In my mind I'm gwine ta Caroliney

[Anonymous]

Fellas,

I jest finished loadin' boats. I'm still wet, but this heart medicine iz beginnin' ta warm the cockles over next ta my heart. I'm ready ta gloat....I mean say adios mis amigos.

Mister High Sheriff, we aim ta keep the Deep Creek in mind. Its rainin' frum Texas ta Caroliney so I figger the Nantahala may be extra high by the time we git there tomorrow in the evenin' time.

Course, my heart iz set on paddlin' the Chattooga River. They give up makin' folks squeal like a pig over there. Ya dont have ta go way out on the river fer that no more.

regards,

bearridge

P.S. Lord I hope it aint no motorcikles up there this time.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

Bearridge--we suspect a full report when you return.

 

[oldsparkey]

Bear

Yep , there has been a lot of rain up there you should have a blast ... just fill us in when you get back and don't forget a warm but dry sleeping bag. :lol:
Chuck.

 

[Anonymous]

Southern Paddlin' Friends, we made it back. I'm settin' here lookin' how fast the jungle kin take over if ya aint careful. Starlings too, but I got a cure fer them. I reckon ya caint leave more'n a week 'er yer spot will look jest like a Maya temple.

Up yonder in Caroliney the season commences next weekend, so the Lost Mine Campin' spot wuz mostly empty.....jest me, Miz Bear 'n two cops frum Chicargo. Russ, bein' a geezer, joined up rite away, but Dave iz a young cop 'n had ta study on it jest a bit. He finally joined up too. Even named two rapids over ta the French Broad River after him. First ones with Mexican names. [Swampy, Dave wuz one a them Always Fi boys 'n Ole Russ spent time over ta the rice fields.]

Well, I done got ahead a myownself.............agin.

Everday the weather folks cut open a small animal, looked at its liver 'n tole how it wuz gwine ta be some stormy weather. It wuz too. Ever dang day (mostly in the afternoon), but it didnt last too long. First time I didnt put no tarp under the tent 'n rain come in some....but I aint ever claimed ta be no Clifford Jacobs. Next time I'm back ta the old way....jest fer a Southern Test Facility project. I reckon it will be a report on that....course, it will be usin' the science method. Kinda technikle.

I didnt take no sleepin' bag agin. Warnt no need. That big fella cot, the Silver Mine Creek babble 'n the fact that humans wuz mitey scarce made fer some fine sleepin'.

It haz been a long time since I paddled everday. One day I jest paddled a mile 'er two 'n quit cuz I wuz mitey wore out 'n we wuz headed out the next mornin' fer the French Broad at the crack a dawn.

I held off runnin' the falls a day 'er two. When we finally come upon 'em, Dave 'n Russ sez they got a bad mind 'n it wuz rainin' big hard drops, thunderin' too. I know that feelin'. A big rapid looks mitey mean under a dark sky. It mite look even meaner settin' low in a kayak. Bein' a tall fella, I kin see it purty good.

I dont know why I didnt have a bad mind too, but I had a good feelin'. I run it good 'n caught that eddy jest below the big rock that I been tryin' ta grab fer years. It warnt purty, but Dave 'n Russ sez it looked eazy. Miz Bear seen me try so long she knowd better. She also knows the water level 'n seen rite off the dam haz opened up a bit. We figger its so Pirogue 'n all them rafters kin git a bigger thrill when they come down.

Dave 'n Russ figger the French Broad iz a heap eazier than the Nantahala. I dont know why. Its funny how a mind works. Ever now 'n then mine puzzles me a bit, but I reckon I'll leave all that stuff ta Allen. We caint hardly wait til hiz sheepskin comes in so he kin join up on the staff of the Shade Tree Medikle Clinik. It aint eazy ta find how to videos fer fixin' them kind a problems.

I got a truck I aint unloaded yet. I mite tell some more bout the trip if I dont git down in the back agin.:cry:

regards,

bearridge
paddlin' geezer canoe clud
Marie Curie Fan


P.S. Fer years I been tellin' Miz Ann ta git a computin' machine 'n use Mister Gore's internet ta tell folks bout her place. She iz kinda stubborn. She'n Mister John aint bought one yet, but they got a friend who put up a page. It dont have much on it 'n she seen how the pichurs aint too good, but at least its there. I figger I'll put it down ta the bottom....with the warnin' bout some a her rules.

 

[Swampy]

Bro Bar it's a pleasure to see ya back safe an' sound. Ya'll got all the rain out west, and here it did nuthin. Recon I'll have to join Dave Wallace in his desert and Lurker out west in his.... If it weren't fer the ocean we'd be drier than a asprin.
Seems ya went in the right itme of the year without any crowds. Recon that will change this weekend as the kiddies are venturing out now.

