Today
Published August 10, 2011 | 
Today is Wednesday, August 10th, 2011. The heat wave that has gripped my little part of the world has broken. Well, It’s changed anyway. The Costa Rican humidity has passed and average high temperatures is back around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Today I’m meeting a new rolling student who’s driving down from LaCrosse for a bit of coaching. I love private classes.. I also feel a bit humbled by the fact that someone would drive so far to hang out with me for a couple of hours. I’ll tell you one thing, I want to see her rolling before the days out. Now here’s a few more thoughts that popped into my crazy head this morning… Continue reading
SeaBird Kayaks On The Way
Published August 8, 2011 | Rapid Media TV did an interview with Aljona Jurgens of SeaBird Kayaks while at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City last week. Although SeaBird makes all sorts of kayaks, here at Quix I’m most excited about the Greenland designs by legendary designer Björn Thomasson. Can’t wait for their arrival here in the Great Lakes Region! Stay Tuned! Without further ado, here’s the video from Rapid Media….
Posted in Kayaks, Paddling, Traditional Paddling | 
Björn Thomasson, Black Pearl, SeaBird Designs | 
1 CommentThe Buzz
Published August 3, 2011 | 
You don’t need money, don’t take fame
Don’t need no credit card to ride this train
It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes
but it might just save your life
That’s the power of love – HL
The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market kicks off today at the Salt Lake Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is giant event where people in the “biz” get together to exhibit or shop new products, take in seminars and generally gather in one spot and get the “vibe” for the upcoming months in outdoor industry. Or as John Rogers, the owner of the Maine Running Company in Portland, ME., put it, “Outdoor Retailer is the show to find the legitimization of products and new brands for the outdoor specially channel.. “ OK. Well, I wouldn’t have put it that way… Continue reading
Posted in Camping & Camping Gear, Events & Symposia, Kayaks, Outdoor Recreation, Paddle Gear, Paddling | OR, Outdoor Retailer | 1 CommentSomething New From Superior Kayaks
Published July 22, 2011 | 
Another hot, low slung Greenland boat is entering the fray. This sharp vessel was presented at the Great Lakes Sea Kayaking Symposium in Grand Marais, MI., last weekend by Mark Rodgers of Superior Kayaks. His new East Greenland design is available as a kit or I’m sure he’d build you one as well. Kits includes a building manual, cut plywood panels, tooling, flush mounting wood hatch assemblies or Beckson hatches (your choice), decklines, shock cords, padeyes, molded fiberglass seat, backstrap, knee & hip padding, stainless steel hardware and footbraces and are listed at $799 regardless of model. The new East Greenland boat is mentioned on the website, but not yet included in the list of kits, so the price could vary. Continue reading
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
Kayak (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 CommentsSomething 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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