Price of Admission…
Published December 11, 2012 | 
Riders on the storm
Into this house we’re born
Into this world we’re thrown
-doors
Outdoor types come with a steep price tag. Keep that in mind if you set you eyes upon a nature addict, and most especially kayakers! We’re going to be out there in the wilds as much as physically possible. We’re not going to be stopped by mud, rain, snow or a wide expanse of water hovering just above freezing. After all, we know how to dress! Continue reading
Posted in My Paddling, My Weird Life, Nature & Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling, Winter Sports | 
Mirror Lake State Park, Sue, winter | 
1 CommentA 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 CommentPerspecitve
Published January 18, 2011 | 
Yesterday in the midst of a heavy snowstorm a drive lost control of a large semitrailer which went off a high bridge and crashed into a very frozen Mirror Lake below. One person was killed. If you paddle on Mirror Lake much at all, you’ll quickly recognize the bridge. The span crosses about 200 feet above the lake and shakes and roars like a dinosaur when large trucks pass over head, the din amplified by the high sandstone walls. All the pictures we’ve seen in the news were shot from above and softened by the heavy snow. They don’t really give you a sense of what happened. Having looked up at that bridge from below many times, I get shivers thinking about how terrible that accident must have been. The truck didn’t simply drive into the lake, it plunged into a deep gorge. My thoughts go out to the families of the drivers.
Do we take this whole kayaking thing too seriously? I don’t know. I can tell you that it was fun and cringe-worthy all at the same time to take a local state park kayak tour over the weekend. The tour was great. But all around me I could see all those Uber kayaker n0-nos.. Life jacket undone or out of sight, lots of cotton, shoe-stringed shoes, upside down paddles, no tow ropes, no paddle floats…. You know, just a typical day paddling a Wisconsin lake. Everyone had a great time. I was diggin’ it. Still, that inner coach in me kept asking.. “Yeah, but what if?”