Category: news

3 Years of Missouri River 340 Race

340 miles on the Missouri River from Kansas City to St Charles in less than 100 hours. The MR340 Race started in 2006 with 15 boats. Next year over 70 boats entered. Last year we saw 150 boats at the start in Kaw Point and 250 boat is expected this August.

I am running a little series in my fitness paddling blog devoted to 3 years of MR340 race – stories by three time finishers. So far, we have the following parts:
Introduction
1. Bryan Hopkins
2. West Hansen
3. Christina Glauner
4. Chuck and Di McHenry

I still need to write my part.

February 28, 2009
Paddling Photography a Year Ago – January/February 2008

January and February of 2008. A lot of paddling and training on the South Platte River launching at Milliken, Evans, or Kersey. In the end of February, I started my lake paddling season on the Boyd Lake. There was still some floating ice.

Thunderbolt Kayak and Snow Drifts on the Shore of South Platte River
Pentax Optio W30, Thunderbolt and 3 Winter Hours on the South Platte River
Winter Canoeing on the South Platte River in Northern Colorado
GoPro Digital Hero Reviewed by Helmet Cam Central: Affordable, Durable, Waterproof
Canon EOS 40D, Thunderbolt Kayak and South Platte River in Winter
Panning Camera Mount and Wide Angle Video Cam from Rambo’s Locker
GoPro Digital Hero 3 as a Helmet Cam for Paddlers and Racers
Paddling and Photographing South Platte River near Milliken
10 Easy River Trips in the Mountains, Canyons and Plains of Colorado
Hunter and Prey? Looking Closer at My Paddling Pictures
Hunter and Prey, Part II. Mysterious Creature: a Fox, a Raccoon, or Just a Broken Trunk?
South Platte River Near Confluence with the Cache la Poudre and Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA
GPS Photo River Paddling Map and Guide to the South Platte Below Denver
Panasonic New Flash Memory Camcorder, SDR-SW20, Waterproof up to 5 Feet
Dusk on the South Platte River
Olympus Stylus SW 850 and 1030 – Two New Digital Compact Waterproof Cameras
Opening Lake Paddling Season in Northern Colorado: Thunderbolt-X on the Boyd Lake

February 6, 2009
Paddling and Goose Hunting on the South Platte River

Some paddlers are afraid to paddle on the South Platte River during a goose and duck hunting season. I paddle the South Platte near Greeley every winter and have never had any problems with hunters, although, I wrote a somewhat provoking post a couple of years ago.

Information on Waterfowl Hunting on the South Platte River Corridor from Colorado Division of Wildlife

A few hunting related pictures from my paddling:

A new goose hunting blind above Kersey. Camera: Pentax Optio W30.

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Shotgun cartridges collected at the confluence of South Platte and Poudre Rivers – Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA (picture available for purchase at Featurepics). Camera: Canon EOS 40D.

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A couple of decoy Geese sunbathing at the Latham Ditch dam. Camera: Pentax Optio W10.

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A flock of decoy geese and ducks at the confluence of South Platte and Poudre Rivers – Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA. Camera: Canon PowerShot S40

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Hunter (trapper) crossing the river. See a related story Hunter and Prey? Looking Closer at My Paddling Pictures (picture available for purchase at Featurepics). Camera: Canon EOS 40D.

South Platte River below Denver – GPS/photo river guide

Returning Back to (Paddling) Life

Paddling and Photographing South Platte River near Milliken

Winter Paddling, Training and Racing on the South Platte River in Northern Colorado

Old Truck, Young Eagle and the South Platte River Mysteries

Paddling Thunderbolt Kayak in Tight Places – Lone Tree Creek

Photographing Geese Flying over the South Platte River Valley

January 21, 2009
Returning Back to (Paddling) Life

I was on water only a few times during fall months due to problems with my wrist: DeQuervain’s syndrome also known as washerwoman’s sprain or mother’s wrist – inflammation of the sheath that surrounds two tendons that control movement of the thumb. It didn’t bother me too much when paddling, but I was trying to cure it by resting and physical therapy. Finally, I ended up with a wrist surgery just before Christmas.

Three weeks later my wrist is not fully operational yet, but I can do almost anything with some movement restrictions. So, yesterday, I started my 2009 paddling season with an easy afternoon workout on the South Platte River near Greeley. I took Thunderbolt kayak from Mitani-Tokuyasu SWA 2.5 miles upstream to the Plumb Ditch Dam, spent some time photographing there (Canon EOS 40d + tripod + programmable self timer) and returned downriver just after sunset.

