Stuff I learned at Ain't Louie Fest:

[Crunchy]

1) Canadians know NOTHING about NASCAR.
Try telling them the Bristol race is going on and they stare back with unknowing eyes.
2) People do not laugh at you when you swim. Even when you swim a lot.
3) There are two Dinner Bell Restaurants. One is very close. The other isn't. The one you will be eating in is the far one.
4) OC1 Kanubi's boat is scary when it comes at you.
5) Chris Kelly's story of the "blow log" is worth the price of admission.
I missed a good portion of it on Clear Creek, but what I heard is absolute gold.
6) Do not lose your key. The replacement cost is pretty high is Tennessee.
7) Eli Herbert and the other open boaters I watched run Baby Falls are awesome.
I just wish I could do it.
When someone asks,"How long have you open boated?"
If you say,"Three weeks." They will stare at you.
9) Having two roommates make coffee will spoil you.
10) I don't not belong on the Tellico. Even the lower Tellico.
Thanks Richard and Gaby for putting up with me
11) People do not know what "Crunchy" means.
Crunchy: not smooth;
Prone to hit things (e.g. other boaters)
11) I can't wait for next year.
Crunchy

[cmnypny]

1. Canadian boaters out numbered US boaters.

2. "y'all" actually refers when your are talking to only one person.

"all 'y'all" is when you are talking to more than one person.

Dan. was corrected on this and told us about it.

3. The words Louiefest and organized are mutually exclusive.

4. Southern hospitality is fantastic.

5. I met lots of new friends (even Crunchy).

6. Stay somewhere closer to or in Lenoir City.

7. Roads in the Smokey Mountains are really narrow and scary when your sitting on the side of the vehicle that looks over the edge of the cliff.

8. I need a shorter boat to go creeking in. I hope I win the boat draw!

9. Louie does exist ... I actually saw him in person.

10. You can buy a disposable Net 10 cell phone at Walmart for just over 32 bucks including taxes which gives you 300 minutes of calling anywhere in the continental USA for 10 cents a minute or 15 cents to Canada. See http://www.net10.com. More cost effective than spending $1.75 per minute using a Canadian cell phone.

11. What is NASCAR?

12. I am getting better at running class 4 stuff backwards.

13. I had lots of fun and will be back next year.

[dan.]

What I learned:

1. Just because you bought an airline ticket and mooched a ride for your boat from a freind doesn't mean your not gonna drive to TN

2. Just because you drove 16 hours to get to TN doesn't mean you are close to a river

3. I will never complain about the drive to the Ottawa from TO again

4. In America your SUPPOSED to hit rocks with your canoe

5. In America, the government can turn off a river

6. In America some people think Bush is a good president

7. In America your not allowed to buy Sudafed because you might boil it down and make Crystal Meth out of it

8. Never let an engineer examine your boat. He WILL find a structural flaw

9. Colin snores like a diesal starting in cold weather.

10. Make sure to book the WHOLE week off work.


WAAAY too much fun.

[keez]

ALF was a blast.
Crunchy; didn't see you hit too many rocks on Clear Creek, and you boat pretty good, so why the handle?
As for Baby Falls, it's pretty easy really. Just paddle your boat to the right spot and let gravity do the rest of the work.
NASCAR - what's so interesting about a race with 1,000 left turns?
Looking forward to next year.
Geoff

[oopsiflipped]

NASCAR - what's so interesting about a race with 1,000 left turns?
Looking forward to next year.
Geoff

Questioning the greatness of NASCAR, you mightn't want thinkabout cming back to the USA, specially the South!

I can't remember which old paddlin vid it is in, but there is a classic bit talking about how if Richard Petty had got in a 'yak there would be no 1st d's left.

[Mr.DeadLegs]

Dan

If the USA is such a bichfest for you, stay in canadia. Glad you had fun, but that was the only line on your post that wasn't a slam on us and our country. Seems like a lot of people rolled out the welcome mat and organized some fun trips. You seem to take that for granted and piss all over us. So if the flight is too long, an hour or so between rivers is too long, you don't like our government, or the people- Stay Home.


Trey

[jottsee]

As a Canadian I can tell you that complaining is just what Canadians do. If ALF was in Canada they would find something to complain about still. They are brought up that way. They complain about the goverment, the snow, the cold, the taxes, the health care system, the roads, the cost of gas, everything. I think it is how they show affection or something.

It was good to see some maple leaves around though,

Looking forward to next year,
jc

[dan.]

