Kayaking

[wyandottecaver]

There's even parks ranch cave..of which I have memories..some of them fond...others not so much...from the NCRC weeklong :) Of course the real problem I saw with NM caving was I had to carry 4 gallons of water everywhere and their concept of "anchor recruitment" i.e. lassoing 10 scraggly bushes to drop a cliff! Of course I'm chicken

[Squirrel Girl]

There's even parks ranch cave..of which I have memories..some of them fond...others not so much...from the NCRC weeklong :) Of course the real problem I saw with NM caving was I had to carry 4 gallons of water everywhere and their concept of "anchor recruitment" i.e. lassoing 10 scraggly bushes to drop a cliff! Of course I'm chicken

Yep! That's why I mentioned gypsum karst. I went to Parks Ranch this January. I probably hadn't been there in 20 years. It's an interesting cave. Interesting airflow (which is one of the things I was thinking of WRT Sara wanting air in the caves).

[NZcaver]

There's even parks ranch cave..of which I have memories..some of them fond...others not so much...from the NCRC weeklong :) Of course the real problem I saw with NM caving was I had to carry 4 gallons of water everywhere and their concept of "anchor recruitment" i.e. lassoing 10 scraggly bushes to drop a cliff! Of course I'm chicken

You were at that weeklong too? My memories of Parks Ranch were the dirty brown water which smelled of animal poo, and the threat of an impending downpour suddenly flooding the cave (which never happened during the mock, luckily). But I hear it's a beautiful cave, really.
But as for kayaking - unfortunately my kayaking days are over for a while. I just sold my old kayak which I'd outgrown, and with all this traveling it's not really worth getting another right now. Maybe some day I'll get back into it...

[Sara]

S.G. yeah thats what he was talking about too... even considered a job with the border patrol just to move there but i told him i would much rather live back east... no real fight... but he would love to go there... sounds like fun though... you said also something about there being pretty breathable caves in NM?

wyandottecaver : that river its a lazy one?

[fuzzy-hair-man]

But as for kayaking - unfortunately my kayaking days are over for a while. I just sold my old kayak which I'd outgrown, and with all this traveling it's not really worth getting another right now. Maybe some day I'll get back into it...

I've just this year started whitewater kayaking, unfortunately Australia being Australia (with some exceptions, Far north Queensland and Tasmania) there's no water,
We had a couple of periods of good water but apart from that it's been a bit sparse. Lots of fun when the water went though...

[Sara]

But as for kayaking - unfortunately my kayaking days are over for a while. I just sold my old kayak which I'd outgrown, and with all this traveling it's not really worth getting another right now. Maybe some day I'll get back into it...

I've just this year started whitewater kayaking, unfortunately Australia being Australia (with some exceptions, Far north Queensland and Tasmania) there's no water,
We had a couple of periods of good water but apart from that it's been a bit sparse. Lots of fun when the water went though...

I have never done white water kayaking, but i have gon white water rafting and that was a blast! Do you usually go by yourself, or in a group?

[fuzzy-hair-man]

I have never done white water kayaking, but i have gon white water rafting and that was a blast! Do you usually go by yourself, or in a group?

Definately a group and usually with someone who knows the river, depending on grade etc there are some features that could really have you in trouble. Penrith Whitewater park which they used for the Olympics has rafts going around but for kayaks they are a bit of a pain because they can't steer very much and if you don't notice them or are in a bad position your likely to get run over by a raft It's not too bad but it means you'll probably have to swim which is annoying...

Whitewater kayaking is harder to get into than rafting because you need to know what to do by yourself and be independant, that said all of the achievements are yours and yours only so if you've just gone off a drop and done it properly there's no better feeling especially if the drop scared the $%^& out of you before hand. I've only done one harder trip but I was still smiling three days later, it was absolutely brilliant!!!

