Ocoee again....

Ahhh just got back from our second trip to the Ocoee, since we moved. We met up with K and D and had a blast. Great time, great level, great river, and great people to paddle with. On the way out we decided to go ahead and get some shorties. A shorty sure makes a difference with this cold dam water. We loved having them today.

We started with a full run where we met up with K&D at slice and dice. Julie and I are still feeling out the rapids so we made a couple mistakes but overall did just fine. Once we met up with K&D we plugged on down and had a ball.

Hell Hole was a little meatier at the level today but it was great fun. D and I got in several surfs and I learned some new technique.

After we played forever at Hell Hole D wanted to run again so I obliged and put in and ran with him down to the Doldrums. Great run but I think our batteries were a little low from all the play.

Once we got all the gear loaded, we ate at the Gondolier and headed home. Again, great time today and I look forward to our next trip out there. cough cough next weekend!

Hope everyone reading is having great fun as well and taking advantage of all the rain back home!

pics later...
rt

Nanty....6/21

So I had one last day of freedom before I started working. A friend of ours was picking up a boat at NOC on the Nanty so we went out for a paddle.


The Nanty is a good class II river that has one perfect class III rapid and a great surf wave. Had a great time and even picked up a new helmet for J. Good times!

Down side to the trip would have to be the drive on the Tail of the Dragon. This 11 mile stretch of road has 318 turns. I think as we are getting older we are becoming prone to motion sickness more. Great strecth of road and the motorcyclist love it but man it kills our stomaches. But you do get to drive by the Cheoah!!



Another report coming soon... Ocoeeeeeee

rt

Got a Job!

Okay so we have one job secured. Yea!! I have begun working for a government contractor in Oak Ridge called PAI. So now we can just focus on getting Julie in the Oak Ridge schools. Oak Ridge is a town that is just west of Knoxville and is a great little community. We hope we can both secure jobs there and then begin looking for a house. So I'm a working man again!

rt

A Hike and a Fight!

Feeling like moving around on Friday J and I headed into the Smoky Mountains for a little hike/drive. We scouted a section of the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon. Water was low but you could tell that this is a definite IV-V whitewater run. One of these days, if Oklahoma ever shares its water, maybe we will get to see some crazy boaters out running it.

Then today, Saturday, in Oak Ridge, the Nuclear City, we stumbled upon a festival. J and I had a great time and even got to witness a WWII reenactment. It was intense at points and when you slowed down to think about it, quite moving. We took several photos and some video. Not sure how to post video on here so tough.


After the reenactment we wandered around looking at local art and of course eating fair food. All in all a great day. The old toe even hung in there. Before you know it, back on the water.

rt

Ouch!

Okay so as stated below, I ran class III+ to IV- whitewater over the weekend then broke a toe playing with the cat at home. Oh good times. Maybe I am a little weak but good god this thing isn't any fun. I thought I would share some pics for the fun of it. Yes I need a job, so what? And no comments about how ugly my feet are. I know they are not the best and I could care less.

Day 1
Pic removed...
Which toe doesn't look normal? This pic was taken after I grabbed it and moved it back over some. The thing was definetly not in the right place.

Day 2
Pic removed...This day I had an interview downtown. I wore a suit with one hiking shoe. It was hilarious until she wanted to take me on an office tour. Good god! After I got back from that interview I had Julie fill my pain medication. Yikes.

Day 3 it still looks like day 2. My plumpy little black and blue sausage of a toe. What a mess... Guess hiking and kayaking are out for now.

rt

6/19/07
Just a little update on the toe, all is healing well. Swelling is going down and color is returning. I can wear shoes and walking is getting back to normal! Well sort of normal. I am hoping that this weekend I can get back on the water and hit the Ocoee!
rt

Ocoee Weekend!

Oh man what a weekend. Julie and I headed out early Saturday morning to make the hour and a half drive down to paddle the Ocoee River. For those of you that do not know of the Ocoee it is truly a gem and one of the best III+ floats anywhere. We truly do love this run and the area. This river is one of the reasons we moved out east, if that tells you anything...

So Saturday we arrive, watch the Olympic section fill with water (definitely an impressive site), then begin to the put in. We thought we would run into someone we knew or we could run with and we were correct. Four people from the ACC, two we have paddled with and two that are legends (to us) in kayaking were at the put-in. We agreed to meet up further down stream and so Julie and I ventured off on our own down the mighty river. For the first couple of miles we were just bombing down the runs basically guessing the best lines. Some were obvious and some came as a shock. We had paddled this river once before but under the leadership of some Ocoee regulars, which helps.

The first two or three rapids were no problem. The one that might have been easier had we scouted was Broken Nose. Broken Nose definitely should not be bombed. We didn't have any real trouble but it made us pay attention! We bombed down the other rapids steering clear of Double Suck at met up with our ACC friends at the Doldrums.

