Lifetime Dream Trip

[tx river rat]

Ron and a River
For years this trip has been pulling at me . To cover the Brazos from here to the coast and recently
wanting to do the whole river all 857 miles .
I guess I am a little crazy so I am going for the brass ring. As ya’ll know I have been busy building boats for the last few months and shortly I will have my fleet ready. The three boats for this trip will be the Freedom 15, Great boat for lakes deeper water can run shallow and reasonably fast . The second boat will be the Hot air perow floats shallow as can be in 2 inches of water with over 400 lbs in her. This ones my hybrid design and will be used in sections that are extremely shallow. Third boat will be the Laker for places that are hard to put in and take out mainly some one nighters are day trips. The Laker and the Freedom are Matt’s designs at Jem Water craft boats. Both boats are excellent craft.
The last few months have been spent adding to my camping gear compacting as much as I can for this trip
Most of the equipment I had but I have added a small backpack cot ( hate sleeping on the ground) . I had a small 2 day trip where I tried out all my gear and was very pleased except for the pad I was sleeping on so I think the cot pretty well rounded out my gear
I live in a small town below Waco called Marlin , there is a place on the river known as the Falls , from that point it is estimated to be 357 miles to the gulf . That part of the trip will be done in one stage if all goes as planned starting in March of 2008 the close to five hundred miles above here will be done in stages starting in the next few days .
I will go ahead and post the short sections I have done locally in the last month and post with pics on the coming sections.
So Ya’ll stay tuned
Ron
PS Anyone that wants to join me for portions of the trip just email me
Chuck told me I was nutts

 

[john the pom]

Mate, ya might well be nutts, but there won't be a reader here that won't be as jealous as buggery that they ain't coming along with ya.
Safe journeys my friend and have as much fun as we would like to have.

 

[hairymick]

yeah Ron, all that John said.

Mate, I am as jealous as all get out. i would bloody LOVE to do that trip with you.

BTW, there is a lot to be said for living in a small town hey!

Mine has only about 300 souls, a bar and a gas station, come general store,come post office. :lol:

 

[cctyer]

Ron, your not crazy, your living your dream. Not many people can say that! All the best to you on your trip and have a safe journey. I will be watching for your posts.

Way to go Ron! 8)

 

[oldsparkey]

Actually when we were talking on the back channels I said he was as nutty as I am , which a person could take as being a mental case , way over the hill with no chance of ever getting there sanity back.

Especially since it sounded to me like one great trip , even if parts have to be done in sections , like a good seven course meal. Best to savor each item ( in this case ... area ) a piece at a time and at then end , eat the whole dang cake. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

I am pretty bad about going for dreams.
In 1999 I had just got a messy divorce was running five different business
living with phone in one ear and a radio in the other,trying to say a lot of stress here.
I started finding out living single just didn't take the bucks like keeping up with the Jones,I didn't like there lifestyle anyway :twisted: ,so I started putting money back for another dream trip for me.ALWAYS WANTED TO DRIVE TO ALASKA FROM TEXAS .
Similar to this trip I started planning ,bought a small pop up camper, well needless to say had a ball .
In 2002 I lost it had a stroke are something , no damage to speak of except my stamina was gone and the heat and fumes of my steel shop was more than I could take on a regular basis so I closed my businesses and went to work pulling new rv's. Bought a one ton truck put an 8 ft cabover on it . We delivered a trailer then camped coming back, I have been in all 48 states and I don't think there is a national park I haven't been thru. In 2 1/2 years I put 300,000 miles on that diesel ( Chuck I found out I love the west , the north east is pretty but there is no place like Texas for this redneck.
So I guess I am lucky to have done some of things I have and this is just the next dream

Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

We delivered a trailer then camped coming back, I have been in all 48 states and I don't think there is a national park I haven't been thru. In 2 1/2 years I put 300,000 miles on that diesel ( Chuck I found out I love the west , the north east is pretty but there is no place like Texas for this redneck.
So I guess I am lucky to have done some of things I have and this is just the next dream

Ron

When I had to be at the office in the morning and leave in the evening ( I forget what they call that , some 4 lettered word) with the seniority I had I got a ton of vacation time.

My habit was to take out for a 30 day vacation and it meant driving out west , someplace , most of the time it was just following the front tires and seeing where I ended up and then circling home by some different direction. No particular place to be , no particular time to be there , just bumming around and camping and enjoying life.
You would not believe the fun you can have in a Dodge Dakota with a fiberglass topper on it , a Coleman stove and a good tent.

I always had a bunch of two weeks or one week vacations for paddling and camping over here on the east side but my treat to me was that 30 days every year out west.
I did use the vacation time and when I retired I still had over 6 months of time on the books with almost a years sick time. When the heart problems started I was off for three months after the operation and rehabilitation.