[Sara]

Well I have only one really funny kayaking story right now, and it happened on our honeymoon... we took a kayak/hiking trip to see one of the most prestine waterfalls in Hawaii, on Kauai island. We put in and we are doing really good, keeping up with the group and what not (i was about 2 months pregnant at the time), but we are having fun... not for long though... we noticed that we were falling behind really bad... even the couple in their 70's were passing us and they were barely rowing! So we both get frustrated thinking well the other is stacking and we start getting mad and tired... we have 2 miles to go... we finally get there, and the hike is very nice and the waterfall is amazing! We have lunch and relax a bit, and soon it is time to go back...so we get back in the kayak and we are falling behind from the get go this time and we are furious at eachother, not understanding what was going on... well we are about 200 yards from the take out point and all of the sudden our kayak takes on water and we flip!!!!!! We dont know what happened at this point but i am trying to stay up because there was a current in the water that was pulling me down... so hubby keeps me up and finally 2 guys the leaders come back and are yelling at me to rest my lower tummy on his kayak and pull myself in.. well that wasn' t going to happen you cant put that much pressure on a pregnant tummy!.. so once he stopped yelling i told him this and he hooked my arm and i swung myself on like i was getting on a horse and he got us to shore... everyone was like "are you okay??" and so on because we all talked and they knew i was pregers...But get this they pull the kayak we were in onto shore and go to move it and the guy almost throws out his back and says "this kayak has a hole in it! It is full of water!!!" Well that explains it all.. wow on the bus ride back everyone and i mean that with no exageration... was like "give that young military family their money back!!! You gave them a crappy kayak!!!" Wow it was crazy... i told them we were fine and not to worry, but needless to say we did not get our money back, but we had fun for the most part...

[NZcaver]

Was that a sit-on-top style kayak? If so, it seems unusual it would take on water as they are usually bomber kayaks.

Sea kayaking in the islands can be fun. If you ever get back there and visit the Big Island, rent a kayak and go snorkeling in the bay below Captain Cook. That was one of the best spots we found while living in Hawaii. The dolphins even came out to play with us a couple of times. Plus the Big Island has lots of lava tubes to play in.

[Sara]

Yes it was a sit on top one... the water was somehow getting into the kayak where we couldn't see and it was sinking us...yup yup.. thats why we kept getting so mad at eachother, because we couldn't see what was happening under (well inside) the boat...

[wyandottecaver]

NZ thanks, that was one of those memories I was trying to forget :)

Sara, the blue river starts off shallow with a few swift areas but nothing you can't fall out and stand up in. then it is a slow sluggish "lake" with deeper water due to being influenced by dams on the ohio river to which it flows. It's primary attribute is that virtually all of the lower river is undeveloped and much passes through state forest. You can canoe the best of the lower route in about a full day. There are several take-outs so you can plan your trip time.

The main drawback is water level, in very dry periods much of the upper blue is barely navigable..actually mostly wading. In very very wet periods it is a deathtrap.

A interesting note.. it is fed (among other sources) by the largest spring in Indiana and it is estimated that nearly 3/4 of its normal flow volume is contributed by karst springs in the area giving the water it's spectacular spring and fall blue-green color.

[Sara]

NZ thanks, that was one of those memories I was trying to forget :)

Sara, the blue river starts off shallow with a few swift areas but nothing you can't fall out and stand up in. then it is a slow sluggish "lake" with deeper water due to being influenced by dams on the ohio river to which it flows. It's primary attribute is that virtually all of the lower river is undeveloped and much passes through state forest. You can canoe the best of the lower route in about a full day. There are several take-outs so you can plan your trip time.

The main drawback is water level, in very dry periods much of the upper blue is barely navigable..actually mostly wading. In very very wet periods it is a deathtrap.

A interesting note.. it is fed (among other sources) by the largest spring in Indiana and it is estimated that nearly 3/4 of its normal flow volume is contributed by karst springs in the area giving the water it's spectacular spring and fall blue-green color.

Sounds like it would make for a very nice trip... you know as much as i was in indiana growing up i never saw any of these beautiful places... i guess though, grovertown is not the not spot of indiana though! lol But i will be looking that river and see about maybe a late summer trip (if i am in the area... more like praying to be in the area by then!)