US National Whitewater Center

Today's adventure was a trip northeast to the US National Whitewater Center (visit the Wikipedia entry here.) The center is located about an hour and a half from our house just off I-85 and a few miles form the airport in Charlotte, NC. The center is one of the training sites for the US Olympic Team but it has lots more to offer. There are walking/hiking trails, mountain biking trails, a ropes/challenge course, an 1,100 foot zip line, several climbing walls and structures, and of course 12 millions gallons of whitewater fun for kayaks, canoes, and rafts. The water courses are man made and the seven pumps in the large pump house are what keeps the "river" flowing.

Of course there were signs everywhere going on about the "dangers" of the site. I still can't get over how everything is signed, posted, and put out there so that when something goes wrong no one can get sued. Here is one of the first signs I saw.

Unfortunately, or at least I thought at first, I slept in this morning so I was later than I wanted to be. In the end it worked out well since they weren't really ready to go yet when I arrived. When I got there only one of the six pumps were running. Because of that I got to see what the course looks like empty.

Here is one of the first drops in the competition channel without any water at all. The pads on the bottom are concrete like the rest of the course and are filled with holes for plastic pilings that can be used to change the flow of the water.

Next is the same place with the water starting to flow. See how the holes for the pilings make little geysers. There are some (including a guy I paddled with on the Nantahala a few weeks ago) who think the holes are jets. They're not. Just because the course is artificial doesn't mean it's that high tech.

Below you can see the water really starting to come up. For those of you who don't know the candy stripped poles are hung over the course and used as gates for the whitewater slalom events. Today they were just pulled over to the side to make room.

The water eventually came up another foot or so but I was busy paddling by then. In the foreground are two of the pilings I talked about earlier. They are essentially large plastic cylinders that fit into the holes.

The competition channel can also be closed while the other channel is running. Here is the mouth of the channel with the upper lagoon in the background. The two barriers at either side are actuated by blowing up large bladders. They can be adjusted up or down. There is another one in the middle that also closes too. Here it is partway up and blocking most of the flow.

The course also has a few other adjustable components. These doors can be pulled in and out to change the flow as required.

Here's another view of more gates and doors further upstream.

This shot is what will eventually be the worst rapid or drop on the whole run. Once you get a few thousand gallons of water flowing through here every couple of seconds it goes from a quiet creek bed to a nasty little class IV that I didn't bother trying to run. The rafts seemed be to having a grand old time but the kayakers were fighting for their lives in some cases. Of the six or so kayaks that went through only one or two didn't have to roll.

Now for the engineering. Below is picture of the pump house form the upper lagoon. Each port is a pump outlet. Here they are slowly bringing them online and only two are running. By the time I was in the water there were five. At the end of the day they had six going. It wasn't hard to tell when the sixth one come up as the rapids got just a little more hairy.

The real beauty of the whole operation is the conveyor which moves the rafts and the kayaks up from the lower lagoon to the upper lagoon. The ride is about 60 seconds. At the top you are unceremoniously dropped into the water and off to your next run.

As I mentioned above the center offers more than just water sports. The two climbing walls are very well done with one of them being covered so it can be used in the rain. Here is what they look like from the parking lot.

From below you can also see the kid's bouldering area. They have a few large boulders covered in climbing holds for the little one to play on. The main complex is in the background, including registration, the restaurant, and the outfitter's store.

Finally here is how my day went. I managed to get 12 runs in on the class II and class III channels and the whole thing only cost me $20 plus gas to get there). That's about $1.67 a run, and when you consider I'd have paid more than that just for the conveyor rides... Each run went very well and I did have to roll a few times when I got caught in, on, and under a few big waves. The runs are made up of several drops so you can rest between them and avoid the rafts and other boaters. They also have a run that is for kayaks only. It is used mainly for teaching and instruction.

WARNING: Technical kayak jargon ahead!

The only bad run came on number 10. I was running the last set of big water, mostly class III with some serious wave trains) and came down on another kayaker who was surfing a hole in her little play boat. She couldn't get out of the way so I pretty much got her boat broadside in the ribs. It's a good thing PFDs also work as flack jackets! My three roll attempts didn't work since the water was aerated and I couldn't get any purchase, plus I wacked my elbow pretty hard on the concrete bottom. I ended up going for a swim but didn't lose my boat or my paddle (a typically rookie mistake.) Once I was in the eddy she came over to apologize since I had priority on the run and helped me pull out and drain my boat.

