Page 39 - Louisiana Loop (manuscript Edition)

Wind is almost never a kayakers friend until you learn to develop sailing skills and generally said, avoidance techniques.
In Long Distance Kayaking and Paddling the wind direction if favorable can be a boon, but if headwinds generally it’s a
bane. A kayak really does not function at it’s best in the wind and it’s even worse for Inflatable Kayaking.

However since there are parts of the country where winds are almost constant, Wyoming is an example of a successful
use of the winds that are prevalent in this state.

The first two wind turbines in Wyoming were constructed in Medicine Bow on September 4, 1982 by NASA and the US
-DOE. The wind turbines were the largest in the U.S. The two turbines included the WTS-4 at 391 feet tall, and
the MOD-2 at 350 feet tall. Mayor of Medicine Bow Gerald Cook held an event with 500 residents at the construction
site and declared September 4 "Wind Turbine Day."

Wyoming's first commercial wind farm was the Foote Creek Rim
wind project located near Arlington completed on April 4, 1999.
This 85 MW (megawatts) wind project had 69 wind turbines, and
it is located in one of the windiest locations in the state. Due to
average winds of 25 mph in the area, the wind project has
a capacity factor of 43% of peak output annually, which is higher
than most wind farms. As of 2016, the Foote Creek wind project
has 183 turbines with a generating capacity of 134.7 MW.
In 2003, the Wyoming Wind Energy Center began operations. It
has 80 turbines with a 144 MW capacity and is located near
Evanston in Unita County.
In 2008, the Glenrock Wind Project outside of Glenrock began
operations on top of a reclaimed surface coal mine. PacifiCorp,
the owner, "believes this is the first wind facility in the West to
recycle land that once provided fossil fuels into one that captures
renewable energy." The wind project has 66 turbines that
generate up to 99 MW. Seven Mile Hill and Seven Mile Hill II
began operations between Hanna and Medicine Bow. It has 79
turbines with a generating capacity of 118.5 MW. In 2008,
Mountain Wind Power, LLC and Mountain Wind Power II, LLC
began operations. They have 67 turbines with a 140 MW
capacity.—(Courtesy Wikipedia)

In Utah we have what seems as though everyday winds from one direction or another sometimes bringing weather
patterns sometimes simply cleaning the air. Adapting to those extremes on Utah Lake where I practice a lot has been
challenging at times because Utah also gets hurricane force winds tipping semi trucks as well as gale gust over Utah
Lake and Salt Lake disrupting water craft dramatically to the shallows of the lake.

After Louisiana Loop my plans have been to spend the summer developing Kayak Sailing skills as well as learning to
fish with my wife. The Sea Eagle 420x “MoonShadow/MoonRiver” is being designed to easily switch between the two
venues as well as remain a whitewater expedition kayak.

Wind on the Mississippi River Valley, basin, delta and basically “passing over the water” has created a lot of wind
specific phenomenon peculiar to the Mississippi River.

Tornadoes have spawned and passed over the Mississippi River causing havoc on both sides including shore line.
Hurricanes and hurricane force winds have traveled up the Mississippi River.
A wind app I was using accurately recorded wind blowing between Baton Rouge and New Orleans from weather stations
blowing from all four directions while the predominant wind was East South East. This was not in error but the stations