TenaCity to WindyCity DAY 5 August 20, 2017

TenaCity to WindyCity Runyak 

August 20, 2017

TenaCity 2 WindyCity DAY 5

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  It was a 11 mile paddle and run today. The plan for runyakers was to just go part way, 8.6 mi., keep mileage down because the Crim 10 race was in 6 days. THEN no runyakers showed up. With the shorter run I even moved the run start time from 8:00 to 8:30. I will not accomodate runyakers from now on. I will make plans for this runyaker only. 

Today's paddlers were Linda and Pete Gamage, Kate Ferris and her father Bob, Doug Barnes, Fred Smith, Jill Jenkins, Chris Marty, Dan Rice his business manager Ahmed Dabour, and myself. 

Dan Rice and Ahmed run a Route 66 store at the end of the route on the Santa Monica Pier. This was Ahmed's very first time kayaking. Before paddling we left Ahmed with the kayaks while position vehicles at the takeout point. When we returned Ahmed was all wet. He'd slipped and fell on the boat ramp covered with algae. Apparantly, he'd never encountered it before either, he asked, "What is that stuff that makes it slippery.

Pete Gamage, with much kayaking experience, while helping Ahmed into the kayak for the first time, also slipped and fell into the Saginaw River because of the algae. The slippery snot does not just pick on rookies. I almost took a spill myself. 

After Ahmed paddled around a bit he took off, thinking with a head start he wouldn't slow the rest of us down. 

Four bikeyakers today, Chris, Jill Fred Smith, and Dan  Rice. At the 11:00 am launch site we had 10 paddlers but only 9 paddles. Jill and Chris, who were had forgotten theirs. I had one extra but they still needed one more. Dan Rice said he had an extra but it was downriver at the debarking point. They got a ride there with Doug, but could not get the paddle. It was locked in a vehicle and they forgot to get the key, which was at the launch site. Their vehicle was nearby, they could have went to Dunhams and bought one, but the key to their vehicle was back at the launch site. Doug drove them back to the launch site where their bicycles were. They rode bikes to buy a paddle as Doug launched alone and tried to catch the rest of us who launched and was a half hour down the river.

 Jill and Chris amid bikeyaking fiasco

Pete Gamage

 " 

 Doug Barnes

 Dan Rice

 Kate Ferris and Father, Bob

 1st bridge, Center St

 We'd be going under 10 bridges today. The most of any day on the entire trip to Chicago. By the second bridge I and a few others had passed Ahmed and heard a commotion behind us. I turned to see Ahmed floating in the Saginaw River and the kayak capsized. All kayakers headed in his direction to help. We towed him and the kayak to the bank. 

It wasn't a good place to relaunch for a veteran kayaker let alone a rookie. With a few tries he was able to get back in and continue.  Ahmed is a Muslim, but we joked that with two baptisms today he was now a Christian. 

 Ahmed in the Saginaw River

  train trestle

 a decommisioned train trestle

 Carrolton MI

This boat 

 Aproaching Zilwaukee Bridge

 Saginaw Mountains

 Zilwaukee Bridge

 Lunch break

Where we stopped for snacks was where my van was, and where I began running. Since no other runyakers were with me I wanted to go the entire distance that the other seven paddlers were going. Dan Rice and Ahmad vehicle was here along with Fred Smith's. They were done for the day. 

 Finish in sight, Veterans Memorial Park on M13

 Cap'n and Linda Gamage

6 of 8 paddlers, Linda Kate, Pete, Doug, Bob, Riley

Missing are , Jill and Chris who will soon land and Fred Smith, Dan Rice, and Ahmed who finished where we ate lunch, 2 miles back.

Me on the Run

I had another 2 mile to run to get back to my van. 

When finished today 60.6 paddle miles had been completed since leaving Tenacity Brewing on July 20th. 48.4 miles have been run. Only runyakers that have completed the total of 109 miles are Jill Jenkins and myself. Only two others have completed the 60.6 paddle miles, Kate Ferris and Linda Gamage.