Bardstown Visuals
After the heavy rains of last week, here are a couple of visuals of the Beech Fork and Rowan Creek in Bardstown, KY.
Above is the Beech Fork
at about 6500cfs. You are looking at the rubble dam which is completely
washed out at this level.
Below are pictures of the large drop on Rowan Creek.
This stream feeds into the Beech Fork near the rubble
dam. These falls are about 3 miles upstream of the
confluence with the Beech Fork. Rowan Creek almost
had enough water in it to be runnable this day.
Rowan Creek
There is a second drop of
about 3 feet, downstream of the falls. That spot may
be a good park and play feature. It may have been
good at this level or with just a little more water.
Just needed a little more warmth as well.
Rowan Creek
Fore a look of the Rockcastle River at high water check out these pictures by Josh Carpenter. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21842231@N05
Applications Being Acceptd for Recreational Trails Program Grant
Land and Water Conservation Fund grant applications available Dec. 15
Applications are available online at www.gold.ky.gov. For additional program information, please contact Jodie McDonald by phone at 800-346-5606, ext. 222, or by email at jodie.mcdonald@ky.gov.
The deadline to submit a Recreational Trails application is February 1, 2008. The deadline to submit a Land and Water Conservation Fund application is March 1, 2008.
The Recreational Trails Program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration and may be used to acquire land for recreational trails and to develop and renovate trails for both motorized and non-motorized use. Recreational Trails funding is administered by GOLD.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides grant funds to protect important natural areas, to acquire land for outdoor recreation and to develop or renovate public outdoor recreation facilities such as campgrounds, picnic areas, sports and playfields, swimming facilities, boating facilities, fishing facilities, trails, natural area and passive parks. The LWCF is funded by the National Park Service and administered by GOLD.
Rockcastle River
Josh Carpenter and Spalding Hurst were at the Rockcastle this past weekend. The Rockcastle was running at 250cfs, still plenty of flow for the Narrows. They had only wished they could have taken another lap through them. The Rockcastle is sweet, but short.
Ben Ballard was also in the area, running the Rockcastle with another group. Ben reported that he is looking forward to taking his new kayak to some roll sessions.
New Kayak Joins the Club
Jay Thomas has just picked up a new creek boat for himself. A Bliss-Stick Huka. He picked this up from a guy in Atlanta this morning.
Perhaps this boat will make it's first trip on the Elkhorn this weekend. If the water level comes up, the Bardstown Boaters plan to be on the creek Saturday around 11 a.m. It all depends on wether the creek rises to 400cfs or higher.
Watch this gauge to follow the creek's water level.
And check in here if you would like to join the club on the water.
Kentucky Adventure Tourism Video
Rowan Creek Park and Play
Spalding Hurst recently hiked to Rowan Creek from the My Old Kentucky Home State Park and has this report on the falls of Rowan Creek.
I did not take any pictures but attached is a picture from a few years ago when John Mathews, Jay Thomas and myself hiked the creek. The play spot would be on the lower drop, about a 4 foot drop. There is pretty good access from Pottershop road at this point, so hiking in like I did is not mandatory.
The next time we get some heavy rains and I can get to Bardstown I plan to really check this spot out.
Dam Rehabilitation & Repair Act
ASCE's 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure gave dams a grade of D, and the Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that $10 billion is needed over the next 10 years to make repairs to the nation's most critical dams. Key Contacts are encouraged to contact your Representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the legislation.
The bill text is available at http://thomas.loc.gov
Russell Fork Bachelor Party
Johnny Mathews led a group in the raft. Tommie Hurst,
David Etheridge, Ryan Hamilton & Toby Thompson
topped off that crew.
Zach Nelson & John Thomas both paddled duckies as well. John was in some wily, crazy, little duck that wanted to stern squirt and flip all over the place, but he kept it control most of the time. Zach is now a inflatable kayak zen master.
Spalding Hurst and Josh Carpenter kayaked as probes, finding lines and setting up camera for the rest of the crew while Jay Thomas and Ben Ballard led the group in their creek boats.
Michael Greenwell, Jeremy Martin & Patrick Jefferies joined up for the festivies back at camp that night.
The weather could not have been any better for this weekend. The bigger release on the Pound and the sunshine made for a perfect day of whitewater at a Kentucky whitewater jewel. The Bardstown Boaters can't wait for the next member to get hitched so they can celebrate again!
Did you hear that Zach?
More Pictures
Elkhorn Creek
Spokane, WA Whitewater Park Video
Here is a video from a proposed whitewater park in Spokane, WA. It does good job of illustrating the benefits of bringing such a park to communities.
