Posts by Marek

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scientist, photographer, paddler, blogger / living in Fort Collins, Colorado since 1989, paddling since 1972

Ez-Vee racks, Subaru Outback and Two Kruger Canoes

During last September paddling trip to Nebraska with Rob Bean I used my Subaru Outback to carry our two Kruger canoes along Dismal and Niobrara Rivers.

I have 58″ Yakima crossbars on Subaru and Ezee-V racks. We carried my Sea Wind (28″ beam) upside down as usual on crossbars and put Rob’s Sawyer Loon on V racks. I transport a variety of my racing boats and kayaks on these racks (see my review), but it was first time I used them for a “fat” canoe. Of course, in the case of wide boat straps need to be used instead of bungee loops which work fine for Thunderbolt kayak or Surfrigger. I should point out that Loon is much lighter and a little bit narrower than the expedition heavy Sea Wind.

All transportation went pretty well including a longer driving from Mullen to Valentine with a strong cross wind. You can see more pictures of these two Kruger boats in the Dismal River slide show. Pictures presented here were shot by Rob with his Pentax Optio W30.

November Paddling with Camera 2005-2008

November paddling with a camera during last four year – a selection of blog posts.
2005
Do You Paddle with Your Dog? K-9 Kayaking
Poudre River from Windsor to Greeley with High Water from Horsetooth Reservoir
7 Months of Paddling with Pentax Optio WP, Waterproof Powerbar Size Camera
2006
Kayaking on Saint Vrain and South Platte Rivers near Platteville
Evening Paddling Workout with Sisson Nucleus Kayak
Kayak Photography Links – Tips and Hints for Paddling Photographers
Atlantic Ocean at Fort Clinch, Florida
Paddling during Duck and Goose Hunting Season on South Platte River?
Driftwood on South Platte River – Paddling between Platteville and Milliken
Do Wild Turkey Swim? A Photo Story of White Water Turkey Hen for Thanksgiving
Sunset over St Mary River from Fort Clinch State Park, Florida

Paddling with a Camera Archives and Polls

I added a list of all of all posts in this blog, sorted by month. There is also a list of posts in the old blog covering years 2004-2007. Search (in the header) covers posts in both old and the current blogs.

I closed one year old poll What a digital compact camera do you use for paddling?. With so many new waterproof cameras appearing on market this year it may be time to open a new one. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanksgiving Day Paddling on Horsetooth Reservoir

Actually, I had two short paddling and photography workout on Horsetooth Reservoir during the Thanksgiving Day weekend. In both cases I launched Thunderbolt kayak from Lory State Park at North Eltuck Cove. The water level is very low right now, so it required 0.25 mile walking to reach water from a parking spot. It was much longer walk than showed by my video clip from April 2007, but still only about 7 minutes.

Weather was great, sunny and warm during day, and getting pretty chilly after sunset. These deep coves on western side of the Horsetooth are going into shadow of mountains at least one hour before official sunset time. There was some snow on northern slopes and a little of coastal ice.

I did some self shooting with my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with 24-1045 mm zoom lens mounted on a tripod with a time controller. Pictures from a kayak were taken with Pentax Optio W30.

October Paddling with a Camera

I had some big plans for paddling in October, but I ended up just paddling my local waters near Fort Collins. I was paddling my Thunderbolt kayak on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Natural Area and on Lonetree Reservoir.

First days of October were promising nice fall colors.

Then, the first attack of winter came with very low night temperatures.

All leaves on trees turned brown. No fall colors this year …

2nd winter attack with a big snow storm. It was a lot of snow in Fort Collins, but weather was warm and snow melted quickly.

The last day of October I spent paddling on Beaver Pond again.

After paddling I did some walking around the pond with my “big” camera, Canon 5D mark II.

I noticed that a new Walmart Supercenter at Timnath on the other side of I-25 highway
is showing up in my pictures from the Beaver Pond …

Here is a selection of my October posts from the last three years. You can find much nicer fall colors from northern Colorado there.

Dismal River 2009 – Slideshow from Paddling Nebraska Sandhills

In the last weekend of September I went with Connie for paddling trip to Mullen, Nebraska. We took our two dogs (Pixels and Dax) and Sea Wind canoe. In Mullen we met Rob Bean with another Kruger canoe (Sawyer Loon). Me, Rob and Pixel managed to run two river trips. Connie helped us with a shuttle. We all enjoyed a beautiful early fall weather.

The first one was 36 mile paddling on the Dismal River from highway 97 (Mullen) to highway 83 (Thedford). It took us nearly 10 hours. Next day, we drove to Valentine and paddled 15 easy miles on the Niobrara River.

I prepared a 40 picture slide show from the Dismal River:

Dismal River 2009

Paddling in Northern Colorado – Douglas Lake

I don’t often paddle on Douglas Lake since it is on the “wrong” side of town – north of Fort Collins near Wellington. However, I launched my Thunderbolt kayak there on September 14, 2009.

The lake was pretty low. Here is its northern shallow end with a lot of birds including pelicans. I believe there also more new houses there. I found the best launching spot (a shortest way to water) on the eastern shore (unless you prefer a boat ramp).

I also found some new construction on the other side of the lake … A new (or maybe rebuild) levee with a spillway.

Paddling at and after sunset was magical – a calm lake surrounded by thunderstorms. All pictures were shot with Pentax Optio W30 camera.

Sisson Nucleus Kayak on Douglas Lake
Douglas Lake – Sea Kayaking in Northern Colorado
160 Lakes and Reservoirs of Colorado
Wayfarer’s Paddling Destinations: Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs

2009 Missouri River 340 Race in Fitness Paddling Blog

I posted several articles on the 2009 Missouri River 340 Race from Kansas CIty to St Charles in Fitness Paddling blog:

2009 Missouri River 340 Race – Before Start

My 2009 Missouri River Race as Recovered from a GPS Track

Missouri River 340 Race Records

7 Tips for Solo Land Crew in MR340 Race by Connie

Do I Need GPS for the Missouri River 340 Race?

It was my 4th MR340 Race. This year I paddled Surfrigger, my outrigger canoe and completed the race in 61:11 hours.

As usual, I paddled with my Pentax Optio W30 camera, but I was shooting pictures mostly before the start and after finish. Surfrigger kept me busy paddling. I will be writing more about my racing plans and training for the next year.

Paddling Photography in September (2005-2008)

Paddling and photographing in a late summer …

Let’s look at a selection of my blog posts in September during last four years. A year ago, post activity was very low. I was moving my blog to a new format under WordPress.

I was paddling on local lakes in northern Colorado with the exception of Dismal River trip three year ago. I am planning to paddle the Dismal again this year in the last weekend of September.

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