North to Alaska????

Dorcas and I have wanted to take an extended trip to Alaska ever since we retired four years ago, but each summer something has conspired to keep us from this quest. For many months we have felt that 2011 will be the year, and we decided at some point during winter to go for it. Since then we have been making plans. Unfortunately we have not been making "PLANS". At this point we have no clear agenda, itinerary or route. We will make most of it up as we go. We hope to leave home about May 1 and return home about October 1. We do plan to do our traditional Boundary Waters canoe trip in Minnesota about September 1 on our way home, so we are taking the Kevlar boat and camping gear. We did hope to go through Montana and Glacier National Park on the way up, but after spending a little time on their web site it became apparent that they still had a significant snow pack and most facilities would be closed. That lead us to think that maybe we will take a more westerly route going up, and come through the Rockies on the way back home. It would be really nice to follow the coast, perhaps spend some time on the ferry system and go up the inside passage, but that will be terribly expensive with a rig our size. Also, if we plan to do that, we need to be making reservations now. We'll see.

At this point we have been gathering literature and jotting down the names of places friends say we can't miss. We have friends who own Safari TREKS who are going to Alaska this year, and we had considered signing on to their caravan of about 12 coaches. However, their trip is more structured than we really like. We do have their itinerary and hope to cross with them somewhere along the way. Also, I have a high school friend who lives near Anchorage. He has room to park our coach at his house and has invited us to visit. Cool! We will spend time with him when we are in the Anchorage area.

In the meantime, we have much work to do at home. We have been home very few days this year and have numerous home chores and coach maintenance and repair projects to finish. It's time to buckle down and git 'er done.

Home From the Buffalo River

We have completed our annual canoe camping trip on the Buffalo National River and have arrived safely at home. The 10-day camping trip was great...one of our best. The weather was mild, a bit windy and some rain with a couple of storms. A few years ago we did not complete our planned Buffalo trip and took out early due to flood conditions. This year Myron and Wayne were determined we would complete our trip from Ponca, AR to Buffalo City, AR "come hail or high water". Well, we had both hail and high water and still completed the planned trip.

On Wednesday, April 13 we met Wayne and Lynda and Harry, as planned, at Wild Bill's Outfitter and drove the two hours to Ponca with our shuttle drivers. As we neared our put-in, our shuttle driver mentioned there were elk in the area. We have been to this area several times and had never seen the elk. Suddenly, as if on queue, there was an entire herd of elk beside the drive at the put-in. Dorcas jumped out to take pictures.Very cool.

The day was sunny and nice so the put-in was crowded with paddlers launching their kayaks and canoes. While lower sections of the river were very high, the Ponca area was at an optimal level. Apparently everyone knew that; we had never seen so many paddlers here before. Most were day-paddlers, but a few were camping. The first incident occurred right out of the chute, when one boat in our party (which will remain unidentified) got pinned on a rock 20' from the put-in. The boat got swamped, and it filled with water. It wouldn't have been that big a deal except there were 50 other boaters there watching us, all thinking "Rookies ...they're never going to make it". I'm sure the paddler(s) affected were very embarrassed.

The river was at an excellent level. The upper section was characterized by swift water and 1-2 foot standing waves. Enough excitement to be interesting, but nothing too difficult, even with over-loaded canoes. The flow was good, and we made good time. Typically we camped about 4:00 each evening and be on the water by 10:30 the next morning, making for a very leisurely float. As usual, we ate well, grilling steaks or chops the first four nights.


Late in the evening of Day 2 some thunderstorms came through and it rained pretty hard for about 3 hours. We knew the storms were coming and had camped well up on a high bank. By morning the river was rising and ultimately came up about 5', drowning our camp fire. As we watched a set of standing waves grow at the bend just below our camp, we made the decision to lay over this day. We snagged fire wood from the river as it passed by our camp to stoke our re-located fire. By the next morning the water had dropped 2-3 feet, and we set off again. Each passing day the water level continued to drop and become more clear and green.

