint.

Midwest Freestyle Championships

The Midwest Freestyle Championships is the premiere kayaking event in the Midwest. This is Cole Jacobson's second year chairing the event and as his ideas have grown so has the Championships. The changes made this year encouraged many new kayakers to give it a try. The beginner class was huge! Cole's idea to combine men and women in the beginner, intermediate, and expert class really hit the mark. Women who would never even consider competing felt comfortable joining in the fun. The woman's division doubled this year! When I count the women in the beginner class and other women in the sport I am confident we can double that amount next year. All in all the women really rocked the park. The skill level of the ladies has increased dramatically! It was awesome to see the ladies throwing loops and Godzilla's. Next year who knows...maybe there will be a few attempting a Phoenix Monkey or more. This years top women were Crystal Gustin, 1st place, Melissa Manger, 2nd, and Amy Vickers 3rd.
The men's division was incredible also. With more and more pro boaters coming to Wausau, the expert division was redefined. Many paddlers from last year dropped down to the intermediate division leaving the very cream of the crop in experts. The judging was precise in the expert division with no charity given for "almosts". Yeah...we saw some good sh...uh, stuff in that class!
The intermediate class was great to watch...some of the boaters will easily go to expert class next year. Top men this year were John McConville, 1st place, Craig Esposito, 2nd and Colin Kemp 3rd.
Boatercross was wild as usual. Lot's of flips and drama but no injuries. Colin Kemp taking 1st and Bryan Zlimen taking 2nd.
Team Rodeo had a new twist to it this year also. Teams of three paddlers were determined by drawing one name from the experts class and two from the rest. Although I miss my team from last year it was fun to take a chance in the drawing.
This year Cole had provided commemorative medals to all the participants. The top place finishers were awarded belt buckles. Very nice. Very very nice! I'm looking forward to collecting many more. Maybe even a belt buckle! This year the swag drawing was huge thanks to Jackson Kayak, World Kayak, Midwest Moutaineering, Bear Paw, Whitecap Kayak, and I'm sure many more. Melissa Manger won this years Jackson kayak. I was very happy to get a Level 6 shorty dry top. I had been shopping for one since this spring.
The fun didn't stop when the water turned off and the sun went down. There were movies to see and beer to drink. Four Square and Hoola Hoops in the parking lot. Blues Festival on the island. Sunday paddlers service under the tent. Even all the pooches were having a great time hanging out.
Many thanks to the City of Wausau for hosting this wonderful event. Huge thanks to all the people that work so hard to put this on. Cole, for chairing the event...the Wausau Whitewater board, Diver Dan Conrad and his rescue swimmers...awesome! And the most special thanks to Julie Walraven without who Wausau wouldn't be Wausau! Check out these photos from Bryan Koops at http://www.thisoneday.com/proofs/wausau2/ and be sure to check Bryan Zlimen's blog on the right. Next year promises to be even bigger!!

Double Wausau

Exciting weekend! Wausau is really becoming a destination mecca. Paddling, climbing, biking, restaurants,micro brewery's, fairs and festivals. Summer in Wausau just rocks! I went out Friday night after a 12 hour shift thinking that the rain was over...nope...I ran right into it. I had visions of all the sensible paddlers staying home and dry and thinking I may be the only one camping in the rain that night. I was glad I was wrong...very wrong. It looked like the start of a great party. I was up early on Saturday and the first one on the course. Lots of new faces from even further destinations. Montana being the furthest. The weekend went well. New paddlers getting out and spreading their wings. The classes that Bear Paw are putting on are wildly popular and what a great place for instruction. The bottom part of the course after this last change is perfect for newbies. Saturday night we had an incredible storm. I found myself wishing I could watch it from Rib Mountain but I settled with watching from Toaster Flats. Some people catch lightning bugs...I caught some lightning. It was pretty tricky but I worked it out. Sunday was another great day of paddling. I paddled until I was just about too tired to roll and called it a day. There's a lot of excitement in the air...The Midwest Freestyle Championships are this coming weekend and everyone is practicing hard. Over the years the regular paddlers have gotten so good...it's great to see. It used to be a loop could win it...now it looks like you'll have to pull a Phonics Monkey out of your pocket to win. There's a few that can do it! Little Drop can be a fickle place. Your roll needs to be quick or you'll flush down stream. Ah well...wish me luck...it's seems lately I've lost my mojo but after three hours tonight on the Verm I have it back. I love my Verm! Keep praying for rain!! It's working!