It feels good to be back to paddling!

The picture of the Plumb Ditch Dam goes to my stock portfolio and is available for sale from Featurepics.

South Platte River below Denver – GPS/photo river guide

Paddling with Icicles – Thunderbolt-X on the South Platte River below Greeley

Old Truck, Young Eagle and the South Platte River Mysteries

Paddling Thunderbolt Kayak in Tight Places – Lone Tree Creek

3 Winter Paddling Hours on the South Platte River

On the Icy South Platte River with Pentax Optio W10 Camera and Thunderbolt Kayak

January 15, 2009

2008 Popular Articles in Paddling with a Camera Blog

A dozen of the most popular posts in the year of 2008 according to visitor traffic. As usual camera and photo gear reviews got the most of attention. However, some other articles reached the top 12 like “paddling with dogs” or “how to avoid blurry pictures”. I am surprised that my 2 year old article “12 pictures and reflections …” is still popular. It must be something magical in the word “reflections” at least in web searches.

1. Waterproof Digital Cameras for Paddling and Water Sports
A Shopping Guide

2. Olympus Stylus SW 850 and 1030 – Two New Digital Compact Waterproof Cameras

3. 10 Reviews of Pentax Optio W30 Camera – Waterproof, Dustproof and Ready for Paddling

4. Do You Paddle with Your Dog? K-9 Kayaking

5. 10 Reviews of Pentax Optio W60, a New Waterproof Camera for Paddlers

6. Panasonic New Flash Memory Camcorder, SDR-SW20, Waterproof up to 5 Feet

7. Sticky Pod Review – A Suction Cup Camera Mount for Kayak Photography

8. 7 Reviews of Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 Waterproof Digital Camcorder

9. Where to Place a Horizon in Your Paddling Pictures?

10. 10 Tips How to Avoid Blurry Pictures when Shooting on Water

11 Kayak Photography Links – Tips and Hints for Paddling Photographers

12. 12 Pictures and Reflections from Paddling with a Camera in 2006

January 3, 2009

Paddling Photography a year Ago – December 2007

December paddling with Sea Wind Canoe on Horsetooth Reservoir

Not much paddling in December 2007. Every year I spend a week in December in San Fracisco attending Fall Meeting of American Geophysical Union. I was shooting some cityscapes with a new Canon EOS 40D camera. After returning back to Colorado I managed to take Sea Wind canoe to the Horsetooth Reservoir before it was frozen.

Neutral Density (ND) Filters for Paddling Photography

Kayaking the Aland Archipelago of the Baltic Sea in Pictures by Björn Olin

Do You Need Some Inspiration for Your Photography?

Pentax Optio W(aterproof) Cameras for Paddling and Racing Photography

Paddling Photography a Year Ago – December 2006: Thunderbolt Kayak and Winter

Horsetooth, Snow, Ice and Sea Wind Canoe

Paddling on Wet Sand: Discovering the South Platte River in Eastern Colorado

Happy Christmas from Frozen Colorado!

Paddling on Wet Sand: the South Platte River below Fort Morgan

Flickr’s Stats: 10 Mostly Viewed Pictures from My Photostream

December 20, 2008
Poll: Your Paddling Camera
I am adding polls to my blog. Let’s start with the poll about your paddling camera.

What a compact digital camera (i.e., a point-and-shoot camera) do use for paddling? So, this pool does not cover DSLR, prosumer cameras or camcorders.

Multiple answers are allowed. You are welcome to add any comments or remarks, especially, if you have a camera that doesn’t fit into the questions below.

[poll id=”3″]

As visible on the picture above I own three models from Pentax Optio line: WP, W10, and W30. However, my first paddling digital camera was Canon PowerShot S40 with a waterproof case.

Do you have any suggestion for future polls which may be interesting for “Paddling with a Camera” readers?

Related posts:
November 22, 2008

Paddling Photography a Year Ago – November 2007

A year ago I started to shoot hot air balloons. We went to Hot Air Balloon Harvest at Greeley in the end of October, then I drove to southern Colorado for another balloon festival at Rocky Ford. I took for that my Thunderbolt-x kayak and tried to explore a very shallow John Martin Reservoir.

My another paddling trip further from home was Lake Dillon with Sea Wind canoe: cold and windy, but with some interesting light for photography. Horses below were shot from Surfrigger canoe when paddling my local Beaver Pond near Fort Collins.