Without further ado.....
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
LAMS done, Kanufilm coming soon.....
Just a brief update to say that Look At My Sandals is now completed, and on it's tour. After making the rounds for a couple of weeks I will render it and web-i-size it, so all of you in interweb nation can view it. I will also then begin making copies on DVD for anyone that wants one. If you do want one, contact me on Facebook, or via email, and we will work out arrangements.
Kanufilm is coming along nicely, and hopefully with the addition of some last minute footage this upcoming weekend, it should be ready in a couple of weeks. I didn't anticipate making such a lengthy boating film in the planning stages, but I have lately realized that I have much more footage than I thought! So, this could turn out to be a good thing. Keep checking back and soon I will have more info.
Kanufilm is coming along nicely, and hopefully with the addition of some last minute footage this upcoming weekend, it should be ready in a couple of weeks. I didn't anticipate making such a lengthy boating film in the planning stages, but I have lately realized that I have much more footage than I thought! So, this could turn out to be a good thing. Keep checking back and soon I will have more info.
Friday, August 21, 2009
SOON
Not having internet in this day and age is a lot like living under a rock. You kinda know that the sun rises and sets every day and that somewhere, something is probably happening, but you're not going to hear about it and unless you are right there, you're pretty much in the dark. Welcome to my life these days!
I have however, been HARD at work on my film, and I expect it to premiere very soon, like within the next month. It will of course make the tour for a few weeks as I let everyone see it and critique it, but sooner or later I will add it to the site for all to see. Stay tuned because it promises to be a good time!
I have however, been HARD at work on my film, and I expect it to premiere very soon, like within the next month. It will of course make the tour for a few weeks as I let everyone see it and critique it, but sooner or later I will add it to the site for all to see. Stay tuned because it promises to be a good time!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Moving Sucks
So I've been moving lately as well as dealing with a vacation and some shitty weather, and really I've just not been getting the job done. However, I do have lots and lots of content that is finished and waiting posting, so I will hopefully get to that soon. I'll have updates from the following soon:
+ Paddlefest
+ More Gunny Boating
+ Alex Sponsor Video
+ Taylor Action
I'll get it up soon, I promise, stay tuned.....
+ Paddlefest
+ More Gunny Boating
+ Alex Sponsor Video
+ Taylor Action
I'll get it up soon, I promise, stay tuned.....
Thursday, May 7, 2009
MEGA Update!
Topix
+ General Updates
+ Plateau Creek
+ Gunny Boating
+ Quartz Creek Scout
+ Upcoming Plans
- General Updates -
While it may seem like little is going on due to the lack of posts in the past couple of weeks, the truth has been quite the opposite. The water has started to rise and spring is here in full force, and times are a changin'. Here's a recap of what's been going on.
First I had to go through an exhausting ordeal to get my new video camera. I got my tax refund in early April, did a whole bunch of research regarding camcorders and bought a Panasonic camera from BestBuy.com. The one feature I was unable to research from a 3rd party perspective was whether or not the camera would be compatible with my system and programs. Unfortunately the only way to tell this was to use the camera and then try to interface it. Long story short, it didn't work, and I had to go through the run around from Panasonic only to discover that my new camera was indeed incompatibile. After getting into a heated discussion with the woman on BestBuy's phone line, I learned I couldn't return my camera to a BestBuy without a major restock fee, and my only hope lie in the store manager. Well, after all that, the return and purchase of a new one took about 10 minutes, no penalties. Easily the best Best Buy experience I've ever had.
That was Wednesday. I was planning on returning to Junction over the weekend, but learned on Friday that I had to be out of my house by Sunday, and with no place to go I ended up stuffing my life into a storage unit while shacking up on my parents extra bed for a week. Sounds bad, but there is lots of free food, and the end result has been way more boating opportunities for me this week, which what I've been doing lately. I move into my new place in a matter of days, so hopefully some balance will return to the chaos that is life around here right now.
- Plateau Creek -
My dad just happened to be going to a service school in Grand Junction on April 29th, a mere day after the events described above, and I used this opportunity to go and get on Plateau Creek, a fun little creek that drains the north slope of Grand Mesa. It was a dirty little stream, with a lot of sleepers and a fairly continuous gradient, and the last half mile or so was near continuous rapids, all roadside. After picking up my cousin Luke, we headed east and found the put in. The run is a blast, I scraped numerous rocks and bounced off the same number as well, and it was fun as hell. The crux involved squirting between two large pourovers, and then shooting off a small boof immediately below. One shitty rapid right above the takeout drop could have used a little bit more water but I was surprised how the clean the rest of the run was at 419 cfs. I took two laps with my pops running shuttle, who was also kind enough to shoot this video for me while I used the headcam. The first lap took 8 and half minutes and the second one was just over that. I hear they run this thing up to 1000 cfs or more, that sounds like a really fun time!