Friends of the Falls is a non-profit organization working to protect and improve access to the historic Spokane Falls and river gorge. Primary activities include leading implementation of projects identified in the community-based Strategic Master Plan developed for the area.
Russell Fork with the Vikings
800cfs
Spalding Hurst was back at the Russell Fork on Saturday with the Viking Canoe Club for a another run on the upper section. There were about 20 people in the group. It was colder in the morning but it did warm up to high 60's by the afternoon.
It was a another great run down a Kentucky/Virginia classic. The Bardstown Boaters will be heading back to the Russell Fork in 2 weeks for the last release weekend and the Russell Fork Rendezvous. Be sure to join them for that one.
Pictures of the Trip • Video from the Trip
Russell Fork
Spalding Hurst, Jay Thomas and Ben Ballard drove to Elkhorn City, Kentucky on Saturday to run the first release of the season on the Russell Fork River. The group put on at the Flanagan Dam on the Pound River, then connected up with the Russell Fork running the upper class II-III section. Some of the highlights of the run are 20 Stiches and Bartlick Bridge.
The group put on the river at 12:30pm, the run took about 3 1/2 hours. The group headed for home after the run and did not stay for the Sunday release.
Posted here are some pictures from the trip.
• Google Pictures • Russell Fork Info
Bourbon City Challenge - Final Report
The Bourbon City Challenge 2007 was a success for the small team which brought the event to fruition, sponsors of the event, adventure racers, vendors and the community in which it was held.
The two-day event Sept. 8-9 drew in a total of about 70 competitors from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana and even South Carolina to Bardstown. Each team or racer also brought along support staff doubling the number of those truly involved in the race. About 20 volunteers assisted with the event on race day and, with spectators, a total crowd of about 300 came out for the event Sept. 8 and 9.
A couple hundred dollars was raised for the Bardstown Boaters via the event, but more importantly, the Bourbon City Challenge shone a bright light on the group’s effort to rebuild the Beech Fork rubble dam into a safely navigable whitewater feature within the Bardstown city limits. Alongside Bardstown Boaters, the Bourbon City Challenge drew attention to Bardstown’s city center with its quaint and touristy feel, the Bardstown-Nelson County Airport and its newly available T-hangar facilities, Sympson Lake and the opportunities available for the lakeside property and Bardstown pertaining to outdoor and adventure recreation.
Not only was the event a success, but there were also a number of positives the event spurred on such as some simple improvements to the lakeside; a television show; further improvement to the trails along the lakeside property; inspiration to a conglomerate of non-profit groups to do even more outdoor projects within Nelson County; and numerous other positive spin-offs. You will hear more of these ideas in the near future as non-profits geared toward outdoor recreation team together and make central Kentucky, the Kentuckiana region and the entire southeast region of the United States a great place for outdoor recreation and adventure.
The Bourbon City Challenge 2007 was a success in its on rite and future developments spurred on by the congregation of groups, individuals, businesses and environmental activists which gathered at the Bourbon City Challenge is exciting. The Bourbon City Challenge is only the beginning.
Proposed Beech Fork River Park
BRIAN WALKER The Kentucky Standard
A May 2006 proposal to create a park near the Bardstown city dam that could draw in boaters from several states hasn’t happened yet, but the project isn’t dead in the water. Although no official action has been taken by city government, its engineers and the council are receptive to researching the mutual benefits retro-fitting the dam on Beech Fork River and nearby area could have for boaters and the water supply.
Bardstown City Engineer Larry Hamilton said at Tuesday’s Council meeting work on a proposal with the Army Corps of Engineers along with input from a group of designers and a professor from the University of Louisville show the project is still viable. Originally the Bardstown Boaters brought the idea to light at a tourism meeting as a way to improve the dam and create a “place to play” at the same time. Spalding Hurst, a member of the boating group, said he and others must travel great distances to do some aspects of their sport. The proposed site, if made a reality, would become a destination for boaters of all types, he said.
Hamilton said the original price tag to get the engineering work completed on the dam project was $10,000. Previous commitments from the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist and Convention Commission and the Bardstown Boaters to each pick up a third of the tab left the city with roughly a $3,300 bill to fund the project. Hamilton told the council Tuesday the work with U of L will be less costly than a Colorado-based firm suggested early on in the discussion of the proposal. He said about $6,000 is all that will be used to fund the engineering and design plans.
“The boaters have raised even more money than they said they were going to,” Bardstown Mayor Dick Heaton said. “They have been very committed to this whole thing. We still have a promise from tourism for a third of the cost too.”
