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Greetings from Colorado
I arrived in Colorado on Wednesday, June 9, after
driving 1,900 miles from New York. I loved viewing the mountain ranges
as I neared Colorado Springs. I drove over a mountain pass at 11,300
feet, no wonder I felt a bit ill when I got out of the truck to take
pictures.
I will be competing in two kayaking events in Colorado, the first will
be the Yampa River festival in Steam Boat Springs on June 12. The
second event is at the FIBArk River festival, held in
Salida on the following weekend.
I have had time to practice at both locations, and they are a lot of
fun. It is great to see old friends and meet new people, but it is the
experience driving and being in the mountains which is making this trip
very special for me.
The photo was taken at my friend's home, near Pueblo, Colorado.
Cheers,
Deb
June 15,
2004
Yampa River Festival
I competed at the Yampa River Festival
in Steamboat Springs. The event was alot of fun, but it is good to enjoy
some quiet days days in the mountains. I'm in Rocky Mountain National
Park right now. Yesterday, I took a horseback trail ride with steak
dinner through the Park, and today I went on a 11 mile hike into a
mountain lake also in the park. I've seen moose, elk, deer and some
other critters I'm not sure what they were.
I'm headed down towards the southern part of Colorado to Salida, where
there will be a huge kayaking/town festival next weekend. FIBARK
is "First in Boating on the Arkansas River". The entire town puts on
this festival, and kayaking
is one aspect of the fun. I plan to enjoy a few days on the Arkansas
River on my way towards Salida.
June 17,
2004
Salida, Colorado
Salida, Colorado is a
cool little town that throws a huge festival. Carnival rides for the
kids, races and events for adults and two great
play holes for the kayakers. Preliminaries are on Friday afternoon, but
there are many sections of the Arkansas River to enjoy when you don't
want to play in town.
July 1,
2004
Colorado Update
I've returned safely
from my Colorado trip with an additional 4,800 miles on my truck, many
new friends and a great experience.
I spent the second half of the trip in Salida, Colorado enjoying the
Arkansas River. There was an excellent play feature in Buena Vista,
about 45 minutes north, but also nearby the Numbers section of the
Arkansas river. I enjoyed running the Numbers section, a classic
class IV section of river. In Salida, I had a lot of fun learning the
feature where the freestyle competition would be held.
I practiced my moves in my new boat, the Fluid Flirt, which I started
paddling this spring. There were many Fluid kayaks at the event due to
Bryon Dorr, the North American representative for the company, making
the drive out west to promote these kayaks.
Although I paddled well in prelims, I placed 13th out of a field of 16,
so I did not move on to finals. This allowed me extra time to enjoy
kayaking two additional sections on the Arkansas River. I paddled my
squirt boat on Brown's Canyon, a very popular section of river
which was 30 minutes north of Salida.
On my last day in Colorado, I paddled my squirt boat down the Royal
Gorge section, also on the Arkansas River. This is a magnificent
section of river which cuts through a gorge with 1,000 ft vertical
walls. The views were incredible and the rapids quite challenging,
particularly in the squirt boat. My friends kept a good eye on me, and
we all had a great day on the river.
My trip to Colorado was special for me, not only did I enjoy my time on
the water, but I saw many old friends and met new friends as well. I
spent some time hiking and horseback riding in Rocky Mountain
National Park, and found some beautiful places to camp and enjoy the
unique qualities of Colorado.
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