Texas River Marathon

Yesterday we ran the Texas River Marathon. It's the preliminary race before the Texas Water Safari, and it determines pole position amongst the more serious racers. Team Cuatro Sinko, of course, ran it because it was a chance to get out, get some more paddle time in, and scout 40 miles of the race course. We did great, and were shooting rapids like champs. It took us just over 9 hours, averaging 4.4 mph overall, including break time and a 20 minute debacle in which we got caught up in a log jam.

It was my turn at the helm, and as we approached a chute through the logs, we noticed an abandoned Alumicraft canoe pinned by the current to fallen trees - a clear warning sign that the river wasn't messing around. It looked like it had been there a while. Determined to steer us straight through the chute, I squared us up and felt pretty good. What I could not see over the heads in front of me, however, was a smaller stump sticking out just above the water. We hit it, went sideways, and the four of us went overboard in an instant. The canoe was quickly swept into the logs, and pinned by the current with the inside of the canoe facing up river; it was a cup with water continuously spilling in. We assessed. It looked bleak. Flashes of losing this new boat went through our minds. Muscle alone was never going to move the boat away from those logs. We unclipped all the gear and took it ashore, fighting the current to and from the jam. Nothing was missing but one very expensive paddle. We wriggled and shoved. I thought. I got us into this, I had to get us out. I directed the team to all stand with our back to the current, towards the middle of the boat - the place with the most leverage. On three we all lifted the bottom gunwale up, so that the boat was level (although still below the water line) and no longer like a cup facing the current. We continued to lift and rolled the boat up onto the logs, emptying the water and revealing the lost paddle. The boat saved and still intact, no one hurt, and no gear lost, we all cheered and sighed in relief. One more lesson learned from the river.


The pics: 3 of the 4 Cuatro Sinko Team making the checkpoint 50 minutes before cutoff, averaging 5.2 mph, and feeling pretty cocky (before the log jam); Flip, our team captain from the shore, enjoying "the best beef rib [he'd] ever had" at Black's BBQ in Lockhart after the race.

A Taste of What We're In For

Last week was a 17 mile run down the first stretch of the race. Despite our noobishness, we finished it in a time that would have passed the first checkpoint and kept us in the race. We were pretty beat at the end, though, and the next checkpoint requires an even faster pace. We had a camera mounted to the bow that took a picture every minute (until it ran out of juice)- hope to have a time-lapse video soon. Until then, enjoy this picture of me underwater 5 minutes into the trip. We learned quickly to respect the river.

Tinkerbell

She's here, and she's not small. Old Town makes an XL Tripper: 20ft LOA (length over all) and 41" beam (41 inches across). But although she's big, she still seems lithe, and she carries her 105lbs well. We had her outfitted with 4 seats instead of the factory 2 seats (thanks Austin Canoe and Kayak!). A day trip to Houston to pick her up gave us plenty of time to talk strategy - and there is plenty to talk about. Portages, when to sleep, if to sleep, what to eat, gear... the list goes on. But now, with Tinkerbell in our possession, we can start training and figuring everything out. Two weeks to go before the Texas Water Marathon, a preliminary race of 40 miles between Gonzalez and Victoria. There will be only 3 of the team members going on this one, but for us it's more of a scouting expedition than a race. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed.

Texas Water Safari is Happening

It's been a number of years since the idea of competing in the Texas Water Safari starting circulating amongst myself and a couple of buddies. Every year there is an excuse. This year, there is none. I'll be out of school for 2 months, son at Summer Camp, and just enough vacation time at work to make it happen. And the best part: a team captain that is every bit as enthused as I am. We're not taking the Lil' Longhorn, my burnt orange Coleman canoe. No- our captain has commandeered us 2 other paddlers and has sprung for a 20', four person canoe (or, one that will be outfitted for 4 paddlers anyways). Billed as the "World's Toughest Boat Race", the Texas Water Safari is an annual race via the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers, from Aquarena Springs in the college town of San Marcos, to the shrimping village of Seadrift on the Texas coastline, a total distance of 262 miles. Check out testimonies, pics, the route, etc. at the website. Keep checking back to see how the training is going. We have about 8 weeks to get ready for 262 miles of dams, sweepers, log jams, rapids, heat, sleep deprivation, snakes, and gators. This will be one for the books.
Picking up canoe this weekend from Houston. It's finally sinking in: what have I gotten myself in to?

Holy Mole...

has it been that long? Well, it's not getting any easier to start posting again, so I'll just jump in. The absence is surely not because there hasn't been anything going on - quite the opposite. I have started graduate school at Texas State University for my Master's in Counseling. It's been great, but growth does not come without anxiety (as I've learned). Things are well: Spring has sprung, lake levels are up, and hops are hoppin'. The video is of my son's and my Spring Break project. Some building, some learning, and some teaching of the classics. It was a great time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zIH2UfT3bQ

Halloween 2011

I'm Vincent Van Gogh.

More of the Same

More brewing, more recording. This time I harvested all the hops I had on the vine that were mature, and made my first nano-brew IPA. And the recording was awesome- a four song EP that we're all excited about (link will be posted when songs are available). Big things in small packages; that's the theme for last week.
Pics: handful o' hops. The Colorado River flowing behind the studio.