Ye Olde Kayak Emporium
Published March 18, 2011 | 
Another party’s over / And I’m left cold sober
My baby left me for somebody new
I don’t wanna talk about it / Want to forget about it
Wanna be intoxicated with that special brew – queen
Yesterday I was down in Madison to visit with Darrin Kimbler who will be leaving for the west coast in a couple weeks to begin his “Canoe Across America” expedition. This is a 5,200 mile trip that will keep him away from home until sometime in December. Well, at least he’ll have his dog with him!
From Darrin’s domicile, I drove over to Rutabaga which if you don’t know by now, is one of the country’s biggest, finest, and most well-loved paddle sports shops. (Did I say that right Boss??) I don’t know why… I mean what kind of legitimate kayak shop wouldn’t give out free chocolate chip cookies at the door? Shame, really. Be that as it may, I rolled in on Thursday which is their first day back open to the public after Canoecopia last weekend. Walking in the door right after they opened in the morning reminded me of the old Monty Python cheese shop sketch.. “It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.“. The shop was certainly uncontaminated by anything related to boating! That’s because all the stock was still ’round back in the trailers. That’s what happens when you host the worlds biggest paddle sports show each year. Heck even the back lot which is usually packed full of kayaks was hauntingly empty. Of course all that will change very quickly. The staff is going to be on their toes for the next few days. That means the store will be once again brimming with paddle candy right about the time the ice melts on the pond behind the store… which may be only a day or two the way things are going.
On a side note, someone asked me on my Quixotica Twitter account if Rutabaga has their own Twitter…. I think they hide it at @RutabagaPaddler…
***Full Disclosure: I am a paddling instructor at Rutabaga. This means anything I say is probably bias, and occasionally puts me at risk of losing my meager status as occasional hired goon.
**** What is it with all the food references in this post? I must be on a diet again.. Bah!
Be More Than Mere Mortals
Published March 17, 2011 | 
Well, that might be overstating it a bit… What I meant was….
Rutabaga (In Madison, Wisconsin) announces ACA Instructor training courses for 2011
See all the details at http://learn.rutabaga.com/aca-instructor-certification/
NEW! Early season ACA Coastal Kayak Level 3-4 ICE – April 29 – May 1
Looking to finish up your certification process? Need an Update or Upgrade? Join Rutabaga and have your certification in hand by the beginning of summer!
ACA Instructor Courses:
Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring IDW (Sam Crowley – ITE)
Tuition: $255
May 14-15 8:00 – 6:00 Sat-Sun
Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring ICE (Sam Crowley – ITE)
Tuition: $125
June 18 8:00 – 6:00 Sat
Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking IDW (John Browning – IT)
Tuition: $350*
June 3-5 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Aug 12-14 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking ICE (John Browning – IT)
Tuition: $325*
April 29 – May 1 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Sept 23-25 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Level 3: River Canoeing IDW (Steve Harris – IT)
Tuition: $335*
April 29 – May 1 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-S
Level 3: River Canoeing ICE (Steve Harris – IT)
Tuition $250*
May 21-22 8:00 – 6:00 Sat-Sun
*Register at the same time for the Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayak IDW and ICE or the Level 3: River Canoeing IDW and ICE and receive a $50 tuition discount on the ICE.
To register contact Nancy at nancys@rutabaga.com, or call 608-819-0587
(And tell ‘em Derrick sent you.. that way they’ll make you work twice as hard!)
New Adventure With Kokatat
Published March 17, 2011 | 
I’ll play the part but I won’t need rehearsin’
All I have to do is act naturally – beatles
After Canoecopia, the season here in the Midwest really seems to kick off. Temps have suddenly jumped into the 50s (f) and the snow is quickly fading away and daydreams are turning to open water. I’ve been getting my events calendar in order, sorting gear, cleaning boats and updating my all my web stuff as well. The season is upon us! Somewhere in there was my segue to chatting about Kokatat. Continue reading
Vancouver Island Record Attempt
Published March 16, 2011 | 
It’s the memory that hides / Take your photographs back
For the love of all gods / Our gas hed marches on
– live
So… I have it under pretty good authority that Leon Sommé & Shawna Franklin…no.. wait.. I mean Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé of Body, Boat, Blade International are going to be attempting to set a new Vancouver Island sea kayaking record. A record that, if achieved, will not only be a true first, but I’ll dare anyone to beat it as well. Of course I can’t tell you any more than that without unduly exposing my contact at Kayak-Wikileaks. What I can tell you is that Canadian Joe O’Blenis holds the current speed record of 16 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes beating a previous record set by Sean Morley. Is that relevant? Probably not.
original photo by Keepitsurreal. Retouched by yourstruely.
My Icebreaker Nightmare
Published March 15, 2011 | 
My baby says she’s traveling / on the one after 909
I said move over honey / I’m traveling on that line
I said move over once /Move over twice
Come on baby, don’t be cold as ice
I said I’m traveling /on the one after 909
– beatles
OK, this is the truth. When I happened upon a $109.95 price tag on an Icebreaker top at Canoecopia it took my breath away. I mean.. That’s 2 tanks of gas for my Jeep, 43 gallons of milk, or about 4 stops at McDonald’s for a family of 3. (Well, if you actually eat at McDonald’s…) What’s more, that was the special discounted “show” price. Unless you’re rich, crazy or in the business it’s hard to justify that expenditure these days… Isn’t it?
Well, by now we all know that wicking materials are simply paramount to staying warm when working out in cold and wet conditions. We’re told every day not to wear cotton on the water, and to always wear layers. Yes, we all know that tech gear is better. OK. But still.. $109 for a shirt?? That’s what I thought when I first got into the sport of sea kayaking myself. Of course after freezing on the water a few times I started rethinking my priorities. But to be honest, I still couldn’t justify the cost in my own mind. I managed with what I had or found something cheap at Farm & Fleet or Gander Mountain. Continue reading
Posted in More Gear Reviews, My Paddling, Paddle Gear, Paddling, Reviews, Winter Sports | 
clothing, IcebreakerThe Red Balloon
Published March 15, 2011 | 
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, Jazmine’s Raves, or air. – wikipedia
So there I was walking through crowded aisle at Canoecopia when somewhere in the din, my mind focused on a nearby voice. “Under the red balloon. ” the male voice said. “It’s under the red balloon. But, where’s the red balloon?” I looked over and found a man walking just a few feet away holding a yellow bit of paper in his hand and staring out over the crowed hall. With hardly a thought I looked ahead and continued on. A few moments later I heard the voice again, closer and coming from behind, and moving along side me. “Hmmm, big red balloon…” he said again. As his stride met mine, I spoke without looking in his direction, “If it’s where it has always been, just keep walking until until you can’t go any further, then turn right. Paddling.net is against that back wall.” The man paused as I continued on. I heard a voice fading off behind me ask, “Oh, you heard me?”
“Yep.” I thought to myself.. “Sure did.”
I smiled for a moment and just kept walking.
philosophical epiphany?
Published March 14, 2011 | 
“When I grow up…. I’m gonna kick his a**!”
The day after Canoecopia is a bit of a hangover day. It takes time to assess the weekend and figure out what happened and what it all meant. (If anything…) I’m sure there was a philosophical epiphany hidden in the weekend somewhere if you look hard enough. In fact, maybe the picture above says it all. I mean, in the big picture this is what it’s all about isn’t it? We’ll talk about that, share some news, look at some kit, randomly opine and more in the coming days. For the moment I simply posted about 90 photos from Canoecopia 2011 over on my Flickr with little to no narrative. Heck, I’m only on the day’s second pot of coffee…
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