Other than that I had a great time. I didn't get to eat before hitting the water at 11:00 so by the time I got done at about 4:00 I was pretty hungry. The restaurant there is pretty good and the prices don't seem too blown up even though they are the only game in town. The view form the outside deck is great. Here are some shots of the competition channel from where I was.

This is the lower lagoon in the back ground. The rapid in the back ground is where I had to bail out. If you look closely you can see a kayaker in the near channel.

Here is a slightly better view of the rapid on the final leg of the class II/III channel.

Finally here is a picture of me wearing my USNWC official bib, complete with number (235 but you can't see it in the picture). They use it to identify who has paid to paddle and who is part of a group for instruction. Sorry, I forgot to smile this time.

A Ball Game and Some Real Surf Kayaking

Last week after my trip on the Nantahala I took my sea kayak out for a paddle on Lake Hartwell . The lake is located on the Georgia-South Carolina border is a very large man made lake. The lake was made in the late 50s and early 60s when the Army Corps of Engineers built a series of dams for controlling the water in that area. Hartwell is very busy with lots of pontoon boats, jet-skis, and speed boats all over the place. Until recently the lake was suffering from the drought that affected all of the Southeastern United States. At one point it was at least 15 feet low but has bounced back with all the rain and even snow we had this winter.

The people on the lake were very courteous. I didn't run into any issues with excessive speed or anything else. In fact most people were friendly and waved. As a note it is generally annoying to a kayaker, who has both hands on the paddle, to return a wave. Don't get upset if I just smile and nod. I put-in at the boat ramp at the River Forks Recreational Area. The park has three beaches and a nice little boat launch. Admission was a few dollars for use of the park; use of the lake is free.

Here is picture of a sign as you get close to the boat ramp. I sort of expected it but I guess there are some people you just need to tell.

There are several islands nearby. One seemed to have a little tent city on it and most had nice little beaches. There were people on some of the beaches but there was lots of room for everyone. It seemed like a good place to bring everyone for a pic-nic. Maybe we'll have to see about it when everyone gets back in a few weeks.

I also took in a Greenville Drive baseball game last week. Tickets for a game were easy to get and my seat was just behind the dugout. I was perfectly lined up with the first base line. The game was good but the home team didn't have a good night. The visiting Delmarva Shorebirds ended up winning 3 to 1 but not without a late rally by the Drive. It did rain a few times but I was under the stadium's canopy so that wasn't an issue. The plan is to go again this week, weather permitting.

Last Friday was the next weekend adventure. A four and a half hour drive through Columbia, towards Charleston, and down I-95 towards Savannah, GA to Tybee Island took most of Friday afternoon. I set-up the tent at the private campsite and headed out to explore the island and find some supper.

The last thing I did when packing the car the night before was throw my bike in. I'm glad I did. My 21 year old mountain bike was very useful since parking on Tybee Island is an issue. Every street, every parking lot, and every open space that could hold a car seems to want your money. I ended up eating at a little Thai restaurant that was OK. Following that I parked the car at the campground and took a quick cruise along the main drive to one of the many beach access areas.

I headed down the path and found a lovely beach that was very busy considering is was getting late. There people swimming, a few surfers, and people just sitting and reading. The neatest thing I saw was out by a jetty where the swells were breaking. A bunch of teenagers were surfing on little boards by launching themselves at a dead run into the water timing themselves to hit the waves. I did get a video of it. It certainly looked like a good time but they made it look much easier than it likely is.

It was neat to have the bike on the beach. It's something you hardly ever see back in Nova Scotia. The sand was hard enough that I pedaled about 3 miles up and back. I also took a few pictures of the sunset behind the lighthouse but my phone wasn't the best tool for the job.

The night was warm with a very small breeze. I must emphasize that the breeze was small and that warm might be interpreted as just plain hot. I would lying if I said I slept well. Between the heat and the cicadas who went on all night, it was a rough night. It's hard to believe how much noise a small insect can make. At times you would have to yell to be heard over the din.

