This Is Media
Published January 27, 2010 | 
Morning all. Today we’ve got a bit of exciting news and I’m also looking for your thoughts. First of all my friend Justine Curgenven; filmmaker, adventurer and occasional country chef has just released the preview of her latest DVD called, This Is Canoeing! (10,000 canoeists stand up and shout, “IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN’ TIME!) What’s more, we’ve also.. (I can say “we” for this part…) updated her website at www.CackleTV.com.. Ok, now for the discussion bit…
I expect Justine’s new DVD to sell like mad. She’s an amazing filmmaker of course, but what really shines through is her personality which simply soaks through every frame. Personally, I believe she could make a documentary on lake sludge and I’m sure it would still exude excitement and fun. It’s just what happens when she gets into something and that’s why I’ve been totally in her court for more years than I care to count now. 
Now here’s the discussion bit.. How are we all doing with multi-media these days? Are we video’d out and so far buried in the Youtube glut that we no longer value professional work? Are we less apt to pay for something we perceive we can get for free elsewhere? Maybe it’s oppositely true that we’re more apt to buy something because all the free junk makes us well aware of the good stuff? Maybe there is still so few of us who live online, that we won’t effect the outcome either way.. What are your thoughts on the state of media today?
Oh, and by the way.. you can pre-order Justine’s new DVD right here on her brand new website… Did I mention that?
Paddling From The Beginning – Why Paddle
Published January 25, 2010 | 
Today on KayakQuixotica we start by going all the way back to the beginning. After being online 5 years and traveling every wandering road in those years it seems a good time come back full circle and meet up with all the folks just coming into the sport here in 2010. It’s also a good reminder for me as a paddler and a coach as to why I got into this gig in the first place. So for the old sea dogs, I invite you to jump in and give your thoughts and advice as I travel down the road from considering paddle sports for the first time to insanely jumping into whitewater or a tidal race. For those of you new to paddling or even just wondering what it’s all about, welcome to page one of a new pre-season series. Along the way I’ll chase down athletes, instructors, shop owners and more. We’ll talk gear you need, and the gear you may want to avoid. We’ll answer questions and share lots of pics from around the world. So join us as KayakQuixotica goes back to the beginning…
What is paddling? Whatever you want it to be…
Paddling is a lot of things. It’s the history of exploration, it’s a multi-million dollar business, it’s a competitive sport, It’s a social activity and for some it’s how you to get away from it all. For each paddler the reason they do it is different. Many have come to paddling from the seat of their parents canoe, while others like me, came to it much later in life. Some got into paddling because it gives them a relaxing way to fish the shallow waters, while others fish for the big one on the open sea. Some find joy is running wild whitewater, others in exploring distant shorelines. Some never go anywhere at all and just sit in one spot and roll, and roll, and roll. Paddling is Canoeing. Paddling is Sea Kayaking. Paddling is taking a small recreational boat out on the local lake. It’s surfing. It’s racing. It’s even done standing up. It’s all paddling. The first lesson of paddling then, is that it’s YOUR thing. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must do this or that or the other.. Find your own place on the water. Make paddling your own.
Discussion… I know there are lots of very experienced paddlers out there. Help me out and share how you got into paddling in the first place.. It’s O.K. Commenting doesn’t hurt!
You, Me & The Wall
Published January 24, 2010 | 
*Please listen to the doors for 24.3 seconds before watching this video or reading this post.. You pick the tune.
Now I absolutely refuse to comment on this image or the guy in the red shirt. It’s more than my life is worth!.. What I can say is that anyone involved in the outdoor recreation industry or for that matter any businesses interested in how to make social media work for them, should know these folks. You can start by watching the “Boots on the Ground” is the first of a series of “unofficial” social media panel discussion here. Besides if you watch it, you won’t have to listen to me tell you the same stuff. As they say it’s easier to to bring the mountain to… or climb to.. or those who buy Mohammad a beer will certainly… Anyway, I forgot. But the point of this blog was that I’m deleting my KayakQuixotica Twitter account in favor of my Skillet Creek Twitter account.. It’s just that well.. you know.. It may be a bit too hyper-local for some.. but even most of my outdoor life is well, hyper local…
* Yes, I did steal this screen shot from the video and may burn in hell for an indefinite period of time. If however if you are the owner of this video and you’d like to save my soul or have me remove this image, please speak now.
Posted in My Paddling, News & Print, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling, Quixotica, travel, Web Stuff | 
business, Outdoor Recreation, skillet creek, wisconsinLosing Containment
Published January 20, 2010 | 
She’s Breaking Up Captain!
So I’ve not been paddling in awhile. It’s not easy to do when the ice is 10 inches thick on the local waterways! Normally I would spend this time of year on the blog going off into weird corners and endlessly rehashing warmed over paddling topics. I mean if you want to know why I wear a Kokatat MSFit or paddle this kayak over that one.. just search the site. I’ve written on this subjects ad nauseum over the years. This year I’m dedicated to staying off that treadmill and spending my time writing on a more diverse list of topics over on my Skillet Creek Journal. So if you don’t see anything here on a give day, feel free to come over and see what’s going on there. Right now I’m on about preservation of the Lower Wisconsin River Waterway. A bit of a paddler topic too if you think about it. But then there’s that whole rant about the new Stratego! That’s the thing after all. We’re not all about one subject and as much as we can try to be we’ll find ourselves losing containment…
I’ll be back to all things paddling soon enough mind you.. when the ice starts to melt and air as well as the topic, are once again fresh!!
Who Gets the Bill for the Helicopter?
Published January 12, 2010 | 
So today I’m on about a bit of local outdoor/nature related politics. Where I live we have massive amounts of protected lands. Most of it is owned by a mix of government and private agencies and is wonderfully open to the public. Thing is, the local government sees all this land, especially the non-profit owned land, as a curse. Something many of us in the outdoor industry would call short sighted. Well, after a rescue last fall on land owned by the Nature Conservancy the local town board is now meeting with attorneys to figure out how to send the bill to non-profit land owners that allow public access. You can see where this is going… Read more here.
Cold Shot
Published January 11, 2010 | 
It’s wonderful. Everywhere, so white.
The river has frozen over. Not a soul on the ice.
Only me skating fast.
I’m speeding past trees, Leaving little lines in the ice,
Splitting, splitting sound, Silver heels spitting, spitting snow.
– Kate Bush
It’s not like you ever think you know everything. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to go so far back to the beginning that you feel like you don’t know anything! That’s what it was like this weekend when we decided to give cross country skiing a go. Every single step I took during those first days of kayaking I am reliving with cross country skis, right down to being pretty sure the sales guy thinks I am much less athletic than I am capable of being. Oh well, some things never change. After a day on the trails I’m not sure this is my thing, but when it’s January in Wisconsin you’ve got to do something. - I wrote a bit more about day one on the skis here.
Jack, do you never sleep — does the green still run deep in your heart?
Or will these changing times, motorways, powerlines,
keep us apart?
Well, I don’t think so —
I saw some grass growing through the pavements today.
Tull
Today on my Skillet Creek Journal I’m contemplating nature’s end. Sometimes I when we ride the train we spend so much time involved in looking out the window, complaining about the food, and reading the newspaper that we never actually consider that the ride will soon end. I think this is why conservation is both a hopeless endeavor, and yet an important act of desperation. Sea kayakers are lucky in a sense. No matter how many humans we fill the land with there should always be oceans and wind to create waves. Even if all the sea life is long dead.