I am lookinf forward to the mighty and beautiful Buffalo River where the talents of white water gather and amaze the old decrepid slow waters like my ownself.

swampy

 

[Anonymous]

Friend Swampy,

Most of my paddlin' wuz in the sunshine. I never even put on a rubbersuit. I paddled several days with a cotton t-shirt. One day I didnt even wear no socks. Lord did them rubber socks git ta stinkin'! I plum fergot the sungrease 'n got burnt over ta the French Broad...it wuz hot 'n sunny all day. I needed my darkglasses, but wuz scairt Id turn bottom upwards 'n lose 'em.

It wuz overcast a few mornings, but I dont paddle til after lunch noway. It wuz mitey warm 'n nobody seemed ta mind when it did rain.

I done good over on the French Broad River, so the last day I figgered it must be a youthful fountain comin' frum Miz Ann's spigots. I jest paddled along by myownself, even through the falls. [I waited a while fer somebody else to join up with, but nobody showed up 'n I caint listen 'n look at that rapid too long cuz I start ta git kinda scairt.]

I wuz doin' purty good agin......til I dropped down in the edge of the hole up at the top. I aimed ta cut over jest like I done before, but it didnt go like that. I turnt round ass backwards 'n near bout pulled in rite behind the giant size rock that sets rite beside that hole. [In that wide pichur on my webspot ya kin see me tryin' danged hard ta git in behind that rock....back before they turnt loose more water frum the dam.....I near bout got there that time too.]

"Near bout" dont count fer much in whitewater 'er horse shoes. I asked myself how come I got ass backwards 'n what wuz my new plan. I tole myself ta shut up 'n paddle, but it warnt no use......next thing I knowd the boat wuz rollin' over.......... 'n me too slow ta brace. My youthful fountain kinda played out on me.

It wuz a good, cold swim. Since it warnt nobody else there (cept the two pichur takin' folks, Miz Bear 'n some folks jest standin' round on the overlook watchin'), I rescued my paddle 'n boat 'n got us all over ta the bank. Thats the first time I ever lost my hat......well, in a long time.

That warnt the only time I went swimmin'. First day I turnt bottom upwards on what used ta be a eazy little spot that I dont even figger haz a name. But I always allow az how ya dont git yer moneys worth if ya dont go fer a swim.

Next month Pirogue 'n hiz group likely gwine ta have some raftin' fun with all the extra water frum that dam.

regards,

bearridge
paddlin' geezer

 

[Swampy]

Bro Bar, indeed a fine picture ya paint on how ya went into those waters. I figger I'd swim most of th way without the benefit of yer fine home trainin and such. I bet the roar of them rapids was sumthing to behold! But I think goin solo was a mite risky fer ya. But again yer a dare devil of sorts when it comes to white water. You is the George Foreman of us paddlin geezers! :wink:
swampy

 

[Anonymous]

Friend Swampy,

I jest run upon some French Broad pichurs. When ya git ta the middle its a pichur of what it looked like when I wuz there in May.

We set out frum that concrete bridge 'n pulled out at the Stackhouse. It aint no pichurs of the really big rapids (like Pillow, Kayakin' Ledge 'n Frank Bell) along the way cuz I reckon it aint even any kayakers fool enuff ta run it jest so we kin see the pichurs.

When a river gits that high, it aint no eazy way ta tell where the ole rapids iz.....the whole river looks like giant rapids. I tried that once upon a time over ta the Mulberry Fork jest up frum Birmingham. It aint the Geezer Way. I dang sho didnt have no time ta take pichurs. We made it down the river in no time flat.

http://www.allterrainimages.com/flood/p ... nard1.html

regards,

bearridge
whitewater geezer, oxymoron?




Butch Cassidy: Then you jump first.
Sundance Kid: No, I said.
Butch Cassidy: What's the matter with you?
Sundance Kid: I can't swim.
Butch Cassidy: Why you crazy, the fall will probably kill you.

 

[Swampy]

Bro Bar! That makes old geezers squim !

You daredevils got to much chance in yas!

One day I might... I said might.... do a class III.

And it will probably be solo as I haven't a pard who knows any other stroke than the "J".

I have brushed up on my "Clifford" paddling pages and now feel ready to sing on down the river.

When the StMary was up in March I thought some of those oxbows had some nice current in them.

Hey! I can watch TV and get sea-sick! :shock:

swampy with no nards for whitewater