In the morning I met up with my surf kayak instructor from Savannah Canoe and Kayak at the far end of the beach. We set out in the surf boats to join the board surfers in the line up. Now for those of you who understand kayaks and naval architecture, let me just say these boats are unstable. It was like going back to elementary school to learn to read and write. I spent more time keeping the boat upright than enjoying myself on the water at first. I can't complain too much. In the end I felt like I had pushed my limits and felt good for having done something I've always wanted to do. Next time I'll know a little more of what to expect. I also had issues getting out of the kayak since the cockpit was very narrow. I managed to beat up my shins quite badly and have a bruise, a few cuts, and some swelling to show for it. In the end I deferred the second half of the two day course to another weekend in the fall. I don't think I wouldn't have had any fun on the second day feeling the way I did at the end of day one. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it once I got the hang of it. By the end of the four hours I was cutting down waves at speeds I didn't think were possible. I guess I'm just not as young as I used to be.

Another interesting point was going from water temperatures of 45F last week in the mountains to 80F at Tybee Island. I still can't get used to the ocean being so warm here. My impressions of Tybee Island are that it is no Folly Beach. The place just doesn't have the same feel or appeal for me. There didn't seem to be as many shops and restaurants and parking was always an issue. I think because it is bigger and may have more year-round residents it felt more like the visitors were a nuisance than a welcome part of the economy and culture. Anyway, it's just my opinion. Given the choice I'd go to Folly Beach any day.

This weekend I think I'll take it easy. I need to do a little yard work and clean up the house so that it is presentable when everyone gets back form Nova Scotia. I may head up to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. They have a man-made white water course powered by some huge pumps and an conveyor so that you don't need to shuttle back up to run the river again. It's sort of like skiing and getting the chair lift back up the mountain. I don't know if I'll paddle yet-I need to check and see what the water is like first. Either way there is lots to do there so between the center and Charlotte there should be lots to see and do.

I have also watched a few movies while I've been home alone, most of which are war movies. Because of this I'm considering driving down to Charleston to go to Patriot's Point to see the USS Yorktown. That may be too far to go for a day trip by myself so it likely won't happen. Maybe I'll wait until my parents are here, maybe Bernard will want to go.

Nantahala River

As you may have read in Jane's Blog, I am by myself down here in South Carolina. I have therefor planned a few man weekends of paddling, camping, and general man stuff that I don't get to do as much now that I am being a family man. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change anything, it's just that I think my boats miss me.

My day of whitewater paddling on Saturday started out well enough, until I realized I had left my sandwich on the counter at home. Thankfully the rest of my lunch made it so I wasn't up the creek without a paddle (Ha-ha). The plan was to drive up to Bryson City, NC and paddle part of the Nantahala River with a guide form the Nantahala Outdoor Center (a.k.a. NOC).

Before heading into the mountains I stopped at the Greenville Market downtown. I must say that it has gotten a whole lot better than it was last year. There are now two blocks worth of vendor, and there is more than just one of them selling produce. There were also a few bakeries with booths. In the end I bought a few things to have when I get home.

Of course a trip into the mountains wouldn't be complete without stopping at a few outfitters along the way. Unfortunately I was too early for most of them. I did stumble upon the Traveler's Rest farm market and bought a few things there too. It turns out it is on Saturdays just behind Sunrift Adventures, another of my favorite stores.

The next stop was Diamond Outfitters in Hendersonville but they were also closed. I pushed on to REI in Asheville and waited ten minutes for them to open. I read the paper in the car while a few die-hards (like me) waited outside. It made me feel better to know I wasn't the only one. In there I got a few little things for Isabelle's kayak. I think I have a new plan for making it stable enough for her. Stay tuned for an update when she, and the rest of the family, gets back to Greenville.

Next stop was a quick break somewhere near Whittier, NC to hit a flea market. The place was cool. There were lots of tools and other pretty things but nothing I couldn't live without. I needed to waste a little time since I was pretty early for my trip.

