http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1337870728687&ref=mf
Check out this video at our facebook page
July 9th, 2010New kayaking website
June 16th, 2010This website is listing outfitters and other information from all over the US. It is also a social site available for those interested in these things. Check it out.
Something to amuse you
June 10th, 2010One of my favorite areas on Patoka Lake is the quarry near the Little Patoka boat ramp. Since it is somewhat hard to find, I usually guide customers back. This is how I found myself with two dads and their four boys ranging in age from 14 to 7 for a short paddle, some swimming, and diving back at this great area of the lake.
We paddled across to the quarry and back to a swimming hole. This swimming hole is almost enclosed by a wall of rock forming a great shelf to jump from. The group had parked the boats and the boys climbed up to the cliff edge and began jumping in. The dads and I floated around watching and talking. The boys jumped and swam around for a while when the youngest looked down at his dad from the cliff and yelled, “Dad can I jump off of here naked”.
Not missing a beat dad responded, “If you jump off of there naked, I’ll be so proud of you.”
Immediately the youngest stepped back to some bushes. A few moments later he returned to the edge with his swimming trunks in hand. Fling. The swimming trunks flew into the air over the water. The boy jumped in and everyone roared and laughed at his odacity. The boys continued swimming and jumping in, remaining naked until dad finally decided to head home.
Moments after the announcement, the youngest declared he was unable to find the flung swimming trunks and realizing his nakedness began to cry. Dad consoled him as best he could as we swam and paddled around looking for the trunks. The flung trunks were never found and the youngest cried until for some reason he realized the hilarity of the situation and began to giggle about it as well. All ended well as he began jumping into the water from the dock at the boat ramp after getting some shorts back on.
The beginning of the 2010 season
March 29th, 2010The kayak season has somewhat officially begun. With the sunshine and warmer weather the website has been getting a lot of visits and the phone has been ringing. Excitement is building at AquaScapes as our second full season begins.
Friday, March 16 I had a couple of people decide to go down the Blue River. Crystal and Marion, her dad, are from Houston, TX. Crystal is going to school in Louisville and dad was up for a visit over spring break. A last minute trip down the Blue seemed like a good way to end the visit.
Crystal and Marion ready for their trip.
While I was driving to meet them I noticed the Ohio was high enough that it had backed up the Blue about 6 miles. The crossing for Dry Run Creek was inundated with green water from the Blue and it appeared the river was running upstream.
I met with Crystal and Marion at Stagestop Campground and we walked down to the river to check out the flow. Surprisingly it was very low. This seemed strange to me but I guess we haven’t gotten into our rainy season yet. Since that day we have had at least 3 inches of rain and the Blue is running strong.
I drove them up to the put-in and of course we had our usual chitchat. Marion sells insurance and he was telling me about his fears for the insurance industry if the Healthcare Bill was passed (of course it was passed two days later).
Obviously some other paddlers were enjoying the warm sunny weather as several vehicles were parked at Rothrock Mill. But the early spring sunshine hadn’t warmed the water much and my feet tingled for about 20 minutes after I had launched Crystal and Marion.
They wanted to get out a little early so I decided to meet them at White Cloud. I sat on the warm stones and worked on my tan while I waited for them to show up. They soon rounded the bend and came into view. The pullout at White Cloud is steep and stones from a bridge have tumbled down into the water so I was a little concerned about pulling them out here.
They didn’t seem deterred and approached rapidly. I scrambled down the bank to hold their boats so they would be more stable as they got out. I was almost to Crystal when she stood up in the boat. Most people usually roll immediately when they do this but she held on for about 3 seconds. It is always surprising how quick these boats can roll.
In the end they both had a good time and Crystal was good-natured about getting dunked in the cold water. As an outfitter that is usually as good as it gets, but it is enough. Look forward to more posts as the season progresses.
Crystal and Marion at the end.
Thank You
November 18th, 2009What a strange year we have had with the weather. I mean it is the middle of November and we are hovering in the 60’s during the day and of course all of this rain. The river was up and down all summer and many weekend plans for kayaking were canceled. It seemed sometimes that it would never stop raining. But overall it was a great season for kayaking.
I just want to thank everyone that chose to use AquaScapes for rental this year on the Blue River and Patoka Lake. It was a wonderful year and we met a lot of great people. We hope that next year we continue to grow as you come back and bring more friends. Thank you for a great season.
