LUNA-TICS TEAM ROOM: Year-round "Looney" fun.

[Kona2]

Hooyah! Congratulations, team, on achieving a THREE million meter season! Keep cranking!!!


And welcome back Karon B, our 41st team member of the 2011 season!

[DuluthMoose]

Moose checking in on the duty roster... I See Some Great Rowing Has Been Going On! Fantastic having so many of you already at 100K and above.

I had a very nice, but rainy time. Did get in 4 days on the river with about 20 other paddling friends from Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Georgia. Rain suits had to be worn on the river on 3 of those days. River conditions were great though; no flooding, and not enough rain to make the Current River real pushy on the sharp bends, but enough to make the chutes, turns, rock dodging, strainer avoidance, and riffles a lot of fun, and it was rare to bump bottom in the riffles, even in the upper sections. This was the first time I've paddled the Current River in mid-May and there were still very few boats on the river. I understand that changes dramatically a week or two from now, and the rain may have kept the local folks away. And it was my first experience with the local wild white roses in bloom, kind of trailing plants with canes cascading down the steep river banks and multitudes of blooms all along the canes; and very pretty. The rain and the steep rock walls would hold a heavenly rose scent in the air at river level as you floated by patches of these blooming roses. I enjoyed that very much and that experience probably would be my definition of really taking the time to smell the roses. But we were lucky. Very heavy rains fell just 60 miles north of us. It was enough rain to close the adjacent Jacks Fork River to paddling and had it hit us, the Park Rangers would have closed paddling on the Current River as well. Heading home on Sunday, every river was flooded from 50 miles north of the campground all the way to mid Iowa.

[Kona2]

Returning from an out of erg experience, Moose begins talking in canoe...and sends the crew members scurrying for their online dictionary of Moose-isms and related facts: the canoe word of the day is: riffle - rif·fle (rfl)
n.
1.
a. A rocky shoal or sandbar lying just below the surface of a waterway.
b. A stretch of choppy water caused by such a shoal or sandbar; a rapid.

And strainer avoidance? While this could be many things, Astrogator thinks this reference must be to anything that lets the water or current pass through (bunch of trees or log jam, perhaps?) but snags the canoe or kayak....not sure we will encounter anything quite like it even as we pass through the asteroid belts on our journey to the moon! Great descriptions, Moose....are there photos?

Meanwhile, a supernova has flared over Belgium, and two half moons have appeared as well. Our resident artist, AJ, is in the "rowing house" once again - welcome back! And G-l-o-r-i-a rows the fab fives! What a day to be a LunaTic!

Season meters as of 17/365 = 3,244,026 m

Total meters on the day = 293,527 m Now that's what I'm talking about!!

Oars in space (participation) = 47 percent

MILESTONES....Bragging Rights....Celebrations:

400K Bart
100K Steven L
100K Gina
100K David T

Supernova for Bart's posting of 100K today...
Ted gets an almost full moon for his posting of 38K
Baz with a 26,467 m posting earns a half moon

And thanks to all today's crew for meters mini and mega:


Karon 805 m
4,248 m...you go, girl!
MT 5,000 m
Barbara 5,106 m
AJ 5,272 m
G-l-o-r-i-a m
Teresa 6,039 m
Rick 6,749 m
Gina 6,823 m
Peter G 7,000 m
Rich 7,017 m
Steven L 7,130 m
David T 8,000 m
10,427 m....that's a 10-4 just 27....
Rodrigo 13,337 m
Danno 15,129 m....no longer a lefty
Jim 15,423 m
Baz 26,467 m
Ted 38,000 m
Bart 100,000 m

Have a blue sky day - wherever and whenever you row!

[just27]

Returning from an out of erg experience, Moose begins talking in canoe...and sends the crew members scurrying for their online dictionary of Moose-isms and related facts: the canoe word of the day is ...

You have way too much fun with all this reporting stuff, Mz Astrogator!
(And it makes such a huge difference to the enjoyment of one's efforts ... many thanks.)

