I'm Still Paddling...I've Just Been Too Busy To Tell You About It. Part 3

Man, it's getting harder and harder to find the time to update "Rambling On", but I'll try to get caught up. Our adventures continue with an off the water scouting trip on July 4th. Robbin and I loaded up our dogs, Jake and Deiter, and headed for West Newton to check out the Youghiogheny River. The Yough is well know for it's white-water at Ohiopyle, but it's also a great river for flat-water paddling. There are plenty of access points to put in and take out between Connellsville and McKeesport. There's also a couple of outfitters that offer some nice trips that range from a couple of hours to 2 days. The Yough is a beautiful river and we plan to explore it soon.

"Deiter the Wiener Dog" enjoying the view of the Youghiogheny River.

This photo was taken at Cedar Creek Park.

Manderino River Front Park in Cedar Creek Park offers river access, a boat launch, picnic areas, and a bicycle rental/food concession area.

Kiski River - Roaring Run to Parks Bend
On July 5th I made my 4th trip down the Kiski River in three weeks. Robbin and I were joined by our friends Rick and Rose, and Kelly and Scott. This is the same group that we made our very first kayak trip with.



They rented tandem kayaks at "The River's Edge" outfitters and met Robbin and I at Roaring Run for a day of fun on the river. Robbin and I have a blast with these guys but for some reason our kayak trips always seem to become "eventful".
The first half of the paddled went very smoothly (or so I thought) We paddled along and had a great time like we always do. What no one realize at the time though, was that Scott was starting to have a lot of pain in his back and Robbin was getting very ill.

This rest stop on the island near Pegtown was the end of the road for Scott. His back pain was too great to continue on our journey. He got out and caught a ride home and Kelly continued on, paddling solo.

The skills Kelly picked up paddling a solo kayak on our previous trip paid off (see Part 2) . She was able to handle that big tandem like a pro.

Poor Robbin really struggled the second half of the trip. I found out later that she wasn't feeling well before we even started. She didn't say anything because she didn't want to spoil any one's good time (that's my wife, she always puts everyone else first). In 20/20 hindsight, I should have realized something was wrong sooner. She hung back and was very quiet, and she's never quiet around Rick and Rose (I mean that in a good way). Later in the day, after we were home, she took a turn for the worse and the day ended with paramedics at the house and a helicopter ride to the hospital. Thanks to the intuition of a very sharp nurse, her problem was diagnosed (it wasn't kayak related) and she was discharged the next day with a clean bill of health and a different prescription (the culprit). We are planning more kayak trips with Rick, Rose, and Kelly and even though they haven't been without incident (see How We Got Hooked - Our First Trip Down The Kiski - June, 2009 published Jan. 2, 2010) , we really have a lot of fun. The good times far out weigh the bad times :-)