Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

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fisher of people
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Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by fisher of people »

Well, the 2010 River Retreat is in the books. I had been planning on floating the Brazos around Glen Rose, but flows there were way above safe levels. The Colorado was on the high side (around 4000 CFS) but definitely quite safe. I did a leisurely 3 day float from Bastrop to Smithville, a distance of around 26 miles. Rising Phoenix Adventures provided shuttle service, and I can highly recommend them. I think this would have been a much nicer trip at lower flows, not only was the river high and muddy, but it carried me along at a faster clip than I might have preferred. Made the trip with my 75 pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I don't necessarily recommend canoeing with a large dog, but he's great company.
looking ahead.JPG

Campsites on this stretch of river were not quite as nice as ones I've used between Webberville and Bastrop, but definitely not too bad. Here's where I stayed the first night:
first night's campsite.JPG
Nice place to hang out with Floyd and just watch the river slip by.
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end of the day.JPG
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fisher of people
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

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Day 2 paddle was short, in fact they all were. I covered 10 miles without even paddling in about 4 hours. This stretch of river is, to my surprise, more populated than the stretch above. There were more homes along the river, and more powerboats out buzzing around. Most, but not all, were very courteous. Saw some nice red bluffs early on day 2:
red bluffs.JPG
The island I camped on the second night was smaller than the first, but clearer and nicer. But no shade, and it was pretty warm!
second night's campsite.JPG
Spent time just sitting and reading. By then Floyd was pretty tuckered out by all the excitement and swimming:
tuckered out dog.JPG
Storms came through that night, but they fizzled before they hit, which was a relief. On Saturday I had another short paddle, reached the takeout in Smithville around 1. I'm embarrassed to say I did no fishing at all. The water was high and fast enough that it didn't look very promising, and my dog was pretty squirrely, and I was worried about him taking us on an unscheduled swim. Definitely passed some promising looking areas, especially for catfish. All in all, a beautiful stretch of river. I prefer the section above, but it's probably not fair to compare them, since the water conditions were so different. I should mention that DNR and eweberdc provided me with very helpful info as I was planning. Sorry, no food pics--I am strictly a freeze-dried dinner kind of cook! Also, a brief gear review--I took a new SPOT personal messenger with me. It worked great, and for anyone who regularly takes solo trips, I can highly recommend it. Sent a message to my wife every evening letting her know I was okay, and even showed her my exact location on google maps. Hope I never have to use it in an emergency, but it gives my wife some real peace of mind just to know I have it with me.
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eweberdc
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by eweberdc »

Glad the trip went well, and I'm glad everyone (man and beast) returned home safely. I can definitely say that this paddle is much nicer when the river is down and the water is clear.
Dogpaddlin
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by Dogpaddlin »

Nothing warms my heart like a day on the river with mans best friend. My chocolate lab and I spent a week camping in Las Vegas, New Mexico a couple of years ago, on of the best trips I have taken. I can't tell you how many hours we spent playing fetch. The park rangers had never seen an animal so OBSESSED with a tennis ball (or any thing else for that matter).

Great Report!
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bowgarguide
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by bowgarguide »

Dogpaddling we must have litter mates, I was working in the shop one day and had a 36 inch pipe wrench ,the steel one, slide it across the concrete floor to get it out of my way ,Magoo picked it up and brought it back to me carrying it in his mouth . Dadburn wrench must have weighed thirty five pounds.
Ron
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Hirsch
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by Hirsch »

Looks like a fine trip. I know you really enjoy that canoe. :D

It is time for us to spread out a little into new territory as soon as the river is down a little.
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On the Guad
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by On the Guad »

I will be available for a trip real soon Paul
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DNR
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Re: Colorado River Retreat 4/22-24

Post by DNR »

A man, his dog and a river.
I'm sure Floyd had as much fun as any human could.
Great report.
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