Kayaking and camping in Missouri and Pennsylvania, snowboarding in Colorado
I took two white water kayaking trips to western Pennsylvania in the Allegheny Mountains, running the class III lower Yough several times. I swam through nearly every major rapid, including Dimple and Cucumber, but managed a whitewater roll four times, twice even in a hydraulic that windowshaded me, flipping me over once I righted myself.
We had some warm, sunny days, then buckets of rain and cold. Glad I brought my westsuit. I tried to mountain bike the McCune Trail but slipped over every wet rock and wound up with a frightening bruise on my butt. One night I dreamed my tent washed away.
My whitewater outfitter of choice in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is Wilderness Voyageurs (wilderness-voyageurs.com). The state campgrounds are super, I even found a cabin at a reasonable price for a few nights so I could dry out. (www.dcnr.state.pa.us)
In Missouri we basked in cool, sunny summer weather during July, so Michael and I camped out on the Niangua River in Southern Missouri and kayaked fourteen miles down the class I waters from the outfitters' headquarters north of Bennett Spring State Park (mostateparks.com/park/bennett-spring-state-park) to Oldhams Riverview. Our float down the Niangua was a true Ozark safari. We found families of otter reintroduced to the rivers, turtles, fish, crawdads, Great Blue Herons, deer, snakes, hawks, and all kinds of native critters. And not too many mosquitoes!
My favorite place to camp, rent kayaks or hire shuttle service is Niangua River Oasis (nrocanoe.com). They have free camping for customers right on the river and the best prices. One drawback to floating on Ozark rivers in the summer is you have to go on a weekday, as the weekends are a zoo. The other problem with Missouri float trips is the trash. I don't understand why people have to destroy all this natural beauty with their garbage. Michael and I floated up to sandbars littered with beer cans and cigarette butts. The outfitters even supply a trash bag so you can haul your crap home. We filled ours with the junk left behind by others. If Missouri would charge a nickel a can deposit ... | |
Chicago weekend getaway for a writer's conference
At the end of July I drove to Chicago for a writer's conference. Steering through downtown Chicago traffic is an epic in itself. I got lost, of course, several times and ended up heading the wrong way on a one-way street. I stayed at a hostel in Lincoln Park neighborhood called Getaway Chicago Hostel (getawayhostel.com). Trying to save some money, I made the mistake of booking into the 12-female dorm. Yikes! Ladies, turn off your cellphones when you go to bed and if you have to talk with your friend, go outside! You whisper very, very loud! I'm loving the hostel environment as most of the travelers are | friendly and welcoming, but I'm moving more and more toward private rooms! Getaway has a terrific outdoor patio directly off the dining area, perfect for morning coffee or evening glass of wine. I met a runner from Venezuela (who smokes), an actor from France studying at Second City, and an older American couple traveling from Minnesota. The few parking spaces at the hostel filled quickly, so I parked blocks away and hiked morning and night past gorgeous old homes, uncurtained windows allowing a peek into the stylish decor with eclectic landscaping designs in the tiny front yards. |