Riverfest, Wisconsin Dells
Published April 17, 2009 | 
Roll over beethoven rockin in two by two.
– chuck berry
This weekend the first of what should be an annual paddle party will be held in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The day will include kayak exhibits, a 2k race event, food, boat tours, live music and a kayak clinic presented by your truly. The event is the brain child of Easton Dreher, owner of Vertical Illusions Outdoor Center in Wisconsin Dells. This event marks a major victory for Easton who is screaming into the wind to revive community and visitor excitement in the wonder of Wisconsin Dells natural beauty which has been lost behind hotel towers and under all inclusive water park complexes.
swarms
Published April 16, 2009 | 
Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight’s hitting something
That’s been known to change the weather..
– elton john
Some days problems come up in swarms. Some people freak out. Some organize and address. Some simply go paddling. I’m and organize, go paddling, then come back and address, type. That means I take time to hear the problem but if I feel my blood pressure rising, I walk away until I have a clear head. Then I can return and do things correctly. Well, that’s the theory. The problem is the temptation not to return. Today I have work problems that only others can solve, and only I get to feel stressed about. Glad I left the kayaks on the jeep.
FEATURE MADNESS
Published April 14, 2009 | 
“Derrick, you could start a war with the opinions coming from Trangia defenders and the new school “cooking with gas” users.” – Gnarlydog
Luckily I tend to walk up to the edge of starting wars now and then, but even when we’re talking about cook stoves, cooler heads prevail.
drifting person
Published April 13, 2009 | 
night falls on lake superior
Sleet is tapping on the glass outside my window. It’s cold and gray today. I took time to read a stack of paddler blogs today. Posted some inanities on twitter and fought with some code which in the end never did do what I wanted it to do. I fixed a setting that made you register to comment. (I don’t know how it changed, I killed it.) I answered a couple phone calls but felt incoherent. Finding words was like reading old English script backwards behind a glass of water. Gryphon’s been sick for days. I caught it last night. Feeling dizzier than usual. I have a fever coming on. I did my bit for the day. Lasted as long as I could. Now I simply want to crawl under the blankets like slipping beneath the surface of the sea, and sink to the bottom.
By the way, did you know that “Ronin” litterly means “drifting person”… I’m feelin it..
Symposiums a Great Deal in 2009
Published April 10, 2009 | 
Considering the cost of everything right now, kayak symposiums are simply the best deal out there. For the cost of a couple standard classes, someone is able to fill 3 or 4 days with constant on water time. Rates usually include some meals if not all, and most events are usually near campgrounds that can provide low cost lodging. Well planned symposiums are arranged so there is very little travel involved once you arrive. Students can pack their days as deeply as they wish. They can mix and match classes to focus on what they most want to learn or beginners may follow a pre-planned course outline that will take them from basic kayak control through everything a new paddler needs to know. By the end they will even have a few advanced maneuvers stuffed in their pockets as well.
Audible Trangialation…
Published April 9, 2009 | 
I apologize but I won’t be able to post a blog today. You see I find my phone is ringing off the hook so much I can hardly even think about paddling. I mean, I did think about paddling once when the phone rang. It was Kelly. We were talking about the pluses and minuses of the Trangia Stoves, tents that hang under their fly so you stay dry when you set them up, and digital cameras that shoot 100 minutes of video…
Is it true that everyone in paddling but me used to ride with their parents in the back of an old, wood paneled, station wagon up to some Adirondack paradise and paddle past black bears while their fathers who always wore plaid, taught them to use a compass? Continue reading →