Got a call from Mark Anderson this AM to confirm my Quetico entry permit and nail down a few details for my trip.

Got a new skim coat on the bottom of my canoe, picked up a new food barrel and harness, finishing off a new tarp for this season.

Canoecopia is now 2 months away.

This all means paddling season is "just around the corner."

Anyone else headed to Madison March 9-11?  I'll be around from Friday to Sunday, so I'd love to meet up with any and all that will also attend (white baseball cap with QJ logo on the front and "DentonDoc" on the back).

dd

We can't come this year.  We will miss seeing you guys!  (We'll just be getting back a cruise in Australia and New Zealand on the 8th or 9th.)

have never been to Copia

by all reviews, it looks like a worthy event

I would assume there are plenty of hotel rooms in Madison for late attendees

I'd really like to go this year. It would be a first.

DEFINITELY will be there.

Yes, Magic, we're good to go at the Sheraton!  It will be nice to be right on top of things at the convention center.

A few of us will need to coordinate re: are we doing BOTH a QJ luncheon AND supper OR just one or the other.

Whatever we end up doing, it's generally a pretty darned good time and the main reason I even go to Copia.  Bring maps!!

Jimbo 

You can count me in for Copia 2012. I think the Coliseum Bar and Gray's worked out well last year. I vote for reserving both again.

58 degrees and sunny here in Davenport, IA today. Heck, guys are playing golf and it is January 10th!!!!

Lunch and dinner were great.  But it would be nice if we could find some place that didn't get so noisy.
Westwood

It's a possibility this year but I doubt it as things are right now.  Son graduating Nuke School, Navy, in Feb and I doubt I'll be able to take any more time away from my business that soon.  Although it's needed, these 6 -10's are killin me.  Getting to old for this crap. 
qp

I will be in Madison...did not get room yet but will in the next few days...last year stayed at Clarion.  I will be looking for you folks .
I will be there Friday Night, Saturday, and go home Sunday (I think).  I am getting together with the BWCA.com folks Saturday night, but will look for you all at Copia.  I will Have a Red Hat that say Nebraska on it. Doubt there will be many wearing those there   Looking forward to seeing you all.
SunCatcher

Hey folks I think I am going to try and make it to 'Copia this year. Might bring the old man along with me.

I'm a scratch. There's some pheasant and partridge that need to be shot that weekend.

Drewfus wrote on Jan 27^th, 2012 at 8:11pm:

Where can you hunt pheasant in May???  Both my dog and I are very curious!

prouboy

DentonDoc wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2012 at 12:30am:

As of early this week our group has been offered a room at Gray's Tied House for the Satuday evening of the Copia weekend, March 10. We have been offered an upgrade from previous years that may provide less noise. We will not be competing with a St. Patrick's day celebration at Gray's that weekend however, there will still be a band starting at 9pm.
The cost of the room even with the upgrade will still be $75 and I've been told that this year prime rib will be available on the menu.
I have not heard of significant alternatives to or complaints about Gray's so at this point I am inclined to secure the reservation and will do so by week's end unless someone else wants to take over this responsibility.

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As for lunch on Saturday: a decision will have to be made about whether the group wants to return to the Coliseum Bar (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) or return to the Badger Bowl (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
There were advantages to both places. Mulelars handled the arrangements last year after the Badger Bowl became unavailable and I suspect he may want to weigh in here.

I will be in town Friday night so if people are going to gather some place I would most likely attend.  What you set up last year was great but if you would prefer name a place and that will work. 
I prefer the Badger Bowl but either place works well. 
Thanks to MuleLars and Kingfisher.
MagicPaddler

Gray's and either Coliseum or Badger Bowl fine with me.

MuleLars -

You might have a little competition re: Friday night.  The Copia speaker line-up for that evening is looking pretty good to me (for a change).  I, for one, am likely to be at one of the programs through about 8:30pm, and possibly showing up a little later if you guys are still going at it.

Even Saturday's lunch will have some decent competition from Copia presentations this year.  Rob Kesselring is doing a "How to Plan a Far North Canoe Trip" beginning around 12:30pm.  That has some appeal for me.  I'll probably still opt for the QJ luncheon, though.

Choices!  Choices!  Some pretty decent programs are listed this year.

Of course, Saturday supper is a no-brainer... no matter what the competition might be.

Later,

Jimbo   

We have the Barley Room (upstairs) reserved at Gray's Tied House. We have the room for the whole evening March 10. I would like to have an approximate idea of how many we need to prepare for, so if you plan to attend please post here or send me a PM. As always you are welcome and encouraged to bring guests just let me know how many.

