Falls lake is not what it used to be. It's full of new islands, old
islands are now peninsulas, the marina now has dry slips, and many of
the boat ramps don't quite reach the water. Not only is it hard to
find a place to put in, it's just depressing.
There's red clay everywhere. It's not just mud. It's clay. It is
nearly impossible to remove from anything it touches. After hours in
salt water and countless water hose rinses, my kayak has red clay
smudges that don't wash off.
Where's this global warming that's going to lead to the worst
hurricane season in history? Where was it last year? How hot does it
need to get to get at least a decent tropical depression? Any
thoughts, Mr. Gore?
Forget my job, my wife's job, our friends, our lives - I need to move
to the coast.
October 27, 2007
I really am on some kind of bandwagon. There are kayaks everywhere
around Wrightsville Beach. Not only does
Salt Marsh Kayak have a lot
to do with it, but there are a lot of people bringing their own boats.
Kayaks at Wrightsville Beach
October 14, 2007
When I've previously taught myself how to do something, I wondered if
my ah-ha! moments were blatantly obvious to anyone with experience. I
had one of those moments today when I realized that my PFD provides
great back support.
During the week, I spend between 12 and 15 hours a day sitting in
meetings, sitting front of a computer, or sitting in my car. On
weekends, I jump in my kayak and expect my body to do something
useful. Sometimes, if I've been able to keep up with my nightly
stretching, my body is up for it. Other times, it just won't
cooperate.
I drove down to Wrightsville Beach last night after spending most of
the day in the car. I didn't sleep well and woke up fairly sore. I
took a long, hot shower and did what I could to stretch everything.
It must not have been enough. While setting my boat down in the
water, my back let me know I missed something.
I tried stretching it out and even got in the boat to see if I could
paddle it out, but each breath hurt. After a hour or so laying on the
floor, a few Advil, and another hot shower, it wasn't any better and I
was ready to give up on kayaking at all this weekend.
After a few hours, I was bored and decided to take another shot at
adjusting all the straps on my PFD. I put on my PFD and it came as a
bit of a surprise when my back finally relaxed. After a few minutes,
it actually felt good enough to give paddling another shot. I was
able to stay out for a little over an hour.
In hindsight, it's obvious. PFD's make pretty good back braces.
October 13, 2007
I'm getting closer. Hip flick, head comes out last. If only I could
actually do it consistently.
After 2 hours of thrashing around, with the boatupside down more often
than not, there was a little bit of water in the day hatch. User
error. The hatch cover wasn't completely on. The front and rear
hatches were totally dry. I love my boat.
October 07, 2007