Hamilton explained to the Council the low levels at Sympson Lake this summer due to a lack of rainfall has given the water department ample opportunity to investigate methods to improve pumping activities and increase the volume of water sent to the nearby treatment plant.
He said an intake screen has become partially obstructed with several tons of silt over the years. Hamilton suggested to the Council securing an engineer and contractor to create a concrete retaining wall tall enough around the intake area of the pumps to keep it free of debris. With more electrical capacity at the location through improvements in recent years, he said both intake pumps could work at once to give the city the ability to draw about 8.5 million gallons of water a day.
Currently one pump can bring in about three million and the other roughly six million gallons. With the partial blockage of the intake, neither is really functioning at full capacity, Hamilton said.
Tourist Board Promotes WW Park
The Bardstown-Nelson County tourist board talked of ideas and promotions for the area including the Bardstown Whitewater Park on Tuesday September the 18th. Here is what the Kentucky Standard reported in the September 19th edition of the paper.
Proposed efforts to create a whitewater park for canoe and kayak enthusiasts near the Bardstown city dam. Although now new action has been taken by city government on the matter, the Bardstown Boaters group is still promoting the idea. Tourism chair Nicky Rapier said city officials have been receptive to the proposition as there is already a need to do some work on the spillway area.
Learn more about the Bardstown Whitewater Park
Josh Reports On Gauley Fest
WOW, Gauley Fest was awsome! I think we need to have a club outing for the Fest! Thousands of other boaters, which makes a great environment for a get together. Me and Ben and Cave Larry from Vikings got together Fri. were lead down the Lower Gauley by Todd Garland and Brian Sandman. Todd was a great guide and made our first trip a very successful one. The water is big fast, the first rapid is Koontz Flume and when you get to the bottom and see what you just ran it really gets the adrenaline going especially since this was a step up for me. Ben did amazing on the Lower, for having paddled nothing harder than the CBF he did awsome and hit some good combat rolls. He did have one swim and that was at Pure Screaming Hell the last class IV on the section but other than that he was impressive.
Saturday we just relaxed, I hiked into Pillow Rock on the upper and that was as much fun as running the lower, saw lots of carnage and took some pics. The festival was lots of fun, great deals on gear and boats, kayak videos projected all over the fest and lots of good company and music.( Lots of cool Free stuff too) So I've already marked it on my calendar to go next year, you guys should to, definitely worth the trip.
Adventure Tourism Plan For Eastern KY
More than $523,000 in grant money will be available to increase adventure tourism opportunities in eastern Kentucky.
The funding was announced in conjunction with results of a study showing that increased spending on adventure tourism in eastern Kentucky could bring in more than 130,000 new visitors a year, create more than 1,500 new jobs and have an estimated annual economic impact of nearly $100 million.
Download the study here: EKYAdventureTourismPlan.pdf
Community meetings have been set to discuss study and grants.
Topics will include a general overview of the study, implementation planning and grant information. For more information visit: http://www.kentuckytourism.com/krta
Russell Fork Trip
A group of us from the club will be going to the Russell Fork in Elkhorn City, KY on October 12th - 14th. The Russell Fork releases every Saturday and Sunday in October. It runs through the Breaks Interstate Park and consists of a variety of different runs ranging from class II-III to the huge class V whitewater of the Russell Fork Gorge. We'll be running the Pound Section and Upper Russell Fork. Some may also be interested in the Lower Russell Fork.
This is a trip for anyone. There is plenty of great whitewater, great hiking, great views and most likely beautiful fall weather.
• Discuss in the Forum
Bourbon City Challenge Show Online Now
See the show right now at www.kyrace.com
The Bulleit Bourbon City Challenge Adventure Race will also be televised. You can catch it on Saturday September 15th at 8pm on The CW Louisville. Click here to find the channel for your viewing area.
Lonely Goat Productions produced the show and inside of it airs a story about the Bardstown Boaters and our goal to bring a whitewater park to Bardstown.
Vietnam: The Bardstown Group
Adventure Race Results
Here the results for the Bulleit Bourbon City Challenge Adventure Race held on Sunday in Bardstown, KY. The Bardstown Boaters had 3 teams competing in the race. Our best finish was 4th place in the team division.
The race will be televised on The CW Louisville this Saturday at 8pm, check your local listings.