I put together a few choice clips for now; as well as some images, but I will post the raw headcam footage down the road a little later on.
the first pic ever with my camera- patterson road in Junction
friendly looking sign at the bottom of plateau creek. the dam is actually gone now
me on plateau creek
me on plateau again
grand river
greenery in the grand valley
more grand valley green
- Gunny Boating -
The past week I have been boating a whole bunch. After boating Friday, and then failing to find people to go boating with all day Sunday, I more than made up for it by going the next three days with different folks. On Monday it was Aaron and Hooper, on Tuesday it was Paul and Dave, and Wednesday it was Jess. I had my camera on the Friday before, and then Monday as well, so I was able to get a few random shots in. The Gunny is really starting to come up big too, so be prepared for high water soon....
- Quartz Creek Scout -
Quartz Creek flows from the mountains south of Taylor Park, through Pitkin, and into a flat bottomed valley that eventually joins with the Tomichi Creek Valley and ultimately the Gunnison Valley. The creek is small, manky, and classic Rocky Mountain. While I am sure someone has boated this creek before, it hasn't been talked about and there is no information regarding it at all. So I've had to go and scout a lot of it, and based on what I've looked at, it looks like it good be a fun adventure.
The upper section would entail putting in at the road to the Middle Fork of Quartz Creek, and boating down to a pull off just above the town of Pitkin. This would be mostly class III, likely with a spice of III+ or IV- thrown in, and always shallow. There are also several log jams in this section, a couple of which could likely be cut beforehand to ensure safe passage. I'll be checking back in later this year after trying to get down it.
The only run through Pitkin itself would be to put in at Fourth Street, and boat down to the last eddy that has the road on river left, right above a fun looking irrigation drop. This would be more channelized but still manky and continuous.
A few miles below the fish hatchery, the canyon noticeably tightens up and the creek becomes fairly channelized. While narrow and confining, the creek is most certainly boatable, and near continuous low flow class III would be the standard through here. The only danger here would be log jams, as the creek has relatively no eddies and it would be a nightmare to stop in time in front of one. The put in is vague on this one, simply look for the best pull out, but the takeout is noticeable as it is the first private property that you will see after multiple miles of public land. In addition to this we will be scouting the upper forks on Quartz Creek in a (likely vain) attempt to find anything fun as well.
- Upcoming Plans -
In the immediate future is a trip to Lake City on Sunday to do the run from town down to the Pre-Box put in, and potentially something on Saturday as well, although that is undecided right now. In a week or two hopefully Saguache Creek will come into a runnable window and we can finally get down there and have a look. After that the only thing on the horizon is multiple Taylor laps, potentially Quartz Creek, and just waiting for Anthracite Creek to come into a runnable level. Stay tuned and I'll keep posting the shit as it happens!
+ General Updates
+ Plateau Creek
+ Gunny Boating
+ Quartz Creek Scout
+ Upcoming Plans
- General Updates -
While it may seem like little is going on due to the lack of posts in the past couple of weeks, the truth has been quite the opposite. The water has started to rise and spring is here in full force, and times are a changin'. Here's a recap of what's been going on.
First I had to go through an exhausting ordeal to get my new video camera. I got my tax refund in early April, did a whole bunch of research regarding camcorders and bought a Panasonic camera from BestBuy.com. The one feature I was unable to research from a 3rd party perspective was whether or not the camera would be compatible with my system and programs. Unfortunately the only way to tell this was to use the camera and then try to interface it. Long story short, it didn't work, and I had to go through the run around from Panasonic only to discover that my new camera was indeed incompatibile. After getting into a heated discussion with the woman on BestBuy's phone line, I learned I couldn't return my camera to a BestBuy without a major restock fee, and my only hope lie in the store manager. Well, after all that, the return and purchase of a new one took about 10 minutes, no penalties. Easily the best Best Buy experience I've ever had.
That was Wednesday. I was planning on returning to Junction over the weekend, but learned on Friday that I had to be out of my house by Sunday, and with no place to go I ended up stuffing my life into a storage unit while shacking up on my parents extra bed for a week. Sounds bad, but there is lots of free food, and the end result has been way more boating opportunities for me this week, which what I've been doing lately. I move into my new place in a matter of days, so hopefully some balance will return to the chaos that is life around here right now.
