Getting there will be half the fun...actually 10x the fun.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tulsa Wave
Been negligent in updating this blog with the latest escapades.
Happily enough, I've been too busy paddling.
Met a group of folk (at Rogers Point Catoosa) who gather on Wednesday evenings to explore the waterways around the Tulsa area. Besides making several new friends, it has provided a guided introduction to some water experiences I may not have discovered on my own.
Case in point:
* Tulsa Wave
Got to flash through 'The Tulsa Wave' twice thanks to the courage derived from having experienced rescue paddlers standing by. The water was flowing at 15,000 CFS which made for quite an intimidating roar upon approach. There was also a good deal of wind (approx 20-25mph) out of the south which added height to the white caps.
What surprised and delighted me the most was the relative quiet once you go through the initial drop and approach the first wave. There were some pretty deep trenches between the first few 8-10' waves. My childhood east-coast-beach experiences caused me to wonder if the peaks of those waves would soon break, engulfing me in a chaotic jumble of churning river bubbles. They stayed put, however, so the main objective was to stay pointed downstream and enjoy the ride over each one.
It was over way too soon. Happily, my survival inspired another paddler's spunk to give it a try. This, in turn, gave me an opportunity to go through one more time since the group had to wait for her before proceeding downstream.
Note to self: Have a video camera set up on a tripod from the west bank to capture the thrills.
Happily enough, I've been too busy paddling.
Met a group of folk (at Rogers Point Catoosa) who gather on Wednesday evenings to explore the waterways around the Tulsa area. Besides making several new friends, it has provided a guided introduction to some water experiences I may not have discovered on my own.
Case in point:
* Tulsa Wave
Got to flash through 'The Tulsa Wave' twice thanks to the courage derived from having experienced rescue paddlers standing by. The water was flowing at 15,000 CFS which made for quite an intimidating roar upon approach. There was also a good deal of wind (approx 20-25mph) out of the south which added height to the white caps.
What surprised and delighted me the most was the relative quiet once you go through the initial drop and approach the first wave. There were some pretty deep trenches between the first few 8-10' waves. My childhood east-coast-beach experiences caused me to wonder if the peaks of those waves would soon break, engulfing me in a chaotic jumble of churning river bubbles. They stayed put, however, so the main objective was to stay pointed downstream and enjoy the ride over each one.
It was over way too soon. Happily, my survival inspired another paddler's spunk to give it a try. This, in turn, gave me an opportunity to go through one more time since the group had to wait for her before proceeding downstream.
Note to self: Have a video camera set up on a tripod from the west bank to capture the thrills.
Friday, April 17, 2009
It's Springtime
Got out twice this past week.
Tuesday I was lured up the Verdigris River toward the rapids. Flow about 15'.
No go. The water was too plentiful, the flow too fast to get to the north side of 'the pipe'.
There was just one bump I couldn't get past on either side I tried....so time to float back to the truck.
Wednesday Headed to the Port of Catoosa for both since I was too late to join the gang gathering down at the Arkansas near 61st street. I opted for a less active route, taking advantage of the high water to do a loop around the island near the opening of the port and the Bird Creek. Found I could get up to a 5mph speed on the slow water....and back out on the main channel bump that up to 9.....5 without even paddling. (Used a GPS to measure) 1hr, 20min for covering 5 miles of water.
Tuesday I was lured up the Verdigris River toward the rapids. Flow about 15'.
No go. The water was too plentiful, the flow too fast to get to the north side of 'the pipe'.
There was just one bump I couldn't get past on either side I tried....so time to float back to the truck.
Wednesday Headed to the Port of Catoosa for both since I was too late to join the gang gathering down at the Arkansas near 61st street. I opted for a less active route, taking advantage of the high water to do a loop around the island near the opening of the port and the Bird Creek. Found I could get up to a 5mph speed on the slow water....and back out on the main channel bump that up to 9.....5 without even paddling. (Used a GPS to measure) 1hr, 20min for covering 5 miles of water.
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