The
Rapid Rafts Report
5/14/08
Greetings!
We have a beautiful
day in the neighborhood today, and the river is still running
good. If I wasn't so buried in work I would seriously consider
a hookey day and a trip down the river.
We had some rain
last night along with some thunderstorms. I would estimate rainfall
between a half inch and an inch here, and a little less up in
the watershed. It probably won't cause a big rise in levels,
but every little bit helps. My best guess for Saturday morning
is about a +3 to +4, with a chance of 5. Not bad.
It should be a
fun weekend this weekend. There are a lot of people expected,
the river will be decent, and there is music at the Rapids Resort.
Tom the DJ will be there Saturday night playing music and generally
causing a ruckus. That is always fun. He also does some karaoke
for the aspiring singers among you.
Tom the DJ will
also be there over Memorial Day weekend, along with Piano Man
Bob Heckler. One plays Saturday night, one plays Sunday night,
or as we call Sunday on 3 day weekends, second Saturday. There
are some good times coming up the next two weekends.
Today I have a
few pictures to share. Mike the Guide leads the way with a bit
of a surfing pop-up, followed by a face plant and leg shot. Leg
shots are a favorite, so that is today's theme..
...And the grand
prize winner...
Nice form guys!
This weekend the
price of rafting falls dramatically. In spring when extra guides
and gear are needed due to high water and cold weather, rafting
is $45. On May 15th, the price falls to just $25. Many people,
including myself in the old days, raft this weekend in hopes
of catching spring water at a summer price. This year that will
actually work out. It won't be huge like two weeks ago, but it
will be above zero, and that is a good start. It is a very popular
weekend, so if you are coming call asap to get the best trip
times and camping spots.
It should be a
fun weekend. There are a lot of people coming, there is music
Saturday night, and the river should be at a fun level. I am
very much looking forward to it. See you in a couple of days!
RJB
Monday 5-12-08
Greetings and welcome!
It was a wild weekend
at Kosir's last weekend. The river was fun and a lot of people
took advantage of that. There was also a graduation party, a
bachelor party, and a frat group, and a DJ at the Rapids Resort
Saturday night. Added to the assortment of other fun people around,
it was a good weekend..
The river has continued
to fall from it's snow melt driven peak. We are between about
+5 & +6 right now, and it should be finding a steady level
soon. There is still plenty of moisture in the watershed. We
are also looking at a chance for some rain Tuesday night &
Wednesday that could time out well to boost levels for the weekend.
We will have to wait and see if it is showers or thunderstorms
to establish how much rain we get. The way that the outlook is,
the atmosphere will have all day Tuesday to heat up and destabilize
before the front comes through and triggers the rain. Hopefully
that means some good storms.
This weekend brings
the beginning of the summer rafting season, and a significant
drop in prices. The price of a raft trip drops from $45 to $25.
The differences in price are not just arbitrary. The spring trips
include wet suits and additional equipment, include an upgrade
to a funyak if they can run, and also include a lot more guides,
including our crack Menominee River guide team. As the weather
warms, you might not need wet suits, and with lower water, the
need for guides in each boat diminishes. When expenses go down,
so does your cost. That is why rafting gets cheaper on/after
May 15th.
When I lived by
Milwaukee and came up to raft, I was always one that rafted this
weekend. Being a bargain hunter, I would try to catch this weekend
to capture spring water levels at a summer price. Apparently
I am not the only one, and we are expecting quite a few people
this weekend. If you are planning on a rafting weekend, get on
the phone to Kosir's ASAP to get the best trip times and camping
spots. There will be a lot of old friends around, and it should
again be a very fun weekend. I have a hunch that there will be
live music or a DJ at the Rapids Resort, but I am not sure. I
will look into it.
I do have some
fun stuff to share as far as pictures from the weekend, and I
will return with those in a day or two. Monday is a catch up
and recovery day for us, and I am still catching up. I will return
with pictures when things calm down a little, daily water level
updates, and another regular update Wednesday. In the meantime,
have a good week!
RJB
Thursday 5/8/08
Greetings!
Just a couple of
quick updates..
Yesterday I promised
a video clip for the web and here
is a link to the
new video clip for the web. This was a taste of some of the Sunday
afternoon video's harder hitting moments. I had to make it small,
but it is longer and has sound. (1:38@8Mb) There is some pretty
slammin stuff on it, check it out.
Item #2.. I like
what I am seeing on the river gauge for this weekend's Peshtigo
River trips. Most of yesterday it stayed steady at +12, and only
went down very slightly overnight. I put 11 on the levels update,
but it is close to 12. We are pretty much guaranteed good water
for the weekend. The normal flow right now is 425cfs, and today
we are at almost 800. That is nice water. Don't forget that Moms
raft free this weekend with a paid trip. The water is at a perfect
level to take a raft or a funyak.
Read on for yesterday's
update..
RJB
Rafting Videos on the Net!
I have a page set up now
with a growing list of whitewater rafting movie clips that I
made on the Peshtigo & Menominee Rivers by Kosir's.
Right now it is a random
assortment of clips. Once I get them organized and add a more
comprehensive list of videos I will talk to the guys about adding
them to the Kosir's site. For now here is a sneak peek. There is some great footage of
both rivers, helmet cam footage, and some fun stuff in the flip
clips.
New and not archived yet..
Just the slow motion replay
clips from one of the rafting trips last weekend (4-19-08). The
link is here.
High water flips and swims
clip.. http://www.northerndestinations.com/419202008swims.wmv |
