I just got back from the 2009 canoe and kayak regatta, held on th Big Sioux River north of Flandreau, SD. At the halfway point, we had to portage a lowhead damn… Surefire deathtraps if your not prepared. This is a shot of the damn.

The 2009 Canoe and Kayak Regatta is being held tomorrow, April 24th, on the Big Sioux River. The weather will be less than perfect with rain and wind in the forecast, but the water level is high so the river will be fast. I’ll be glad for my rain gear and chances are good that the pics I bring back won’t depict a bright shiny day like last year (below).

I’ve been looking for a gently used canoe for quite a while. I decided it was one of those things I didn’t really “need” so was willing to wait until I stumbled onto one. Well, that finally happened a couple of weeks ago when I ran into a business colleague who happened to have one for sale. After seeing the pictures, I knew it was perfect for what I had in mind: overnight camping trips on the river, or just cruising around with the family. A new canoe can cost well over $1000, but all I need this thing to do is float and get me from point A, to point B. And it’ll do just that. I’m pretty pleased with my find…

Class I: Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy. Local examples: All flatwater; most of the Delaware. Waves may be up to a foot high.

It’s April 5th. The lakes and rivers are clear of ice. We just got several inches of snow, which means the rivers will be rising and currents will be swift. My kayaks are hanging in the garage and my rack is in the attic… I think it’s time to dust them off and put them to use.

A quick 360° view from the top of Harney Peak. No kayaking on this trip though.

Politics aside… the folks at JibJab really know how to make fun of people!

This summer has been packed full of weekend trips, family reunions, weddings and house projects. It’s been nearly impossible to get my boat in the water. Am I the only one?

Strainer: The deadliest trap on the river! When water pours through the branches of a fallen tree, or through a pile of rocks or ice, it produces a strainer. Even with a gentle current, strainers are bad. They can pin you below the surface of the water and you can’t get out. If you realize you can’t avoid a strainer, climb on to it, climb over it! If you are swimming in the water, and about to wash into a strainer, swim headfirst as aggressively as possible toward it and climb onto, up and over it.

It’s time. Time to slap on some sunscreen, crack open a beer, and paddle our way to glory… or something.

Some high school buddies, including myself, Jason Ratkovec, Bernie McGill, Jeremy Reiter and Russ Bader, are all heading down to Eminence, Missouri, for the The 4th Annual Manly-Man River Excursion. It will be the first year Andrey Hiebner, another buddy from “back in the day”, won’t be making the trip. It will not be the same without him, but it does mean more beer for the rest of us.

The plan is to paddle the Jack’s Fork River, in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks. I plan to take lots of pictures so check back soon! This pic is from two years ago…