Lynn/Jim trips (Park City, White Water Rafting, biking Farm Ride)

[jim-ratliff]

I originally posted this in Ron's summer training blog, but then decided that was too much of a Hijack.

Modified trip report, not related to skiing, from a trip a couple of weeks back.?

We took a circle trip from Washington, DC to West Virginia down to the tidewater of Virginia and back.? Went white water rafting in the New River Gorge in WV, mostly Class IV and V rapids with a couple of 3's.? I've been a few times before when the water lever was 2-4' above "mean low water".? This day it was at 9' and was far better than any of my other trips.? In fact, above 11' the state stops them from rafting the Gorge.? Fun video to watch as a 16' raft (8 people, 1 guide, large ice chest) drops completely out of site and then comes up out of the hole and over the wave at a 30 degree angle and blasts through 2-3 feet of breaking white water at the top of the wave.? FUN-FUN-FUN - and a little bit wet and cold, huh Lynn.

PS - of the 4 rafts total in our group, not a single person wound up in the water unintentionally.? People in the front row of the rafts did frequently wind up in the laps of the second row people, and Lynn whacked herself in the face on one maneuver when the rapid required (or the guide desired) to drive the nose of the raft up onto a rock and then spin the back of the boat to the right and back into the current and around the "danger zone". This manuever, I believe, is used because of the likelihood of having the current drive you up on the rock sideways if you just try to ride through the rapid as the current takes a sharp right turn.? I think this was the rock where I've seen other boats flipped as they get washed against the rock.?

Also visited Monticello and Colonial Williamsburg and did an 18 mile (RT) bike ride from Williamsburg down to Jamestown and back, and then another shorter ride the next day just sightseeing.

[Ron]

WOW, now that's a cool trip for sure. Not sure if I'm up for the big water thing, I'll stick to jumping off 350' cliffs.....  Any pics? PLEASE>>>>>>

[jim-ratliff]

Limited pictures, but here are some commercial links. It seems a bit quirky as far as the URL taking you to the right place.? The link should take you to photo 93 of 129 on the 6/14/09 8:30 trip.

Another couple in our raft got permission to wear bicycle helmets instead of the clunky (and hot) yellow things so we did too.? This is the last series of rapids at the end of the day, but follow the pictures as we "ride the wave train".? The two people on the front are "trying to ride the bull".? The front paddlers moved back one row, and these two try to stay on the front tube with nothing but a rope to hang on to (the one guy never even quite got up there).? I am in the back seat (how appropriate, huh) and Lynn is two seats in front of me.? Notice the excellent synchronization of paddle positions on our side of the boat; hard to paddle effectively if each person is "doing their own thing".? The guide in the back calls when and how many strokes to paddle to get to where she wants to be, and sometimes calls one side or the other to back paddle as a way to quickly spin the boat.?

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=0GWN00GD000092&po=92

If you have some extra time, go back to the vicinity of picture 25 on the 8:30 trip and watch someone from a different boat swimming (to use the word loosely) through the rapids.

After you finish the series above, click on the 9:15 trip and watch the first raft (after the kayaker). This series is not us, but is my favorite rapid.? This is only a Class 3 (most of the river is class 4 and 5) and is called "Surprise" and, as the first rapid you come to, it often is exactly that.? On a trip several years back I was paddling in the front, we went in a little bit sideways, and I got completely flushed out of the boat and flipped.? The photographer got a great picture of me in the spray with nothing but the blue soles of my tennis shoes visible in the top of the spray.? What a rush.? Normally "Surprise" is a drop with a single big wave.? This year it was less of a drop but with a series of about 5 standing waves.

[Gary]

YOU ONE CLAZY DUDE THERE JIMMY BOY!? ?

I've done rapids before but not like that..my hats off to ya....

Now...next time we've got a 6 foot drop on the mountain....you better be right on my tail....cause if you're doing this kind of stuff....

It makes skiing what we ski look boring!?

Nice!?
G

[Ron]

OK this looks like something I need to do. Looks scary but that's the idea!!! Good job, I think I would start out on the easy stuff first though.....

[jim-ratliff]

OK this looks like something I need to do. Looks scary but that's the idea!!! Good job, I think I would start out on the easy stuff first though.....

Ron, you and your wife could easily do this and don't need anything easier.? Lynn was just fine, and loved it except for being cold.

[midwif]

Ron,
This was my first real experience doing white water rafting.
The pictures are very dynamic and it was definitely FUN.

However, I NEVER felt "endangered". I always felt like the boat was in control and the guide very clear with what she was doing.

I did decline to "ride the bull" by sitting on the front of the raft for the last set of milder rapids.
It was a bit chilly also. Temps in low 70's, so being wet led to goose bumps.

If we go again, I definitely want to graduate to the next river up on the difficulty ladder-the Gauley River.

[Ron]

Hmm, OK, sounds good and fun but I'm with Lyn, I don't like cold water (its the whole, Shrinkage thing maybe )

Last week I had to wade into the river to help 2 little kids out during thier tube float on the Yampa, they got caught in an edie and couldn't get back into the main channel. I waded out to about mid-thigh water and it was icy cold, water was in the low 60's...brrrr.? That was cold for me.

[jim-ratliff]

Lynn and I did the FarmRide around Amherst Massachusetts this weekend.? Lovely countryside and a well organized trip.? We did the metric Century (which is actually only 62 miles) but was supposed to be 66 miles to the end of the ride dinner, where we encountered corn fresh out of the field, salad, grilled burgers and brats, free Harpoon beer and free massages.