From that point on it was a lot more fun. Less guess work and better lines. They showed us the good play lines and we really just enjoyed their company. We found squirt lines, play spots, got some instruction, and shared a ton of stories. They were a hoot.

At the bottom of the run came Hell Hole. This is one of my favorite places to get worked in all the rivers I have paddled. It's big, pushy, obnoxious, and a hoot. We got some decent surf in and we all pulled out.

Our ACC buddies gave us a shuttle up to the car and all was good. Then the talks came about catching a run on the upper Olympic section. The three guys thought we would give it a shot but the water had been cut off. Perhaps Sunday…

We split off to camp and caught a decent night’s sleep at a local NFS campground.

Sunday morning we were amped to get the day going. Julie and I got up early and went on a 3 mile hike down a trail that runs along the river. Had a great time and it was the perfect way to get things going. By 9:30am we had hooked back up with two of the ACC members and again we contemplated running the Olympic section. I was feeling giddy so I agreed.

J and I set off and ran the Upper Ocoee through the Olympic section without a hitch. This section is considered more difficult than a majority of the rapids on the lower Ocoee and it was definitely more pushy. The run went great and I got in some solid whitewater thanks to the guidance of the legend J. Thank you sir! It still makes me smile just to think about.

At the bottom we met up with the ladies and regrouped for another run down the lower Ocoee. This time all the lines were good and the run was a blast. Thank you J and S. We found some new paddling buddies, exchanged phone numbers, and emails while having an amazing time. Truly a great weekend, with great people, and an awesome river. We are indeed in love.

That evening we split off and came home. Unpacked and got some god sleep. Currently Julie is at an interview, get that job honey, and I have my foot elevated because I broke a toe this morning. Ahh good times. Run some solid III+, IV- whitewater over the weekend and break a toe playing with the cats. It’s that how life goes? Might sideline paddling for a while, we'll see.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and wish us luck on the job hunt!

rt

Paddle on the Pigeon

Well we had some successful interviews this morning and felt a little giddy. Sooo we did what we do, we went paddling. The river we hit today was the upper Pigeon. This run is fed by dam water and runs almost all summer, for the most part. The drive is about an hour fifteen minutes so great for the afternoon or weekend jaunts.

To be honest, we didn’t expect such a good paddle. I don’t know what we expected but it surely was above our expectations. This run was filled with great III+ rapids and aggressive lines. We took a couple pics but being there was entirely different. We really look forward to getting to know this river.

For the most part we just bombed down the run. We did meet up with a NOC instructor who led us down Accelerator, the last major rapid and second largest. Great guy and an even better run. Click on above picture for more pics.

Good times. Next is the Ocoee this weekend. Man I can get used to this….

If you didn’t know anyone in Knoxville before, then you do now!

Well Julie and I did it. We have successfully made a move to a foreign state with no jobs! Passion my friends, is sometimes blinding. But when we take the beer goggles off she is still just as pretty as when we had them on. Oh it's great to be here and yes we are focusing on the job hunt, parents... Our internet was installed today and we are now wired.

Julie and I both wanted to thank everyone for their well-wishes and their gracious send offs. We have never felt so bad about leaving a place as we did about leaving Oklahoma. We are definitely blessed with good friends, co-workers, and family that will always be in our minds and in our trip plans!

Our last landlord was gracious enough to throw us a sending off party that was quite impressive. I thought no one really liked us. After some friends helped us load the truck, THANK YOU, they all gathered to watch me maneuver this mammoth of a truck in the quite little neighborhood. Click the pic below for more pics...



After the crowd died down and we said all our good-byes then it was off to bed. Saturday, was the most fun I have ever had in a sixteen hour moving day. Yes it took us a bit longer in the truck than if we had driven by car. And the cats, not too impressed about the trip either.

So only once did I feel that I was going to crash and the cats made it with most of their claws and some fur intact. Sunday was our first day in Knox and time to unload the truck. All of you that helped us load the truck, thank you again. All of those that helped us unload….well…umm, thanks Julie! We did manage to get some help with the sofa’s and king mattress from our landlord. Okay to recap, last landlords the nicest people on earth. They helped us unload once, let us stay in their pool house, we ate their food, and we swam in their pool. This landlord helped us unload our heaviest items and signed a month by month lease with no penalty. Maybe we should just rent forever?

Anyway, truck is unloaded and most of the items we need are in their place. I have gone on one interview and will be going back for a second Thursday. Julie is ready to get the ball rolling and is filling out the required applications to some new districts as I type.

So we’re here, we’re still alive and we’re getting the ball rolling. As a reward for all our efforts we are going to be flinging ourselves down the mighty Ocoee this weekend!


Good times. I’ll write more later but again thank you all!! We miss you already!

Love,
RT and JC