paddling with a camera

I launched my Sisson Nucleus at the Bair Ranch Rest Area about 11 am and paddled a couple of miles upstream. I spent most of my time paddling upstream and downstream of the rapid above the Bair Ranch. I tried a camera mounted in different ways on the kayak and as helmet cam. Then, I paddled further to the next rapid.

After my paddling and video session I drove to the No Name Rest Area and changed a kayak for inline skates. I skated along the river on a bike trail upstream about 13 km to the trailhead near Dotsero and back. It is a nice trail for skating despite of some tough but short uphill/downhill sections, some rough "gator skin" spots, and annoying grids in some places.

I shot all pictures below with Pentax Optio W10 camera. The midday light in the canyon was not very good for photography - too harsh and too contrasty. There were deep shadows from freeway bridges. Later in the afternoon when I was skating back, the light was getting much nicer, but I was too tired to devote a lot of time to photography.

The plant has two units capable of producing up to 15 MW of electricity. This is the oldest hydroelectric plant in Colorado. Construction of the plant began in 1904, and it started operating in 1909.

The diversion can take up to 2000 cfs. It means that the entire river can disappear in the pipes when the flow is low - about 12 weeks per year. However, it seems that the power plant is preserving the river flow at the same time since it has the most senior water rights on the Colorado River dating to 1902. Otherwise, Denver and other water users would divert all or most of the water from the river upstream of the Shoshone - forget Pump House or Gore Canyon.

Here is a little story from Rivers of the Southwest book by Fletcher Anderson and Ann Hopkinson (an old but great book covering both white and flat water paddling, 1987 2nd edition):

There is a movie made by Bob Wand in 1962, which appears to depict former National Champion Ron Bohlander running this rapid in a kayak. The movie was made in the following manner: Bohlander is filmed by Waind paddling around above the rapids warming up and looking scared. In the next shot, a clothing mannequin, dreesed as Bohlander, has been into the boat and has an old paddle screwed to tis hands. The mannequin disappears into the foam, rolls and cartwheels though the rapids, finally part of the boat is seen floating out of the bottom of the rapid. For the final shot, Waind and Bohlander have recovered the remains of the boat. The next shot commences with the boat upside down at the point where the preceding shot ended. Bohlander rolls up with his life jacket askew, his paddle shuttered, his boat demolished, etc., gasping for breath. The resulting film certainly looks like Bohlander running the rapid.

The movie was shown to boaters of California at the next season's National Championship. After expressing initial shock, the California paddlers told us that they themselves routinely paddle water like that. We have been waiting for one of them to come show us how for the last 20 years!

Just below the power plant outlet, there is a start of a very short but ultrapopular Shoshone white water run. The milder white water continues from the Grizzly Creek Rest Area to New Castle.

Related posts and links:

• 10 Miles on the Colorado River into Glenwood Canyon - Dotsero Race
• 2005 Canoe Colorado Race on Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon from Dotsero to Hanging Lake
• 2002, 2003, 2005 Photo reports and Results from the Dotsero Race
• 2001 Paddling in Glenwood Canyon
• Guide to I-70 in the Glenwood Canyon
• Glenwood Canyon - From Origin to Interstate
• Rivers of the Southwest