Patoka Lake Canoe/Kayak Adventure
August 3rd, 2009Sunday, August 16th 1p.m. Canoe/Kayak Adventure Enjoy an afternoon on the waters of Patoka as we look for area wildlife and explore Patoka’s heritage. We will be viewing an Eagles nest and other wildlife. Meet at the Beach at 1 p.m. or may also meet at the visitors center at 12:30 pm.
Kayaks will be available with prior reservation.
Contact 812-639-9651 for reservations and information.
Ramblings
July 14th, 2009My business is aimed at those who view a kayak as access to the rest of the world; access to adventure and exploration. My greatest customers are like children who see my boats and imagine where they can go. That is the essence of AquaScapes, we provide you with a vessel that puts you in touch with that childlike sense of the vastness of the world, a vessel that allows you to touch that childlike wonder in the midst of a world that continually grows smaller and smaller.
Think about what you may experience in 14 miles on this small river in Southern Indiana. Look at it through the eyes of your children and imagine an otter popping its head out of the blue water while it fishes or plays. What an experience and this is such a tiny portion of the water of the world that can be explored with a boat and paddle.
Although a river is forever changing, forever reshaping itself, sometimes it reshapes us. Hand a paddle to a 12-year-old city girl and you give her a chance to build her own destiny for a little while. What an impact this can have on her self-esteem and her sense of the world around her. It can be life changing.
I am just an outfitter but sometimes at the end of the day I feel like a doorman standing before a door that doesn’t open into just another room, but opens to a whole new world. Those are the moments I cherish.
Great Water
June 11th, 2009We’ve been running a lot of people from Rothrock Mill to the Blue River Chapel and even on down to Stagestop Campground on the Blue River. This trip is highlighted with many ripples and a few good rapids as you travel south through Crawford County. Canyon walls rise hundreds of feet above you on the solitude of the river. About three miles from the end of the trip the river passes under the I-64 bridges and soon it stills into a mirror before crashing over the White Cloud Dam. After running the dam, eddy out to the right and climb back up to run it again. After the dam a long series of waves and in lower water some boulders await adventurous paddlers.
Soon the Blue River Chapel appears on the right bank of the river and the first pullout isn’t much farther. If you decide to travel on to the next stop you will run a chute that empties into another long series of waves. One more rapid appears in the distance, go to the right for a fast chute that splashes through a few large waves. If you go left you may bottom out. That is the end of the fun water but on the left bank a long rope hangs from a tall tree. Climb up the rocks with the rope to the first small tree, a rock ledge is convenient to stand on, grab the rope above its highest knot and swing on out for a 25 foot drop into the cool water. Your feet might touch the bottom so be ready.
It looks really high!!!
Canuding?!?
February 12th, 2009This is a new one for me. Over Christmas we headed for the warmer waters of Ft. Myers. Of course I wanted to kayak all eight of the days we were down there and I pretty much got my wish. The Great Calusa Blueway Canoe and Kayak Trail runs all around the barrier islands and we spent a lot of time exploring.
One afternoon we dropped the boats in on Lover’s Key and kayaked out to the Gulf. We had put in on the interior of the key and headed for the pass to the Gulf side. When the keys opened up to the gulf Stacy my father-in-law asked which direction we wanted to go. I chose to head up the shoreline to our left.
We paddled up the shoreline, the waves pushing us in towards shore, looking at people and boats. It was obvious this was a resort area; people wearing obnoxiously large sunglasses with gold embossed logos sat on wooden umbrella’ed lounge chairs watching their kids play in the water.
Soon this scenic vista ended when gnarled branches barred access from the landside of the key. A little later I saw people spaced in areas that had been cleared, it looked like everyone was in their own little cubicle. We were back to folding beach chairs and towels. This strip was surrounded by water and boats were moored offshore with lines stretching from branches. Where we could see to through the trees, kayaks and canoes were pulled up onto shore. Stacy confirmed that the only access to the island was by boat.
Then I noticed a large older gentleman standing with his back to me. I did a double take as I noticed that it was really hard to see his swimsuit. I had seen a guy yesterday running around in a thong and I thought maybe this guy was wearing a thong. Ahead of me another kayaker was bearing down. His eyes were straightforward and as he came beside me, without looking my direction (beach direction) he simply stated, “Don’t look to closely, its what you think”, and then he was gone. Of course I looked back at the fat guy with the great tan right as he turned to face me. Well he wasn’t wearing a thong, that’s for sure.
