September 2009 Rooster by Paul Kastle

 As the cover pictures show, many club members had a great time during the cub’s 5th annual Lake Havasu trip. Thanks to Don and Shirley for hosting the event, and the Huggards and Hagens for picking out and holding a great beach.  We have a picnic location! This year’s sand season kickoff picnic will be Saturday, October 3rd at

Shamel Park in Riverside. It is just 1 block West of the 91 freeway at Arlington. Make your plans now to join us for lunch and the raffle. See more info on page 5.  Melissa and P.J. are expecting a new addition to the family any day now. The due date is September 12th, so check for the latest on the club website.

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The 4 Hagens trip into the "Great Unknown"

September 9th: Club Meeting at the Dennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Redlands, 7 PM. September 18th-20th: Sand Sports Super Show at the Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. October 3rd: The annual club picnic will be at Shamel Park in Riverside from 10:0 AM till 2:00 PM. October 14th: Club Meeting at the Dennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Redlands, 7 PM. October 30th-November 1st: Halloween at Glamis. This should be a big weekend, and the first trip of the year.

The title is a quote from John Wesley Powell's journal as he wrote about his amazing adventure down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon in 1869. Its going to be tough to condense 7 days of adrenaline into a few paragraphs. We had made our reservations with Western River Expeditions a year ago, and finally the day came for us to experience the grand daddy of white water rafting. We drove to Lee's Ferry, just south of Glen Canyon dam and spent the night at the Marble Canyon Lodge. There we met some of our travel companions in the restaurant. We had a sleepless night wondering if we forgot to pack something, or even worse, packed too much. The next morning we had breakfast and gathered at the meeting spot to check in with our head river guide at 7am. Most drove in, but a few flew in from Las Vegas and arrived at the hotels private landing strip. After a quick roll call we were bused down to the launch ramp (2 miles away) where we met the rest of the 4 person crew and got our first glimpse of our rafts. They were huge (37' long) and looked like 5 long pontoons lashed together. They were about 12 feet wide and lashed down to the top was a custom designed aluminum frame that incorporated the coolers, food, camping equipment, our personal luggage, toilet facilities, drinking water, and 1000 lbs of ice per boat. The 2 boats would travel together but usually separated by a 1/4 mile to give each boat their own space. 28 tourists were divided up and assigned a raft. Another brief lesson on how to pack your duffel bag into their "Dry Bags" and we loaded our gear, they strapped everything down, donned our life jackets and shoved off. This would be our chariot for the next 7 days and 200 miles. Every ounce of food was on these boats and every ounce of trash was (Continued on page 3)

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carried back out. The Park Service is very strict about that. Every place we visited seemed like we were the first ones there. Very pristine. The river was crystal clear, running at approx. 4mph, about 10'-12' deep and at a refreshing 46 degrees. That water had just come out the bottom of Lake Powell and had not seen day light in 5 years!!! It was damn cold!!! The rafts were motorized (30hp 4 stroke outboards) and traveled very quietly approx. 7-10mph. Seating varied from the very front, straddling the tubes and holding on to ropes (rodeo style) This was the "E" ticket section. The next option was on top of the coolers, great view and still an exciting ride. Mid-way was the "Chicken Coop" a large flat, padded area next to the luggage. Very comfortable, still got wet, but you felt a lot safer. During flat water, a great place to relax and take in the magnificent scenery, read or soak up the sun. The geology was mind boggling, starting at 250 million yrs old, as we traveled deeper into the canyon, we touched rocks that were 2 billion years old. Just think we are on this earth for 70-80 maybe 100 years. The experience was everything we had hoped for and more. Each day was filled with exciting white water rapids, side hikes up slot canyons or to water falls and oasis or calm flat water. Our 4 guides did an amazing job teaching us how to ride the rapids, educating us on the geology, human history, preparing fantastic meals and keeping us safe. A typical day started with the night sky during a light grey and then blue. Soon you heard..."COFFEE'S READY!!! and looked at your watch to discover its only 5am. Our guides were already busy preparing a huge breakfast for 32 people. Each day was different and ranged from fresh fruit, orange juice, eggs, bacon, hash browns, fresh baked muffins, pancakes, ham, cereal, pork chops, even eggs benedict w/ hollandaise sauce. You then broke down camp, visited the toilet, packed your "dry bag" and helped in a "fire line" to load the equipment back on the rafts. We were on the water each day by 7-7:30. Usually in the morning we wore rain jackets and pants over our Tshirts and swim suits, remember the river is 46 degrees. By 10-11 you were warm enough to pack your rain gear, after all its July in the Grand Canyon, averaging close to 100 air temp. We averaged about 20-30 miles per day. Lunches were another riverside feast prepared fresh by our crew, with fruit, variety of cold cuts, salads, tortilla wraps, chips and cookies. They also supplied unlimited ice water or lemonade. You could also bring up to a case of your favorite drinks per person. Each raft had "Drag Bags" that you put your days drinks in and they dragged in the 46 degree water and were chilled to perfection. More rafting or day hikes brought you to the end of the day and we usually found a big beach around 4-5pm. The Fire Line was used to quickly unload the gear. The passengers gathered their bags and set off to claim the "perfect" camp spot and set up your cots, roll out your sleeping bag and relax while taking in the scenery and listening to the roar of the river. Time to catch up on your journal, make new friends, stretch out and relax. Every dinner was preceded by Hor'devours such as, crab salad w/crackers, egg rolls, meatballs w/ (Continued on page 4)

