Allegheny River - Emlenton to Parker's Landing - 8/7/2010

The week leading up to the 7th was a trying one for my cousins, Karen and Susan, and their families. Their father, Dale, got very ill and passed away earlier in the week. We talked after the funeral about all getting together and going for a nice kayak trip as a way to relax and de-stress.I suggested this trip because we wouldn't have to worry about shallow areas, there's a great outfitter at Parker's Landing, and it's a beautiful section of the Allegheny River. There's also a quaint little town named Foxburg along that stretch of river where we could all have dinner when we finished kayaking. Susan's daughter, Kara, made all the arrangements with the outfitter and we all met at Karen's house on the 7th to begin our journey. Once we got to Parker we hit a small snag. The outfitter initially couldn't find Kara's reservation and didn't have enough boats available for our group. After searching around for a while, he found the reservation and realized that the mistake was theirs. They managed to find a canoe and three kayaks. Fortunately, Karen's husband Jim had brought along two inner tubes and a raft, so everyone had a vessel.

We had quite an armada. Robbin and I had our kayaks.


Karen's husband, Jim, and Susan's husband, Joe, paddled the canoe (Jim in front, Joe in rear).


Karen and Susan floated in the inner tubes which were tied to the canoe (Karen on left, Susan on right).


Joe and Susan's daughter Kara paddled a kayak.


Joe and Susan's daughter Olivia paddled the second kayak.


The third kayak was paddled by Jim and Karen's future daughter-in-law, Callie. Callie pulled the raft carrying her dog, Tucker. Unfortunately Jim and Karen's son, Warren, couldn't join us. Warren plays baseball for the Colorado Rockies' AA affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers. He could only get two days off and had to fly back to Oklahoma on Friday the 6th. Hopefully we'll all get together again later in the Fall when Warren can join us.


Tucker is an amazing dog. He is extremely well behaved, knows a lot of tricks, and loves the water. He seemed perfectly content to ride down the river in this raft.


Tucker and Callie playing fetch.




Tucker and Jim explore one of the islands in the river.


Our paddling trip turned out to be more of a slow float. None of us were in a big hurry. It was a beautiful day and we were enjoying each other's company.









Robbin snapped this picture of me practicing her kayaking technique.


Karen takes the "Robbin Technique" one step farther.


Jim and Joe got a good workout paddling this "train" down the river. It wasn't so bad went the current was swift, but when it wasn't it was hard work.


This stretch of the Allegheny is wide and deep enough to land float planes but too shallow in sections for power boats, so there's not a lot of traffic.



Jim saw that I was about to take his picture. He told me to wait until he posed in a "more manly and noble style. We call these the "Washington Crossing the Delaware" poses.



The buildings in the background are in Foxburg. To the far left is (behind the tree) is a pizza shop and gift shop. Beside that is the Foxburg Inn. To the right of the inn is a tent that is set up for weddings and other occasions. To the far right is the Allegheny Grille. We all had a great dinner at the Grille later in the day. They have a nice menu and a great outdoor dining area. That was a perfect way to end a really good day. I hope we can all do it again, maybe when the leaves change color. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for a different way to spend a relaxing day.
For more information about river trips, and Foxburg attractions and activities, check out these websites:
- http://www.visitfoxburg.com/
- http://www.foxburginn.com/
- http://www.foxburgevents.com/
- www.canoeparker.com