After we passed naked Wilford Brimmley (think oatmeal and mail order diabetic supplies), I noticed everyone was naked on this section of the beach. They were standing around talking, butt-naked, as if it was just natural for them to have family get-togethers in the buff. I think the most clothing anyone had on was a Santa’s hat and it looked as if many had come in canoes. I wondered if any had wicker-speckled butts. Hmmmm, Canuding; a new sport.
This wasn’t the kind of wildlife we were expecting.
Sorry, no pictures.
A wintery run
February 12th, 2009On Saturday, Jan 31, I saddled up with Kelly (the kayaking duck hunter), Todd (canoeing maniac) and a new initiate Curt (his third trip). We planned on running the Blue River from the Milltown public access point to Rothrock Mill; approximately 14 miles. The sun still had a little time before it was due to punch in and the clock on the bank said it was 3° as we left town.
The sun exploded over the horizon as we drove through the hills. The glass dipped trees shone with the pink reflection from the sunrise. We were driving through a glazed cotton candy valley. Reality of the week’s ice storms hit us as a line of bucket trucks from several different electric companies smoked on the side of the road. The crews were heading out to hopefully get power to the thousands trying to stay warm. We were lucky at our home, electricity flickered several times but we never lost it. My sister-in-law was in Madisonville, still days from power, huddling to keep warm.
We pulled into Milltown to check the water flow; I was afraid the gauges might have been frozen and wanted to make sure the water wasn’t dangerously high. The water looked great and we all agreed the temperature had gone up about a degree. A few locals drove past shaking their heads at us.
Preparing for the entry
Kayaks and canoes were loaded at the top of the ramp and then tobogganed down to the water in the 6 inches of snow. Things were settled quickly and we launched into the rolling stream of water coming over the dam.
The familiar river was now a black line cutting through a crystal kingdom. The icicles rang like small bells above us in the trees and the ice crackled on the banks of the river and all was covered in a powdering of snow. The rivers flow was steady and fast. We watched for trees that may have fallen from the weight of the ice and occasionally we heard the explosion of branches breaking overhead. One branch crashed into the water that Todd and Kurt had just passed through in the canoe.
Other than these falling branches all was peaceful and the river was running beautifully. We were reminded of the predicament of the storm struck area when the rumble of generators broke the silence. We were lucky to be enjoying this God-created landscape rather then battling it like many of those around us.
Its a winter wonderland
The temperature rose as the morning passed until we stopped for lunch on a bank that was separated from the main bank by a divergent stream of water. It was several hundred yards before the stream rejoined its parent waters. The narrows formed a long series of quick rapids and we ate lunch anticipating the exciting launch. The canoe was our hauler and Todd had brought some buckets full of kindling. So we sat around a small fire on our buckets, steaming and swapping stories.
Up to this point the trip had been only beauty and good talk with some whooping during a couple of good ripples, but we were in for some surprises. From our lunch spot to the end of our run we ran into rapid after rapid. At one point the waves created by the submerged boulders crested at three feet. None of the rapids could be classified more than a class II but on the Blue River this was more than we could normally expect, it was exciting but not overwhelming; just fun.
Up to this point the river had been virtually clear of strainers (trees that fall into the water creating choke points and dangerous currents) but our luck ran out. At the beginning of a 60-yard rapid we spied a tree lying across the river. Its large trunk was suspended over a narrow choke point, leaving about three feet of clearance between it in the water. We would have to duck to get through it and I didn’t see how the canoe could possibly get under it.
This was the only strainer we ran into on the river and the score went something like this: Kelly shot straight and made it under; Todd and Kurt in the canoe didn’t turn quick enough, got sideways against the tree and didn’t make it; I made it under the tree but missed the turn around some branches, got sideways and got wet.
My wife called after Todd got the rest of the wet kindling lit and we were steaming around the sputtering campfire. I told her three fourths of us were wet at that moment and I would have to call her back after my poly-underwear dried.
Drying my backside after the spill.
We got back on the river an hour later and enjoyed constant ripples and rapids until we pulled out at Rothrock. The air warmed and the only other danger we ran into were falling icicles from the branches above.
End of the trip