Dominican Republic

Our Leader Jason Making It Look Easy On Day One

I am currently on a whitewater trip in the Dominican Republic. Somewhat surprisingly, there is no sign of the troubles next door in Haiti although Port au Prince is about 120 miles away over a mountain range with a 10,00o foot peak. The weather has been too nice. It hasn't rained in 8 or nine days. Ordinarily this would be perfect for a Carribean vacation, however it means that the rivers are lower than normal. The trip is run by the NOC and based in the town of Jarabacoa which is know as the city of eternal spring for its cool weather. It is a vacation area for well-to-do Dominicans look to escape the heat of the big cities. Yesterday we warmed up on the Rio Jimenoa which runs right by the ranch we are staying at. Today we did two runs of the Arroyo Seccada section of the Yaque del Norte.

New Year's Paddle 2010

On New Year's day, I joined the RSCK for the annual paddle down our mighty Huron.

The video below is my first attempt with some new software that came with my new desktop.

Port Austin

On Friday Martha and I drove up to Port Cresent State Park, where we met up with Rick for a weekend of camping and paddling. Friday afternoon, Martha and I took a short paddle down to the Pinnebog River while Rick went to find firewood. Then Rick and I went out from the campsite for a little practice paddle.

On Saturday we put in at Port Austin State Harbor and paddled out towards the Port Austin reef light. We then had lunch at the sand bar on the end of the reef. Martha and I then headed down to Pointe Aux Barques and Turnip Rock, while Rick scouted out a passage through the reef.

On Sunday, we headed home. We made a stop in Leonard to check out Bill's antique skin-on-frame kayak. It was made in '30s by his wife's uncle and restored in the 80's. It needs a little work on the skin, but the Sitka Spruce frame looks great.

Happy Easter

Yesterday Rick and I headed out from the beach at Belle Isle for a paddle up to the end of the island. The sun was out and wind blowing downstream. This made the paddle up seem like work. The paddle down took about 1/3 the time. We paddled along with several ducks and geese and a muskrat. The tree swallows were active along the banks of the channel on the north end of the island. In the afternoon I baked my (now) traditional bunny cake.

Oakland Legal News Online Covers Launch

The Oakland Legal News Online ran the above photo with the following text today:

KEY STORIES Maiden voyage Andrew Wise (left) uses a can of beer to christen the kayak he and Richard Helfrick built in Helfrick’s living room in his Huntington Woods home. Both attorneys with Federal Defender’s Office in Detroit christened the vessel “Ka-Bar’s Fury” on Sunday, March 15, at Belle Isle. A Ka-Bar is a type of knife used in the U.S. Marine Corps. After the christening, Helfrick took Ka-Bar’s Fury on its maiden voyage on the Detroit River. Photos by John Meiu

Sunday on the Huron

Sunday March 22, 2009, saw the RSCK hit the Huron River after the morning pool session. At least 21 of us ran from Dexter-Huron to Delhi.

More Pictures from Sunday

Courtesy of Pat and Penny, we have some better pictures from the launch, including the christening and Rick's graceful exit from the boat.