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!!...
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...
Year in Review by Hannah Ray | Jan 14, 2018 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, Reviews, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW Disciplines2017 was another great year! • I paddled my home spot, Charles City Whitewater, as much as I could (40 times to be exact). Photo: Charles City Whitewater. PC: Marty Colbert • I started trying to figure out Blunts and McNastys, along ways to go here yet, but I’m...
Destination Peshtigo by Hannah Ray | Jun 10, 2017 | Creeking, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesDestination Peshtigo video link: Beautiful scenery, easy river access, and fun filled tea-stained class II-III whitewater (class III-IV at higher levels) for approximately 5 miles makes the Roaring Rapids section of the Peshtigo River a gem tucked into the Northwoods...
Local Water…Mostly by Hannah Ray | Jan 14, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesThis year has been a season of wringing every last drop of fun out of my local whitewater paddling spots with a few trips squeezed in as well. I’ve met yet again the nicest, most fun people from all over who love kayaking and adventures just as much as I do. Thanks to...