It started with a scream or two and, I'm sure, some serious cursing of UAC under their breath. The crew was warned ahead of time about the mud, but I don't think they really had a grasp of it until it was inching up to thigh-level as we very slowly approached the river. ...Welcome to the Jay's run. Nonetheless, we made it to the river, the clouds disappeared, the sun came out and we set a blazing pace of .75 miles per hour as we cruised 6 miles of water in just under 8 hours (and who knows how many beers?)

And we learned a lot that day too -- though most of it we can't share in a public forum, unfortunately. You'll have to come to the campout for those details. But some highlights? Nathan was the first to mount his kayak from under the water in a seemingly-violating way. Katie and Lindsey played a shrewd game of slap-ass on a sandbar and nearly floated away. And we had three kayaks capsize within about 15 seconds (no, Katie, you weren't the first one to go over this time -- congrats). Oh, and we learned that while not everyone can appreciate a fine whiskey, EVERYONE loves Puppy's home brew!

How are we possibly going to top this one??? In the meantime, check the photo gallery for more fun from Saturday!

When Katie e-mailed us a week ago asking about a Saturday float trip, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. She and 6 others joined us at the boat ramp in Perry for a swift float to Lawrence (river levels were quite high that day). But after seeing Katie sprawled out over the front of her boat tying everyone together into a deformed starfish of kayaks, we knew this was going to be a day of leisure.

We had a blast on the river with this crew. One look at the photo album from Saturday and you'll understand why. Katie, you and the rest of your crew can come back anytime!

Last summer we got a call from Erika who told us she was looking for a short river outing for the tech crew at the KU Lied Center. They must have had a good time in 2009 because they came back in greater numbers for a repeat performance on Friday.

And kudos to Nick, who last year cut his foot at the boat ramp, and this year climbed 20 feet up a tree to jump out into the muddy Kaw. More photos from the extravaganza are in the photo gallery.

Last year the self-titled Miller Lite Express hit the river with UAC for a day of paddling, swimming, and capsizing canoes. Last weekend was the much-anticipated encore.

 Something tells me they'll be back again in 2011 for round three. Until then, check the photos.

Simple. Because while you were mowing the lawn last Saturday, we floated the river with the Girls Gone Wild bachelorette party!

Check out the rest of the photos!

The summer girls camp crew from Lawrence hit the Delaware River for a short float on Thursday morning. Despite the forecast for rain, we managed the entire float without a drop of rain. ...Though that didn't stop the girls from getting wet. The swimming hole up Wild Horse Creek was a huge hit.

Hopefully we'll see this crew again next summer. I just hope we don't disappoint them if they don't get the same mud treatment (a foot deep and very sticky) at the boat ramp at the end of their trip. Check the photo gallery for more pics from today.

We've found lots of interesting things on the river -- arrowheads, fossils, bones. But on Sunday we found pure, unabated Joy on the Kaw! Come see for yourself!

Though I will admit it didn't necessarily start with a whole lot of joy. In fact,  as we led the girls through about 50 yards of knee-deep mud on our way to the river's edge, I'm pretty sure I heard some new phrases uttered that are not appropriate to be echoed here on the web site. Nonetheless, once we hit the water, got cleaned off and hooked the boats together for what became a multi-hour non-paddling barge, it was all good. Check the photo gallery for more pics from one of our favorite floats of the season!

The Adult Ministries group of Kansas City brought nearly 30 people to the river on Saturday morning. 17 canoes and kayaks, 11 miles of river and plenty of sunscreen (though unfortunately, not quite enough) made for a great afternoon for this group. Be sure to check the pics in the photo gallery!

After near record-high levels on the Kansas River in June, the water finally dropped and just in time for us to carry out our first full moon float of 2010. Comfortable temps in the mid-70s, clear skies and a beautiful full moon shining on the water made for a fantastic start to this unique UAC monthly tradition.

If you missed out this time, check the pics and be sure to sign up for the July full moon float!