Sunday, July 13, 2008

Paddling News


This week there has been some very strong winds. The high winds prevented me from getting in the hours of paddling that I wanted to do this week.

After last week-end Round Robin and Sunday paddle I decided not to paddle on Monday, 07-07-08. I went for an hour and six minute run. Then I went to the health club and did my leg extensions and leg curls. I finished up with some abs, back exercises and stretches.

Tuesday, 07-08-08

I did get out to paddle on the river today after work. I went up to the “Horse Farm” and back. It took two hours and ten minutes. The Mississippi River is down about three feet from what it was earlier this year. There are more rocks beginning to show upstream of the Anoka Champlin Bridge.

Wednesday, 07-09-08

I did the same thing as yesterday but my time was two hours and five minutes.

Thursday, 07-10-08

I didn’t go to Hoigarrd’s Canoe Derby tonight since I didn’t have a partner. The weather was unstable and there were some storms that were happening around the Twin Cities. I went on the Mississippi River out of Champlin. I was right under a storm front. There was nothing but blue skies to the west but a big thunderhead was right above me. I debated putting in on the river but decided to see how far I could go. I was hoping the storm front would move away from me but it just sat above me. Five minutes later I heard some thunder and then saw a large bolt of lightening that was too close. Well, so much for paddling today. I turned around and got a total of ten minutes of paddling in.

I decided to go home and change into my workout clothes and go to the health club. I did some more leg workout and did an hour on the LifeFitness Cross trainer. Also some abs, back exercises and stretches.

Friday, 07-11-08

Too windy to paddle.

Saturday, 07-12-08

I paddled with Io Harberts today. She was in the bow while I was in the stern. When you have two stern people one has to go to the bow. The couple times I’ve paddled with Io this year I’ve been in the bow. We did a little less than three and a half hours. I was planning on doing five hours today. Kate Ellis, fresh off crutches this week, jumped in the bow of my canoe and we paddled about an hour and a half. Keith Canny and Lee Larpey kept us company. I got in four hours and fifty-five minutes. Kate and I made some plans to paddle about 5 hours this Monday. We plan to paddle from Monticello down to Anoka on the Mississippi River.

We were at one of the parks in Anoka where the city was holding a fishing tournament and they were giving pontoon boats rides to the public. One person talked to me about the possibility of putting together a canoe race for their Anoka RiverFest Day Celebration next year. I told this person to check out my blog and he would find my e-mail address.

I got in a run later on in the late afternoon. I did a little over on hour but half way through the run I did six intervals of about 80 to 100 yards.

Sunday, 07-13-08

Today I was hoping to paddle at least seven hours. I didn’t have a partner but even if I did no one would do seven hours. I would be paddling my C-1. The winds were blowing out of the SW when I drove to the river. Although the wind was blowing hard the river where I put in was calm. I paddled downstream toward the Coon Rapids Dam and I could tell the wind was changing. It was now coming out of the NW. It took a little less than an hour to get to the dam before I headed back upstream. There were a couple sections on the way back up where the waves were now very noticeable. I got back up to the landing where I started after two hours of paddling. I went back up to mix another bottle of Sustained Energy before continuing on my way.

When I approached the landing I saw five C-2’s coming downstream underneath the Anoka Champlin Bridge. I was up by my Suburban when they continued downstream past me.

I continued upstream after I mixed up my drink. I paddled up to the bridge when I encountered much larger waves so I decided to turn around and go back downstream. It wasn’t long before I saw the other five canoes on the far shore going back upstream in the big waves. I continued on until I reached another section of the river where the waves were building. I decided to turn around and call it a day of paddling. The winds kept building in intensity. The winds were to be 20 to 30 mph today and I would have to agree that was what it was doing.

I did some errands today and I had to pick up some items for the AuSable Canore Marathon that’s in two weeks.

I got home in time to go for a bike ride. Earlier I had gone with a group that were doing a bike ride on Sunday’s at 3 pm. They were doing bike rides because their 3 pm Cardio Kick boxing class had been canceled for the summer. I hadn’t joined them for the past two or three weeks because of some canoe races. I started my ride at 2:10 pm and then a little before three I headed over to their meeting point at the health club. I rode my bike around the area until 3 pm but no one showed up so I continued on my way. I rode my Mt. Bike for two hours and eighteen minutes.

Later I put some lettering on my canoe and worked on my adjustable foot brace. My foot straps will remain the same now and not get too loose or to tight depending on where I position my sliding seat. Al Rudqusit showed me what he did on his canoe so I took the time to do it today.

I spoke to KateEllis this evening and we made our plans for tomorrow’s paddle down the Mississippi River from Monticello to Anoka.

Io Harberts called me and told me about her and Joe Dunaisky’s night paddle today. I wanted to join then but it’s tough when my canoe partner is in Winnipeg.

I forgot to mention earlier but the last I heard, Chris Gerwing from Winnipeg will be assisting Fred Rayman of Ely with pitting for Bill and me at the AuSable Canoe Marathon.

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