When I got to the Nantahala Outdoor Center it was like I was in whitewater heaven. Everyone had been, was going to, or was paddling. There were rafts, duckies, kayaks, play boats, canoes and all sorts of things. The campus was also abuzz with activity. Thankfully I had my own boat and gear and just needed to sit put, eat my lunch, and wait for the rest of the group to show up. Below is what some of it looked like.

The restaurant is on the left, a nice little park in front, and changing facilities on the right.

View to a beach from one of several bridges built over the river.

View of the main canteen from the outfitting store.

One of the public take-outs the other rafting companies use. The back of the store is on the right.

View of the store from the bridge.

The whitewater was just what I wanted. I had taken a course a few years back and it all came back to me. Eddy turns, peel outs, surfing, and even a little rodeo. I had a good four hours on the water with Knox the guide from NOC.

When we got down to the last set of falls we got out to have a look around. There was a huge crowd and lots of activity. After a few rafts went by a little inflatable ducky went over and flipped. the guy in the back was thrown clear and drifted downstream with the boat but the girl in the front got caught in what is called a recirculating current. She bobbed around for what seemed like minutes (but was actually only about twenty seconds) until she finally got thrown clear. Seeing that pretty much decided it for the rest of the team-they all pulled their boats around. The guide explained the lines through the rapids and he and I set out. He ran clean but I missed the last little move and went over. I waited a few seconds and rolled-no problem.

In some ways the best part of the trip was the food on the way home. Just before I arrived at NOC I spotted a little burger and fry joint perched on the side of the river. It looked questionable but I thought it may be the spot for me. I stopped on the way back since there were lots of other cars there and this is what I got.

It was the biggest burger I've had in a long while. The fries were the little shoestrings that I like. The burger was also just the way you want it. It was almost better than Five Guys, but not as messy.

At home after a quick clean-up of the car I sat out for a drink with the the neighbors and then off to bed.

Here are few more pictures of Isabelle's boat.

Nice shark stencil.

A saw fish Isabelle liked.

This weekend I'm off to Savannah for a surf kayak class. It looks like I'll be the only one so it should be pretty instructional. I'm bringing a camera so I should get a few good pictures. The instructor said there would be video as well. I'll report when I get back. I also have a surf kayak to build, and two paddles to finish-so many projects and so little time...

The New Kayak, Swimming, and Some Fireworks

A while back we went to a ballgame. Although we don't have any pictures of the game itself we did manage to stay until the very end. Every Friday night game at Fluor Field they have fireworks. Although Isabelle is not too pleased with loud noises, if she puts her hands over her ears she can bear it. Here is what it looked like. Jane took some pretty good shots.

Isabelle has started and finished her swimming season already. The videos below are from her first and second meet. The meets aren't too competitive as there are "helpers" in the water to help keep the swimmers on course and afloat. Isabelle did pretty well once she figured out that the whistle was the signal to start. Here are some videos of the events.

I finally have the kayak finished, sort of. The pictures and video below show the first time it was in the water. Isabelle chose the final paint job, mostly, and was pretty excited about trying it out. Unfortunately it didn't go very well for the boat.

The kayak it turns out is too tippy. It was really meant for a heavier paddler. Isabelle is a big kid but not big enough to sink the boat so that it is stable. It looks like I'll either have to build an outrigger for it or maybe a a set of sponsoons (floats that attach to the outside of the boat making it wider and more stable). I already have my dad looking into getting floats that could work for either solution.

Isabelle has taken to diving/jumping for things from the bottom of the pool. It all started when we were out one Saturday (giving Jane a break) and I bought some water sticks for the pool. They're just cloth with a float on one end and a sinker on the other. They stand up on the bottom of the pool. Anyway, Isabelle likes jumping to see how many she can get from the bottom of the pool. She has since moved on to diving for them without having to be on the pool deck. She seems to be quite the swimmer.

Finally here is a picture of the Jeep after we arrived in Clare at my parents house. We drove up in three days from SC to NS via the Portland to Yarmouth ferry. Isabelle was a trooper and put up with a 14 hour drive the first day. I attribute us making it to preparing her for it and being prepared ourselves with activities, songs, snacks, lunch on the run, and a portable DVD player.

