Bardstown Boaters

New Local Creek?

spalding@bardstownboaters.com — 2008-07-02T14:01:37-04:00

Jennifer Hurst, while driving through Boston, KY was sent on a detour around a traffic accident. She reported that the creek that followed the road she was on looked like it may abe a pretty good whitewater run if it had water in it. So put Cedar Creek on your list of local creeks to check into the next time it rains.

Click here for a map of Cedar Creek. It passes under Bennets Lane near Boston, Ky.

You can add this to the list of Bardstown’s most promising oppertunities for whitewater creeking, which includes Rowan Creek. No first decents have been made just yet. But it has got to rain again.

Ocoee Viking Trip

spalding@bardstownboaters.com — 2008-06-21T16:03:00-04:00

Spalding Hurst and Josh Carpenter paddled the Ocoee this weekend, along with 20+ Viking Canoe Club members. Runs were made on the Upper and Middle sections on both days.

Whitewater Spells Green for Glenwood

spalding@bardstownboaters.com — 2008-06-17T14:30:21-04:00

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Footage of the Glenwood Springs White Park can now be seen on youtube.com, which might answer any questions concerning the popularity of the town’s newest attraction.

“It’s taken off a little quicker than we had expected it would,” said Brian Wright, co-owner of Glenwood Canyon Kayak.

Wright and his business partner, Chris Vogt, are surprised at how quickly interest in the whitewater park has spread, not only throughout Colorado but also nationally and worldwide.

“It’s crazy, the attention it’s been receiving,” Wright said. “It’s turned out better than we even dreamed.”

Wright, who is on the Glenwood Springs Whitewater Park Committee, also designed and maintains the park’s website.

Over the first few months the park, built on the Colorado River in West Glenwood, has been open for business, the website has received hits from 35 states and 20 foreign countries, including Europe and South America.

“My wish is that everyone in Glenwood is as proud of this as we are because it’s something to be proud of,” Vogt said. “[Glenwood] is now in the national, if not the world, spotlight for our industry and our sport. There are not a lot of places that are, and even fewer places that have exploded into the spotlight like we have.”

That type of interest could mean a sizable economic impact on a town that already is a summer tourist destination.

Kate Collins, the vice president of tourism marketing for the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, said she is excited about the potential of the town’s newest attraction.

“Between the whitewater park and the completion of the Rio Grande Trial, we can hardly contain ourselves,” Collins said. “The economic impact for tourism and the focus of a new and defined segment of the kayaking community is very exciting.”

The Glenwood Whitewater Park Committee was recently awarded its bid to host the U.S. Kayak Freestyle Team Trial, to be held in the summer of 2009. The U.S. trials are often held in Canada on the Ottawa River that makes up part of the border between Quebec and Ontario provinces. The event will likely generate national and world recognition for Glenwood, as well as generate added tourism income with an influx of hundreds to thousands of people.

“It’s a little hard to appreciate if you’re not a boater, but it’s a pretty big honor,” Wright said.

Hosting the trials could eventually lead to other events in Glenwood, such as the World Kayak Championships, say the kayak shop’s owners.

“There is speculation of possibly being able to hold the championships here,” Vogt said.

It’s those type of events that carry huge economic impacts for them.

“We are excited about anything that brings new and incremental business to the town,” Collins said. “It’s different when we are looking at what is already peak season.”

Collins said the chamber looks for opportunities to build tourism during the months of June, July and August. But Wright and Vogt agree that the park will generate interest for much of the rest of the year, as well.

“No one has done a whitewater park on a river like this before,” Vogt said. “We’ve got a viable park that is usable from March through October.”

Additionally, both Wright and Vogt are talking about aiding in organizing a local annual event that would be more like the Teva Games in Vail or the FIBArk Mountain Festival in Salida, Colo.

“The park makes this town a recreation hub,” Wright said. “It’s tax dollars well spent.”

The park has cost approximately $900,000 to build so far, and might gain additional parking, shower and restroom facilities, and viewing areas on either side of the river, Wright said.

Colorado Trip

spalding@bardstownboaters.com — 2008-06-12T08:21:18-04:00

By: Zack Wimpsett

Four friends and I went to Colorado for 12 days of kayaking, hiking, and skiing. We left for Colorado Springs on May 9th and came home on the 20th.

We arrived in Colorado Springs on the 10th after an 18hr drive. Our first day in Colorado we hiked 7miles on Barr trail at Pike's peak up to 11,000 ft elevation and camped, it was a brutal hike. We originally thought we would try for the peak, but after the car ride and the hike, I think the summit would have been near impossible. Day 2 was spent hiking off the Mountain and checking out the Garden of the God's.

We headed from Colorado Springs to Buena Vista. In Buena Vista I kayaked

the white water park on the Arkansas; we also ran a short class II-III section on the Arkansas. The run and the Whitewater Park were awesome, but I broke my paddle which was not so awsome. Our second day in Buena Vista the group was suppose to go rafting on the class IV-V Pine creek to the numbers section of the Arkansas while I kayaked, but the temp dropped and we were hit with 10 inches of snow. So instead we spent the day exploring the big town of Buena Vista and hit up the local pub and the hot springs, the kayak shop there is awesome; you can demo just about any boat on the market for $15.

We left Buena Vista and headed for Vail were we stayed for 3 nights in my buddy’s girlfriend’s condo, pretty sweet deal. I was able to kayak some on the creek right outside our door in Vail. The play wave that the Teva mountain games is held on was right beside our balcony, the water level was low but still fun. We had originally only planed on skiing for one day while we were out there, but since we had all the snow we decided to take advantage of it and skied for 3 days. Skiing out there is awesome; I think I have to put it right up there with kayaking on my list of favorite things to do now.

One of the guys on the trip had to leave early due to work so we took him to Denver to catch his flight as our last stop. We didn’t do anything outdoors in Denver, but we

did catch a Rockies game and go out, Denver is a pretty cool city.

All in all the trip was a blast, and I look forward to going back sometime in the near future. A mid summer trip out in late June mid July during the peak snow runoff would be awesome for kayaking there is tons of runs all over the place

Song of the Moment : Kitchenware & Candybars

spalding@bardstownboaters.com — 2008-06-18T14:32:22-04:00


download it

Here is a great song from back in the day. Not one of the hits from STP’s Purple album, but a favorite around here. And hey, listen to the lyrics. It’s a river song.

Is STP getting back together? Is Scott Weiland still alive? These guys used to be good.

If you would like to help us pick the next song of the moment just leave your choice in the comments section below.