Just for fun.

Its been a while since the last post and our next float is comming up so I figured I needed to get a post up to start getting excited about the July 4th weekend.  I felt compelled to share some of the whitewater kayaking pics from the trip that I took to the Texas hill country during Halloween last fall.  The conditions were chilly at best but the fall produces some good water and decent boating conditions.  This was my first time being strapped and sealed into a kayak and it was a little intimidating but the water was tame and there was a group of 15 people watching out for everybody. 

Unlike the river jackals we didn't cover a lot of water miles, we just looked for stretches of river with decent gradient to create some exciting opportunities.  This picutre is one of my favoriets because you cand see how much drop there is in the water over a very short strech.  If you look in the center of the pic you can see one of the boaters getting ready for his turn at the chute. 

We spent two days on the Guadalupe and the San Marcos rivers exploring some pretty country and cold water.  There was even an area they call a "Play Park" where they created a sweet series of falls that we attempted to run.  I say attempted because on the first drop I got flipped and the crap beat out of me (it was a good thing they made us wear those helmets).  I didn't end up with any pics of the park because I was a little water logged and not thinking clearly at the end. 

This pic is another good one of some of the water we got to run on the Guad. 

Overall it was a really great trip.  We have got a long way to go, but when we conquer our Missouri rivers the Jackals cans start working our way down into some Texas water or possibly Colorado to start branching out.  So many possibilities and so little time.

The river givith

Our second Shoal Creek float of the year turned out to be more than expected, as most of our adventures usually are. After a hard afternoon's work of hoisting junk cars out of my ditch, in efforts to make some floating money at the scrap metal yard, the Rear Admiral and I decided to cool off in the familiar waters of our closest river. The water was up and the sun was hot, so how could we pass up an opportunity? We quickly loaded up GhostRider, not nearly enough beer, and headed out. Being the first float since the last two weeks of flooding, I had hopes of doing some sweet scavenging of goods stranded by the flood. About a 1/3 of the way, through what I believe to be the finest shoal creek floating waters I have experienced, my eagle eyed scout discovered this silver beauty hanging half in a tree, half in the water. It really was unbelievable, this being my first canoe find and the Admirals second. Certainly overjoyed, the Admiral captained our new vessel, which made for some exciting navigating through the twists and turns that were ahead. Later on, after running out of beer, I found the sweet blue cooler in a brush pile. There was no beer in it. To cap of the afternoon, on the last leg of the float, in prime Jackal style we floated through an eerie fog so thick it was difficult to breath. I think it was the river mysteriously speaking farewell, yet beckoning us back for another adventure. Never will it be too soon.

The Ragin' Cajun

We have mentioned numerous times on the blog how much we love the man barn and for good reason.  It is such a great place to be loud, rough, and dirty (everything that is great about being a man).  It is home to many different events like the ever popular Friday Night Meat Munch (a topic for a different post), Catan sessions, tomahawk making, and frequent gatherings of the River Jackals.  The pre-float gatherings that it is home to provide anyone that shows up a little early for a float trip, an outlet for all that energy.  This past trip was taken to the to new heights with a Crawdad feast organized by the newly appointed social chair, Dustin.  Now if you want to talk about a guy that gets excited for float trips this guy is it.  Sporting the flannel jacked and a Rebel Recycling hat he is always prepared for a float trip.

The inspiration for a Man Barn crawdad boil was one of the best things that could have ever happened to the Flat Creek trip.  Nathan, Dustin, and I were able to brave the freezing temperatures of Joyce Creek to catch several pounds of beautiful southwest Missouri crayfish while the Jackalski, who served as head chef, acquired some giants from Louisiana as well.  Cooking under the shelter of the man barn on a rainy afternoon was quite the site to see.  The whole evening was made even better with the addition of many friends who showed up to partake in the evening festivities.  I happened to bring a video camera along for the trip, which probably shouldn't have been operated by me because of my love for narration, and was able to capture some of the fun from that night.  I didn't ever bring the camera out for the crawdad boil so for right now this is the only images I have of that night.  The second video is from much later in the evening after the rest of the crew started to roll in, when I get it uploaded to youtube I'll put it on the blog.