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Other Stuff => Biking and other Non-Skiing Activities => Topic started by: jim-ratliff on June 08, 2010, 07:14:24 pm


Title: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 08, 2010, 07:14:24 pm
I will wait for Lynn to provide the color commentary, but here are some pictures from our recent rafting trip.? I've wanted to do a trip in a non-guided boat for some time, just needed to find a willing and able partner.? We did get a briefing before each set of rapids from the trip leader.? Eventually we began to be able to control the boat.? What a LOT of fun.? (btw, I couldn't figure out how to insert comments between the embedded pictures, so multiple posts to get the sequence.

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Now he said "down the chute, then get across the river to the big rock", RIGHT??


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Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 08, 2010, 07:15:35 pm

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And now, across the river.  Boy, this paddling crosswise to the water is a bit tough.



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Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 08, 2010, 07:16:59 pm
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Whoops, we're too close to the rock.
Time to throw it in reverse.? Guess we're going through backwards.
(Actually, if you look just above and behind my helmet you'll see a nasty hydraulic - the goal was getting across the river above that hole rather than getting sucked into the hole. A larger raft might have been able to drop in and power through, but challenging for smaller craft like ours.)



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Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 08, 2010, 07:18:08 pm

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Waddaya think.  Let's tell them we decided to go through backwards on purpose.????   >:D



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Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 09, 2010, 09:09:46 am
In addition to general sight seeing, we took a short MTB ride on the Great Alleghany Passage (150 miles from Cumberland MD to Pittsburgh) and also went to? visit Falling Water.? I had taken the tour about 20 years ago, surprised how differently I see it now.

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Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: midwif on June 09, 2010, 10:25:44 am
My color commentary.......

FUN,FUN,FUN!!!

Especially the part where you fell out of the shredder(raft) and I saved your life. ;)

Okay, I am proud I could haul you back into the shredder by myself.
Lots of adrenalin going on then

Loved the diversity of going to see an architectural gem and the outdoor activities.
More biking in that area in the future.
Maybe even a mountain bike trip(with better quality bikes than we rented).
Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: Philpug on June 09, 2010, 09:35:00 pm
We did the "Yak" once... it was a 2 hour trip. Yes the river was running THAT fast, the normal 6 hour trip took just two hours.
Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: LivingProof on June 10, 2010, 06:08:59 am
Great pics and thanks for posting. It brought back my memories of the Yak trip, done in a major pouring rain. Glad your day was much better. I went for an unintended swim in two of the rapids. I like the 2 person raft you choose as you become much more involved in the outcome. I bet your heart rates were up approaching the first few rapids.? ;D

Fallingwater is just a great place. Frank Lloyd Wright did some amazing design. I think it would be a lot more meaningful to visit now as my appreciation of his work has matured.

Now that you rented MB's, do you think the wide tires on a rode bike concept would have worked out?

Nice weekend trip! I presume you two can stick a pin in the map someplace between DC and NYC and meet in the middle.
Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 10, 2010, 07:41:37 am
Quote from: Living Proof
Now that you rented MB's, do you think the wide tires on a rode bike concept would have worked out?
Actually could easily have ridden the trail on road bikes with no tire change and it would have been a lot less effort.? The trail isn't 'paved' but is very well packed dirt and small gravel.? B&B hosts say people ride it on road bikes all the time. We rented the MTB's because it rained that morning and we decided that we would rather get someone else's bike filthy gritty/dirty instead of ours.? After the ride, Lynn asked me to wash the stripe off her back with a hose, and then proceeded to turn heads of everyone for 2 blocks as she reacted to the cold water.? I think some people were expecting to see street sex.? ;D

Quote from: Living Proof
Fallingwater is just a great place. Frank Lloyd Wright did some amazing design. I think it would be a lot more meaningful to visit now as my appreciation of his work has matured.
That was my experience with Falling Waters this time around, more appreciative and meaningful and aware of the subtleties.

No pins, we like it better if we can meet at one end or the other and then drive together.? Lynn had the week off, so she came down here and we did a 24 mile loop on Saturday from Georgetown, up the Potomac, across to Bethesda and Rock Creek Park and then back down past the zoo to Georgetown, then drove west to Ohiopyle that afternoon with some small town stops along the way.? I have rafted a bit over the years, and Lynn really enjoyed the New River Gorge (WVa) last year in some really big water so this seemed like a fun destination and she hadn't been to Falling Water..

The two person raft was challenging, but very fun.? With a guide, you go where they steer and often don't even know why they are choosing a certain path.? Here we had to not only get the boat to go where we wanted, which was a challenge with such a light boat in current and breeze and with unequal weight on each side, but also look at the river and realize where there was water and when a ripple in the water meant a "barely submerged rock to avoid".? We got very good at rocking ourselves off of rocks.? In fact, my inspection of the underside of the boat was caused by brief bump with a submerged rock, lost my balance and under I went.? I have done the upper Yock with a guide and its a fast-opaced and technically challenging trip, but this was a lot more fun (in a different way) than that.

Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: jim-ratliff on June 10, 2010, 07:49:35 am
We did the "Yak" once... it was a 2 hour trip. Yes the river was running THAT fast, the normal 6 hour trip took just two hours.

Were there any rapids left, or did that much water cover everything up?

Our trip was about 5 hours, could have been quicker if Lynn and I were better at handling the "shredder".
We did the New River Gorge last year with the water at 13'.? I don't know what that means other than the state won't let the companies raft once it gets over 14' (above mean water level, I think).? There were BIG standing waves and stuff, but the technical challenge of the class 5 rapids were all covered up, it was a completely different trip than normal.
Title: Re: Ohiopyle PA trip report
Post by: Ron on June 10, 2010, 09:12:33 am
What a great trip! Great pics!!!!