Monday, July 1, 2013

We Jammin'

Well June brought a lot of rain and some wild weather with some very violent thunderstorms.  The river was pretty much wide open on June 22nd when we paddled with the Skiwi Ski Club group and a week later around 10+ jams! 

By section:

A&L to Yates 3 jams and one tree across the river, ok 2.  I don't count the tree as a jam because I rolled under it on the first run and limbo'd under the 2nd.  First jam is just past the stinky pipe and before the bike trail bridge(the old RR bridge to us old timers!)  Just after the bridge was actually a tree across the river and you could run the wave on river right or just boof over the log, Dale cut it out on Sunday.  Next spot was a tree across the river just after the rock seawall at 2nd St. as you turn towards the picnic area and Rock Island - it is still there and was not dealt with, go under or portage on right? (Not a great place for portage).  Next was a tree from river right onto Rock Island on river left.  We had 8 people make short work of clearing a way through on the left - thanks gang!  More work will be needed there in low water.  Next was the Bypass where the huge log rose up and drifted across the river, portage is on the left and pretty easy. 

Yates to Ryan had 3 jams but I can only clearly recall 2!  One was at the end of or past the Yates park path on river left about where Holland Ponds starts.  It is a Left/Right corner where there is a very small sandbar island on the right and a log sticking out of the water on the other side of the sandbar on river left side around it.  This is a very hard one to portage because you have the current wanting to take you into the jam, portage on left very close to the jam, maybe 5 feet back?  After that it seems there was one more, but for sure just before you turn to see Ryan there is a portage on river right.  Not a bad portage, but watch it when you get back in the water, current wants to take you into a tree sweeper. 

Ryan to Van Dyke is unconfirmed but from pretty reliable sources that there are 6 to 8 jams!  Cher and Melissa attempted this section after battling through Yates to Ryan but turned back after flipping a kayak!  They contributed some of the shots on Facebook that I copied below.  Dawn and Paul also tried that run but ended at Ryan/Coyote's after ditching their boats.

A little more rain today this evening and the gage is sitting at 2.39 with some rain predicted many days this week.  I am on vacation this week and may be making some weekday runs! 

Remember to mark your gear, with your name and number, in case some honest person finds your boat or paddle!  I have had gear returned. 

Speaking of gear, a few people went past us just when we opened up Rock Island and neither had life jackets!  Remember if the police or DNR see you they can ticket you for not having a PFD and a PFD in your boat while you are floating down after a capsize is useless so wear it in high water.  (most all water for that matter!)

Today I went on a flight in a Cessna small (very small!) plane from Waterford to Clinton Township and back.  We flew along the MCR going East then headed back a little South of that on the way back.  Had I known more about how that was gonna go I'd of gone a little North on the way back to see the river more.  Pictures of that posted here too.

That is all for now, with the levels I am sure we'll have more soon!

Patriotic river finds 1.5 paddles and other oddities!

Jarrett's "Google Earth" special!  Home made GoPro mount for his kayak!

view of the put in at A&L behind the office

Looking downstream at the A&L put in

Looking back upstream at A&L put in

A fine shuttle vehicle!

Coming through the first jam between stinky pipe and bike bridge

First Jam again

Curtis the Gage Man! 

Waiting for a falls run

Brian Gamefish paddling through!

Tom T. just turned 68!  Going strong and looking good Tom!

Dale

I think this was between Yates & Ryan/Coyote's

Dale at the last jam before Ryan, as you turn the corner left you see Ryan

A Happy Shuttle Vehicle!

Last Jam before Ryan

The bad jam just before the sandbar island, not much room to get out left and none on right!

Jarrett at the back of the Bypass jam

Bypass jam from upstream looking downstream

Back of Rock Island

Front of Rock Island

Dale cutting at Rock Island

The Group from June 30th

Pilot?

Paint Creek is on the left side you can see the hotel in the bottom left corner, creek is green to left

Bloomer Bridge and you can see the island where the drain pipe is, this is just past Rock Island

Yates and the Falls!

Home

I love July and High Water!

Another MCR fan!

Running the dam, don't do it!

Finally did get in some rolling practice!  I must warn you that water in my ear was clogged the next day!  I should get some earplugs and/or swimmer ear stuff to spray in after rolling in the "therapeutic waters of the Mighty Clinton River"!!





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