- Plateau Creek -
My dad just happened to be going to a service school in Grand Junction on April 29th, a mere day after the events described above, and I used this opportunity to go and get on Plateau Creek, a fun little creek that drains the north slope of Grand Mesa. It was a dirty little stream, with a lot of sleepers and a fairly continuous gradient, and the last half mile or so was near continuous rapids, all roadside. After picking up my cousin Luke, we headed east and found the put in. The run is a blast, I scraped numerous rocks and bounced off the same number as well, and it was fun as hell. The crux involved squirting between two large pourovers, and then shooting off a small boof immediately below. One shitty rapid right above the takeout drop could have used a little bit more water but I was surprised how the clean the rest of the run was at 419 cfs. I took two laps with my pops running shuttle, who was also kind enough to shoot this video for me while I used the headcam. The first lap took 8 and half minutes and the second one was just over that. I hear they run this thing up to 1000 cfs or more, that sounds like a really fun time!
I put together a few choice clips for now; as well as some images, but I will post the raw headcam footage down the road a little later on.
the first pic ever with my camera- patterson road in Junction
friendly looking sign at the bottom of plateau creek. the dam is actually gone now
me on plateau creek
me on plateau again
grand river
greenery in the grand valley
more grand valley green
Plateau Creek from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
- Gunny Boating -
The past week I have been boating a whole bunch. After boating Friday, and then failing to find people to go boating with all day Sunday, I more than made up for it by going the next three days with different folks. On Monday it was Aaron and Hooper, on Tuesday it was Paul and Dave, and Wednesday it was Jess. I had my camera on the Friday before, and then Monday as well, so I was able to get a few random shots in. The Gunny is really starting to come up big too, so be prepared for high water soon....
Gunny Boating from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
- Quartz Creek Scout -
Quartz Creek flows from the mountains south of Taylor Park, through Pitkin, and into a flat bottomed valley that eventually joins with the Tomichi Creek Valley and ultimately the Gunnison Valley. The creek is small, manky, and classic Rocky Mountain. While I am sure someone has boated this creek before, it hasn't been talked about and there is no information regarding it at all. So I've had to go and scout a lot of it, and based on what I've looked at, it looks like it good be a fun adventure.
The upper section would entail putting in at the road to the Middle Fork of Quartz Creek, and boating down to a pull off just above the town of Pitkin. This would be mostly class III, likely with a spice of III+ or IV- thrown in, and always shallow. There are also several log jams in this section, a couple of which could likely be cut beforehand to ensure safe passage. I'll be checking back in later this year after trying to get down it.
The only run through Pitkin itself would be to put in at Fourth Street, and boat down to the last eddy that has the road on river left, right above a fun looking irrigation drop. This would be more channelized but still manky and continuous.
A few miles below the fish hatchery, the canyon noticeably tightens up and the creek becomes fairly channelized. While narrow and confining, the creek is most certainly boatable, and near continuous low flow class III would be the standard through here. The only danger here would be log jams, as the creek has relatively no eddies and it would be a nightmare to stop in time in front of one. The put in is vague on this one, simply look for the best pull out, but the takeout is noticeable as it is the first private property that you will see after multiple miles of public land. In addition to this we will be scouting the upper forks on Quartz Creek in a (likely vain) attempt to find anything fun as well.
- Upcoming Plans -
In the immediate future is a trip to Lake City on Sunday to do the run from town down to the Pre-Box put in, and potentially something on Saturday as well, although that is undecided right now. In a week or two hopefully Saguache Creek will come into a runnable window and we can finally get down there and have a look. After that the only thing on the horizon is multiple Taylor laps, potentially Quartz Creek, and just waiting for Anthracite Creek to come into a runnable level. Stay tuned and I'll keep posting the shit as it happens!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Rio Chama Mis-Adventure
After getting skunked last week trying to go to the Rio Chama, we were not going to let it skunk us again. We pushed back the date, re-arranged our schedules accordingly, and sat down and hoped and waited. Thursday came around sunny and cold, and we were still game to head out. Unfortunately Zach and Jeremy backed out at the last minute, dropping our number to just PK, Jess and myself. Undeterred, we set off east with high hopes. We made good time down to New Mexico, opting to go west across US 64 from Tres Piedras to Tierra Amarilla as Jess and I had never been that way before, and PK had only done it once. The east side climbs pretty benignly but the west side drops very dramatically and offers some amazing views of both the Brazos cliffs and the land west of Tierra Amarilla. The west side is very similar to Grand Mesa in that you drop a long ways down from a large plateau, crossing from one ecological zone into another as you drop. Soon enough we were in Tierra Amarilla, a classic New Mexico town.
