Three To Five
Published April 27, 2010 | 
The shadows in the park were longer yesterday
and Lady Luck stood still, waiting for the kill.
- tull
ACA Proficiency requirements for L4 open water coastal kayaking instructors call for among other things, 3-5 foot seas, 3-4 foot surf, 15-20 knot winds, & 3-4 knots of current to be in force during at least part of the certification process. Luckily not all at once. I know that at the moment as I’m getting ready to update and going to be shooting for the L4 this time around. Funny bit is that I keep thinking about how these conditions compare from ocean to Great Lake. Wind is wind of course and current is current.. Waves on the other hand are different. Continue reading
You Don’t Know Dick!
Published April 26, 2010 | 
You don’t know Dick, because if you did you’d recognize him in this video…
It was a dangerous day at the beach for a local kiteboarder.
Yup, it’s SILBS the local kayaking expert!
Ideal Vs Real
Published April 26, 2010 | 
When we talk about taking first aid classes these days, no one asks why you would take one.. but it’s certainly fair to ask why so many of us don’t. After finishing up my Wilderness First Aid Training over the weekend I thought first of how things had changed since I was an EMT-Basic back in the 90s, or for that matter, even since my last first aid certification not that long ago. Then I thought of how screwed you could be if you were a few hours from a hospital with no one in your party having even the most basic first aid training. Then I thought about how so many of us do it all the time. Continue reading
Boned!
Published April 21, 2010 | 
I don’t want to be crippled cracked
Shoulders, wrists, knees and back
Ground to dust and ash
Crawling on all fours
– radiohead
I’m boned! Yesterday I did my second trail run of the new year… and crashed! Every spring I find myself waiting for the ice to clear off the trails and for the boot suckers to disappear back into the bowls of the earth, then it’s time to run! I admit it, I’m one of those people who get’s a big rush out of running. A nice exhausting run leaves me almost giddy in fact. Heck, even after my big crash yesterday Continue reading
Paddle Art
Published April 20, 2010 | 
So, this paddle was displayed in the Field Museum in Chicago. Anyone hazard a guess at the origin of the art work? Yup, no prizes or free subscriptions will be offered as a reward for your historical prowess.. but you will be allowed to feel superior to your fellow man all day… Which won’t mean a thing if you already do…
5mm Leather
Published April 10, 2010 | 
Scratch, scratch, she’s clawing at the door
Whoa, no, I can’t take it anymore
Crack, crack I’m feeling so sore
I never should asked for black leather
- guns-n-roses
Now this is some thick leather! As I mentioned, we actually have a large leather craft shop here locally and a couple tack shops as well. (You’d think it was Wyoming..) But no one had leather cord that looked thick enough to me to last on a skin-on-frame kayak. Thankfully Bruce Stitt referred me some on Ebay which was just what I was looking for. Now to honest I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m reading and learning as I go. Now that I have the cord, I have to figure out what sort of stops I want to use. The old wooden ones seem, well.. bland.
I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in
and stops my mind from wandering
where it will go
I’m filling the cracks that ran though the door
and kept my mind from wandering
where it will go
– beatles
I spent my life around “manly” men. You know, The rootin’ tootin’ deer shootin’, beer drinking, demolition-derby drivin’, football watchin,’ “pull my finger”, average guy. That meant I had all the many influences I needed to learn to hang a car engine from a tree branch or build a slanty tool shed with just a bit of old timber and a few nails. There’s nothing wrong with being a craftsman or a mechanic mind you (And yes, I do watch football.), it’s more the half-assed, Red Green approach that I have an issue with. Continue reading →