Archive for July, 2007

Thanks to Carrie Medina of Kayak Scuba we had a great time on the beach at Punta Salinas in Levittown. I had my first chance to look at how my Alaw Bach survived the trip and sad to see a small bit of damage to the gelcoat in the tail section. The boys at American Airlines must have dropped something pretty heavy on it. Luckily it did not break through the glass and I could make a quick repair. With that done Taino and I took our kayaks out for their first dip in the warm Atlantic waters. Playing in up for the cameras and occasionally catching glimpses of the coastline disappearing into the distant west.

We brought our kayaks up to the beach and prepared for the blessing. With a small candles and ritual smoke Uatibili Baez, the Spiritual leader of Movimiento Indigina Jibaro Boriqua, (movijibo.org) gathered us into a circle. Our hands reached out to one another’s hands. Carrie, her children, Jose, Nydia, Taino, Yvonne and myself stood quietly on the warm sand as he passed around inside the circle performing a ritual blessing passed down through generations. When the blessing was complete you could sense everyone in the circle let go of a breath as if their engeries were pushing the blessing along.

Later we gathered at Carrie & Jose’s home in Levittown where we can bunk down for the night. Taino and I took a few moments to look over our battle plans for the first few days and discussed an interesting weather forecast that may force our first couple days short. But we’re chomping at the bit to get moving.

In a night of fun, good food, and laughter, Carrie took a few moments to paint her son’s initials on my kayak. We paused just for a moment to take it in, before moving on to the party at hand. Taino had an early night and I am getting ready to sleep myself. But something unique. I’m setting up my tent on the rooftop of their house. Tonight I will sleep on a rooftop, under a bright full moon, litttle clouds and starts in Levittown, Puerto Rico. tomorrow the sea calls. . .

* sorry no pictures this evening. The bloody computer I’m on won’t read discs. LOL! But hey, I’m happy for the connection!

Tonight I’m sitting in the wet blanked humidity of San Juan, Puerto Rico. I arrived in the airport last night around 8:30 pm with my Rockpool in tow. My next task was to get my Kayak out to the Avis shuttle bus. A task almost impossible considering I had my backpack, laptop and 3 large 50lbs sea kayak slices to carry. A man in his nice Airport customer service uniform came up to me with a wheel cart and offered his help. Something I was happy to have. It was not until I realized that his flip remark about a 2$ tip that I realized the first rule of PR for the foreign traveler is. Be prepared to tip. I was not that I minded the money for his help, only that I did not expect to tip airline employees.

I got my rental SUV and followed a nice young lady Vicky who knew the city, to Tres Palmas where I was staying. However in the end we found ourselves lost and had to make some interesting guesses. You know the type “well the place is on the shore. The shore is north. So drive north until you hit the water, head east and you’re bound to find it. Well, In the end I did. LOL!

Today my original plan was to drive to Levittown and then on to Carrie’s place about 2 hours from San Juan. However I ended up needing my drug fix and my supplier was back in Wisconsin which left me running round San Juan looking for a new dealer. Ahh, well, prescription drugs actually. That and the need for extra supplies left me at Tres Palmas for another night. Yeah, poor, poor little me!

Meanwhile in Levittown, Taino, Nydia & Carrie have met up and picked up Taino’s Impex. He was happy to discover his kayak (unlike mine) arrived in ONE piece.

Well that’s about it from here in sunny Acapulco. . . . or ahh, well you know where.

Lost in crowded hallways feeling the weight of my heavy bags I strolled down to Gate 11B. It had been a crazy sort of morning. One where I woke up resigned to be a bit late since my prescription medication was forgotten the day before. The pharmacy opened at 9am. So by the time I got my drugs I would be pushing check in when I got to Chicago. I was barley awake, having stayed up to 3am the night before, and for some reason it was a relief when I was told the pharmacy opened at 11am on Sunday. That meant, well, I was going to be to the airport early. I will have to work out the prescriptions, when I get to PR.

At the airport I had to win a “Bill Clinton” esque battle of words to get my Kayak on board. I had called the airlines and confirmed that I could take the kayak since it was the right size, now now being in 3 pieces and placed in black denim bags. Yet the person at the terminal wanted to stick to the letter of the American Airlines law, “NO KAYAKS”. I could see the end before the beginning! A long negotiation ensued. One that in the end involved 3 staffers and a TSA official. In the end, we agreed that I can take my kayak on their planes. Of course I may not paddle within 50 yards of the runway.

Well, my plan has just taxied up on the opposite side of the window. I need to get my butt off the floor, throw out the glass bottle holding a last warm drop of vinegary iced tea, and get out my ticket for the stone faced folks at the counter.

I wish they still gave out plastic pilot wings!