I have to tell you this , before the doc would let me go back to work , he recommended that I spend a couple of weeks fishing ( I guess he thought it was a good form of being outside and moving around) to make sure everything was OK , Man we need more doctors like that.

3 months after I was back at the office it was 2 weeks off with 12 of those days paddling , fishing and camping in the Everglades.

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

I picked up a book today called Goodbye to a River bye John Graves .
In the 1950s he floated part of the route in a canoe I am going to paddle
this was the time of the big dam building push and I want to compare some of that section of the river to modern times might be interesting
50 years later.
Ron

 

[jdupre']

Rat, you go do that trip. I heard a guy talking about a question to ask yourself when a decision like this comes up. It's called the Rocking Chair Test. When you're in your later years sitting in a rocking chair on your front porch, thinking about something that you wanted to do and didn't, will you say " Dang, I sure wish I woulda done that when I had the chance."?

You only get one go around in this life. I guarantee you'll look back on this trip with fond memories and no regrets.

Go for it!

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

You're right, Joey. No one ever sat in that rocking chair, or laid in that last bed and said, "Well, I sure wish I'd worked more days and nights when I had the chance."

And, if you read any of Patrick McManus, Mr. Rancid Crabtree never did work at all. Just hunted and fished, and then rested up from hunting and fishing.

BTW, if you haven't read all of Patrick McManus' books, SHAME ON YOU! And, you still have a royal treat in store for you.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

That will be a great trip even for those of us who have to live it through your accounts and photos. I'm jealous. Enjoy the trip and please don't Sparkinate (or Jerry) your boat. There is a difference. Sparkey rolls his. I just do a straight dive, no roll. Ask Jack for details. He won't embellish the truth. :roll:

 

[Kayak Jack]

Gerry's right. Every once in a while, at mostly random spots (some had low hanging branches towards which he frantically paddled, others were straight and level) we would hear a strange sound.

AH-OOOOO-gah ...... AH-OOOOO-gah ...... AH-OOOOO-gah

Next thing we knew, Gerry was standing arse deep in the water next to his flooded boat. Fellow paddlers are gathering downstream to sweep up floating debris.

He's often heard mumbling something about mines - limpet or otherwise, aerial attack with 500 pounders with a zero delay fuse, and vast amounts of methane surging up through the water. Once, he even saw Nessie swimming away from his scuttled craft. sigh

 

[tx river rat]

I am trying to lay out this trip for the readers on here. Is there anything you would like in the report, gps readings of put in take outs and special interest locations
I know pics
photo of camp locations every night
You tell me
I am trying to get a map so I can mark gps coordinates and sort of show miles covered and location.
Fill me in here guys
oh and promise all the pics of naked women I take lol
Ron 8) :twisted:

 

[bearridge]

oh and promise all the pics of naked women I take

Saved me frum askin'. 8)

 

[catfish]

Hey Ron sounds like your one of those guys that has seen alot of the U.S. I wish I could say the same. Good luck on your trip , I,m sure anyone would give anything to do that. I know I would. Will be wathing for post & pics.

 

[bearridge]

Friend Ron,

Ya plan ta start below Possum Kingdom Dam? Seen this site? http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/brazos.html

the curius
bearridge

Woodrow Call: Things sure have changed since the last time I was here. It's all growed up.
Gus McCrae: Of course it's growed up, Woodrow. We killed all the Indians and bandits so the bankers could move in.
Woodrow Call: Only a fool would want the Indians back.
Gus McCrae: Has it ever occurred to you, Woodrow; that all the work we done was for the bankers? Hell, we killed off everybody made this country interestin'!

 

[tx river rat]

Bear
I will start above Possum Kingdom dam with the short 1 2 or three day trips and from Waco down will be one run starting in march.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Today I finished my boats for this trip one for very shallow water, one for deep and fast waters and the Laker for places that are hard to launch and take out
Whee its time to start paddling.
Ron

 

[bearridge]

Friend Ron,

When does yer dream trip begin....what stretch...how many nites on the riverbank 'er sandbars....which boat? Anybody else joined up? How ya plan ta handle shuttle? Sorry, but it haz been a while since I paddled 'n camped. I got kinda carried off. :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge

Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet.  Robin Williams

 

[tx river rat]

Bear
Depending on weather and river height I will start In the next few weeks.
I originally planned to do from Waco down to the coast in one run and that was all and that trip will start in March
I got to thinking( I know first mistake) that I would do the upper river above me in stages depending on put in take out points this winter one two and three day trips.
Shuttling will be by several methods mainly by my better half and a soninlaw
I have several folks including my son in law that will do trips with me and one yet to be disclosed fellow of this board on the last leg in march.
I am not really sure of how long and how many night but the short trips will give me a better ideal on miles that I can cover and still really enjoy the trip
THIS IS NOT A RACE
:lol:
Ron