However, we actually wound up riding 78 miles that day total.? About 3/4 of a mile past one town we decided to turn around and go back for Ice Cream (yes, it was definitely worth the? extra distance).? At another place, the county had resurfaced one of the roads and covered the trail marker the organizers had spray painted on the road the previous weekend.? So we continued up a noticeable hill and some distance past that before we saw other riders coming back and letting us know that they (and we) had missed the turn down by the railroad tracks -- going back down the hill was nice, but not worth distance (so much for not following the guide as we intended).? Then, after dinner it was an easy 6 miles back to the hotel, and the gentle ride after the massage was probably very worth the distance.? Didn't really have any soreness the next day at all but did have to borrow some chamois cream from another rider at the second rest stop.

Prepositioned rest stops.? At mile 21 they had the first rest stop that was Gatorade and snacks appropriate for a long bike ride.? At mile marker 51 they had the "pie rest stop" that was 3 types of pie with whipped cream (and seconds were allowed).? Oh, they had GatorAde as well.? At mile market 44 (in between) ad libbed rest stop 1.5 that was very good Ice Cream (in Northhampton, I think).

A great day.

On Sunday we slept in a bit, then did 9 miles to a Kayak rental place on the Connecticut river and paddled around down there for a bit before riding back. By the end of the weekend, I needed to go back to work to get some rest. Neither of us were really sore, just worn out.  Had a great time.

Most important of all, I finished the 78 miles in a very satisfying time (averaged 13 miles per hour not counting rest stops) considering that the longest I had ever ridden in one day was 48 miles.

I will let Lynn report on the Saturday night party.? I will just say that she earned both a Hawaiian Lei and some Mardi Gras beads.

[Ron]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome ride and it just sounds like a blast. So great and you kicked butt.

[midwif]

I am pleased to report that after many training rides, visualization exercises and some valium taken prior , Jim and I did another NYC touring ride.

We did a loop of Central Park (6mi) so Jim could see the damage done during last weeks storm. (100's of 150 yr old trees felled).
Then to Broadway and the bike lane down to and across the Brooklyn Bridge.
 Almost all "bike lanes" are on roads shared with cars,carts, baby carriages and many clueless tourists.

A stop at South St Seaport for lunch (calamari, fish, salad) and then back up the bike lane by the East River.
Did about 24miles.
AM VERY HAPPY to report that no bones were broken, bikes were intact and Jim thought the hill at the north end of Central Park is now "easy".

Not much of an aerobic work-out, but fun, if a bit nerve -wracking.

[jim-ratliff]

Lynn, I think I resent the categorization of me as a 'clueless tourist' but I guess the shoe fits.? New York is certainly not Kansas.

The pedestrian/bike lane between and above the traffic lanes on the Brooklyn bridge was very scenic.? A view of downtown Manhatten, view of the Statue of Liberty in the background.? Very nice.

Central Park is always a treat, horsedrawn tourist wagons with their droppings, pedal carts full of tourists with their inattentive pedalers, and lots of people paying no attention whatsoever to those around them.? The mere fact that there is a 6 mile loop in the midst of so much activity and effectively isolated from automobile traffic is commendable.? I am sincerely amazed that someone had the foresight to set aside Central Park back when it could still be set aside and preserved from development.

The "bike lane" on Broadway I'm not so sure about.? Yes we had our own traffic light, but having two lanes of traffic to your right turning left on top of you is not relaxing, nor are the number of pedestrians wandering the intersections (dodging between cars and bikes). Yipes.? I think we rode more with one foot unclipped and at the ready than both feet pedaling;? I probably should have changed to my other pedals and shoes.

[SnowHot]

I am pleased to report that after many training rides, visualization exercises and some valium taken prior , Jim and I did another NYC touring ride.

We did a loop of Central Park (6mi) so Jim could see the damage done during last weeks storm. (100's of 150 yr old trees felled).
Then to Broadway and the bike lane down to and across the Brooklyn Bridge.
 Almost all "bike lanes" are on roads shared with cars,carts, baby carriages and many clueless tourists.

A stop at South St Seaport for lunch (calamari, fish, salad) and then back up the bike lane by the East River.
Did about 24miles.
AM VERY HAPPY to report that no bones were broken, bikes were intact and Jim thought the hill at the north end of Central Park is now "easy".

Not much of an aerobic work-out, but fun, if a bit nerve -wracking.

Sounds like fun!
I don't know why I don't do this kind of thing.  I should sign up for the fall colour tour...

[midwif]

Agreed!
It's okay to NOT be goal oriented with every athletic activity.
Unless "sight seeing" is the goal.

A fall foliage ride should be lovely.

Jim and I are taking our bikes to the Finger Lakes area Columbus Day weekend and are staying in a B&B.
There are a number of "mapped" bike rides between 20-30 that we plan to do.
That weekend is usually prime fall foliage up there.

Hopefully it won't rain as has happened so many Columbus weekends!.

[ToddW]

Lynn,

That sounds like a great trip.? I went to grad school in Ithaca at the southern tip of Lake Cayuga, one of the finger lakes.? The finger lakes are gorgeous that time of year.? There are lots of small vineyards to visit along the lakes and several spectacular water falls like Taghkanic Falls.