looking southwest from US 84
tierra amarilla
the brazos cliffs from yellow land
We traveled south to the Chama Canyon, where we found ourselves a nice little campsite and set up shop. Thursday night was the only clear night of the trip, and it was fairly cold as well. But we built a white man's fire and kept the chill away as best we could.
our fire - pk photo
a nightshot plus™ view of our camp - pk photo
Friday dawned hazy but mostly clear, and cold. We got up slowly and lazily made some breakfast, before gearing up and heading up canyon. Our goal was to explore the canyon as much as possible before deciding where we wanted to boat. Driving up the canyon we were awed by the beauty and majesty of the place. Relatively unknown to most folks outside of New Mexico, the Chama Canyon would easily be a national park or monument if it were anywhere else. There is wilderness on the southern side of the river, but it's relatively small and hard to access. As it is relatively unknown there is rarely anybody around, and you can count on being relatively isolated while in the canyon.
At the end of the road there is a monastery, called the Church of Christ in the Desert, which is run and occupied by mysterious folks who really love their desert. Apparently they also offer open prayer during the day. We didn't know that at first, and were extremely perplexed by the constant parade of cars heading up canyon as we were scouting the river. The funny thing was, none of the cars had any gear whatsoever, and none of the folks in those cars looked like they were going camping, but rather dressed up nicely and old timey. It wasn't until later that we found out about the open prayer, which made sense immediately! The monastery has a beautiful setting, right across from the Rio Gallina, a side canyon of the Chama.
the monastery
the rio gallina
the canyon from the dirt gorge we.....explored
ojitos canyon, another tributary
Coming back down we stopped at the Rio Chama Campground, which is a beautiful campground run by the Santa Fe National Forest. The river-side campground has lots of spaced out sites with fire rings, tent pads, and flat camper slabs. When we come back we will be staying here!
We kept going back down the canyon, stopping at an eddy on the river where there stood a huge old cottonwood tree. This was easily the most massive cottonwood tree I have ever seen, with a diameter of at least six feet. A great grandfather of a tree.
the big old tree
scouting screaming right hand
We scouted one more rapid on the way down, which was the biggie of our run. Cruising back to camp, we had a leisurely lunch and finally got ready to go boating. Driving up we decided that we were best off putting in at the Skull Bridge, which is a few miles up from the takeout. This was decided by the fact that a) most of the good whitewater is below here, and b) we didnt want to sit in the cold water for a full 9 miles. There were some rather unfriendly city folk at the put in, but we swiftly dismissed them and strutted our stuff before putting on.
The run is fun, with lots of small riffles coming every few hundred yards or so, and actual rapids coming fairly evenly space apart. The first drop we ran was called Island Rapid, where the river splits around a large sand island. We followed some good advice and went left, finding the most action and a nice wave at the bottom of that channel. A ways below this was Screaming Right Hand, which is a big and fun rapid a couple of miles above the takeout. Lots of rocks to dodge and holes to plow into. There are a couple more small rapids, below one of which there is a nice erosional feature that you can paddle under. Below this is Big Eddy, the takeout, and a rapid just below. Wegert and I ran it, and then hiked back upstream around the drop, paddled across Big Eddy and took out. I thought it was worth it, but Jess didn't have as much fun doing it as I did. I made a detailed write up about this run that can be found here. After boating we rallied back to camp to warm up by the fire.
skull bridge - pk photo
the rapid we couldnt run (private property issues) directly above the bridge
jess getting ready - pk photo
taken from skull bridge - pk photo
the bridge leading to ojitos canyon- you can walk across this but not drive - pk photo
a rapid towards the bottom
big eddy rapid
That night the wind started blowing pretty bad. I woke up at one point to see the wall of my tent like a foot above my face. And then as if that wasnt enough, the rain started up around 5 on Saturday morning, and got pretty heavy right away. We woke up late and watched the depressing rain over a big ole plate of biscuits and gravy, and discussed our options. PK and Jess wanted to pack up camp and move elsewhere, but I was against this, arguing that packing up wet shit and then setting it back up would be a nightmare. The idea of a pay campground in Espanola came up, but PK vetoed that and we opted for a day of driving to figure it out.