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bbq sauce dip, guacamole & chips, buffalo wings, and on the last evening we had shrimp cocktail. While the guests were snacking and chill-axing, the crew was busy preparing the evenings dinner. How about NY strips w/grilled onions & mushrooms, fresh spinach salad, sweet/sour chicken w/asian noodles, BBQ chicken, fajitas, spaghetti and garlic bread and the last night was trout fillets and baked potatoes. Oh, did I mention we all had vanilla ice cream on the 4th of July (day 5). After every meal was dessert ranging from, brownies, lemon cake, NY cheese cake and even a fresh baked birthday cake (dutch oven style). It was amazing what they carried on the rafts and how they created an awesome dining experience in the middle of the Grand Canyon with no electricity. We were never hungry and actually may have gained a pound. As it got dark (8-8:30) our guides briefed us on what to expect the next day. Most went back to their cots and as the bats came out, we dozed off, sleeping under the stars, watching the moon come up and disappear over the canyon rim. The days on the water, running the big rapids was thrilling. The rapids are rated 1 thru 10. On our first day we learned how to hold on and how the boat reacts. We were apprehensive about shooting the first few sets that ranged from a 2 to a 5. By the second day we have survived 6-7's and 8's. During the trip we hit (2) 9's and (3) 10's. From trough to peak some were running 8'-12' waves. You could hear the roar as you approached and the guides always advised what we were about to go thru. They lasted anywhere from 30 secs to 2 mins max. There were some exciting runs, especially one where we lost an engine and basically had no control of the raft. The out-drive hit a rock and destroyed the lower unit and prop. The good news was we made it thru the worst part of the rapid and after we hit calm water again, they swapped it out with a spare (they carry 2 spare engines for each boat) and we were on our way in 30 mins. Our side hikes were always interesting, we visited ancient Anasazi cliff dwellings perched high above the river, mine shafts, waterfalls and tributaries and even petroglyphs. Along the way our guides pointed out interesting facts about, native Indians, past explorers and early river runners. Up until the 1960's only a few hundred people had seen the Grand Canyon from the river. On one of our favorite side hikes we saw turquoise blue water entering the main channel. It came from "Havasu Creek". Because mother nature deposited the mineral "travertine" the tributary picks up a sky blue tint as it makes it way from the source ( a spring) about 10 miles up the canyon walls. We played in the blue water for several hours sliding down natural "stone slip-n-slides", under water falls and swam in deep pools. This water was a comfortable 75 degrees. Another awesome side hike was to "Deer Creek Falls". It also begins up a slot canyon approx 6 miles from the river and thunders down and falls over 100' into a pool of spray and multiple rainbows. Jeremy joined about 20 others and hiked up to the source. His pictures are fantastic. At several places along our trip we saw native wildlife, such as desert big horn sheep, mule tail deer, beavers, a scorpion, big lizards, bats and a ring tail cat (cousin to the raccoon.) The last major rapid of the trip was "Lava Falls" and it was rated a 10. It was the only rapid that we beached ahead of it and scouted our nemesis from above. Wow, it was loud, nothing but white foam and big waves. Our guides explained the "line" they hoped to follow through the giant swells. With precision they navigated it successfully and we all let a big cheer as we came through. The last evenings camp was a little sad knowing the trip would end the next day. We all celebrated by turning our bed sheets into togas. It was tricky wrapping it around and tying it up to make it stay on. After a meal fit for a king, we listened to our guides play guitar and mandolin. As usual we were all asleep by 10pm. The last day was a 2 hr float down to Whitmore Wash, where we beached and met up with a helicopter that took us from the river's edge, over the rim, to a dude ranch 10 miles away. There we showered for the first time in 7 days with warm water and had lunch. The ranch has a private air strip. About 2 hrs later we boarded a 20 passenger Turbo-prop plane and flew back along the canyon to our starting point where we left our cars. After saying good byes to new friends, we headed to Page AZ to spend the night and check out Lake Powell. We had a nice dinner at the new Antelope Marina. The world's largest floating structure. Everything is floating out on the lake, even the restaurant. They are building a 3 story floating hotel. Its an (Continued on page 5)