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Hey all,

I plan on being at Copia, and at the Tied House with a guest.  Looking forward to it!

I will be there for supper. Thanks for setting it up.

KF -

I'll be there.  No guest planned, at this point.

Jimbo   

Quentin wrote on Feb 7^th, 2012 at 3:55pm:

Ummm, Yes and no. We passed a new law. Four or more need a permit. To get one you'll need to post a bond for any extra law enforcement, cleanup, anticipated damages... I'm not kidding.

The good news is, no tractor parade this year! 

(Sorry I couldn't resist.) 

I'd like to provide a little door prize for your dinner.  How should I get it to you?  Whom do you trust? 

Door prizes?!?!?!! 

Well then count me in! 

Seriously tho, I'll be there as usual.

Hi, Everyone--

Thought I'd chime in, as we're getting closer!

I haven't moved the lunch back to 11:30 yet, but please let me know if there are sufficient numbers who'd want to do that. This would help folks who want to go to the 12:30 presentation(s). I was thinking, the Coliseum isn't going to be jam-packed, and since we have the space reserved for noon, if a handful of people wanted to go over at 11:30 or so, there would certainly be room for you.  Anyway, let me know if you think it would be a good idea to move it officially back to 11:30.

Now, as for Friday night, I'm working hard to get out of a conflict that I may now have that night. If I can't get out of it, I'll be tied up until 9:30 or so, which would make a gathering at my house not really possible. BUT, I'd be very happy to meet up at a local establishment, if you Friday-nighters are interested. I'll be able to give you full details hopefully by the end of this week on the status of Friday night.

Oh, and KF, I am coming to Saturday dinner and I realize I haven't mentioned that yet 

So that's where things stand now. Let me know your thoughts, or PM me if you have any specific questions, etc.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again!

Great points, OS. I will set the "official" time as 11:30. We have the space until 1:30, so we can linger. But for folks who might want to make the 12:30 session, this will help.

We'll make the final meeting plans when we get closer.

Again, looking forward to seeing everyone!

So..., what is the door prize? And what time is dinner? Inquiring minds want to know...

Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Kingfisher wrote on Mar 4^th, 2012 at 5:08am:

I'd vote for 7ish?

dd

Ditto.

Jimbo 

Hello, everyone-- Here's the final info on Saturday's lunch. We're booked for 11:30 at the Coliseum Bar ( (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) if you weren't with us last year). I have the space until 1:30, so feel free and come when you can. We moved it up to 11:30, since there's a 12:30 presentation that's looking popular.

Let's plan on heading over around 11:15; we can meet up at the eastern end of the building, so plan on being over there in time to leave at 11:15 or so.

And it looks like I won't be able to make a Friday night thing happen this year   . Can't get out of the conflict, and I'll be booked until 9:30 or 10:00 -- too late for us old guys to give 'er hell anymore    .  Next year, hopefully.

Any questions, PM me. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!!

ML (Scott)

Hey All,

Looking forward to Copia', the "official" start of the season.  See you at the show Sat. morning, checking out all the new gear which I really don't need, but may not be able to walk away from...
Kingfisher, I am a +1 for the Tied House.

Q

KF, See you guys Sat evening.
JJS + 1

If I remember I'll bring some old Che-mun journals along for you and Jimbo. It's Arctic tripping stuff.
I'm moving and doing some purging.

Purging some old BWJ (2000-current) and In-Fisherman mags too. Let me know if anyone's interested. Better than sending to the re-cycler.

Hey,can anyone recommend any  ' must see' presentations or lectures,booths,etc. I might be able to get up there saturday. I 've never been there and want to put my time to it 's best use. (it"s a  three hour drive each way). As always, much obliged...

I appreciate the response. I'm primarily hoping to learn a bit more about efficient tripping and camping. High tech stuff does'nt really interest me much. Ideas on how,where,and when are what I'm looking for. I'm not new to camping,but canoe tripping is still a whole new world to me. I've been on half a dozen or so BWCA triips and am learning that there's a whole nother world up there. To be able to meet the challenges more comfortably,safely,and satisfingly are goals of mine. To be able to share some of the beauty with friends and family is as important as getting off by myself. Fishing is secondary,but that's just because I've had so little success. I like the simple primitive stuff. I used to be into black powder and still travel by motorcycle when I can.

I would suggest you check out Cliff Jacobson. He has so much practical information that you should check out his books also. Forty-five minutes will only give you a hint of what he has to share.

Regarding Kevin Callan, he has a really good read on Q and other ontario parks with respects to paddling and I believe he is a regular writer for Explorer - Canada's outdoor mag. You can read more on (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

That's my 2 cents and sorry for butting in...

