Taking the Jackson Kayak Zen 3 out for a Spin by Hannah Ray | May 29, 2020 | Featured Post, JAdventures Main Banner, JK Team Posts, JK Team Posts, River Running, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines, ZenThis spring Marty and I headed up to the Peshtigo River in Wisconsin to try out our new Zen 3’s. I’m in the small and Marty is in the medium. It took us a couple laps down the river to get used to them. We adjusted the seat position and added some height to the seat...
2019 Year in Review by Hannah Ray | Jan 9, 2020 | Playboating, River Running, Whitewater2019 started off cold and snowy in Northeast Iowa. Low water levels persisted at our local play parks in January and February. A mid-February trip to the Saint in Missouri with our good friend Carl Neubauer kept us sane until water levels bumped up. Finally, in March...
What’s your Adventure Vehicle? by Hannah Ray | Dec 19, 2019 | Exploration Feature, Playboating, River Running, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, ZenWhat’s your Adventure Vehicle? Ask this question to any boater and you’ll get a plethora of answers and opinions. Our current adventure vehicle is a 2006 Chevy Express Van 2500 that we found at a local used car lot. The van works great for our needs....
How to Rock the shuttle – Motorcycle Style by Hannah Ray | Nov 12, 2019 | Trips, Whitewater Feature, ZenSo you want to go kayaking and you only want to take one vehicle. Your boating buddies are busy and the shuttle route is too far to walk. You’d rather not hitch-hike and prefer not to huff it on a bicycle. So how do you pull off a shuttle? With your motorcycle! Here’s...
Charles City Whitewater River Clean Up by Hannah Ray | Jul 28, 2019 | WhitewaterCharles City Whitewater Clean Up Prior to Charles City’s annual event, I hosted a river clean up with Charles City Whitewater, Charles City Chamber, and the Charles City Parks and Rec Department. Paddlers from near and far gathered for pre-vent whitewater fun and...
How to Keep Horseflies at Bay While Playboating by Hannah Ray | Jul 22, 2019 | Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesIf you’ve ever thought that a horse fly was out for vengeance, you may be right. They’ve been known to chase their victims if their first bite doesn’t get them the satisfying meal they were hoping for. A swat is not enough to deter these vicious flies either…Ahhh!!...
2018 – Growth, Learning, and Paddling Fun by Hannah Ray | Feb 9, 2019 | 2015 Zen, WhitewaterWhere to start…I learned a lot throughout 2018. Here’s a few that I continue to learn. • Started trying to figure out roundhouses, blunts, mcnasty, phonics and more. • Figuring out how to ride a unicycle is a fun but sometimes frustrating challenge. Its a...
How to Paddle 100+ Days in a Year by Hannah Ray | Dec 23, 2018 | WhitewaterHow to Paddle 100+ Days in a Year (When you work a 9-5 job, live 100 miles from the closest whitewater park with the best playspots, and you reside in Iowa) While Iowa is not known for its whitewater, it’s certainly possible to go whitewater paddling right here...
Rockstar 4.0 by Hannah Ray | Nov 22, 2018 | Playboating, Rockstar 4.0, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesI’ve paddled the new Rockstar 4.0 small about a dozen times so far. At my home whitewater park ranging from 1700-12000cfs and down the main channel of the Ottawa at about 2ft when I was up there earlier this fall. My initial thoughts, this boat fits me great and...
Revisiting an Old Friend by Hannah Ray | Oct 26, 2018 | Creeking, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesEvery fall, my good friend, Carl, and I share a birthday only one day apart. His is October 11th and mine is October 12th. So over the past few years, we have declared our shared bday’s as Birthday Boating Weekend! This fall, our birthdays fell on Thursday and...
Charles City Challenge 2018 by Hannah Ray | Jul 26, 2018 | Event Coverage, Events, Family Zone, Whitewater, Wrap UpsThe Charles City Challenge was another hit this year! The initial event date saw high water and officials postponed the event until the river subsided. Two weeks later, the river was down to a near perfect level for freestyle playboating, the sun was out, and...
Lake Kayak by Hannah Ray | Jan 20, 2018 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Video, WhitewaterCheck out the video link of our trip to Lake Michigan With low water at my home play park I devised a plan to take a surf lesson on Lake Michigan for the upcoming weekend. For good surf on the Great Lakes I understand it takes wind out of the correct direction to make...
