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
Keeping The Faith in Two Rivers
Published July 12, 2011 | 
I had a message on my phone from local Two Rivers paddler & coach John Bodwin, inviting me to join him (And a guy who suspiciously looks like Nigel Dennis) for an evening paddling at the Neshotah beach along the big lake. It had been some time since I’d paddled this section of Lake Michigan and after a hot bike ride on the Mariner trail between Two Rivers and Manitowoc, I was more than ready to get on the water! When I arrived the air temps were still in the mid-80s and the lake was as calm as I’ve seen it since we kicked off this trip. What a great way to end the day! Continue reading
Posted in My Paddling, Paddle Gear, Paddling | 
kokatat, sea kayaking uk, two rivers, wisconsin | 
Leave a commentInland 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 commentReturn of the Dragon
Published May 31, 2011 | 
On Saturday morning I paddled around Big Blue Lake, the site of the WMCKA kayak symposium early in the morning while a heavy fog shrouded the distant shoreline. My eye caught upon a log that looked amazingly like a dragon straight from the imagination of Terry Gilliam. I didn’t take a camera with me, but I had to get the shot. I carefully pulled my iPhone from the drybag and fiddled to get the camera up and working. Just as I was about to snap the shot, a heron burst from the shoreline toward me calling wildly, then just as suddenly it turned and began to fly away. I recovered from the surprise just in time to take this shot. Continue reading
No Wake!
Published May 16, 2011 | 
Welcome to Monday! The great adventure around here over the weekend has been suffering more unseasonably cold weather and testing out my fancy new dry duds.. Well, not exactly… The Big, BIG adventure was heading down to Madison, Wisconsin to watch my daughter graduate from the UW. Seeing her get the diploma was the good bit, surviving 2 hours of pomp and circumstance was a challenge of to the very depth of my soul! Another challenge to the very depth of the soul is swimming in fifty degree water without the proper gear. Worse, thinking you have the proper gear only to find out it leaks when you need it most. That’ll “WAKE” you up! (Boo! Hiss!) This is why you never simply toss on new gear and go paddling. You need to get out and play with it awhile…
How’d it go? Well, right now I have to step away from the computer and run a child off to school. More to follow. 
Dry Comfort
Published May 13, 2011 | 
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part – petty
I had a student in a class recently who told me a story of the new Gore-Tex dry top his parents bought him last Christmas. From there it didn’t go well. Whenever he put on the dry top, his head and his hands turned red and swelled up like balloons. He’d lose feeling in his fingers. He complained of not being able to breathe very well. His parents wanted to return it right away. He didn’t. He’d read on the internet that dry gear could be uncomfortable and he simply needed to “get used to it”. Finally though, his parents won out. They sent it back. Continue reading
New Website For Kokatat
Published April 30, 2011 | 
I got a gypsy woman givin’ me advice / I got a gypsy woman givin’ me advice / I got some red hot tips I got to keep on ice
Got my mojo working
Got my mojo working
Got my mojo working
- muddy waters
Check it out! Kokatat has just gone live with their fancy new website! And it is pretty nice. (That coming from someone who does this stuff for a living.) The new site is clean and easy to navigate and maybe most importantly, full of big beautiful pictures! I like how the feature carousel invites users to simply click on the sport they’re into, to be presented with the right gear for them. It’s sort of a suggestion box, navigation and sales tool all in one. Once in your chosen category, there are all sorts of ways to easily sift through the content to find something specific. It’s also nice to simply browse through the updated pictures. Mobile addicts will be pleased to note that a mobile friendly interface is coming soon as well. One thing though… I’m not quite sure what “Sort by Mojo” means? Calling Austin Powers! Continue reading
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