Monday, April 25, 2011

The General Buys A TANK!



Well there it is ladies and gentlemen. The twenty-foot behemoth the General is going to pilot down the Bigfork this year's trip.


I was sitting at home this evening when the phone began to ring. Being that it was the land-line I didn't answer it because it is usually some telemarketer trying to get to to buys this or try that. Rather than answer I let the thing ring, telling the kids to do the same. About that time Em gets home. Not being able to handle the phone, she goes and answers it. Low and behold it is the General on the line and he needs to chat with me.


We say our hello's and then he tells me that he isn't going to be able to go canoing this year. At first I thought he was giving me some shit, but something in his voice made him sound sincere. So of course I had to ask why, thinking maybe something came up family related, which has happened before, but no he says because he sold his canoe. Instantly I knew then that he had sold his canoe to my cousin Michael, whom is looking to buy a canoe, meaning that he had got the go ahead from the wife to go and buy an new canoe.


"So what did ya get?" I had to ask.


"I bought a twenty-foot Old Town XL." He said brightly. I could tell he was jazzed as hell and so was I.

"Holy Shit!!" Was about all I could say for a minute. A twenty-foot canoe was going to be something to see. During all the years of this trip everyone has paddled the standard 17 foot canoe, with the exception of Ladies Man. He has taken Grandpa's 15 foot canoe on a few trips. Even though it was only two feet shorter, it made a difference. He glided over all the shit that gave some of us a few problems. However, the General has bought one that is three feet longer. Damn! That is a big canoe. I"m almost as excited as he is to see the thing in action.


Simple physics would have to say that the bigger the canoe the less maneuverability there is going to be. Take the kayak, we have had one on the trip before and it could whip circles around any of the canoes. It was small and maneuverable. Ladies Man did a fine job skimming around in his canoe, which is five feet shorting the the Tank, as I'm going to call the canoe. I mean the pilot is called the General, so the Tank is a fitting name. The 17 foot canoes can be maneuvered with some skill, not totally nimble, but easy to get around if you know what you doing. It is going to be really interesting to see what happens with him this year. But I have been known to be wrong. This thing is probably going to be fast, but the turning is going to be a challenge and trying to pick and choose through some of the rapids is going to be something to see. I do want to be one of the first to go through the rapids so I can watch the General come through in the Tank.


Count on plenty of pictures this year because I'm going to be a fiend since I can slap them up on the blog with no problem. I also want to figure out how to do the slide-show thing so you can count on plenty of pics with the Tank and the rest of the River Runners. I will be back here as needed to keep all informed that don't read and also log in what is going to happen with this trip.


Until next time I will remain...Crazy Joe.

1 comment:

Duckie said...

Can't wait to see that bohemeth go down the river.

2005 River Runners

2006 River Runners