C-Forum

Ok here it is, my first poll.

The thing that usually concerns me the most about the environmental impact of WW paddling is the shuttle and travelling to and fro the river. How do you do so? And would there be a more sensible solution?

Btw. please take this serious, no chatting or other derailings from the topic, ok!? Its ok to post the name of your vehicle(s), color(s), numberplate and driving license status. And maybe quote bumper stickers (none of the "k" insulting kind, please, this is a family forum!).

Enjoy,

Jan

generally we meet at the takeout, and having a pickup with racks, a lot of stuff goes in my truck.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2409 ... 6337dyZlbM
Environmentally, i no longer chase dam releases; and am starting to prefer canoe poling and park and play sessions as I don't need to shuttle. Poling is an "up and back" deal.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2516 ... 6337zeXKDQ
I also utilize a bicycle shuttle from time to time; local run has a bike path, and the all-round exercise is enjoyable.

We carpool:



(There is a c-1 in the bed, too)


But do a lot of no shuttle paddling, too - paddle up, float back. Our local run has our best rapids and playspots (@ normal levels) accessible from one spot, maybe 2 miles of river.

I just put a new engine (0.1L larger) and closer ratio transmission in my 20-year-old Honda Civic, so now I can easily make it through the mountains.

Seriously, I drive a 1990 Honda Civic (5-speed) with 300K miles. I have a Yakima rack with 6 feet of bars on top - plenty of room for boats. The car is certainly not a looker, inside or out, so it makes a great river car - you can stand on the hood to tie boats on, and you can sit on the seats with your wet gear. The car typically gets around 28mpg with boats on top, and from an environmental impact - it was manufactured 20 years ago - that HAS to mean something for not impacting the environment. I still pass my emissions test every year, so it's not a mosquito fogger. It looks funny with that huge rack on it, and it will knock your brains out if you aren't careful getting out of the car, but it works great.

I only paddle rivers that run in circles, therefor eliminating the need to run shuttle.

I've got a jeep wrangler now. It either needs a roof rack or to be traded for some kind of VW diesel. 18 mpg just doesn't cut it for a trip to ALF!

oh todd, i hate guys with racks like those. the weekend always starts with me saying 'i really gotta pay attention to those rakcs or i'm gonna knock the snot out of myself.' at some point i stop paying attention and whack! i'm with you on the old car with good mileage. i'm over 270K and finally replaced that frozen brake caliper and am back on the road. didn't check, this weekend, but usually 26+ mpg with boats. had to borrow my father inlaw's pcikup this week to get over to the smoky's and it took about as much gas as 3 trips in the camry usually do.

The driving is the dark side of our sport. To counterbalance it, my wife and I carpool to put-ins and commute around the city by bike and foot during the week. Nearly all the miles on our car are from weekend driving. Still, it's serious miles. We drive about 13,000 miles a year. Our car is a manual transmission 2005 Forester that gets around 25 mpg (highway) with three solo canoes on top.

Used to have a Forrester, but sold that to my brother in favor of a Toyota Tacoma with a capped bed. All the (clean) gear goes in the back with my mattress, so I now can comfortably sleep in my car. Take that, hotel establishment!

Ooops - I have gotten really good about saying "watch your head" to folks when they are getting out of my car. I haven't hit my head in a few months - watch, now I'm going to bash my skull next time I go boating.

Milkman - 13K/yr is about what I put on my car now. Way down from the 50K/yr I was putting on it when I was in college. I lived far from school, work, and my then-girlfriend (now wife) - my cars paid for it! I am on my 3rd engine!

I really enjoy the only expense of this sport being the gas (for the most part), after your gear is established.

Well, apart from my "summer" & long-trip vehicle which is really a 30+ year old, 50hp VW baywindow (I guess the environmental impact of that goes down again these days with the rare-earth discussion.. I wonder how much that car holds, no computers and all!?) (and yes, take that hotel establishment!) I got my grandfathers old Audi A4 from 1995.. with only 100.000 klicks on it now, getting 8,5l /100km with 2 Sparks. The roof racks for that are so narrow though, it only fits the two sparks when one is slanted over the other. So I am really thinking about a conversion now, too.

One of our local runs has a nice trail next to it, which saves the 25+ km long shuttle ('round an' 'round the mount' ) if you leave a bike at the take-out or walk the 9km back up..

Apart from that, we now walk to work and shopping since living in the towns sprawled-out center again. Otherwise bikes do the trick. Still waiting for the "Bowron lakes of the rivers", one loop in another local river does cut your walk for 5km of paddling to 2 km, but thats quite featureless - might as well go paddle a lake. Oh, except for that one river-wide surf wave that you can only access from above because it has no eddies and pulls you a nose all the time.

Anyways.. back to cars!

I voted for the third but its usually the other way around. He waits on me.

Most of the runs we do have decent roads next to them so a 2WD F-150 is all you need. There are some runs however that are in the middle of nowhere and have terrible gravel roads if even that. If I know I'm going on one of those runs, I'll take the Jeep Cherokee. 4WD. I think that the next time I buy a river Vehicle, It will be another jeep but I'll put some moster racks on it. Or a 4WD f-150 with an extended bed.

Jeep Cherokee - a great paddling vehicle I would say. Never really recorded the gas mileage, but it wasn't too bad with my '98 Laredo that I owned in 2008 when I lived in BC.

If you can blend out what's on the roof, check this out:




It was a really perfect driver, 5-speed manual with the 4.0l inline 6 and permanent 2-wheel drive, selectable 4x4 and stuff. Already great stock, I ran into no situation where I needed more, but then I never traveled any really rough stuff (I had to) on a paddling trip. Aah, the memories..

I use my Sprinter Van, gets very good mileage for its size 22-27mpg. Has lots of room inside and on top for boats and gear. It sukz when the roads are slippery though. Then I use my wifes Subaru Outback 20-22mpg

Craigs detonator is sooo spoiled in that sprinter. It's got it's own heated seat, and a 7 point nascar harness to keep it safe.