Now I am back in SC by myself while Jane and Isabelle. along with Maggie, are in NS on an extended vacation. I'll be back in a while to help them all drive home. In the meantime there will be lots of kayaking, baseball games, and war and horror movies that Jane doesn't want to see. I'll see some of you in a few weeks.

A Day at the Beach

A few weeks ago we went to the beach. It was a blast. Of course there were a few minor meltdowns but in the end it was worth it. The beach was Folly Beach, just south of Charleston. Folly (as the locals call it) is a lovely little town that has escaped much of the growth and development the rest of the south eastern seaboard has seen. It does have the usual assortment of grot shops (ask Jane and Elizabeth what they are if you can't figure it out.) We rented a nice little condo with some friends and their kids.

The girls are twins and one was in Isabelle's class at Montessori. Their parents found the place and it was pretty much just what we wanted. It was on the backside of the island overlooking a creek that emptied into the river. Since the whole island is only about a half mile wide we were never really far from the beach.

The complex we were in also had a small pool which gave the a girl a place to cool off in the afternoon in the shade (not in the picture above). The place is interesting from a planning point of view as the layout is very much a grid. The east west streets are numbered and each one has an access to the beach. The main streets are Center Street and Arctic Avenue-why Arctic I can't imagine.

The architecture is neat as we are in some serious hurricane threat. The houses are mostly on stilts and either have nothing under them or parking and storage. Some had little marks painted on them to show where Hurricane Hugo got up to back in 1989. The range of houses was from simple and cabin-like to downright opulent. Lots seemed to be summer homes for rent with multiple bedrooms.

The weekend started on Friday with a drive to the shore. We stopped in Columbia so Jane could go to a bookstore she had researched on the net. I had packed my whitewater and sea kayak. Maggie was off to the kennel as a weekend at the beach was not going to be much fun for her. After Columbia we skirted Charleston and went straight in to the condo to find our friends had arrived just minutes before us.

Mornings were spent at the beach. We had breakfast in the condo and headed out right away. It wasn't crowded that early but was pleasantly warm. By 10:00 it was pretty much hot and a dip in the water was often required. The water was not exactly cool but was refreshing. Water temperatures were about 75 to 80F (that's 24 to 27C). The waves were just right for splashing about and did allow me to get out for some surf kayaking twice. The new boat is a good surf boat and fits me very well. I guess I made a good purchase.

Afternoons were usually in the pool or having a nap, or both. The girls really liked the pool because it was small enough to puddle around in and not too crowded. The parents often sat in the deck chairs and took in the sun or shade.

I also had my sea kayak out and paddled the creek out to the ocean. I saw some sea kayaks in the distance but stayed away from them as they were obviously part of a course. I also encountered two more small groups out on a guided tour. Boat traffic was everywhere. Some were more courteous than others. The marina in Charleston had some real big yachts that would make some of what you see on the waterfront in Halifax look small.

The food on Folly is very diverse but like most seaside resorts they keep to a very similar theme: lots of seafood (Isabelle really enjoyed it as shown above). Since Jane and I were both suffering from seafood withdrawal we dove right in. We had flounder, shrimp, crap, oysters, and other great treats. Some or our favorite places were the Lost Dog Cafe and Taco Boy. We also at a little place on the way into town called The Sand Castle that served up a very healthy serving of Alaska King Crab legs. Isabelle and I ate them for supper and then had enough left over for a nice snack at lunch the next day. Taco Boy was another place we ate for lunch. Thankfully they didn't seem to care we were wet and sandy as we came back from the beach. The guacamole and salsa were very good and the tacos came in lots of different configurations including vegetarian and some really good fish tacos. I had a bite of our friends fish taco and wished I had ordered it. Even Isabelle's chicken quesadilla was huge and full of cheese.

The Lost Dog Cafe seems to be an institution in Folly and was very busy the morning we went for breakfast. Since Jane and I couldn't decide on what to get we shared a wonderful eggs Benedict and a corned beef hash. Isabelle did well with just bacon and eggs. The place was well decorated with lots of pictures of local and vacationing dogs. There was also lots of original signage and memorabilia. Outdoors you could sit on the patio and the dogs got a bowl of their own.

The whole weekend just reminded me of how much miss the ocean. I grew up on, in, and near the water and really miss it and three and a half hours drive is a long way.