[DuluthMoose]

Sorry about the jargon Kona2. I guess that means I'd better clarify a few terms.

riffle: Your definition is correct. I will add that in a low gradient river (drop in elevation of 9 ft per mile or less), riffles are the drop zone that connect a pool to the next downstream pool. They are relatively wide, so the water flow is spread out bank to bank and shallow. Sometimes a gravel bar define the downstream end of a pool and the river braids (divides into several channels) through the gravel bar. The trick is to find the braid having enough water to float your boat and be relatively free of rock and wood obstructions. The wrong braid is certain to cause delay: walking the boat through, getting pushed into a bank or wood obstacles, capsize, etc, etc.

chute: a drop between pools where the river is constricted (becomes narrow) and is deep. How constricted the river is and how much flow there is determines how high the standing waves (stationary waves) will be at the bottom of the chute.

strainer: Almost always trees and branches that have fallen in the river, but sometimes closely spaced rocks that are in the river but can't be floated over. Again your definition is correct. They allow water to flow through but can catch boats or worse people who are in the water after capsizing a boat. The higher the flow that a strainer is resting in, the greater the threat it becomes, because if a boat becomes trapped, the force of the river can quickly capsize it. If a person is trapped by a strainer, there is a very serious threat of drowning. Some of the worst strainers are on the outside bank of sharp bends in the river, where the water wants to push a boat into the outside bend.
Moose

[bg]

welcome back moose and i would also like to see some photos...thanks.....

[kbaucum453]

Thanks K2. I've had a busy 6 weeks, then picked up a virus from grandkids which I'm just recovering from. Hopefully will get back on track quickly.

[bg]

Thanks K2. I've had a busy 6 weeks, then picked up a virus from grandkids which I'm just recovering from. Hopefully will get back on track quickly.

hope you feel better soon....

[Kristine Strasburger]

Thanks K2. I've had a busy 6 weeks, then picked up a virus from grandkids which I'm just recovering from. Hopefully will get back on track quickly.

hope you feel better soon....

No fun! Drink lots of fluids, and don't try to get back on the rower before you are completely recovered. Sometimes that takes longer than you think it should. Take care.

[Kona2]

Headed to airport...zoom zoom to Arizona....postings will work from there....but I'm in a bit of a rush, so no graphics today!

Season meters as of 18/365 = 3,467,302 m

Total meters on the day = 223,352 m

Oars in space (participation) = 45 percent

MILESTONES....Bragging Rights....Celebrations:

400K Will S

Half Moon: Will S with a posting of 40K
Half Moon: Kristine with a half marathon

And thanks to all today's crew:

Karon 5,008 m
Barbara 5,028 m (wishing you good outcomes on tomorrow's surgery!)
K2 (slacker) 5,120 m
G-l-o-r-i-a 5,555 m
Noelle 6,732 m
Rich 7,098 m
Peter G 8,000 m
MT 10,000 m
Peter H 10,000 m
Dan 10,362 m
Jim 10,471 m
Tim 11,087 m
Ted 12,000 m
Rodrigo 13,159 m
David T 14,000 m
Darryl 14,320 m
Steven L 14,391 m
Kristine 21,097 m
Will S 40,000 m

Have a blue sky rowing day!

[Kristine Strasburger]

Have a good trip, Jan!

[bg]

thanks...and what's up in arizona????

[DuluthMoose]

For those who are interested, here is a link to some photos I took canoeing on the Current River. They are pretty much just paddlers and their boats, and I only took photos on day 1 and 2. So not what I would call real scenery shots this time. Day 3 and 4 were far too rainy for my old digital camera to be out in, however, my wife's camera has some photos from these days. Haven't had time to go through them yet. Moose

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4 ... 833785a03c

[Toothdoc]

Barb,

Hope you have a great result with your surgery tomorrow, you have been added to my prayer list.

Jan,

Have a fun trip and spend lots of money!

danno

[bg]

thanks everyone....