Note: Click on any photo to enlarge.
Four Saturday Paddlers turned out on a beautiful day to participate in a cleanup organized by the Friends of Guadalupe River State Park. While various Boy Scouts scoured the river banks within the park, we launched our boats at Bergman Crossing (Edge Falls Road) and paddled down to the park, picking up trash along the way. Because of the early start, the day began a little chilly, but soon warmed up as the clouds parted and the sun burst through.
The timing of our trip proved to be fortuitous. Friday's rain sent a bubble of water down the river that coincided with our paddle. The Comfort gauge upstream of us rose briefly to 90 cfs several hours before our launch, while the Spring Branch gauge (downstream) climbed to nearly 40 cfs shortly after we reached the park. No, we weren't riding the crest of a wave down the river, but neither did we ever have to get out and drag our craft through shallow sections. For that we were thankful.
The timing of our trip proved to be fortuitous. Friday's rain sent a bubble of water down the river that coincided with our paddle. The Comfort gauge upstream of us rose briefly to 90 cfs several hours before our launch, while the Spring Branch gauge (downstream) climbed to nearly 40 cfs shortly after we reached the park. No, we weren't riding the crest of a wave down the river, but neither did we ever have to get out and drag our craft through shallow sections. For that we were thankful.
Nancy, Susan, and Joline appear to be conducting their own orchestras. I had to explain to them that the grabbing tools were not batons.
As the temperature rose, we pulled over to adjust our clothing. Nancy readies to launch after removing a layer.
Susan found an USPS container, and used it to carry trash picked up by her. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...
A 12-foot section of 8" PVC pipe made for a nice bowsprit on my canoe. Its weight was almost counterbalanced by the whitewall tire loaded into the rear of the boat.
Once we reached the park, we were treated to a great lunch by Venture Crew 285 from Coker Methodist Church in San Antonio, who had picked up trash in the park. The menu included elk and deer sausage, tortillas, baked beans, and chips. For some reason, we were hungry. Pictured above with Nancy and Joline are Dave and Ray, two of the troop leaders.
The pipe was a little taller than me.
Note: For all 15 photos of this outing, click here for my Flickr page, then click on "slideshow."
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