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enormous complex with 100's of million dollar house boats moored on the docks. What a sight. The lake looked good with only 54' of "bath tub" ring to see. From Page we headed to my parents house, picked up Linda's mom and Rudy and headed back to Fallbrook. The trip was one of my "Bucket List" items and I'm glad to have shared it with my family. When we got home we had over 800 pictures and 6 hrs of video to watch. I think we captured it all and will enjoy those movies for years to come. If any one wants info on the raft company, check out www.westernriver.com. They have a great web site. We highly recommend that outfitter, we saw the others on the water, there is no comparison.

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club picnic will be Saturday October 3rd at Shamel Park in Riverside from 10:AM till 2:00 PM. The club will provide a sandwich for lunch, so bring you pot luck side dishes. There will also be the annual raffle, so bring money for lots of raffle tickets...

From the North, Exit the 91 freeway at Arlington. The off ramp drops you on to Riverside Ave, and the first signal is Arlington. Make a right, and then the first signal is Shamel Park, where you will make a left. From the South, exit the 91 freeway at Arlington. The off ramp drops you off at a signal on Indiana. Make a left, and stay n the left lanes for a left turn at the next signal, which is Arlington. Then cross under the freeway, and the second signal is Shamel Park, where you will make a left.

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P.J. and Melissa have a Yamaha Golf Cart For Sale: 1996 G14 Gas golf cart with lift. Floor sits 24 inches above the ground. Stock motor, runs well. $2000 obo Contact P.J. Kastle: (951) 285-8459 pkastle@msn.com

Don and Shirley have their Fiberglass Dune Buggy For Sale: 1600cc dual port engine, street legal, beautiful paint job, must see to appreciate. $6500 Contact Don or Shirley Ford: (928) 680-0657 Home (928) 846-2304 Cell

Doug Becker 9/2 Bill Martine 9/3 Devon Schellinger 9/5 Peanut Kastle ?/? Joann Stump 9/17 Lindsey Becker 9/17 Janece Grossmann 9/18 Mark Stutte 9/18

The Hagens have two child’s helmets for sale: Both were purchased at Chaparral, 3 years ago. Both are full face with visors. Exterior is in good shape, minor scratches. Inside is in perfect shape, foam intact, no tears. Black one is a child Small and the Yellow one is a child Medium. $50 each. Contact Pete/Linda at 760-4510845

Pam Gaudreau 9/19 Ashley Bacon 9/19 Aaron Berger 9/23 Jessica Fuquay 9/25 Arianna Sherman 9/26 Nancy Kastle 9/26 Michael Bacon 9/30

This month we would like to thank Pete Hagen for writing an article about their summer fun and Walt and Pete for submitting pictures of the fun at Lake Havasu. The sand season is almost here, and so is our Peanut… With the picnic being a block from our house, we will be able to make it there for Peanut’s first club event. We are really looking forward to it and are hoping to see lots of club members there. - P.J. and Melissa Kastle 6

Inland Empire Offroad Association P.O. Box 132411 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

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