Message Pages

News and Updates

Oct-10-2023

300 MILE RACE UPDATE

Good Morning!

Windy and rainy here at the loft this morning. I might be able to sneak a trainer in this afternoon, we shall see.

Looking forward to the 300 mile race...I have been watching the forecast closely and originally Thursday was looking like a good day to fly. The forecast keeps changing, so maybe Thursday or Friday....otherwise we are looking into next week. I will keep you posted on the best day to get them through the mountain passes.

Birds have bounced back well from the last race and did well on yesterday's overcast trainer.

I have worked out the payout based on 813 birds entered. I pay to the top 10% of actual birds shipped to each race, so the 350 mile race will not be figured out until the number of birds is known. Here is a link to the payout...can also be found under the race information tab on the website.

2023 Payout

I will update again once I have more information. Have a great day!

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac and Ropa B

Oct-04-2023

250 MILE RACE

Good Morning!

Thursday is looking like a good day to fly the 250 mile race. Release should be around 8am into 45 degrees and 3-5mph winds out of the NE. Winds along the course look varied...3-5mph out of NE gusting up to 12mph up to about 150 miles into the course. Looks like there is potential for them to hit a 3-5mph SE wind about 100 miles from the loft. Once they get close to home then they will encounter a 7-8mph wind out of the north. Temperatures at the loft will be about 75 degrees and clear sunny skies are forecasted over the entirety of the course.

Training this week was a bit of challenge with yesterday's toss having to be later in the morning and shortened due to weather. Sunday's trainer was a good headwind toss for the birds. Birds are looking good, droppings are perfect, and they have great appetites.

Entry fee refunds were mailed last Friday to those that have them coming.

Prize money will be paid to the top 5 birds clocked tomorrow.

250 mile - 1st bird in clock $2000, 2nd $1500, 3rd $1000, 4th $500, 5th $250

I will work on the payout for this season and get that posted within the next couple days. There were a couple issues with checks this year, but those issues are resolved.

Good luck tomorrow!

Lucas

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, and Ropa B

Sep-27-2023

200 MILE RACE UPDATE

Good Morning!

Tomorrow is looking like the best day to have the 200 mile race. I have been obsessing over weather maps the last few days and looking for a clear window through the mountains. Tomorrow looks like that day. Clear skies at release and the majority of the way home and then to partly cloudy once they get close to home. Temperature at release will be around 40 degrees and high of 65 tomorrow at the loft. Winds are variable along the course with gusts up to 15mph but mostly 5-7mph sustained out of the west along the majority of the course. Looks like several pockets of calm air along the course. Thank you Windy.com

Thank you to everyone for getting their entry fees paid...there are still a few in the USPS system.

I would have liked to get a couple more road trainers in this last week, but weather hasn't been in our favor. Luckily, the birds have been giving some great wing time on loft flights....not the same as road training but they have been cruising off in all directions and come racing back. I will take what I can get at this point in the season...autumn has arrived. The rain and cooler weather has helped to clear smoke off the course...fingers crossed it stays that way for the rest of the season.

Good Luck to everyone!

Lucas

Sep-23-2023

FIRST RACE UPDATE

Good Afternoon!

Smoke is back today, which I find very irritating! It has gotten worse as the day has progressed. Birds did enjoy a nice loft fly with just haze this morning.

Entry fees are coming in steady. Thank you to everyone that has gotten them in quickly. Please check to see if I have received your payment by looking at the paid column on today's trainer...no check mark equals no payment. Please do not wait until the last minute to pay. Mail is not available on Saturday, so I am sure there will be some payments in Monday's mail. Please let me know if payment is in the mail, if you haven't already.

First race looks like it could be as early as Tuesday but Wednesday or Thursday are more likely. Wet and cloudy Sunday and Monday. I will also have to keep an eye on smoke and see what that is going to look like on the course. I will continue to train as weather and smoke allow.

Take Care

Lucas

Sep-19-2023

ENTRY FEES DUE

Good Afternoon!

Entry fees are now due. Payments can be made via money orders, checks, zelle, apple pay, or venmo using my phone number 503-510-2661. Anyone that has paid for birds that are missing or unable to go to the first race will be refunded after the 200 mile race.

If you are unable or choosing not to enter your team, please let me know so I can make them available for others to enter.

I tried to get the birds out on a 55 mile toss this morning, but ended up bringing them back...too much smoke on the course for my liking. I'm not sure when the first race will be exactly, there is some weather moving in and I want to get a few tosses on these birds before the 200 mile race.

Birds are looking good and happy to get out and fly. I wanted to let them stay out longer today, but had a prairie falcon come in and start harassing them.

Keep you all posted as I know more.

Take Care

Lucas

Sep-16-2023

Good Afternoon!