The goal was to go back to Abiquiu Resevoir, drive west through Coyote and Gallina, take NM SH 112 north and then past El Vado Resevoir to Chama, and thence back to camp. Seemed simple enough talking about it and looking on the map, so off we went, with little idea of what we were getting into. Our first stop was the stretch of the Rio Chama just below Abiquiu Dam, which we would have been running if not for the rain and snow. I'm glad we didn't, as the run was LOW QUALITY at best.
the pinnacles of the ghost ranch on our way out
the lonely rapid below the dam
its a pretty canyon at least
friendly looking low head dam
fence strung across the river right below the low head dam
After taking pictures here we headed west, taking NM SH 96 west through the towns of Youngsville, Coyote, and Gallina. At this point it was a driving blizzard, with huge, dollar sized flakes and occasional whiteout gusts. The road wasn't too bad though so we weren't overly concerned. We stopped for supplies and gas in Coyote, where we laughed and talked briefly with the locals, who were blown away I was wearing shorts and sandals in a driving snowstorm. After informing them we were from Colorado, they laughed and said we brought the snow with us.
canones creek, a tributary of the Chama
After reaching the junction of NM 96 & NM 112, we drove north for 20 some miles, until we came to several signs warning us that travel on the road ahead was "Discouraged" if it was wet. Now, it had been raining and snowing for a few days so it was pretty juicy. We should have listened to the signs, but we reasoned that it was a New Mexico state highway, and that there would be enough traffic that we would be alright. Well, we drove onto it and immediately noticed how slippery it was. Cautiously optimistic we kept going along slowly, at one point almost sliding into a tree on a very sloppy corner. Continuing on another couple of miles, we soon crossed into a large basin composed of nothing but clay with the road cutting right across it. At this point we were essentially fishtailing back and forth on the road, with only PK's many years of driving experience keep us on the road. When we finally had enough we decided we were going to turn it around and peace the fuck out. Well, we start to turn around, and sure enough as we got about halfway around, another truck appeared on the road, headed the same direction we were originally going (to Chama), so we hurriedly got back to our original path and started driving again. Ahead of us was a hill that if dry, wouldn't have been noticeable. But since it was extremely muddy, it was all we could do to press up it. We made it just to the crest before the truck behind us finally reached us. We tried to pull over, only to end up in the ditch. The truck at this point came by, it looked like a coal/gas company truck, although the mud was splattered on the side and we couldn't see a company name. Thinking they would stop and help, we watched them approach......only to watch as they flew by at about 45 mph, fishtailing down the road. As we sat, stunned, we tried to figure out what to do. I hopped out to survey the scene, and no sooner had I done that then PK fires it up and starts backing up furiously. There was a small pullout a short distance behind him, and he was able to go wheelin out of the ditch and onto that. I hurried back over and climbed in, and that began a harrowing, twenty tense minutes of getting back to paved road. It was certainly not an experience I want to repeat.
it just doesnt look that bad.......
the truck was clean an hour before this
After making back to civilization, we weighed our options and beat it down the road to Cuba, where we settled on a nice place for lunch called Del Prado. I made the comment before exiting the vehicle that "we're going to stand out big time here", and when we walked in, sure enough, we were immediately given the once over by everyone in the place. Inevitably they opened up and again, the question was asked about my shorts and sandals, and us bringing the snow. But, the folks were friendly and the food was great. We left a nice tip and headed out, back to camp. When we got there the question was raied about what to do next. The options were tossed around and ultimately the decision was made to head back. The snow and rain, and the prospect of another night in the cold was just more than we could bear, so we packed up and left, tail firmly between our legs.
this is the other side of the storm that hit us on the way across NM 96
the same pinnacles, but in the afternoon
ute mountain
Coming back proved to be tense as well, but for different reasons. Our first problem was getting back across the plateau to US 285. We had three options: a) drive down to nearly Espanola and back up 285, b) US 64/Brazos Pass, and c) Cumbres Pass. Each had their advantages and disadvantages, but we opted for Cumbres, thinking it would have the best maintenence, but upon reaching Tierra Amarilla, and seeing the giant socked-in white hanging over Cumbres, we opted for US 64, which was in a clear spot, but doesn't get maintenized after 6 pm, and the time was currently 6:11 pm. Luckily it was clear most of the way, and we saw three snowplows to boot, and ended up making 285, and then Alamosa in good time. After dinner at KFC it was off to Saguache, again, uneventful.
