All posts by : tgcanoe

What should we do on a beautiful, 75 degree, January day? After checking the river gauges, we headed West as the Blanco River had good water, YES! We loaded up our Jackson Coosa and Coosa HD for this trip. The Blanco River, at the Fischer Store Road bridge, was running 178 CFS when we jumped on. It was a good flow, allowing us to run all the many riffles, Class I, and Class II rapids without getting out. We did portage 2 low water crossings but ran the others. The side creeks were running, the fish were swimming, birds were everywhere, and the river was all ours. Alex and I paddled a little over 10 miles from FSR bridge to the 7A Ranch low water crossing. The trip took a little over 3 hours (we tend to keep our paddles wet). It was gorgeous and wonderful! Because we could not park at 7A Ranch, it was booked and parking was not available, Evelyn volunteered to run shuttle. Next time we all go! FYI – this is not a novice run and not really an option under 150 CFS as the rapids and flutes become boney.

What do we do on a beautiful December day? Paddle the Upper Guadalupe River from Guadalupe River State Park to just above Hwy 281, about 9 miles. The river was flowing at a near-perfect 375 CFS (Spring Branch gauge). Evelyn, Alex, and Duane hooked up with Rob Koger to paddle the river that runs past his back yard. The weather was good, the water was crystal clear, fish were abundant, and the wonderful Texas sky was constantly changing. We saw deer, nutria, turtles, Great Blue Herons, a Green Kingfisher, an Osprey, Warblers, a kettle of hawks riding the air currents, and Black Vultures everywhere. Fine weather, with great company, and the opportunity to experience this magnificent part of creation once again, made for a terrific Tuesday!