spring-05

What a great day to start our 2005 season with blue skies and 45 degree F. temperatures. Maureen and myself along with Mike Kovach started at Fanshawe dam in the east end of London Canada and paddled for four hours ending up at the boat ramp at Wonderland Road and Riverside drive. During our trip we came across two other kayakers who we had not met before and enjoyed paddling the rest of the trip with Ty and Mark. The water level was about two feet above summer levels making for a good current and many fun rapids. Mike, Mark and Ty all have very short kayaks and love to play in the rapids and standing waves.

For any of you who would like to get the season of to a great start, let's get out and have a blast with some of the high waters available this spring.

Following are photos of our first day of 2005 except for Mike who paddled in Pennsylvania the previous weekend in some wild rapids.

Maureen and Mike Starting out at Fanshawe dam


starting	Maureen Grant & Mike Kovach


Maureen and Bob Grant	Ty Fieldhouse


Ty sliding in sequence # 1	Ty sliding in sequence # 2


Ty sliding in sequence # 3	Ty sliding in sequence # 4


Maureen	Mark Kriznic and Mike Kovach


Maureen enjoys the rapids	Ice in Trees


Mike and Ice	Mike

Our new Group Relaxing


Mike	Ty


Ty	Ty and Mark

Ty in the Standing Wave


Mike in the Standing Wave	Ty

Mike Diving


Mike	Ty

Mike


Mark	Mike

Mike


Ty	Ty Diving Through

Mike Surfing


Ty	Mark

Mark

Mark Diving Through

More Diving

They Sure Do Get Wet

The water is higher than last week and we plan a trip on the Ausable river from Kerwood Road to Sylvan bridge with our friends Eric Walne, Mary McBurney, her granddaughter Promise, Maureen Grant and myself and with the high water it should take about 3 hours. We get off to a great start with overcast skies and very fast water. After about thirty minutes Mary McBurney hits a eight inch log and flips into the frigid water and swims to shore while Eric and Promise, get Mary's kayak freed from the submerged log. Once freed, we get it to shore which is no easy task with the powerful water and remove the water from the kayak and we are soon on our way again and soon come to a long set of large rapids which last for well over a minute and we all get through safely. Promise, on her first fast water experience does very well and loves the rapids and the next big set are at Hungry Hollow where the river turns sixty degrees and has large rapids of about four feet deep. We all make it safely but shortly after and in the next set Eric and Mary both flip into the water and Eric with his new camera so Eric had a big job getting his equipment to shore and drained. Eric, Maureen started out again and in a few minutes found that Mary had flipped again and had swam to shore but her kayak had drifted downstream so we built a fire with matches that Promise had in a dry bag and everyone dried off before we got under way again. This time we were short one kayak so Maureen lay on the back of my eleven foot Breeze as I paddled with the current. We came across Eric's paddle and later Eric's skirt but never did find the dry bag that went missing on Eric's flip into the water. Eventually we found Mary's Kayak stuck under a log and she decided to leave it there when Eric tried to fee it unsuccessfully. We must have paddled for about an hour before we finally came to the Sylvan bridge where we had left Eric's van and we climbed up the embankment and retrieved our vehicles and headed back to Port Franks where Mary prepared a great supper but first we all headed for Eric's hot tub and wow, that felt great.

Starting Point - Kerwood Road on the Ausable

Promise Loves it

Promise, Maureen and Eric with new JVC Camcorder

Maureen

Mary McBurney

Maureen, Eric and Promise

Eric is Having Fun

Promise and Maureen Splashing Through the Rapids

Oops, Mary Hit a Log and Flipped into the Cold Water - Eric Retrieves Kayak

Eric Frees the Jammed Kayak and lets it go downstream to where we catch it

Eric Going Trough Rapids with his Camera

A Break after Eric Flips with his Camera

Promise Drying Mary's Clothes

Promise Brought Matches so a Fire Felt Great

Mary Getting Warm

Eric Explains How it Happened

Mary Drying Her Clothes

Maureen, Promise and Eric

Bo, Mary, Eric and Promise

Mary Helps Eric Get His Sock Off

Eric and Bob

Mary, Eric, Bob and Promise

Maureen and Promise Loving the Waves

Eric and Mary Getting Warm

Promise Saves Eric's Kayak

Eric, Maureen, Mary and Promise

Maureen Ready to go Again

Eric and Promise

Eric Uses a Log after Losing His Paddle - Later Found

Promise Stayed Dry For The Whole Trip

Maureen and Promise

Cam Schiedel invited me to join him and Sean for their first run of the season and Sean had a new Wilderness 14 foot Kayak and he liked it very much. We paddled from the boat ramp at Wonderland and Riverside Drive up to Wharncliffe Road bridge. It was a beautiful evening and the water was lower than I had ever seen it and we were scraping bottom near the train bridge. Flash came along and took a ride with Cam and we shot a few photos which are shown below.