TEAM DIVISION
First Place:
Matt Hoyes, Jack Kindersparker, Mark Curtsinger
(Bloomfield Middle School)
Second Place:
Jeff Johnson and Dennis Adkins (Fort Knox)
Third Place:
Thad Sears, Brad Hicks, Matt Mitchell, Brandon
Sturgeon (UPS)
Fourth Place:
Spalding Hurst, Justin Janes (Bardstown Boaters)
INDIVIDUAL MALE DIVISION
First Place:
Ty Clements (Bethlehem Graduate)
Second Place:
Aaron Benson (Goose Creek Cycle, Louisville)
Third Place:
Rich Hardin (Boston, KY)
INDIVIDUAL FEMALE DIVISION
First Place:
Kimber Hampton (Boston Elementary
Teacher)
Gauley Festival 2007
AW Gauley River Festival ~ September 21st - 23rd, 2007 ~ Summersville, WV
Welcome to Gauley Fest, the paddling world’s biggest party! Started in 1983 to celebrate the derailment of a hydro-electric project that would have disrupted whitewater flows on the Gauley, Gauley Fest has grown to become the largest river festival in the world, posting attendance numbers of over 5,000 people in 2002.
The event focuses on bringing people to the area to enjoy a weekend of outdoor activities while showcasing whitewater paddlesports and raising funds and membership for American Whitewater. The festival is a three-day event, with the main activities taking place on Saturday night. Expect the festival site to be bustling throughout the weekend with food, vendors, and activities for paddlesport and non-paddlesport enthusiasts of all ages.
The festival will feature live entertainment, a whitewater marketplace, beer, and a silent auction where you can pick up some awesome outdoor gear. The Gauley River Festival is a critical fundraiser for American Whitewater and is our largest fundraising event.
All proceeds from the festival support American Whitewater’s conservation and access work throughout the Southeast. Come out and join us for a weekend of great paddling, exciting competitions, live entertainment, and the infamous silent auction.
More Info • Discuss in the Forum
'Cowboy' Still Enjoys 'Deliverance' Fame
by Adam Behsudi
Asheville Citizen-Times
CANTON — Life is a bit quieter these days for Herbert “Cowboy” Coward, once the Hollywood villain who terrorized hapless Atlanta businessmen in the big-screen thriller “Deliverance.”
Most Saturdays, the man known for his chilling role in the 1972 movie can be found autographing pictures at a roadside flea market in Canton.
“It sort of gives you something to do on the weekend,” said Coward, a soft-spoken Haywood County native who now spends time taking his ailing wife to Asheville for doctor’s appointments or playing with Sam Starsky, an orphaned squirrel he rescued 11 years ago.
The 69-year-old’s latest foray into show business came with this year’s release of “Ghost Town: The Movie,” based on the drama played out by gunfighters at the Maggie Valley theme park.
The movie is playing at the Eagle Nest Theater in Maggie Valley.
In “Deliverance,” he’s the mountain man who stood by as actor Bill McKinney delivered the infamous “Squeal like a pig” line.
In 2005, Maxim Magazine named Coward and McKinney as the all-time top movie villains.
Coward began working at the theme park during its heyday in the 1960s.
It was during his gunfighting days that he worked for two months with a young Burt Reynolds, who later invited him to portray one of the evil hillbillies in “Deliverance.”
Life returned to normal for Coward. He retired from BASF after 28 years at the Enka plant. He said he had no intention of becoming a career actor.
It was Dean Teaster, the son of his fellow Ghost Town actor Robert Doyle Teaster, who tracked Coward down for the current Ghost Town movie. Dean Teaster wrote and produced the film.
“Cowboy … man, he can portray a pretty rough character,” Teaster said.
Coward has an autographing corner he set up among the dishes and other knick-knacks he and his wife try to sell.
“That’s the only pleasure I get … talking to people,” he said.
A Whitewater Park Proposed for Nantahala
Charlotte Observer, April 2007, by JACK HORAN
Whitewater paddling in Western North Carolina would get a boost from a proposed run-of-the-river "whitewater park" on the Nantahala River with newly fashioned waves and rapids.
The nearly half-mile-long park would be built by Nantahala Outdoor Center and would be open to the public at no cost for playboating, training and competition. The project would rearrange a dangerous rapid filled with jagged rocks so it could be run safely.
President Sutton Bacon last week stressed the "whitewater park" wouldn't be of the same scale or purpose as the $35-million, U.S. National Whitewater Center just west of Charlotte, which opened last year.
The Charlotte park is the world's largest artificial re-circulating course with three-quarters of a mile of Class III-IV rapids that includes an Olympic-standard slalom-racing course. Rafters, canoeists and kayakers pay to paddle.
The Nantahala concept follows that of nearly 100 whitewater parks on rivers in the West and could cost about $5 million. NOC will seek economic development money. "We're at the beginning," said Bacon, who is also president of American Whitewater, a national advocacy group.