But here the fun started. We had made maybe five or six miles outside of Saguache before the snow finally caught up to us. The snow started falling lightly at first but was soon blizzarding extremely hard, with whiteout gusts and quarter sized snow. The road was covered in snow between two inches and six inches deep, and only one or two vehicles had driven over it before us. Reduced to a crawl, it took nearly thirty agonizing minutes to drive a stretch of highway that normally takes less than fifteen. Strangely enough, after crawling all the way up the Saguache Creek valley, we started up the big hill, only to find that a few hundred feet above the valley bottom the snow nearly abated completely. Puzzled but stoked at the same time, we chugged up the pass, only encountering snow just below the summit of North Pass, and again on the other side, but found that most of the Cochetopa Park area was dry and clear. Our elation soon turned to tension as we again entered the snow, right as we entered Cochetopa Canyon. It took us another thirty minutes to travel the length of the canyon, crawling around corners at 15 mph or less. Luckily PK knew the road very well, and we made good time despite the weather. When we finally pulled into Gunny at 10:30, I had never been more glad to see the lights of town. I went home immediately but could not sleep, and had to unwind for about an hour before I could finally drift off into an enjoyable sleep. It was a good trip but the driving was very fraught with tension, and combined with the weather, certainly made this a trip to remember!
Here is video of the kayaking portion.
Rio Chama - Apr 10 2009 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
looking southwest from US 84
tierra amarilla
the brazos cliffs from yellow land
We traveled south to the Chama Canyon, where we found ourselves a nice little campsite and set up shop. Thursday night was the only clear night of the trip, and it was fairly cold as well. But we built a white man's fire and kept the chill away as best we could.
our fire - pk photo
a nightshot plus™ view of our camp - pk photo
Friday dawned hazy but mostly clear, and cold. We got up slowly and lazily made some breakfast, before gearing up and heading up canyon. Our goal was to explore the canyon as much as possible before deciding where we wanted to boat. Driving up the canyon we were awed by the beauty and majesty of the place. Relatively unknown to most folks outside of New Mexico, the Chama Canyon would easily be a national park or monument if it were anywhere else. There is wilderness on the southern side of the river, but it's relatively small and hard to access. As it is relatively unknown there is rarely anybody around, and you can count on being relatively isolated while in the canyon.
At the end of the road there is a monastery, called the Church of Christ in the Desert, which is run and occupied by mysterious folks who really love their desert. Apparently they also offer open prayer during the day. We didn't know that at first, and were extremely perplexed by the constant parade of cars heading up canyon as we were scouting the river. The funny thing was, none of the cars had any gear whatsoever, and none of the folks in those cars looked like they were going camping, but rather dressed up nicely and old timey. It wasn't until later that we found out about the open prayer, which made sense immediately! The monastery has a beautiful setting, right across from the Rio Gallina, a side canyon of the Chama.
the monastery
the rio gallina
the canyon from the dirt gorge we.....explored
ojitos canyon, another tributary
Coming back down we stopped at the Rio Chama Campground, which is a beautiful campground run by the Santa Fe National Forest. The river-side campground has lots of spaced out sites with fire rings, tent pads, and flat camper slabs. When we come back we will be staying here!
We kept going back down the canyon, stopping at an eddy on the river where there stood a huge old cottonwood tree. This was easily the most massive cottonwood tree I have ever seen, with a diameter of at least six feet. A great grandfather of a tree.
the big old tree
scouting screaming right hand
We scouted one more rapid on the way down, which was the biggie of our run. Cruising back to camp, we had a leisurely lunch and finally got ready to go boating. Driving up we decided that we were best off putting in at the Skull Bridge, which is a few miles up from the takeout. This was decided by the fact that a) most of the good whitewater is below here, and b) we didnt want to sit in the cold water for a full 9 miles. There were some rather unfriendly city folk at the put in, but we swiftly dismissed them and strutted our stuff before putting on.
The run is fun, with lots of small riffles coming every few hundred yards or so, and actual rapids coming fairly evenly space apart. The first drop we ran was called Island Rapid, where the river splits around a large sand island. We followed some good advice and went left, finding the most action and a nice wave at the bottom of that channel. A ways below this was Screaming Right Hand, which is a big and fun rapid a couple of miles above the takeout. Lots of rocks to dodge and holes to plow into. There are a couple more small rapids, below one of which there is a nice erosional feature that you can paddle under. Below this is Big Eddy, the takeout, and a rapid just below. Wegert and I ran it, and then hiked back upstream around the drop, paddled across Big Eddy and took out. I thought it was worth it, but Jess didn't have as much fun doing it as I did. I made a detailed write up about this run that can be found here. After boating we rallied back to camp to warm up by the fire.