Maybe you’ll go to heaven
See Uncle Al and Uncle Lou
Maybe you’ll be reincarnated
Maybe that stuff’s true
If you were good
Maybe you’ll come back as someone nice
And if you were bad
Maybe you’ll have to pay the priceLife’ll kill ya
That’s what I said
Life’ll kill ya
Then you’ll be dead
Life’ll find ya
Wherever you go
Requiescat in pace
That’s all she wrote
- warren zevon

This is the life. The one life we have. For good and bad. Right or wrong. This is it. With every step we take we open ourselves up to judgment, failure, mistakes, fear, trauma, questions, second guessing, and sometimes even death. Yet, sitting still is no safer in the long run. And then, what is life if you spend it in fear of judgment, injury or loss?. Don’t think for a moment that I’m one to set out on an adventure without having a million visions run through my head. I mean for all I know I could be posting my obituary today! I certainly would hope not!There is no way I can head out on even this tropical adventure without thinking of the wide open ocean and the risks involved. I can’t help but think of Andrew McAuley, Vicky & Finlay and what they went through this past year. The ocean looks just a bit more scary than it did before. But, rationally you can compare and learn. Still we don’t always have options. In the end, “Life ‘ll Kill ya”. Of course with training, wisdom and experience we are quite safe out there. I take a bigger risk just flying there, than actually paddling around the island.

As a father I’m certain I leave myself open to the same criticisms that were laid at Andrew’s feet. Suggestions of selfishness & foolishness. “Leaving your son for a month? Risking your life? What a jerk!” Yet from my perspective I do my son a disservice if I teach him fear of risk, if I limit the possibilities in his mind. You tell you’re children they can be anything they want to be, but you also have to show them by example. Let them see what that actually means. It means work, sacrifice and risk. You can’t just have what you want, you have to earn it. For the last 6 months I’ve been working my tail off to make “Chasing The Ana” happen. Those close to me know at what cost and though what storms.

So why do it then? Well, for me there are a bunch of reasons. I need time to reset, escape a bit from what I feel is a crazy human world. A world that I’ve never felt quite functional in. I want to find for lack of better terms, “life”. On the sea I feel real, alive. With the environment in control you know exactly what your place is in the world. You’re a bug. But you’re also in absolute power. The ocean can at any moment end your existence, but it has no malice. You on the other hand have to become one with your environment. Meld with your environment, experience it sensually and survive. Like an animal you are limited in a clear focus, yet as a human you extend those thoughts into sensual vision. Such a connection with your existence can only be had rarely these days. In the ocean, on a mountain, over a frozen landscape where you’re life is walks a thread. In these moments you are truly part of the universe. Something I feel we’ve lost as humans. Without it, we’re meaner, greedier, angrier, restless. Yeah, I need the ocean to smack me around once in awhile to remind me what this life is. So I can come back and be, I hope, a better me.

And with these thoughts in mind I dedicate this trip to Rolando Kline Medina, who died April 1, 2007. Just 19 years old. Rolando was the son of our ground support heroine Carrie Medina. His death was a terrible loss at a time when we were filled with joy and anticipation of this trip. Rolando’s love of Puerto Rico was an inspiration and I hope to carry a bit of his spirit with every stroke of the paddle.

So this is the last post before I fly out in the morning. You can follow along at the “Chasing The Ana” blog from here. Now with those thoughts written down, let’s go have the time of our lives!

The life I’ve always wanted
I guess I’ll never have
I’ll be working for somebody else
Until I’m in my grave
I’ll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains
Oh mountains o’ things
- tracy chapman

There are always a couple rules worth mentioning. First, there is always something else to buy. Second if you are providing services to a guy who writes about it . . . well, something is bound to go haywire! LOL!On the first point I ran to Rutabaga & REI last night to finish up some last minute things. a bit of foam, D-rings and adhesives to do some last minute customization. I replaced my GPS which had died. Sorry Garmin, but your quality control is really in the dumper. Anyway there are reasons to pay the extra $30 for extended warranties. In addition I needed a new emergency becon, some freeze dried meals, a new water filter and all sorts of other little bits and bobs. Of course the best part of my shopping day was having Darren K at Rutabaga introduce me to the term “Monkey Butt”. A condition that apparently calls for repeated applications of Gold Bond who’s new tag line is “Powder your Equipment!”

Today, I should be running down to pick up my Rockpool Alaw Bach in Chicago. Now to say “the anticipation is killing me” is a total understatement. Thing was, somehow I managed not to get the contact information for the shipping agent on our end. So I called the shipping airline and they said call the airport who said call the shipping airline. Yarg! Luckily Nicole at Trans Global came to my rescue first thing this morning. I had told her call me right off, and being in the UK she was still kind enough to wait until 8am my time not to wake me up too early. Nice lady. LOL. So right now I’m waiting for the Chicago office of Shipco to open so I can call and figure out where the hell in the little city of the Chicago O’hare airport my poor lonely kayak is being held. I’m sure my baby is scared and nervous having to spend a night alone there. Well, I’ll make it up to her, I promise.

oh and did I mention the battery on my VHF suddenly died?? Ahh, life!