Two weeks ago, two area legislators asked the legislature to provide $50,000 for an environmental assessment "of the construction of a white-water paddle sports training and activity center."
Bacon said employee-owned NOC, which takes 130,000 customers annually in rafts down the Nantahala, has put in $25,000. The project would need an OK from the U.S. Forest Service, which regulates use of the river and which, along with NOC, owns land bordering the section.
Nantahala District ranger Mike Wilkins said the agency would require an environmental assessment that could lead to a special-use permit. "This project kind of fits what people do in the area," he said.
The dam-release river is the most popular whitewater river in the Southeast. At present, rafters and private boaters paddle a 7.5-mile stretch, finishing just below Nantahala Falls at the NOC complex.
Bob Hathcock, an NOC staffer who's managing the project, said new whitewater features for canoes and kayaks would begin just above NOC's footbridge with a designed wave. Boulders notched into place or held by grout would form the rapids.
Just below the footbridge would be a double-drop rapid with a wave, then a side channel with splash pools for wading and, in the river channel, a 4-5-foot-high wave for whitewater rodeos. In rodeos, kayakers perform cartwheels and spins, getting scored on their skills.
Farther downstream lies Wesser Falls, a Class IV rapid with jagged rocks left from a dynamiting decades ago. Hathcock said NOC would smooth out the cascade by removing the hazardous rocks and create a series of Class III, drop-and-pool rapids.
New footpaths would link the end of Wesser Falls to a new footbridge at Nantahala Falls so paddlers, carrying their kayaks, could make the run again.
Bardstown Boaters Win Honorable Mention
Congratulations! You and your organization have won Honorable Mention in the National River Cleanup Week photo contest and will receive one pfd from Old Town Canoe, and a rod holder from Thule. Thank you for participating in National River Cleanup Week and submitting your photos to the contest. With your help American Rivers will now be able to display some of the great success the Cleanup has had around the country!
We support the outstanding job you've done keeping your river healthy, and providing people in your community the opportunity to educate themselves about the consequences oflitter and illegal dumping. We look forward to seeing you next year.
Have a great summer! American Rivers
Hiawassee/Ocoee Trip Report
• Pictures
We made our annual club trip this year to the
Hiawasse and the Ocoee. Everyone loved it. And why
wouldn't we. Warm weather, refeshing mountain
whitewater and a great representation of the club.
Most folks drove down on Friday to setup camp at
River Rats. The Mathews group came down on Thursday
night and ran the Ocoee on Friday. On Saturday we all
went to the Hiawassee to get warmed up. Driving there
Jay preceeded to make a sharp right into a field at
the 1.3 mile mark of 314.
The run was pretty mellow as to be expected. Some nice ledges kept it interesting enough though. The heat tried to wear us down, but we pressed on to the Ocoee afterwards.
Michael guided the raft hitting every line with accuracy and precision... I mean every rock with accuracy and precision. Jay and Toby ran the 2 man duck and hit every hole with accuracy and precision
You know what followed, sitting around the campfire talking about the action of the day, looking over the pictures from the trip, bragging about how hard we eaqch paddled then hitting the sleeping bag hard. Then on Sunday rolling out of town, thinking about the next trip.
LVM - Louisville Premiere
This Thursday in Louisville check out the premiere of the newest LVM DVD. The Viking Canoe Club are hosting the showing at the Nachbar. Visit the forum at the Viking Canoe Club for more information.
A big thanks to DJ Biddle and James Gunnoe for their help in making this possible. LVM #23 has not been released yet to the general public. In addition, we will be showing another great film following this LVM Premiere. This is short notice so please help us get the word out. See you there, Chris
Club Trip: Ocoee/Hiawassee This Weekend
When: August 10-12
Where: Benton, TN
Rivers: Ocoee & Hiwassee
Forum: Link
The Bardstown Boaters are making their club outting this year to Tennessee, the Ocoee and Hiawassee rivers.
The trip will be on August 10th-12th.
We will will be doing some class II canoeing & kayaking on the Hiawassee river. This is an excellent river for family outtings, canoeing, rafting and beginning whitewater instruction. We'll also be taking the club whitewater raft down the class III+ Ocoee river. Michael Mathews will guide us down. Some of us will be kayaking the Ocoee as well.
Camping will probably be at the River Rats whitewater outfitters and campground.
If you want to get out one time this year, this is the trip to go on. It promises to be a very fun weekend. Let us know if you will be attending by checking in on the forum.














