Back to the Wisconsin
Published September 16, 2011 | 
Tomorrow morning I’ll be joining a group of paddlers on a day trip down the Wisconsin river put on by Rutabaga Paddle Sports Shop of Madison, Wisconsin. The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway is one of the state’s most popular destinations providing some 90 miles of paddling from below the dam at Sauk Prairie south-west until reaching its confluence with the Mississippi near Wyalusing state park. Our day trip will only cover about 14 river miles, but should offer plenty of opportunities to enjoy all that the Wisconsin has to offer. Continue reading
Teaching Weekend
Published June 3, 2011 | 
Well, it’s a teaching weekend for me again, this time much closer to home. I’m off to Rutabaga in Madison, Wisconsin to do a 2 day “Sea Kayaking Combo” course. Years ago I used to walk int these classes with and outline. I’d plow through the course list and at the end of the second day call it a success. These days I’m much better and taking a read of the class and figuring out where to spend more time and where to spend less. I also realize that classes such as this are the just the first step in a lifetime of paddling. More than anything at this point we need to focus on fun and safety. Just hitting these two points will do more than anything else to make sure we add to the number sea kayakers out there. One thing I know is that gaining real skills in this sport takes a lot of time and a lot of work. If you’re not having fun, you won’t put in the time & you’ll never get anywhere in the long run. When that happens another kayak spends its life in a garage catching dust.
Great Students, New Boats, Harsh Winds
Published May 2, 2011 | 
If you’ve got the hutzpa to take a sea kayaking class in Wisconsin in April, you’re probably going to do OK. That’s been my experience every spring when I head down to Rutabaga to teach that first sea kayak course each year. It’s almost always cold and certainly wet. This time it was ridiculously windy as well. I can’t say this is my favorite time of year to teach. We find ourselves working around a lot of interference & distraction that we wouldn’t be facing once the season warms up and the weather settles down. On the upside though, the students that do show up this time of year are particularly keen to “just go for it”. Continue reading
Ye Olde Kayak Emporium
Published March 18, 2011 | 
Another party’s over / And I’m left cold sober
My baby left me for somebody new
I don’t wanna talk about it / Want to forget about it
Wanna be intoxicated with that special brew – queen
Yesterday I was down in Madison to visit with Darrin Kimbler who will be leaving for the west coast in a couple weeks to begin his “Canoe Across America” expedition. This is a 5,200 mile trip that will keep him away from home until sometime in December. Well, at least he’ll have his dog with him!
From Darrin’s domicile, I drove over to Rutabaga which if you don’t know by now, is one of the country’s biggest, finest, and most well-loved paddle sports shops. (Did I say that right Boss??) I don’t know why… I mean what kind of legitimate kayak shop wouldn’t give out free chocolate chip cookies at the door? Shame, really. Be that as it may, I rolled in on Thursday which is their first day back open to the public after Canoecopia last weekend. Walking in the door right after they opened in the morning reminded me of the old Monty Python cheese shop sketch.. “It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.“. The shop was certainly uncontaminated by anything related to boating! That’s because all the stock was still ’round back in the trailers. That’s what happens when you host the worlds biggest paddle sports show each year. Heck even the back lot which is usually packed full of kayaks was hauntingly empty. Of course all that will change very quickly. The staff is going to be on their toes for the next few days. That means the store will be once again brimming with paddle candy right about the time the ice melts on the pond behind the store… which may be only a day or two the way things are going.
On a side note, someone asked me on my Quixotica Twitter account if Rutabaga has their own Twitter…. I think they hide it at @RutabagaPaddler…
***Full Disclosure: I am a paddling instructor at Rutabaga. This means anything I say is probably bias, and occasionally puts me at risk of losing my meager status as occasional hired goon.
**** What is it with all the food references in this post? I must be on a diet again.. Bah!
Be More Than Mere Mortals
Published March 17, 2011 | 
Well, that might be overstating it a bit… What I meant was….
Rutabaga (In Madison, Wisconsin) announces ACA Instructor training courses for 2011
See all the details at http://learn.rutabaga.com/aca-instructor-certification/
NEW! Early season ACA Coastal Kayak Level 3-4 ICE – April 29 – May 1
Looking to finish up your certification process? Need an Update or Upgrade? Join Rutabaga and have your certification in hand by the beginning of summer!
ACA Instructor Courses:
Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring IDW (Sam Crowley – ITE)
Tuition: $255
May 14-15 8:00 – 6:00 Sat-Sun
Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring ICE (Sam Crowley – ITE)
Tuition: $125
June 18 8:00 – 6:00 Sat
Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking IDW (John Browning – IT)
Tuition: $350*
June 3-5 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Aug 12-14 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayaking ICE (John Browning – IT)
Tuition: $325*
April 29 – May 1 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Sept 23-25 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-Sun
Level 3: River Canoeing IDW (Steve Harris – IT)
Tuition: $335*
April 29 – May 1 8:00 – 6:00 Fri-S
Level 3: River Canoeing ICE (Steve Harris – IT)
Tuition $250*
May 21-22 8:00 – 6:00 Sat-Sun
*Register at the same time for the Level 4: Open Water Coastal Kayak IDW and ICE or the Level 3: River Canoeing IDW and ICE and receive a $50 tuition discount on the ICE.
To register contact Nancy at nancys@rutabaga.com, or call 608-819-0587
(And tell ‘em Derrick sent you.. that way they’ll make you work twice as hard!)
What It Is
Published August 12, 2010 | 
Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well that’s all I’m after
Whenever you need me, I’ll be there – jackson 5
This is what enthusiasm looks like. This is what it is. When you show up for class and the weather is foul you simply put on your biggest smile and say, “let’s go!”. Truth be told, enthusiasm is the only way you’ll ever be a really good kayaker. If you’re not into it, if you don’t enjoy it so much that you find yourself paddling constantly regardless of weather, regardless of climate.. you’ll never reach the point where managing your boat becomes second nature. As we like to say, it’s all about “butt in boat” time. Continue reading
The Amazing Colossal Shop
Published August 23, 2009 | 
We get used to it of course. But if there is one thing that folks from distant lands can never imagine, it’s how amazingly large Rutabaga is. I mean it may not be the, Amazing Colossal Man, “I’m HUGE!” sort of large but it’s certainly, “plan your whole day to buy a kayak” large. It’s small and cozy when compared to DICKS or Gander Mountain and maybe comparable in volume to an suburban REI. Any way you look at it though, for a place filled with nothing but canoes, kayaks, and an insane collection of paddle related “everything” it’s pretty damn huge. And that, without counting the secret warehouse that some suggest is a small hanger stashed away on the eastern edge of Area 51.
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