Springtime on the Niangua River

Saturday we paddled a 7-mile stretch of the Niangua River, near Bennett Spring State Park. Friday night we camped at Hidden Valley Outfitters, and Saturday morning we dropped off a car 6 miles up the road at Ho Humm Canoe Rental and Campground, where we planned to take out of the river.  With comfortable water levels due to spring weather, there wasn't too much risk of Honeybee scraping the rocks that create riffles in various places on the river. We would definitely camp again at HVO, and we would happily return to kayak or tube this stretch of river.

Saturday's trip went really well.  Simply making short trips is building our experience and helping us improve our skills. On the water, we're getting better at handling our boat and reading the river. Off the water, we are becoming more efficient with things like tying down our boat, packing our dry bags, and deciding what gear we'll need.

Springtime on the Niangua was beautiful - leafless trees let us see our distant surroundings, while blossoming spring flowers of redbuds, dogwoods, and bluebells caught our attention. We spotted lots of turtles basking, some heron, and a magnificent bald eagle!

Stay tuned to our blog for some very exciting news this upcoming weekend, the first weekend in May!

Honeybee's first trip on Danielle's car.

Campsite - Hidden Valley Outfitters

Niangua River 

Campfire, Cookies and Cribbage!

Rise and Shine!

River Selfie

Wildflowers  

Wild Sweet William and Virginia Bluebells. 

Bald Eagle 

Danielle and Jeffrey

Windy Day on the James River

On Saturday we paddled a few miles on the James River. We put in at Crighton Access, east of Springfield, and took out downstream at Lake Springfield - that's about 4 miles of paddling.

Distance was not the focus of today's practice - it was learning. Winter and early spring is a good time to learn off the water (from blogs, workshops and experienced paddlers), but it's time to put that information to practice on the water.  Some things we need to learn just by doing! We learned a lot this weekend because of all the headwind. We had to paddle the entire 4 miles against the wind; at one point the wind pushed us sideways and attempted to push us over. We were able to work on our turning skills - which can take time with a 17.5 foot boat!

With each trip (even short ones like this weekend) comes an opportunity to learn and practice all the skills we'll need during the MR340, like:  how our boat handles on the water, working as a team, paddling technique, using our gear, identifying gear we need, etc.

Here are a few pics of our trip!

Paddling!

What do you eat when paddling? PBJ - it's got everthing you need.

Danielle

A snag in our plans!  We had to portage around some fallen trees.

Strainer Danger!

Re-routing - and navigating with a rope.

Carefully pulling Honeybee to navigable water.

After the sun disappeared, things got windy and the water got choppy.

Waiting in the cold with Honeybee while Danielle swaps our cars after paddling.

Honeybee

This past weekend our new canoe took her maiden voyage. We decided to test the waters of Lake Springfield. Although the MR340 takes place on a river, getting started on a lake allows us some flexibility as we learned about our boat and each other. We really just wanted a chance to get to know our new boat.

Saturday morning was rainy and a bit chilly, but we were determined to get on the water so we came prepared with raingear. Our friends, Ashley and Dave, braved the elements to join us on their kayaks. They were invaluable with their feedback regarding the balance between the stern and the bow, stroking techniques, and general advice on communication. ;-)

Saturday taught us a lot about our strengths, weaknesses, and the challenges we face in preparing for the MR340. There's a lot more we could share about our first official paddle as the Paddle of the Sexes, but we're going to keep things positive in this post. Let's just say our friends had a chance to observe some frustrating paddling, yelling, and occasional fits of defeated laughter. Not all was bad, however, and we had a great day paddling with friends. Saturday was a success.

Also, we have a reason to celebrate - we named our boat!

Since finding our canoe in early March we have been tossing around lots of ideas for names. There were some front runners, but nothing that excited us. In one late night conversation Jeffrey finally said, "let's just get her on the water and let her speak to us." He was right!

We christened her with a bottle of Andre. According to a quick Google search, a christening is "a fun way to welcome your boat to the world, celebrate with friends, and ensure safe passages for a lifetime of adventures on the water." After her christening, we set sail on Lake Springfield. Within ten minutes, she spoke to us and told us her name: Honeybee. This name fits her beauty, personality, and grace.

Check out our Facebook page for the video of our christening (https://www.facebook.com/MR340Paddle/), and here are a few pictures from our adventure this weekend!

Jeffrey, Danielle, & Honeybee!

Ashley, Dave, Danielle, & Jeffrey. Thank you Ashley and Dave for your patience, feedback, and positive attitude!

Securing Honeybee to Jeffrey's vehicle. 

We survived! 3 miles, give or take... approximately 1% of the miles we will travel for the MR340!