Missing you guys and wishing we were at 'Copia today.  Sort of.  But we returned from our trip very late last night and we are 'way too jet-lagged to have made a trip to Madison today!

See you all next year!  Hope you had a great time!   

Spartan2 and Spartan1 (just back from "Down Under")

knafelc wrote on Mar 11^th, 2012 at 1:20pm:


Jeff,

It was nice to meet you, SunCatcher & others I had not really met before.  It was also neat to reconnect with so many familiar folks with whom I have shared so many great times and special places... and with whom I hope share plenty more.

Thanks to Scott & to Darrel for setting up our gatherings!

Jimbo   

Great gathering, as always!  Honestly if it weren't for the lunch and dinner get-togethers, I doubt I'd bother to make the trip.

It really is the best part of the event, getting to know more of you. At the end of one program it was neat to make introductions for people who had been conversing on here for a long time.

dd--here is an abbreviated trip report.

Jet-lagged now and trying to sort through far too many photo files.  Don't figure to go there again, so I shot a lot, bracketed more than usual, and now have a lot of garbage to delete, duplicates to delete, and decisions to make about which one to keep.  It will take DAYS!   

We did a 16-day luxury cruise on Oceania Lines and it was very comfortable, although the weather was a bit nasty for a couple of the days when we were crossing the Tasman Sea.  The day we were to anchor and tender in at Akaroa we ended up not being able to go ashore, and we sailed away early, as the anchor wouldn't even hold.  Lots of 'rock and roll' that night!   

We had a good time.  Beautiful sights, fun experiences.  We particularly enjoyed having the chance to see "The Magic Flute" in the Sydney Opera House, and some lovely wineries, a kiwi farm, a train trip out of Dunedin in NZ, and of course sailing along the fjords in New Zealand.  New Zealand is a beautiful country.  I might like to go back there if there were a way to get there besides those brutal airline flights!!

The end of February/first of March is the beginning of Autumn down there, and we might have enjoyed a bit warmer weather overall.  It was hot in Sydney when we arrived, quite warm in Melbourne, and from there on we needed jackets most of the time.  That was a surprise.

Our ports of call were Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart (Tasmania), Dunedin (NZ), Akaroa (aborted), Wellington, Napier, a great cruise past the active volcano, "White Island", Tauranga, and Auckland.

Like Snowdog, I probably would not come over, unless we have the lunch and dinner. Visiting with old friends, and making a few new ones is the highlight for me. I really enjoy visiting with everyone. Kudos to Darrel and Scott for organizing this. A thought for the future is to push all the tables into a large rectangle so that we are all sitting together.

One idea that Snowdog and I discussed on the way home was the possibility of organizing a 'rendevous' in a future year on Kawnipi, where those who wish too, could meet on McKenzie bay for a night or two. Since many loops run through there, from a variety of entry points, it could be very doable. Any thoughts? Don't confuse this with the fishing contest thread...

I'll echo all of the thoughts on the gatherings as well. It indeed is the highlight of the weekend to re-connect (and make new connections!)

Glad everyone made it home safe and sound. We look forward to having you all back in our fair city in a year! (Except dd, who will be making the down-under trek. I am HIGHLY envious of you and the Spartans for making one of my bucket list trips!)

And I like your idea, O_S! I had a great time on one of those island sites on McKenzie Bay several years ago, and would gladly pass through there again!

Thanks again to everyone for their participation this year!

Scott

Sorry I missed the lunch this year. 

I'll be at Midwest Mountaineering's Outdoor Adventure Expo this year,

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and would be happy to tip a pint with any QJr that comes my way. 

I am beginning to think that while their facility isn't as nice as Canoecopia's, the Midwest's focus is more on wilderness canoeing.  I also like the entrance fee -- FREE. 

I'm curious if any of you thought the 'copia event this year continued the trend (IMO) toward the world of kayaks, or was that just my impression from the '11 copia event?


prouboy

I know the feeling.... Geezerhood has its challenges.

prouboy

Old_Salt,

Wish I could have made Copia this year but I had to attend my nieces wedding in Hopkinsville, KY. Missed visiting with fellow QJ'ers over a few beers.

I surely would meet up with QJ'ers on Kawnipi. It is one of my favorite lakes and always camp in McKenzie Bay when we go.  I usually go to Quetico the last week of June and over the 4th of July. I was thinking of going into Quetico from the north next year as I have never entered from this direction before.  Will have to see. Have a lot on my wish canoe/fishing list like  WCPP, NW Territories ....someday...