Well, yesterday's 150 activation did not go as well as I had hoped. The birds did so well on the previous two 100 mile tosses that yesterday's toss was a definite surprise. The majority of birds continue to trickle in from the north today, which tells me there was a group that missed the loft and over shot. The birds did pick up a tailwind on yesterday's toss and at about 2,000 feet there was a significant tailwind.

The 150 mile activation can be tough on our course and this is one of the reasons I like to make the activation race a 150 rather than 100 miles. The birds are returning in pretty good shape, just tired. I haven't seen any injuries yet. Yesterday got to about 90 in the afternoon, so I think a lot of the late birds went down, found water and stayed down.

Hopefully, I will continue to see them trickle in through today and tomorrow.

I will be out of cell phone reception this afternoon and into tomorrow morning. If you need anything just send me a text or leave me a message and I will get back with you tomorrow morning. I'm going to the mountains to help pace a friend on the last 30 miles of his 20th 100 mile race!

Entry fees can be paid through Zelle, Venmo, and Apple Pay using my phone 503-510-2661 or money orders and checks are just fine. If you have prize funds from the sprint race those can be applied to entry fees...just let me know.

I will be looking closely at next week's weather to see when the first race will be held.

Take Care

Lucas

503-510-2661

Sep-14-2023

150 MILE ACTIVATION TOMORROW

Good Morning!

Tomorrow looks like a good day to have the 150 mile activation/sprint race. Forecast is looking for clear skies all the way with a possible slight tail wind out of the southeast as they get a bit closer to home. Temperatures at release are going to be around 60 and 75-80 at the loft when they get home. Birds will be loaded this evening and I will head down and spend the night at the release point. Most likely birds will be released around 7:30.

Birds are looking great and flying well. Activation fees will be due after tomorrow's 150 mile trainer/race. Those that have funds available from the sprint series are welcome to roll those funds over to pay entry fees.

As most of you know that watch the trainers daily, there can be a delay with the Topigeon server posting results when I have large groups clock closely together. I have been working with Topigeon and Wincompanion to try and fix this for some time now. The birds clock just fine and the results are in the clock, it just takes a bit for the Topigeon server to process the data. I want to apologize for the delay, it is very frustrating since it is out of my control and this server change was made at the beginning of July. Some days it works just fine and others it is a real pain in the ass.

There will be some changes made for the 2024 season.

Good Luck tomorrow!

As always feel free to reach out with any questions.

Lucas

Sep-10-2023

SPRINT RACE PAYOUT

Good Afternoon!

Birds had a good 103 mile toss from Silver Lake this morning. I'm very happy with how they performed today. Looking ahead at weather, I will loft fly tomorrow and then try for another 103 mile toss on Tuesday.

I have worked up a preliminary sprint payout based on 173 birds...payout may change since I do not have all payments in hand. It is too late to activate any other birds in the sprint series.

Link can be found under the "race info" tab or you can click on this link.

2023 Sprint Race Payout

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B

Sep-09-2023

TRAINING/SPRINT RACE UPDATE

Good Afternoon!

Tomorrow looks like a good day to do a 100 mile trainer/first sprint race. Today is the last day to enter birds into the optional sprint series.

Please check today's loft fly and double check to make sure I have marked your birds correctly with a red or green dot in the sprint column. Green vs red has to do with accounting...red are checks on the way and green is electronic funds received. If your bird doesn't have a red or green dot and should....please let me know.

Birds are currently enjoying an afternoon bath. They flew big the last two mornings on their loft flights, so they are feeling good.

Good Luck to everyone!

Lucas Cramer

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B

Sep-07-2023

SPRINT ACTIVATION!

Good Afternoon!

Birds had a good toss from 86 miles this morning. The majority of birds did very well, which I am pleased with. Late birds seem to arriving from all directions. The late birds are trapping into a separate section, so I can evaluate them for any injuries or any other issue.

Now is the time to activate your sprint birds if you choose to do so. You are welcome to pick and choose these birds from your team, you do not need to activate all of them. Here is a link to the rules...give me a call if you have any questions.

Rules

Payments can be made through Zelle, Venmo, or Apple Pay using Phone # 503-510-2661. If paying by check or money order please text me check information with photo. Payments need to be in or arranged by Saturday. I may do the first 100 mile trainer on Sunday.

I plan on loft flying Friday and Saturday weather permitting...I may do the 100 miler on Sunday. They rest of the week is also looking good, so will try and get the second 100 in mid week.

Appetites are great in this cooler weather. Nighttime temperatures are in the high 40s and daytime highs have been high 70s. Beautiful fall weather.

Good luck to everyone in the upcoming races!