Usually on this river there are several swift chutes with a tree blocking the obvious route, making for a challenging run. On this trip none existed. Perhaps they had all been washed out. In past trips we could particularly count on Harry for some entertainment at these places, but Harry's river skills have improved, and he's no fun any more. We need to recruit a new rookie.

After 9 nights and 10 days on the river, we ferried across the White River to Riley Landing, where our cars were waiting. Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip was the drive eastward across northern Arkansas where we experienced 50 mph cross winds. The poor little Element would have had a hard time staying in the road, even if it didn't have a canoe on top. We spent the night at a motel near Cookeville TN and visited friends in Morganton before arriving at home. It is good to be home. We have been gone for 18 days and slept in the tent all but two nights.

But now we have to prepare for our next adventure. So many trips ... so little time.

Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight?

After a leisurely breakfast on Monday, Dorcas and I departed Brushy Creek campground at the crack of noon, well before the forecast storms. We headed northwest and soon passed through Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis. We didn't even stop for a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich. The storms finally hit shortly before we passed through Memphis. The wind and rain were fierce, but it washed some of the dust and sand off the car and boat. We stopped at a Sam's Club for some rib eyes and a 4-berry sundae and crossed the "Big Muddy" into Arkansas. We went on-line and found a Motel 6 in Conway AR that was pet-friendly and had a coin laundry. At the Motel 6 we did laundry, caught up on our e-mails, paid bills and conducted some other business on-line. I love the internet.

This morning we had breakfast at the Waffle House which was on the left side of the Motel 6 and did some shopping at the Walmart Supercenter which was on the right side of the Motel 6. Before noon we were on the road north towards Yellville AR, where we will meet our outfitter for our shuttle on the Buffalo River. When we crossed the Buffalo River at Dillard's Ferry the river was muddy and at a fairly high level, due to the recent rains. "For experienced paddlers only" the NPS web site said. Apparently the river had been closed here today due to high levels. We stopped at the outfitter and found that at Ponca, about 85 miles upstream, where we would put in on Wednesday, the river had crested and was actually at a very good level for paddling. Unless we get more rain the river should be at a good level for most of our trip. We are camped at Buffalo Point, a very nice NPS campground on the river just below Dillard's Ferry. We will meet our friends from NC tomorrow at 9:00 at Wild Bill's Outfitter, who will shuttle us to Ponca. They will then store our vehicles at their shop and drive them to Riley's Landing on the White River, before we take off in 10 days. Baring anything unforeseen, we will make about 125 miles over the 10 days. We look forward to a very leisurely float.

Paddling Northern Alabama

Plan B turned out great! We camped in Brushy Lake Recreation Area, a small campground in the William Bankhead National Forest.  The campground was empty when we arrived, very nice, with hot showers (a pleasant surprise) and only a dozen sites. Our group had the place to ourselves until the weekend ... which brought, families with squealing kids, barking pit bulls, generators and all night partying. The weekends help remind us how fortunate we are that we can camp on weekdays. On Thursday we paddled on Brushy Creek, so we put in on the lake behind our campsite and portaged a 20 ft concrete dam (not easy). The creek was very nice with clear green water very much like the upper sections of the Current River in Missouri, with limestone ledges and low bluffs. On Friday we paddled Thompson Creek which flowed into the North Sipsey Fork, where we took out. Another pretty creek with a few small rapids and one narrow chute the guide book indicated was a class III rapid due to a large rock blocking passage at the bottom of the chute. After a tough portage around the rapid it appeared the offending rock was missing. Myron was disappointed we had not run it. Dang. We had a couple more pullovers, and then we hit the monster log jam. Where we crossed it was about 25 ft wide and 8 ft high. Even Matilda had to exit the boat to cross. After a long hard day everyone still agreed it was a nice trip and we were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall near the end. When we returned to camp each campsite had a notice warning us of the impending government shutdown and advising us not to pay ahead because we might have to leave. What would we do???  Later we learned that our federal government had reached a fiscal compromise, and we were safe once more.  It was so very comforting.

