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Alan- thanks for the internal skid plate idea. I had always pictured internal skid plates as being completely hidden under an exterior hull layer. You are probably right about my boat. They appear to have done a good job. Glen- mine did have rot right where you described on the bow...

A few more vintage Bell questions. A former Yampa river ranger from Steamboat Springs, CO willed his canoes, including two Bell Yellowstone Solos and an older composite Wildfire to his son in Salt Lake, who put them on the market. Two friends of mine who were interested in getting into...

Another welcome back Steve- I always enjoyed your posts. I actually thought that you may have succumbed to Covid when you suddenly stopped posting a few years ago! This notion was reinforced when my son found a nicely outfitted Mad River Guide for sale at a boat swap in Boise. I now own it...

I enjoyed your posts Al. It looks like the Susquehanna has been cleaned up quite a bit since I last paddled it about 35 years ago. My parents used to live about 10 miles from Meshoppen and I have good memories of river trips in that area and on the West Branch.

I have a high flotation NRS PFD which I bought for whitewater rafting years ago. I agree with you-it is hard to zip up. I generally have to loosen the straps to get it zipped. It is also hot. I got an NRS Ninja a couple of years ago and really like it. It has large arm openings, no chafing...

It is my opinion that using a well designed good quality paddle will really enhance your paddling enjoyment. I enjoy the look and feel of oiled wood straight paddles (I both kneel and sit- prefer kneeling). Highly recommend paddles from Badger Paddles in Canada. They are within your budget...

Thanks for he report. Do you have other canoes that you like in addition to the Indy (FG or Kevlar) and Yellowstone?

It was amazing that you made it through all those quasi strainers upright. The thing that I kept thinking about while watching the video was snakes. When we used to visit my grandparents at their ranch near Houston the trees overhanging the lake and canals were crawling with snakes. Did you...

I was very impressed with your solo expedition and my wife was totally blown away! She strongly discourages me from even much more modest solo trips. Thanks for all the effort you put in to document, photograph and write up the trip. Hope you can continue to enjoy canoe trips as a septuagenarian.

I enjoyed your report and was surprised to learn that there is an area of Germany with such a concentration of lakes and rivers to enable a trip like yours. It looks more like Finland. Great photos also. Thank you for posting.

Thanks Goonstroke for that interesting story. I have wondered for years how waterways come to be designated as “rivers” or “creeks”. Tiny streams which often wouldn’t even be named where I grew up back east are labeled as “rivers” in Utah. It appears that Salmon Falls Creek in Nevada is...

Thanks Glen- you are correct, the put-in is at the intersection of the river and the highway below the “e”. I can’t believe that I have lived here for over 30 years and had no idea that Salmon Falls Creek existed. I would have run it many times if only I had known! The scale of the map...

Hey Bob- glad to see that you and Jack made it up to Three Forks and that you liked the performance of the Loon in moving water. Your trip will be an inspiration to many of us here. It was a pleasure meeting you and your pup- good luck and enjoy the preparation for the journey. Have you...

Until recently, I wasn’t aware of any canoeable rivers in next door Nevada, other than the Colorado below Hoover Dam. However, my friend Jason found references to one within a four hour drive. Two weeks later we loaded four solo canoes on my Tundra and Jason’s 4 Runner and headed west from Park...

As far as I know, all Royalex Mad River with wood gunwhales have the Royalex edge exposed. This photo is of a 1982 Explorer which we rescued two years ago. The foam was kind of degraded in spots, similar to what you described. It darkens from multiple coats of Watco Teak oil over time. My...

Enjoyed the photos. Do you know what model of Mad River was being poled?

I’ve had Redbone Hounds before. Great dogs-I miss mine. Thx for the story and photo!

I have a 1988 Kevlar Malecite- same color- which I bought and rescued a couple of years ago. It had worse spider cracks than yours at several places along the hull. It looked like the prior owner had some pretty good side impacts, but short of wrapping it. The cracks have not had any effect...

One hot, moonless and crystal clear night really stands out in my memory. We were camped on one of our favorite island sites in the St, Regis canoe area in the Adirondacks. Close to midnight, in an effort to escape the heat, we donned our PFDs and swam out into the lake. Hanging motionless in...

I just finished “The Boys in the Boat” on Audible. While not about canoeing, per se, it was a gripping true story. It may very well be on one of the other reading lists. First published in 2013 and a long time best seller. Entertaining and inspirational. Highly recommended. (It is about...