This is the trip report that goes with the photos. http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/mslammers/lst?.dir=/1st+CAT&.view=t While this account is tailored to those who attended, you may be able to get the gist of the tour. Bob Griebel likes to type his first name as boB since there are several Bobs in the DFWseayakers group. ============================================================================ ======= Who would have guessed that from a casual meeting on the internet last year between boB Griebel and myself that the 1st Caddo Annual Tour (1st CAT) would arise from the swamp! Not I. But then boB has always had a way about him ever since he sent me the e-mail which said, "I didn't know they had lily pads at Marine Creek Lake, TX. I live near Marine Creek." (see my article on Paddlewise photos page, <http://www.paddlewise.net/photoalbum/photoalbum.html>) So we met for a paddle at Lake Granbury, and the rest is history. I flew in from surprisingly warm Dayton OH on Friday, and discovered that I should have left the day before. Then I would have had time to set up my Feathercraft K-1 and meet more of you as well. As it was, I followed Sue Hamblin in (I noticed right away the Teal Feathercraft K-Light on top of her Celica and knew I was going to the right place) and she was one of the many wonderful people who took the Tour. Now Ken Johnson has convinced me of the value of the digital camera (great pictures Ken) as well as the futility of trying to out run him in a straight paddle. I thought I could use the "I am old" excuse, but no soap. Probably wouldn't have lathered in Caddo water anyhow. While finding out that it was harder than I remembered to assemble a foldable K-1 by flashlight (thanks to Tim Nickerson for holding the light and to Dianne Nickerson and Jane Otto for the gourmet camp dinner and breakfasts), I also was initiated into the "Find the Shower and Restroom in the Dark Club." Marilyn Kircus stopped by Friday night and said, you must be Mel. How she knew, I don't know. Maybe it was the bright yellow K-1 or the red hair, or the height. Anyway, it was nice to meet you Marylin. Maybe next year we can paddle together and I will be able to add another person to my list of "paddled Mel into the ground, er...water." Speaking of photos [weren't we] mine will be ready and up before the end of the week since I took a waterproof camera which requires regular development and scanning or digitizing. Ken obviously gets the Fast Foto Award. As far as the Ken Johnson tour on Saturday went, Ken is a great leader. He always watched the group and kept us together, never losing sight of the back markers (who were never the same BTW since many pictures were being taken.....oooh, look at that). I learned a lot from watching him. One thing I learned was that Ken has a great sense of humor, showing us how to clean your kayak before coming in to land (by rolling a time or two). I think the Feathercraft K-1 will have to make do with a dockside splash. Chris and Donna were able to demonstrate effective towing techniques and Rich and JD convinced me that having professional masseuses on the Tour was vital. I think I goofed by letting them leave before they worked on my right shoulder. On Saturday, we saw the turtle drill teams and synchronized swimmers in action, and when boB and I went out Sunday afternoon, we were able to view a couple of beavers on their lodges and a mink swimming across in front of us. One thing we haven't quite figured out is how the turtles line up in size order. I remember an Air Force Drill Sergeant lining up my ROTC flight like that, maybe the biggest turtle went to Basic Training. As many of you noticed, Goat Island was out of the water, but the water lines on the cypress and other trees were impressive. The Goat Island camp group would have had to make sure their air mattresses were inflated and didn't leak. Next year, we are planning a return engagement if I can wheedle, cajole, bribe, and etc. the leaders, to once again venture forth into the great Caddo swamp. I was nominated by boB to Chair and organize the 2nd CAT and agreed if he would give me pointers. We are thinking about the same time of the year. I promise to fly in from somewhere and get in early. There will be a Poll which comes out later in the week to get some sort of count of interest in the 2nd CAT, but don't hesitate to send e-mail to the list or me personally with your approval or disapproval or suggestions. Also, you can suggest a better name than CAT but I am partial to cats (see right under my signature below). Last night, to welcome me back, we had tornados, hail, thunderstorms and torrential rain. Never a dull moment. Now if I can just work through the 206 e-mails that were waiting.......Sigh! A great experience which continues to convince me that my worst day kayaking beats my best day golfing. My clubs have been in the bag for over 2 years and may see a garage sale. I hope to meet the rest of you personally next year or in the fall at Galveston (oh, didn't I tell you we might organize a fall tour there?). Happy Paddling --Mel-- =^..^= Cell: (937) 232-6472 Pager: (888) 704-4169 <http://www.mellammers.net/> <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Foldableseayakers> mslammers_at_mellammers.net foldableseayakers_at_yahoogroups.com --Mel-- =^..^= Cell: (937) 232-6472 Pager: (888) 704-4169 http://www.mellammers.net http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Foldableseayakers foldableseayakers_at_yahoogroups.com mellammers_at_mellammers.net mslammers_at_earthlink.net [demime 0.92b removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which had a name of winmail.dat] *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). 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