Saturday we paddled Borden Creek about 6 miles for a nice gentle float that also flowed into the North Sipsey Fork (thankfully below the huge log jam). The narrow creek had deep pools of mint green water and high bluffs with numerous water falls and springs. It was good to have an easy day after our hard work on Friday. Saturday night we went into town for a steak dinner and discovered the annual Moulton Chicken Festival in progress. What fun.

Sunday's paddle was on the Sipsey River which is wider and flatter but very scenic with nice waterfalls. Dozens of other boaters put on ahead of us but we didn't see them during our trip. There were no difficulties this day except for the class V take-out. Thankfully, we had two 4-wheel drive vehicles to haul everyone's gear to a parking lot high above the river. The scenic highlight of the trip was a 60 ft undercut, horseshoe-shaped, limestone bluff just before the take-out.

Each evening we enjoyed hot showers, shared happy hour with the group, dinners on our own, followed by river tales by the campfire. By nightfall each evening we were serenaded by a full chorus of tree frogs.

We had moved to this area because there was good water after the recent rains, allowing us to paddle some smaller creeks.  The water has been dropping steadily however, and we are running out of creeks.  On Monday the forecast is for storms in the afternoon.  Some folks are going on hikes, some are leaving.  We will likely pack up before noon and head for Arkansas for our trip on the Buffalo River.

Best Laid Plans...

When you're a paddler you have to go with the flow (as it were)... The plan was to meet our party at Payne Lake Recreation Area in the Oakmulgee Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest. We arrived mid-afternoon and looked for familiar faces and vehicles with canoes. After exploring all the wrong campground loops, we finally found our trip leader's truck camper with canoe but Bob and Sue were missing. We made camp, built a fire, had happy hour and ate dinner. About dusk our leaders returned with sad news. A big storm passed through the area the night before and they had been out scouting the Cahaba River conditions and accesses. They reported that the river was flooded. In the meantime, the other members of our party had arrived. We had a group meeting to discuss our options. The concensus was that it would not be safe or fun to paddle the Cahaba at that level and we should explore other Alabama paddling options.

This morning, after a chilly but cozy night, and a leisurely breakfast, we packed up and are now on the road for a three hour drive north to plan B. We will camp at Brushy Lake Recreation Area in the William B Bankhead National Forest. We hope to paddle streams and rivers in that area for the next few days.

The group hopes to return to the Cahaba River for the canoe camping trip once the waters have had a few days to receed. We may not be able to catch the Cahaba this trip but plan to continue our journey north to Arkansas and the Buffalo River.

For Matilda, at least, the trip so far has not been a total loss. She had a great time reuniting with her buddy Bric, Bob and Sue's 1 1/2 year old black lab. They played last night and this morning until they dropped.

We're Back!!!

OK, we admit we have been REALLY slack in posting to our blog (it's Myron's fault!). Yeah I know...my fingers haven't been broken... Perhaps Myron will do some catch up posts later..don't hold your breath, LOL. Let's move on and jump into our current and next adventure. Here goes!

We had a great time in Florida during the winter, much warmer than last year, doing all our usual fun things, biking, canoeing, hanging with friends, etc. Basicly, living the good life of a pair of snowbirds. One thing of note, we are now the owners of a piece of "swamp land in FL". Actually, it's a nice RV lot in The Great Outdoors, a very nice RV Resort with lots of amenities, in Titusville, near the Space Coast. Also, we may have left FL a bit soon...it's still cold at home.

Our couple of weeks off the road were spent catching up on home chores and getting ready for our next trip. You know, doctor appointments, auto maintenance, changing fluids in the coach, cooking and dehydrating food for future wilderness trips, doing taxes (I finished and e-filed while Myron was driving through Atlanta)...the usual. Plus, we spent 5 days camping and canoeing in the Uwharrie National Forest in the middle of those two weeks.

We're meeting friends tonight in Centreville, AL where we will put in tomorrow for a 5 day canoe camping trip on the Cahaba River. We then head to the Ozark Mountains in NW Arkansas for our traditional Spring canoe camping trip on the Buffalo River.

Stay tuned. We'll post more later. We promise. No really, we will post again soon. No lie. Unless, we convert to Facebook?!?! Nooooo say it's not so.