Lucas

503-510-2661

CrookedRiverChallenge.com

Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B

« Previous 1 2 [3]4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

	News and Updates
	Oct-10-2023
300 MILE RACE UPDATE Good Morning! Windy and rainy here at the loft this morning. I might be able to sneak a trainer in this afternoon, we shall see. Looking forward to the 300 mile race...I have been watching the forecast closely and originally Thursday was looking like a good day to fly. The forecast keeps changing, so maybe Thursday or Friday....otherwise we are looking into next week. I will keep you posted on the best day to get them through the mountain passes. Birds have bounced back well from the last race and did well on yesterday's overcast trainer. I have worked out the payout based on 813 birds entered. I pay to the top 10% of actual birds shipped to each race, so the 350 mile race will not be figured out until the number of birds is known. Here is a link to the payout...can also be found under the race information tab on the website. 2023 Payout I will update again once I have more information. Have a great day! -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac *and Ropa B*
	Oct-04-2023
250 MILE RACE Good Morning! Thursday is looking like a good day to fly the 250 mile race. Release should be around 8am into 45 degrees and 3-5mph winds out of the NE. Winds along the course look varied...3-5mph out of NE gusting up to 12mph up to about 150 miles into the course. Looks like there is potential for them to hit a 3-5mph SE wind about 100 miles from the loft. Once they get close to home then they will encounter a 7-8mph wind out of the north. Temperatures at the loft will be about 75 degrees and clear sunny skies are forecasted over the entirety of the course. Training this week was a bit of challenge with yesterday's toss having to be later in the morning and shortened due to weather. Sunday's trainer was a good headwind toss for the birds. Birds are looking good, droppings are perfect, and they have great appetites. Entry fee refunds were mailed last Friday to those that have them coming. Prize money will be paid to the top 5 birds clocked tomorrow. 250 mile - 1st bird in clock $2000, 2nd $1500, 3rd $1000, 4th $500, 5th $250 I will work on the payout for this season and get that posted within the next couple days. There were a couple issues with checks this year, but those issues are resolved. Good luck tomorrow! Lucas -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, *and Ropa B*
	Sep-27-2023
200 MILE RACE UPDATE Good Morning! Tomorrow is looking like the best day to have the 200 mile race. I have been obsessing over weather maps the last few days and looking for a clear window through the mountains. Tomorrow looks like that day. Clear skies at release and the majority of the way home and then to partly cloudy once they get close to home. Temperature at release will be around 40 degrees and high of 65 tomorrow at the loft. Winds are variable along the course with gusts up to 15mph but mostly 5-7mph sustained out of the west along the majority of the course. Looks like several pockets of calm air along the course. Thank you Windy.com Thank you to everyone for getting their entry fees paid...there are still a few in the USPS system. I would have liked to get a couple more road trainers in this last week, but weather hasn't been in our favor. Luckily, the birds have been giving some great wing time on loft flights....not the same as road training but they have been cruising off in all directions and come racing back. I will take what I can get at this point in the season...autumn has arrived. The rain and cooler weather has helped to clear smoke off the course...fingers crossed it stays that way for the rest of the season. Good Luck to everyone! Lucas
	Sep-23-2023
FIRST RACE UPDATE Good Afternoon! Smoke is back today, which I find very irritating! It has gotten worse as the day has progressed. Birds did enjoy a nice loft fly with just haze this morning. Entry fees are coming in steady. Thank you to everyone that has gotten them in quickly. Please check to see if I have received your payment by looking at the paid column on today's trainer...no check mark equals no payment. Please do not wait until the last minute to pay. Mail is not available on Saturday, so I am sure there will be some payments in Monday's mail. Please let me know if payment is in the mail, if you haven't already. First race looks like it could be as early as Tuesday but Wednesday or Thursday are more likely. Wet and cloudy Sunday and Monday. I will also have to keep an eye on smoke and see what that is going to look like on the course. I will continue to train as weather and smoke allow. Take Care Lucas
	Sep-19-2023
ENTRY FEES DUE Good Afternoon! Entry fees are now due. Payments can be made via money orders, checks, zelle, apple pay, or venmo using my phone number 503-510-2661. Anyone that has paid for birds that are missing or unable to go to the first race will be refunded after the 200 mile race. If you are unable or choosing not to enter your team, please let me know so I can make them available for others to enter. I tried to get the birds out on a 55 mile toss this morning, but ended up bringing them back...too much smoke on the course for my liking. I'm not sure when the first race will be exactly, there is some weather moving in and I want to get a few tosses on these birds before the 200 mile race. Birds are looking good and happy to get out and fly. I wanted to let them stay out longer today, but had a prairie falcon come in and start harassing them. Keep you all posted as I know more. Take Care Lucas
	Sep-16-2023
