Ledore Canyon on the Green!

Got together with a fun group of folks from Washington as well as some old raft guide friends (Nic) who now lives in Colorado. Trip was a blast ans especially like checking out some petroglyphs!! Whitewater was fun too!!

 

Goshen Pass kayaking

The Goschen 

Headed out early on Sunday morning to make it to Goschen Pass for some kayaking. I had never been to the pass but had heard rumors that is is the best little river in Virginia so with a little motivation I made the two hour drive from Fredericksburg hoping to meet up with some other kayakers when I arrived.

Nice sized group

After following the GPS for a little over two hours I finally arrived and followed the road alongside the river taking a look at the rapids and enjoying the scenery that was taking on a very Pacific Northwest feeling with green trees on all sides...should have brought the fly rod! After a little while I met up with another kayaker who informed me that a race was suppose to take place today so I would without a doubt have other people to show me the river and within 30 minutes I was on it with another kayaker. A lot of read and run stuff but over all a very active river with nice pools in between boulder gardens.

Soon after the first lap the rest of the guys arrived and put up some tents for the finish line, got the shuttle rigged and headed for the put in. I was initially thinking about not entering the race but after getting tossed a number to put on my boat and with a guarantee of beer at the finish line I said, "Why the hell not?" and lined up for the mass start.
As it turns out knowing the fast lines are good things for a race...there were a few times that I got between the leading pack and the following group but in between those two groups were no one to show me the lines so I would get off line and end up back in the trailing pack. This happened two times before I tossed in the towel and just enjoyed the nice boulder gardens amongst green trees.

Overall very fun weekend in probably my favorite place so far in Virginia.

-Owen

Repairing a Gasket on a drysuit or drytop

I have had a lot of friends ask me how easy it is to repair a gasket so I made a little video to show that is isn't hard but until you get the system down it is very much a pain in the ass....practice makes it LESS of a pain in the ass. Here goes!

Location:
Pick a spot to do this that you can make a mess...like a big mess. Now cover that spot with a piece of cardboard to work on.

The tools:

Gasket form keeper. A paint can for neck gaskets or cup for wrist. Wrist are usually around 4inch in diameter. Check your drysuit maker for neck sizes.

Aqua seal: The sticky stuff

The new gasket: Duh!

Rubbing alcohol and paper towels

180 grit sand paper

GLOVES...there is a reason this one is in all caps...no joke

Beer...because, why the hell not

Sandpaper the gasket with the form inside to keep the gasket tight

Drytop preparation:

1.
Cut the gasket of the old drysuit or dytop until you have around 1 inch extending from the drysuit fabric in an even line. Try to be as straight as possible when doing this.
Usually it is the inside rubber that you want to measure.

2.
Now place the form keeper you just spent two hours looking for inside the sleeve to keep the old rubber tight. This can be a pain and a test of your patience but that's why I put beer on the list...you can thank me later.

3. Once you have the sleeve nice and tight with the form keeper take some 180 grit sandpaper and rough up the rubber that the new gasket will be attaching to. Make sure you get all of it because this will be what helps the aqua seal bind the two rubbers together.

DO NOT SANDPAPER THE NEW GASKET IN ANY WAY!!

Sizing looks good! New
gasket over lapping the old 

4.

When you are done roughing up the drysuits rubber in preparation for receiving the new gasket take a paper towel and some rubbing alcohol and clean off the rubber you just roughed up with the sand paper. After cleaning it up let it dry.

5.
Now take the new gasket and overlap it with old gasket on the making sure the shiny part of the new gasket it face to face with the bit you just sand papered.

6. Once you have them perfectly overlapped pull the new gasket back on itself to once again expose the old gasket.

What it should look like right
before you aqua seal your
gaskets

7. Put packaging tape on the cuff of your drysuit to make sure excess aqua seal doesn't get on your drysuit.

PUT YOUR GLOVES ON!!

7. Now you will start with the aqua seal. You will want to put about as even an amount as you can on the exposed old gasket. No need to put too much but just be sure to cover ALL of the rubber that is exposed from old gasket with a layer. Over flowing is likely (Step 7!)

Hope you guys enjoyed and that this helps someone with their gasket repair.

-Owen Darrow

Shenandoah National Park and Anniversary hike

It's been a long time since I've posted anything so here goes.

We got out on a little hike to the Shenandoah National Park to check out the cabin that Herbert Hoover contemplated how to put an end to the great depression by spending time fly fishing on the Rapidan River. I was a pretty fun day of easy hiking and wasn't even that cold considering it is January. After the hike we drove to Culpepper to eat some food and celebrate my parents 30 Anniversary. Good times were had. Here are some pictures from the hike and dinner.
-Owen

Lower Yough

Just got back from a fun trip on the Lower Yough with a group of boaters pushing their skills on some pushy class 3. Fun weekend of meeting new people and getting some practice teaching some kayak skills. Good trip!
-Owen

Vetters Corner Table

I wrote this little piece for my english class but thought I might as well put it up on the blog. 

Approaching the door along the damp cobblestone street, you hear muffled laughter. A few older men sit outside smoking cigarettes, lounging in fold out chairs enjoying light conversation. With each step the noise becomes louder and louder until your hand slides into the brass handle fixed to the weathered door. With a light pull of the door the noise that has been slowly building erupts. A blast of warm air is followed by the familiar sounds of the creaking floor and friend’s voices welcoming another familiar face to the table. The usual blonde waitress with rosy cheeks pours a beer, without a word exchanged. A quick peck on the cheek followed by a short but heart felt greeting passes between us as the beer slides into my hands. The first sip makes the transformation complete before I have even sat down. A friend stands and gives a, “Prost!” and soon after glasses are clinking in unorganized rhythm, each one louder than the one before it until beer has erupted out of the glasses covering the table. Another Friday out with the friends. Conversations around the table vary from the latest soccer scores, to school problems, or to more immediate issues like whether or not to drum up a conversation with a girl across the room. With each new beer the answers to the questions become fewer and further in-between until at last nothing is left to be said, no more stones to over turn. As fast as it had begun it has also come to an end with one yell of, “last call!” from the owner in his stained, pinstripe shirt. The corner table, that was once neat and orderly like soldiers marching into battle has now changed into a chaotic mess. Napkins lie where they fell in wet clumps around the table not to be moved. A light film lies on top of what was once a clean smooth surface. After the last glasses are finished and shoulders find their matching jackets and we file back out into the street. Farewells and hand shakes are followed by the familiar sound of steps on wet stones.

-Owen Darrow

August Update

Since my last update (the one with the kayaking) I have been out and about doing really nothing but in any case here is a little list of the random shit I have been up to.

1. Got enrolled to Germanna Community college 
2. Got to check out Fredericksburg (pretty cool old town)
3. Bowling once or twice (FML)
4. Bought a ping pong table
5. Found out ping pong table didn't fit room
6. Bought ping pong topper for pool table

So as you can probably tell very little has happened but I am excited to get going with the whole school thing so we will see how it goes.

-Ciao Bella!