skull bridge - pk photo
the rapid we couldnt run (private property issues) directly above the bridge
jess getting ready - pk photo
taken from skull bridge - pk photo
the bridge leading to ojitos canyon- you can walk across this but not drive - pk photo
a rapid towards the bottom
big eddy rapid
That night the wind started blowing pretty bad. I woke up at one point to see the wall of my tent like a foot above my face. And then as if that wasnt enough, the rain started up around 5 on Saturday morning, and got pretty heavy right away. We woke up late and watched the depressing rain over a big ole plate of biscuits and gravy, and discussed our options. PK and Jess wanted to pack up camp and move elsewhere, but I was against this, arguing that packing up wet shit and then setting it back up would be a nightmare. The idea of a pay campground in Espanola came up, but PK vetoed that and we opted for a day of driving to figure it out.
The goal was to go back to Abiquiu Resevoir, drive west through Coyote and Gallina, take NM SH 112 north and then past El Vado Resevoir to Chama, and thence back to camp. Seemed simple enough talking about it and looking on the map, so off we went, with little idea of what we were getting into. Our first stop was the stretch of the Rio Chama just below Abiquiu Dam, which we would have been running if not for the rain and snow. I'm glad we didn't, as the run was LOW QUALITY at best.
the pinnacles of the ghost ranch on our way out
the lonely rapid below the dam
its a pretty canyon at least
friendly looking low head dam
fence strung across the river right below the low head dam
After taking pictures here we headed west, taking NM SH 96 west through the towns of Youngsville, Coyote, and Gallina. At this point it was a driving blizzard, with huge, dollar sized flakes and occasional whiteout gusts. The road wasn't too bad though so we weren't overly concerned. We stopped for supplies and gas in Coyote, where we laughed and talked briefly with the locals, who were blown away I was wearing shorts and sandals in a driving snowstorm. After informing them we were from Colorado, they laughed and said we brought the snow with us.
canones creek, a tributary of the Chama
After reaching the junction of NM 96 & NM 112, we drove north for 20 some miles, until we came to several signs warning us that travel on the road ahead was "Discouraged" if it was wet. Now, it had been raining and snowing for a few days so it was pretty juicy. We should have listened to the signs, but we reasoned that it was a New Mexico state highway, and that there would be enough traffic that we would be alright. Well, we drove onto it and immediately noticed how slippery it was. Cautiously optimistic we kept going along slowly, at one point almost sliding into a tree on a very sloppy corner. Continuing on another couple of miles, we soon crossed into a large basin composed of nothing but clay with the road cutting right across it. At this point we were essentially fishtailing back and forth on the road, with only PK's many years of driving experience keep us on the road. When we finally had enough we decided we were going to turn it around and peace the fuck out. Well, we start to turn around, and sure enough as we got about halfway around, another truck appeared on the road, headed the same direction we were originally going (to Chama), so we hurriedly got back to our original path and started driving again. Ahead of us was a hill that if dry, wouldn't have been noticeable. But since it was extremely muddy, it was all we could do to press up it. We made it just to the crest before the truck behind us finally reached us. We tried to pull over, only to end up in the ditch. The truck at this point came by, it looked like a coal/gas company truck, although the mud was splattered on the side and we couldn't see a company name. Thinking they would stop and help, we watched them approach......only to watch as they flew by at about 45 mph, fishtailing down the road. As we sat, stunned, we tried to figure out what to do. I hopped out to survey the scene, and no sooner had I done that then PK fires it up and starts backing up furiously. There was a small pullout a short distance behind him, and he was able to go wheelin out of the ditch and onto that. I hurried back over and climbed in, and that began a harrowing, twenty tense minutes of getting back to paved road. It was certainly not an experience I want to repeat.
it just doesnt look that bad.......
the truck was clean an hour before this
After making back to civilization, we weighed our options and beat it down the road to Cuba, where we settled on a nice place for lunch called Del Prado. I made the comment before exiting the vehicle that "we're going to stand out big time here", and when we walked in, sure enough, we were immediately given the once over by everyone in the place. Inevitably they opened up and again, the question was asked about my shorts and sandals, and us bringing the snow. But, the folks were friendly and the food was great. We left a nice tip and headed out, back to camp. When we got there the question was raied about what to do next. The options were tossed around and ultimately the decision was made to head back. The snow and rain, and the prospect of another night in the cold was just more than we could bear, so we packed up and left, tail firmly between our legs.