Good Afternoon! Well, yesterday's 150 activation did not go as well as I had hoped. The birds did so well on the previous two 100 mile tosses that yesterday's toss was a definite surprise. The majority of birds continue to trickle in from the north today, which tells me there was a group that missed the loft and over shot. The birds did pick up a tailwind on yesterday's toss and at about 2,000 feet there was a significant tailwind. The 150 mile activation can be tough on our course and this is one of the reasons I like to make the activation race a 150 rather than 100 miles. The birds are returning in pretty good shape, just tired. I haven't seen any injuries yet. Yesterday got to about 90 in the afternoon, so I think a lot of the late birds went down, found water and stayed down. Hopefully, I will continue to see them trickle in through today and tomorrow. I will be out of cell phone reception this afternoon and into tomorrow morning. If you need anything just send me a text or leave me a message and I will get back with you tomorrow morning. I'm going to the mountains to help pace a friend on the last 30 miles of his 20th 100 mile race! Entry fees can be paid through Zelle, Venmo, and Apple Pay using my phone 503-510-2661 or money orders and checks are just fine. If you have prize funds from the sprint race those can be applied to entry fees...just let me know. I will be looking closely at next week's weather to see when the first race will be held. Take Care Lucas 503-510-2661
	Sep-14-2023
150 MILE ACTIVATION TOMORROW Good Morning! Tomorrow looks like a good day to have the 150 mile activation/sprint race. Forecast is looking for clear skies all the way with a possible slight tail wind out of the southeast as they get a bit closer to home. Temperatures at release are going to be around 60 and 75-80 at the loft when they get home. Birds will be loaded this evening and I will head down and spend the night at the release point. Most likely birds will be released around 7:30. Birds are looking great and flying well. Activation fees will be due after tomorrow's 150 mile trainer/race. Those that have funds available from the sprint series are welcome to roll those funds over to pay entry fees. As most of you know that watch the trainers daily, there can be a delay with the Topigeon server posting results when I have large groups clock closely together. I have been working with Topigeon and Wincompanion to try and fix this for some time now. The birds clock just fine and the results are in the clock, it just takes a bit for the Topigeon server to process the data. I want to apologize for the delay, it is very frustrating since it is out of my control and this server change was made at the beginning of July. Some days it works just fine and others it is a real pain in the ass. There will be some changes made for the 2024 season. Good Luck tomorrow! As always feel free to reach out with any questions. Lucas
	Sep-10-2023
SPRINT RACE PAYOUT Good Afternoon! Birds had a good 103 mile toss from Silver Lake this morning. I'm very happy with how they performed today. Looking ahead at weather, I will loft fly tomorrow and then try for another 103 mile toss on Tuesday. I have worked up a preliminary sprint payout based on 173 birds...payout may change since I do not have all payments in hand. It is too late to activate any other birds in the sprint series. Link can be found under the "race info" tab or you can click on this link. 2023 Sprint Race Payout -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, *Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B*
	Sep-09-2023
TRAINING/SPRINT RACE UPDATE Good Afternoon! Tomorrow looks like a good day to do a 100 mile trainer/first sprint race. Today is the last day to enter birds into the optional sprint series. Please check today's loft fly and double check to make sure I have marked your birds correctly with a red or green dot in the sprint column. Green vs red has to do with accounting...red are checks on the way and green is electronic funds received. If your bird doesn't have a red or green dot and should....please let me know. Birds are currently enjoying an afternoon bath. They flew big the last two mornings on their loft flights, so they are feeling good. Good Luck to everyone! -- Lucas Cramer 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, *Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B*
	Sep-07-2023
SPRINT ACTIVATION! Good Afternoon! Birds had a good toss from 86 miles this morning. The majority of birds did very well, which I am pleased with. Late birds seem to arriving from all directions. The late birds are trapping into a separate section, so I can evaluate them for any injuries or any other issue. Now is the time to activate your sprint birds if you choose to do so. You are welcome to pick and choose these birds from your team, you do not need to activate all of them. Here is a link to the rules...give me a call if you have any questions. Rules Payments can be made through Zelle, Venmo, or Apple Pay using Phone # 503-510-2661. If paying by check or money order please text me check information with photo. Payments need to be in or arranged by Saturday. I may do the first 100 mile trainer on Sunday. I plan on loft flying Friday and Saturday weather permitting...I may do the 100 miler on Sunday. They rest of the week is also looking good, so will try and get the second 100 in mid week. Appetites are great in this cooler weather. Nighttime temperatures are in the high 40s and daytime highs have been high 70s. Beautiful fall weather. Good luck to everyone in the upcoming races! Lucas 503-510-2661 CrookedRiverChallenge.com Crooked River Challenge is a proud user of Primalac, *Topigeon clocking system, and Ropa B*
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