Wow. sorry, I guess tone doesn't really come across well in text. I had a great time, and the point of the post was too show how irrelevent all that other stuff is, because we all came together for a common purpose.

Making a big deal out of really small differences is kind of a sport for Canadians, sort of like arguing with your family. Y'all love each other but fighting is more fun than being the Brady Bunch.

We have a saying (well at least I do): Only your freind will tell you when your fly is down.

I guess I touched a nerve. Sincere apologies. My post was not meant to be inflammatory.

[dan.]

As a Canadian I can tell you that complaining is just what Canadians do. If ALF was in Canada they would find something to complain about still. They are brought up that way. They complain about the goverment, the snow, the cold, the taxes, the health care system, the roads, the cost of gas, everything. I think it is how they show affection or something.

It was good to see some maple leaves around though,

Looking forward to next year,
jc

exactly.


Anyway, I think you are missing some context.

Having a limited amount of time off work, I thought I would maxamize on river time by flying. Colin (a Canadian) was kind enough to drive down my boat. I booked out of Buffalo to TN, for months in advance. On the day it came to fly, there was a HUGE snowstorm and ALL flights out of the Northeast were cancelled. So, after a 10 hour day at work, I drove all night in a snowstorm to TN. I lost 2 paddling days for the drive there and back. On the way down I got a cold and stopped at a pharmacy for some decongestant so I could paddle. The pharmacist asked for ID and gave me a hard time about being Canadian. Totaly flabergasted and confused, the pharmacist explained that I might make meth out of it. I guess I looked a little strage after the 10 hour work day +14 hours of driving. The point of this rambling story was it was all worth it, and next year I should just suck it up and book off the whole week anyway.

The part about Bush was a slam. sorry but 77% of Americans agree with me on that.

[craig]

1. Just because we speak english,(and some french) doesn't mean we understand each other all the time
2.Your good days will be more than your bad ones
3.I will learn new tricks every year
4.Smoky Mtn and Cumberland Plateau paddling is absolutely awesome
5. My to do list doesnt get any shorter
6.You will make new friends every trip
7.Southern hospitality is great
8. Louie is a great host
9.The organization (or lack of) adds to the adventure
10.You will want to come back!!!!

[Mr.DeadLegs]

Enough said. Sorry you caught a cold, sniffling, sneezing, and snotty sucks for paddling.

As far as Bush goes. I didn't vote for him or the other retards that ran against him, but he is our retard. Kind of like I can call my dog stupid but I don't like it when others do.

Trey

ps. The Chattooga looks like it may have a good year, come down when it is truly warm next time.

[detonator]

6) Do not lose your key. The replacement cost is pretty high is Tennessee

i really like this one!

thanks for everything Louie... see you next year

[Gail R]

Hiya Crunchy..... I admit to being at least one of the "dumb Canadians" who didn't know what Bristol was......
for the record though...hubby sure did and i got stink eye when he couldn't change plans 'cause of my commitments.....
next year.

things i learned?
1. the smokies are as much fun to hike in as paddle and that is saying something
2. a wild boar can tear the large steaming pile of dog doo out of a lawn in a hurry
3. southern yakers are some of the nicest people....thanks for hauling a canoe up a bank for us and the drives when we set shuttle a little too agressively....nice people cudos!!!!
4. Lamas, several churches and emus can be effective landmarks for driving
5. biscuits are an artform.
6. absolutely nothing beats sharing a week with boaters
7. Tennessee absolutely rocks...well...I think i learn that one every year....looking forward to next years lessons
8. my kids know all the cuss words that American's bleep out of songs

[keez]

As Trey said:

As far as Bush goes. I didn't vote for him or the other retards that ran against him, but he is our retard. Kind of like I can call my dog stupid but I don't like it when others do.

[/quote]

However we Canadians voted in Jean Cretien for 16 YEARS!! Nuff said.

[Gail R]

6. Stay somewhere closer to or in Lenoir City.

That's probably not bad advice....... no matter where you stay you'll be doing some driving. This year there was lots of stuff paddled on the Plateau...Lenoir definately had advantages over the Smokies. Easier to hook up with the groups not paddling with the main offering.
I'm going to leave my booking till the last minute next year and if the water is up for the Little, middle prong pigeon, Tremont and Abram's creek I'll porbably stick with Townsend/Wear valley....otherwise find me a hot tub and I'm happy

hey Collin....I nominate you as Canadian chef d'equipe!