this is the other side of the storm that hit us on the way across NM 96
the same pinnacles, but in the afternoon
ute mountain
Coming back proved to be tense as well, but for different reasons. Our first problem was getting back across the plateau to US 285. We had three options: a) drive down to nearly Espanola and back up 285, b) US 64/Brazos Pass, and c) Cumbres Pass. Each had their advantages and disadvantages, but we opted for Cumbres, thinking it would have the best maintenence, but upon reaching Tierra Amarilla, and seeing the giant socked-in white hanging over Cumbres, we opted for US 64, which was in a clear spot, but doesn't get maintenized after 6 pm, and the time was currently 6:11 pm. Luckily it was clear most of the way, and we saw three snowplows to boot, and ended up making 285, and then Alamosa in good time. After dinner at KFC it was off to Saguache, again, uneventful.
But here the fun started. We had made maybe five or six miles outside of Saguache before the snow finally caught up to us. The snow started falling lightly at first but was soon blizzarding extremely hard, with whiteout gusts and quarter sized snow. The road was covered in snow between two inches and six inches deep, and only one or two vehicles had driven over it before us. Reduced to a crawl, it took nearly thirty agonizing minutes to drive a stretch of highway that normally takes less than fifteen. Strangely enough, after crawling all the way up the Saguache Creek valley, we started up the big hill, only to find that a few hundred feet above the valley bottom the snow nearly abated completely. Puzzled but stoked at the same time, we chugged up the pass, only encountering snow just below the summit of North Pass, and again on the other side, but found that most of the Cochetopa Park area was dry and clear. Our elation soon turned to tension as we again entered the snow, right as we entered Cochetopa Canyon. It took us another thirty minutes to travel the length of the canyon, crawling around corners at 15 mph or less. Luckily PK knew the road very well, and we made good time despite the weather. When we finally pulled into Gunny at 10:30, I had never been more glad to see the lights of town. I went home immediately but could not sleep, and had to unwind for about an hour before I could finally drift off into an enjoyable sleep. It was a good trip but the driving was very fraught with tension, and combined with the weather, certainly made this a trip to remember!
Here is video of the kayaking portion.
Rio Chama - Apr 10 2009 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Teaser!
This is the same video that I did up to post on Facebook, but the jerkbags that run it wouldn't let me post. So I rearranged some text and added some new text, and now it looks great as a teaser for my as of yet unnamed project releasing this fall. Enjoy.
Teaser Time from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Teaser Time from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Monday, April 6, 2009
CB Closing Day 09
If you journey back 358 (not a full week, thanks to CBMR's closing one week earlier policy) days to last year's Closing Day, you will remember that it was a day filled with drunken debauchery and fun. Sadly, thanks to some less than friendly weather, and the lack of apparent festive functions happening across the mountain (other than some super lame "fireworks" at Paradise) pretty much spelt out a day of shredding for us. Luckily, other than being mashed potato-ey and kinda slushy, the snow was pretty good. It was soft, and coverage was pretty decent, especially for being April 5th.
I met up with Ben early in the morning, and we went and picked up our buddy Forrest and Ben's buddy Mike, who turns out is a pretty good snowboarder. Forrest is still learning but is game enough to follow us around the mountain and try it at least! I don't know Mike's last name yet, but rest assured I will post as soon as I do......
mike and ben on headwall
Mike- Box Rock (1) from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Mike- The Waterfall from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Ben- Waterfall from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
lots of folks on the peak today
alex at........work
mike above box rock
Mike- Box Rock (2) from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
classic
Mike- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
mike checkin out the scene
Captain Hans Krengel- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Ben- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
forrest
Alex Cab 5 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
And now with ski season on its way out (its not over yet, as there is still a trip or two to Loveland up my sleeve.....) the kayak filming should hopefully begin in earnest, so stay tuned!
I met up with Ben early in the morning, and we went and picked up our buddy Forrest and Ben's buddy Mike, who turns out is a pretty good snowboarder. Forrest is still learning but is game enough to follow us around the mountain and try it at least! I don't know Mike's last name yet, but rest assured I will post as soon as I do......
mike and ben on headwall
Mike- Box Rock (1) from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Mike- The Waterfall from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Ben- Waterfall from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
lots of folks on the peak today
alex at........work
mike above box rock
Mike- Box Rock (2) from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
classic
Mike- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
mike checkin out the scene
Captain Hans Krengel- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
Ben- Fredo's from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
forrest
Alex Cab 5 from Whorefish Productions on Vimeo.
And now with ski season on its way out (its not over yet, as there is still a trip or two to Loveland up my sleeve.....) the kayak filming should hopefully begin in earnest, so stay tuned!
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