Check out the pictures at the bottom.  Here is an update on recent activity on the Mighty Clinton River!

November 2011 was a great month on the Mighty Clinton River with all the rain we had. There were many trips that Dale, "King of the MCR" organized.  River trip dates included (Oct. 30) Nov. 5th, Nov. 11th, Nov. 19th and Nov. 26th. 

I included Oct. 30th because it was Dale's birthday.  We had a nice day on the river and stopped on Rock Island for some fine cusine which inlcuded smoked salmon, shrimp and hickory flavored SPAM!  A couple of the guys decided to check out the theraputic waters of the MCR by imersing themselves in it!  Their comment was that "it took their breath away"!

The trip on the 5th adjusted some of the woody debris and Jim ran the falls successfully.  For the trip on Nov. 11th we took a few newbies and they did great!  I paddled Cindy's 17 foot aluminum canoe with her in the front.  It was a bit hard since the boat had a keel and I have not paddled a canoe tandem for quite a while, also the water was a little on the lower side (at least lower than expected based on the gage reading).  I gave Cindy the 'princess ride' for the most part, but she did great whenever I asked for a particular stroke and we only bumped a few times and she never grabbed the gunnles!  Dale took Mindy in his canoe and she had a good ride that day too.  We didn't stop for food that day, but it was a fun trip down.

I missed the next two runs (Nov. 19 & 26) Dale took Cindy on the 19th and a group of 4 went down on the 26th.  Dale, Rob, Jarret and John B. went down that day, Dale and John held back and had a campfire with some Knob Creek, Rob & Jarret continued down.  It was a beautiful Fall day with above normal temperatures.  Dale and John finished up in the dark but had a great relaxing run down the river.

Now it is December 4th as I write this.  This past week the river hit 3.2 on the Auburn gage, but I had to work, bummer!  It is raining out now and the river is at 2.37, which is a nice level.  If anyone is up for it I may be on the river later today.

That's all for now,
Rick

Me coming through Rochester Rapid Oct. 30th in my Old Town Pack canoe.  (it is a short 12 foot boat and I did take on some water!  LOL!)

Here is one of the woody debris that we typically 'deal' with.

Now you can get through!  (we use the 'free and clear' DNR approved method of clearing jams when we can)

Here we are going around a jam near the Bypass.

Redboat Tom through Rochester Rapid.

Dale's buddy (Gary?) coming through Rochester Rapid.

Jim running Yates Dam

Dale and Cindy enjoying a stop

Mindy and Cindy watching Jarret about to enter Rochester Rapid.  (under Rochester road)

Nov. 5th run from L to R: Jerry Reis, DaleGoolsby, Rob Cooper, Ed Stack and Jim McHale

The picture speaks for itself!  (John Burak by the fire)

Jarret surfing some



Redboat Tom in Rochester Rapid.

Yates Falls (can be deadly!)

The "Falls" or the "Dam" on the Mighty Clinton River at Dequindre/Yates Cider Mill can be deadly!  People drowned there on July 3rd 1999 and 2000.  (same day at the end of one century and the beginning of the next!)  This is my birth date day and normally I would have been on the river with my paddling buddies, but since it was my birthday I was not out in spite of high water each of these years.  On one of the years, 1999 I think, Red Boat Tom was there and pulled one guy out but the other guy drowned.

Here is a video of me running the dam but watch closely as my boat gets sucked back slightly.

Now see the aftermath of Ed's run in about the same size boat (Pyranha s6, mine was the s6f - both are 6' boats that are prone to diving)

Here is a good run with a larger boat (s6x)

I rarely run the dam any more, only if I am in a longer boat with more volume like my Pyranha Burn L which is 8 feet long - it spans the hydraulic better and the volume keeps you from diving but it is still a risky move and I do not recommend it.

MCR Bypass - in the beginning

This is a video of the old "bypass" on the MCR.  It used to be a small cut off from the main branch of the river that kept getting wider and wider until it is now the main channel of the river!  This video was taken at the point when it was only around 6 feet wide and there was a 3 foot drop that created a hydraulic that you could play in. 

The Mighty Clinton River is a great paddle spot in SE Michigan.  The 'best' section is between Avon & Livernois roads down to Dequindre or Yates Cider Mill.  The upper section from Auburn Hills (Squirrel & Auburn roads down to A & L) is pretty good at the right water level.  (check the USGS Gauge http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mi/nwis/uv/?site_no=04161000&PARAmeter_cd=00060,00065 levels above 1.6 are decent, over 1.8 and you need some experience, at 2.0 and higher you better have experience) 

The section from Yates (Dequindre) to Ryan is pretty easy and about 45 minutes to an hour long, then it is 1.5 to 2 hours from Ryan to Van Dyke where you take out at Heritage Park.  Check with Outdoor Escorts for rentals. (http://www.outdoorescorts.com/)

Mt. Bohemia MI

Just adding a video here, not of the Mighty Clinton River, but another great place in Michigan.  This is a clip from a 'few' years back up in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of MI.  This place has some great skiing!  It is all ungroomed with tons of tree skiing and even cliffs for the most adventurist types!

First Blog

A  "not the MCR" picture, sorry, but just setting this up for now.  This picture was taken at St. Augstine Beach FL on the beach behind Oceans Raquet Club condo's.  The picture was taken with my Olympus Stylus Tough camera set on 'pop art'.  It was a great sunrise, but the settings make it even more dramatic and beautiful so I am posting it here.