We still have not made a final choice between the two sections of the upper Duck River, so to relieve some of the burden of this decision we'll just tell you what the pros and cons are. 

The first section would be putting in at Cortner Mill and paddling ten miles to Highway 41A.   Cortner Mill is an interesting place that looked like this when it was built in the 1870s.

We used to put in upstream of the mill dam and catch the escapees from the TWRA trout hatchery but nobody wants to portage the Dutch Ovens and the muffalettas so we'll launch below.   Cortner Mill is a bed and breakfast  now but it still looks pretty much the same:

Click on the map to see what Option 1 would look like (paddling right to left on your screen):

As you can see, our George Dickel rendezvous is just up the holler.   Just up Cascade Holler in fact. 

Another good thing about this section is we would float right past one of the RRCC's sacred spots:   the site of the Blessing of the Beer on the Sabbath Day.

The problem with Option 1, though, is that it has precious few gravel bars, and the gravel bars it does have are in all the wrong places.  So Option 2 is the next section:  putting in at Highway 41A and taking out at Shelbyville:

On the map it looks shorter the Option 1 but they are really the same distance - both almost exactly 10 miles.  It also looks like it's close to Shelbyville, which is true, but you really don't notice it much from the river.  And if we're going to do the Duck full monty then we'll have to do it eventually anyway.  Of course, you could say that about Option 1 as well.   We might just toss a coin in the Dickel parking lot on Saturday.  Do not assume we are joking about that.

If the river is running high, Option 3 is to paddle around Dickel Lake for three days:

Food:

Here is a summary of the most recent summit conference held by the kitchen folks:

• Jim has proposed lamb for the rotissierie  "And not that silly English lamb with mint jelly (sorry, Ian) but Greek lamb, with rosemary, lemon and garlic"
• There is some talk about bringing a live lamb and letting Pete Feldman sacrifice it on the lid of the Chuck Box.   I don't think the cooks joke about stuff like that either. 
• Rob is bringing the greens, bread and a dump cobbler, Dutch Ovens permitting.
• Phil is in charge of "something starchy".  
• Jim is also cooking tom kha kai soup one of the nights, probably the same night the lamb gets whacked
• Pete's bringing the muffalettas

That's all we've got right now.  The RRCC is leaving on Spring Break so check back April Fool's Day.  Also, be aware of the following upcoming events:

April 2 is Ian's election day.  You can follow the returns here:  http://www.columbiatribune.com/  or here  http://www.komu.com/home/ or go to his web site:  http://www.ianfor4th.com/

May 26, Bob is playing the Dragon Music Sunday series at the Dragon Park.   So far he has not invited any of the Gravel Bar Band to sit in but we will strap on our instruments and stand in front of the stage in our rubber boots just in case.





P.S.   Good job with the comments on that last post guys.  Keep it up.

~

Under One Month

Some updates:

We're doing one of two sections but both of them are 10 miles long so either way it will be a leisurely trip. Yes, we have said that before but if the gravel bars cooperate, it will break down something like 3-5-2 over parts of three days.

Rob says he's getting a rotisserie jones again, so we'll need all the daylight we can get from the short paddles and Daylight Savings to watch it turn.

Also, we're going to need some volunteers. As mentioned earlier, I'll be coming from Atlanta and meeting the rest of you in the George Dickel parking lot at noon on Saturday, April 13.  So someone else needs to pull the trailer from Nashville. Also, Ian will need a place to stay in Nashville on Friday night. Warning: there are inherent risks associated with both these jobs.

Trying Too Hard

Let's go to the mailbag.  

Phil sent this one in:    http://gawker.com/5980261/artisanal-manliness-for-fun-and-profit

How about putting those tweekers on Big Swan Creek in the rain and see how they do? 

The King of Columbia

One of the reasons we picked the weekend of the 13th - 15th is because Ian is running for City Council in Columbia, MO and that is the weekend between the election and (hopefully) his swearing-in ceremony.   Then he goes straight to England for a few weeks.   Here's his campaign web site:

http://ianfor4th.com/

Pete and Ian were the first ones to commit and will be coming from different directions again just like last spring.  It's strarting to feel like it would be wrong if we don't find them waiting at our put-in every year.

Flying Muffalettas

Pete F. Feldman is not only in, he immediatley volunteered to bring muffalettas for the Sunday lunch on the river.  Almost makes you want to bike to New Orleans just to be on that flight with him.

"Please use caution when opening overhead bins as items may have shifted during flight." 

Rites of Spring

Saturday, April 13 - Monday, April 15.

Note the Saturday to Monday schedule.  We'll be doing the Upper Duck River, one of two 10-mile sections between Normandy Dam and Shelbyville (haven't decided yet).

Several people will be coming from the airport and I'll be coming from Atlanta, so we'll meet in the parking lot of the George Dickel Distillery at noon on Saturday the 13th.  

Lots to talk about and not a lot of time to cover it.