2 up, 1 down
Published May 20, 2006 | 
Thats what I said
I keep on telling you
That right smack dab in the middle of town
I found a paradise thats troubleproof
And if this old world starts a getting you down
Theres room enough for two
Up on the roof…
- james taylor
Right now is when I do all the prep. Everything’s getting cleaned, packed and organized. The charts are being marked up and waypoints fed in. Sunday I start packing it all in the beast. Then hopefully most of the gear will stay there until about mid-July. Well, other than the laundry and old junk food wrappers. They may stay until September!
One of the major tasks this year was to be sure I could fit 3 kayaks on my roof. Well, In the end it has to be 2 up and one down, or one up and two down. Otherwise they’ll be swapping gel coat the whole way. After about 3 games of load/unload we finally figured that bit out.
Next I had to clean up the boats. My poor warhorse was a real embarrassment. But with about 2 hours of heavy duty rubbing compound, Scooby Doo Bubble Gum Flavored Toothpaste and an old tooth brush, a little wet sanding, and finally a coat of 303, the old dog now looks only 10 years old instead of 12. It actually is a bit brighter.
Now here’s something funny. Last December we bought Mary an old Greenlander. You may remember. I’d really never seen one up close before. I’d paddled the pro version but this old dog seemed a little different. So I sent out an email to NDK and asked if they had changed the design much over the years, how the wire skeg was holding up, and for any other info that might help me get to know the new (to us) kayak. I can bet when Simon was replying with a one off, “Enjoy your new boat” he had no clue he’d be paddling it in just a few months!! Small world. Well, I thought I had better give it the once over before he gets in it. Wouldn’t want to sink the poor kid. Not sure if he can take immersion in fresh water!
So, to steal a line from Hans and Bonnie . . “gone paddling”. .
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3 Responses to 2 up, 1 down
I just did a last check up for the weatherforecast (and a short look at the blogs) before leaving for the kayakcourse. Weather: Gales and showers…. The car is packed with a Pintail and a P&H Baidarka on the roof… Let’s go!
Have a good time at Lake Superior!
Enjoy yourself Derrick! I should be out of here next week if the rain clouds can struggle up off the ground a bit and at least open up a few meters of open water! I cannot believe the rain we’ve been having for nearly 2 weeks now.
that is one full roof rack – i have trouble getting 3 on my roof. two is kind of the limit.