You’ll be a bolt of lightning!

Pre-PPP paddling skills clinic at Tumalo Creek.

On Saturday, May 12 from 12 – 2 p.m. and 2 – 4 p.m., and Thursday May 17 from 4 – 6 p.m., Tumalo Creek will offer a two-hour clinic to get you ahead of the pack during the kayaking leg of Bend’s favorite multi-sport race. Our skilled instructors will give you an overview of the course as well as strategies to work with the current and eddies in this section of the Deschutes River. The class costs $45 and it is recommended that you bring the boat you will be racing with. Tumalo Creek will provide boats for the clinic at no extra charge.

Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe has been proudly supporting the Pole, Pedal, Paddle with safety boaters for twelve years running.

For more information contact Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe at 541.317.9407 or 411@tumalocreek.com

May 3, 2012: An Evening About Salmon Recovery in Northwest

·         Running the Gauntlet, Film

·         Reading and Discussion with Steve Hawley, Author of Recovering A Lost River

Learn about salmon recovery in the Northwest.  The presenters will show the recently-released film Running the Gauntlet, which portrays the vital role of salmon in the lives of people, animals and a healthy ecosystem. This acclaimed documentary explores how human activity and dams affect salmon survival, and takes a critical look at the effectiveness of efforts to restore collapsing salmon runs. After the film, author Steven Hawley will read from his book, Recovering a Lost River, which touches on themes from the film. Hawley will answer questions and engage the audience in a discussion about salmon and dams.

6 pm. McMenamins Old St. Francis School, Bend.

Doors open at 5pm.

Admission: Free.

Presented by: The High Desert Museum.

On May 4, 5 and 6, 2012, Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe will hold its Annual Spring Paddle Fest. The festivities begin on Friday afternoon with free two-hour kayaking lessons beginning at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on the back lawn at Tumalo Creek. On Saturday, the party starts at 1…0 a.m. in Riverbend Park. Join the Tumalo Creek crew as well as boating representatives from major kayak, canoe and paddleboard companies, and demo the latest models of the best human-powered watercraft on the market. Both reps and staff will be on hand to answer questions and get new boaters safely and comfortably out on the water.

New this year, Tumalo Creek will be partnering with Lay It Out Events, who will be holding the 24th annual Salmon 5K and 10K Run/Walk and Little Fry Run. The race benefits the Central Oregon Environmental Center. The race will end at Riverbend Park during the festival, and participants are encourage to join the paddling festivities after they finish the race.

On Sunday, the festival moves back to the lawn behind Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe where experts will again teach free two-hour basic skills kayak clinics all day starting at 10 a.m. Please call the shop to make reservations, as classes always fill up. 541.317.9407
This is the perfect opportunity for those new to paddling who would like to learn the basics and find a boat that is just the right fit. The demo day is also a great option for advanced paddlers who are looking to upgrade, but would like to gain a hands-on knowledge of what is available before investing in a new boat.

Attendees will receive a coupon towards 10% off one non-sale boat, and 15% off one non-sale accessory through May 11, 2012.

For more information contact, Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe at 541.317.9407 or 411@tumalocreek.

Riverhouse Run Photo Shoot

(Note from Laurel: From time to time we have guest bloggers contribute. Here is a tale of a photographer’s recent adventure getting photos of whitewater kayakers on the Riverhouse Run.)

I woke up early first thing in the morning made some coffee and grabbed my equipment which had been charging the night before. I proceeded to check my Google maps and contemplated some unique camera angles I wanted to put together and took off. I showed up and I started hiking around to make sure I was on my game. I said hello to a few of the competitors and then I met Geoff and started a conversation that soon made me realize I had scouted out the wrong stretch of shore the night before. As he threw out roads, trails, and neighborhood names, I tried to look like I had any clue what was going on.

Then I heard those final words “you got a bike?” JACKPOT!!! Knowing that there was no possible way for this to NOT be an epic adventure I replied “YEAH”!!! Then suddenly I heard a few more words “Deschutes River Trail” and knew I would need my Google powers would fill in the gaps.

Geoff and the other kayakers left for the Riverhouse Run and I had very little time to catch them. So I jumped in my trusty Mazda and bolted to the other end of town to pick up the bike. Arriving to my house, I invited my roommate, Anthony, along for the random trek, and as always he was down! I woofed down some cold enchiladas for the extra energy, Googled the trail, and packed up my gear.

On our way back to the other end of town we stopped at a gas station and couldn’t help but notice that the Burger King down the road had a large amount of smoke coming out of the building. We both starred until we got close enough to see what was going on. Then it was clear, it had not been Burger King that was smoking but a car….a car which was engulfed in flames!

As always, I had my trusty Canon 60D by my side and started taking some editorial photos. Traffic was stopped and in came the fire truck. It had seemed that nobody was hurt and all was well, except now I had even less time to catch the kayakers.

Then we arrived at our destination, the Deschutes River Trail. Not knowing for sure if we were at the right spot, we took off anyway. My sense of time was completely lost and I had no clue when or where we would see them, but I knew one thing…..I could at least see the river and that was enough! After a bit of riding and still no kayaks we had noticed that the trail had veered off. Was this supposed to happen? Then around the bend I saw it. It was the stretch of river that Geoff described. I realized it was time to pack the bikes down the canyon. We were unprepared and out of shape but had one thing: determination. That, and nothing else to do. We had no bike locks and so we carried the bikes with us just in case.

