ri·dic·u·lous
Published June 21, 2011 | 
Is it any wonder I’ve got too much time on my hands
It’s ticking away with my sanity – styx
Well, it just gets out of hand doesn’t it!? One day you decide to buy a kayak because it’s something to do when you’re tired of sitting at your desk all day, or when all you’re other favorite pastimes have become.. well.. a bit stale. Little did you know that it wouldn’t be long before your home would be filled with kayak junk. Toys, books, DVDs, broken paddles used as decorations, mugs, posters, mukluk lamps, pictures.. and on it goes. Every holiday for 10 years seems to add to your kayak related trinket collection… I didn’t even mention the worst of it yet did I? Continue reading
A Return to Mirror Lake
Published June 20, 2011 | 
Wisconsin Dells used to be a place known for its natural beauty made especially famous by the work of photographer, H.H. Bennet in the late 1800′s and early 1900s. It wasn’t long before “The Dells” became a popular vacation destination and it also wasn’t long before nature took a back seat profit-making.. The rest, as they say, is history. Today it’s still possible to find the beauty of the Dells, but often it comes attached to a time limit and a steep admission fee. To spend time really taking in what made Wisconsin Dells so popular in the first place, you’ll need to find one of the few parks or natural areas. The best option is to explore by boat.. if you pick the right time and can hunt down one of the few public boat landings! (OK.. a duck ride is not bad either!) Continue reading
Posted in My Paddling, Paddling | 
mirror lake, Mirror Lake State Park, wisconsin, wisconsin dells | 
1 CommentKayak (Not) For Sale
Published June 19, 2011 | 
As you may know, I’ve been working on this skin-on-frame kayak for some time. When I bought it, I felt like I had made a mistake. It’s not a great rolling boat.. not for me anyway.. To lay back on it you’d need a much longer torso than mine. It is a great cruiser though. Over the last year I’ve offered it up for sale and in the meantime I’ve been fiddling with it. I’ve cleaned it up, painted it, replaced the deck lines, put some fun new accents on it and so on. Over time, it’s become a pretty darned fancy boat. So much so that yesterday no less than 5 different people had to take time to tell me what a beautiful kayak I had. I talked to hikers on trails along the water, other paddlers who passed me by, and even a diver who waved me over to get a better look.. Yeah, I’ve put a bit of time into it.. and I’ve certainly got too many boats now… but if I think about it, I mean, really think about it.. I can’t think of any reason to sell it. So I wont. 
Posted in Kayaks, My Paddling, Paddling, Traditional Paddling | SOF, Traditional Paddling | 4 CommentsTime Ain’t On Your Side
Published June 17, 2011 | 
Time is on my side, yes it is / Time is on my side, yes it is
‘Cause I got the real love the kind that you need
You’ll come running back / You’ll come running back / You’ll come running back to me – stones
I bought my Yakima rack, rollers and saddles the same year I bought my first Jeep. That was way, way back in the dark ages of 2004. Zoom forward to 2011 and let’s have a look at how they’re holding up… shall we?
The rack has held up well over the years. We even upgraded Jeeps once along the way. We did have to buy some new parts to adapt to the change in vehicle, but all it all it was an easy upgrade. The rollers and saddles are doing fairly well. It’s getting hard and harder to keep them tight. Over time the plastic grooves in the saddles have begun to warp and degrade enough that they no longer hold the bolts the way they used to. I find myself having to slide things around or find a place to wedge the bolts so that they will tighten properly. It’s just age of course, but I can’t help but wonder; If plastic will sit in a landfill for 500 years without breaking down, can’t it at least remain solid for 10? Continue reading
Inland Sea Symposium, This Weekend
Published June 16, 2011 | 
Everyone is beginning to slide up onto the beach of Washburn, Wisconsin for this weekend’s Bi-Annual Inland Sea Kayak Symposium. Well, almost everyone.. I’ve got to stay around here and get some work done. It’s the only way I’ll justify heading out for nearly 2 weeks for both the Door County and the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposiums coming up in the very near future as well. The big name at ISS this year is world-renowned paddler, coach and owner of Sea Kayaking UK, Nigel Dennis. Back in the day, Nigel and Paul Caffyn completed the very first sea kayak circumnavigation of Great Britain.Nigel has also taken part in expeditions in Antarctica, Easter Island, around Cape Horn and elsewhere. I’ve met Nigel more than a couple of times and will never comment on his choice of underwear again.. promise.
Oh, and by the way, if you have any questions about your Kotatat gear at this symposium just hunt down Kelly Blades or Megan Kress. Either of these folks will be glad to talk to you!
Posted in Events & Symposia, Paddle Gear, Paddling, People | kelly blades, kokatat, Megan Kress, Nigel Dennis | Leave a commentColumbia Sportswear’s Drainmakers
Published June 16, 2011 | 
For the past few weeks I’ve been giving Columbia Sportswear’s Drainmaker shoes a trial run. On their website Columbia says they got the idea for the Drainmakers when they saw so many people fishing and bombing around the water in their running shoes. I’m guilty of that myself… From there came the inspiration to create a running shoe that would drain water quickly, a sort of hybrid running/water shoe. All in all, I’d say they accomplished their task, not that attaining the goal didn’t come without a cost. Continue reading
Posted in More Gear Reviews, Outdoor Recreation, Reviews | Drainmakers, shoes, watershoes | Leave a commentSomething Wicked This Way Comes
Published June 15, 2011 | 
Those of you who’ve been following along know that I’m into rolling and have shopped around for a composite version of a kayak roller’s dream boat. There are not many ultra low-volume composite rolling kayaks out there to choose from. Of the ones that are available, none are all that easy to test paddle here in the Great Lakes region. There’s just two shops, one in Canada and one in Michigan that deal with low-volume composite rolling kayaks. It’s too bad really because there is a large and growing contingent of traditional rollers in our part of the country. I can’t help but wonder why most of the focus always seems to be on the coasts when there is so much potential for kayak rolling here in the Midwest. We need to change that.. Continue reading
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