Repetition Cycles
Published October 28, 2011 | 
”Ladies and gentleman, let me lay on you a so-so entertainer,
not much of a humanitarian, and this cat was never nobody’s friend.
In his final appearance on the great stage of life – uh, you can applaud if you want to…”
We’re always looking for something new. New events, new toys, new gear, new apps, whatever. Even a new us occasionally. Probably ever since the phrase “24 hour news cycle” was invented, we’ve been on a continual race to a state of constant boredom. I mean let’s face it, for most of us not much new really happens. Instead were distracted by repetition cycles, where the same stuff, the same actions and the stories are repackaged in slightly different ways just far enough apart that they seem like, something new. Continue reading
Can’t Take A Punch?
Published October 27, 2011 | 
Remember the bad old days when kayaks used to weigh a ton? Isn’t it wonderful how they are so light and easy to carry these days? Bah, humbug! When I decided to my “100 Miles To Winter” paddle for the Devil’s Lake State Park Centennial, I decided to do it in my old, heavy, 1996 NDK (Now Seakayaking UK) Romany. In fact, any time I think I’m going to be leaving gel coat deposits on the beaches and subsurface rocks.. I grab the Romany. I don’t dare take my Rockpool Alaw Bach. It’s my favorite kayak, but it’s made the modern way and I’ve already worn 4 holes through the hull. Not to mention the cracks! I don’t dare take my skin boat.. When I take it out, I have to carry it out into the water far enough that I won’t possibly tear it on a hidden stone. In addition, I like paddling near shore, especially in bouncy water and there is always a risk of hitting or dragging my boat over something. With the old tank, I’m not all that concerned. It’s tough, and repairs are easy. Continue reading
Green Halloween
Published October 26, 2011 | 
OK, so I mentioned that I should wear my drysuit for Halloween this year… That brought up the suggestion that I could wear a green drysuit and go as the Creature from the Black Lagoon… “Centuries of passion pent up in his savage heart!” and all… Of course we’d have to get some of those cool webbed gloves as well.. Now I probably don’t dare ask the folks at Kokatat if they can make a Creature From the Black Lagoon Green drysuit with special webby, clawed, footie type socks… You know.. I always thought Richard Carlson had a little something pent up as well..
Cold Purple Toes
Published October 26, 2011 | 
Such a beautiful color I wear upon my skin
And a perfect shade of purple on a flower permanent
- pop evil
It’s getting cold. Day 19 down and some 40ish miles to go. Well, I shouldn’t say it’s cold exactly, it’s not “winter paddling purple toes cold”. It’s that slowly seeping sort of cold that sneaks up on you over time. In fact, today I re-learned an old lesson about dealing with cold weather paddling. Keeping your feet warm can be tricky, and it’s not always about the gear. Continue reading
Miles
Published October 25, 2011 | 
Alone and bored on a 30th century night. / Will I see you on the price is right?
Will I cry? Will I smile? / As you run down the aisle.
It’s all been done – BNL
There’s no one out here but me and the guys working on the railroad tracks along the shore. Day 18 of my “100 miles to Winter” paddle is in the books. Each day I can feel winter getting a bit closer. There was ice in my boat on Saturday and the last couple days have just been cool and cloudy. Occasionally I catch glimpses of the sun through the thick, late October clouds. Today I made a mental note, there are now fewer miles ahead than behind. 56 miles down, 44 miles ahead. I’m reminded of a story I read about a guy who took his bike across country awhile ago. He said that when he started, everyone he met said, “Wow, you’ve got a long way to go.” They would often look at him as if he’d somehow fail in the end. People often assume that big things can’t be done. It’s something in our DNA. Then one day he noticed something… People he met were now saying things like, “Wow, you’ve come along way.” That’s when he knew he must have crossed the half way mark. Not paying close attention, he had to go back and check the math. He found that he had come just a bit over half way. Continue reading
ICE!
Published October 22, 2011 | 
It had to happen sooner or later! Yesterday, October 21st, 2011 was the fist day I had to scrape frost off the windows on my way out to the lake for the day’s paddle. It got worse. I had a bit of water in the cockpit from paddling the day before and it all came out in chunks. I can expect to see a lot more ice in the coming weeks. I need to put in 16 more days to complete my 100 miles and it’s certainly not going to get any warmer!
YaY, wAves!
Published October 21, 2011 | 
I’m just about ready to head out the door for today’s excursion around the lake. Yesterday was a good ride. Strong winds out of the north were pushing up some fun waves to play in. I’ll take any day when the water isn’t flat! I’ve posted a few more pics from yesterday’s paddle over on DevilsLakeWisconsin.com. Still some miles to go! Oh, and just for fun I paddled with my Sealskinz paddling gloves by themselves… and yep, my hands were wet and cold in just a few minutes. I had to hide behind a rock and put the pogies back on!
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