All in all it was worth it. We got the shots, and it was an Epic Adventure!

We’re grateful to add this film festival to the Riverhouse Rendezvous weekend of activites! This awesome event takes place at the Tower Theatre on March 31, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. $12 Advance or $15 at the door.

The Reel Paddling Film Festival is an international film tour presenting the world’s best whitewater, sea kayaking, canoeing, SUP and kayaking fishing action and lifestyle films of the year on 100s of screens throughout the world. Expect to see the stand-up paddle surfing, whitewater action, remote sea kayaking tours, motivational documentaries and hilarious short films.

4th Annual Riverhouse Rendezvous Slalom No. 3 will take place on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 10 a.m. in the Deschutes River behind the Riverhouse Convention Center and Hotel in north Bend. Throughout the day, paddlers divided by age group, type of boat and gender will test their skills and endurance on the quarter-mile whitewater course.

If folks would like to volunteer, we’ll be setting the gates at Friday starting at 10 a.m. Come down for as much or as little as you can. As a tradition, we like to paddle the gates throughout the day, as well as making as many Riverhouse Runs as possible. Get as many runs in as you can before it stops running for the season. Friday afternoon and Saturday the course will be open and the Tumalo Creek vans will be running shuttle for the Riverhouse run (This starts at the Riverhouse and takes out near Tumalo State Park.) We will also be (tentatively) hosting the Reel Paddling Film Festival at the Tower Theatre on Saturday night to raise money and awareness for the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance.

The Press Release:

Central Oregon is a place where the mountain snow is transformed into gushing whitewater play parks every spring – is known world-wide as a great destination for the whitewater kayaker, and slalom racing has been a part of this tradition in Bend since the 70s.

Three years ago, kayak enthusiasts Bert Hinkley (Pacific Northwest representative of the National Whitewater Slalom Committee), and Geoff Frank (owner, Tumalo Creek Kayak and Canoe) worked together to revive the Riverhouse Rendezvous whitewater kayak slalom race, that time in it’s fourth re-incarnation. Drawing top paddlers from Oregon and Washington, the race is part of the Northwest Cup slalom paddle series and is a Junior Olympic qualifier.

“Paddlers don’t have to be highly skilled racers to participate,” said Hinkley.  “Slalom is a great way to hone river running technique. The friendly competition can provide an opportunity to challenge friends and see who can be fast, clean, and precise in the gates using the flow of the water.”

Whitewater slalom kayaking as been a sport since the 1940s, when Swiss alpine skiers embraced the runoff from the mountains to race the rivers on their off-season. Today, this spectator-friendly sport is known to test not only the physical skill of paddlers, but their knowledge of the river and their ability to use currents and river features to their advantage.

“The League of Northwest Whitewater Racers is grateful to the Riverhouse Resort for their generous support,” Hinkley said. “The river provides the technical challenge and the Resort allows us to the chance to test our skills.”

For more information on the race and volunteer opportunities please contact Bert Hinkley bert@webskis.com or Geoff Frank geoff@tumalocreek.com.

Course set up will start on Friday night and we are always looking for volunteers. Competitors are welcome to run the course on Saturday.

For more details past events, please see this excellent article by The Bend Bulletin’s former sports reporter, Katie Brauns:

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090330/SPORTS05/903300382

Or watch the video below by Joe Hite of Hellfish.

Tumalo Creek’s Riverhouse Rendezvous from Joe Hite on Vimeo.

Yak-A-Tak Flatwater Kids’ Camps – available dates in 2012

Aug 6 – 9

Aug 27 – 30

(Also new this year check out our Kids SUP Camps!)

Cost $225

Kids have a lot of distractions, video games, TV, the internet. Why not get them away from all of that for a week this summer? Tumalo Creek is offer two four-day flatwater kayak camps for kids ages 8 – 16. We’ll start out slow and progress through the basics of kayaking while exploring some of Central Oregon’s most pristine Cascade Lakes.

Our expert staff of instructors will incorporate kayak games and some land-based activities to keep kids interested in interacting. By the end of the four days, kids should have a basic knowledge of paddle strokes, bracing and working with currents. They will also come away with a new appreciation for all the outdoor exploration available in this beautiful place we call home.

Kids meet at the shop every morning at 9 a.m. and get picked up at 4 p.m. in the afternoon.

Rush came to Tumalo Creek last year to show his latest film and put on a show at Silver Moon. We’ll miss him this year, but this gives a taste of what he is working on. Kind of a cool biographical perspective with shots of him as a kid growing up at Otter Bar Kayak School.

The carbon-fiberglass blend shaft and carbon/plastic blade make the Aqua Bound Sting Ray the right choice for those who plan to cover some distance and want to reduce fatigue. I love the feel of this paddle in the water; it is high performing but allows for more of a relaxed paddle stroke, meaning I can still cover some miles with horizontal strokes. I usually recommend the Aqua Bound Sting Ray Paddle to those who want to upgrade from their first entry level paddle, but are not ready to invest $300-$400. This gives you the feel of high-end, with a middle of the road price. Hard to beat that!

Order this paddle on Tumalo Creek’s online store, or read more specs and our official description. You can also check out Drew’s quick and simple demo video below: