Beach Party

Some of you may have noticed I was gone for a few days late last week through the weekend. I was in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area for those not quite familiar) in northeast Minnesota. I try to make it either there or Isle Royal once a year. Last year I wasn't able to make it due to fires in the area I was going to. This year that same area had a large fire last August and also this May.

Well, my Canadian adventure has come to an end, and it was quite the experience. Unfortunately there were more insects than there were large mammals to watch, but we did have a 10 foot beluga whale circle the canoe on the last day. That is now one of my favorite wildlife sightings, ranking 3rd behind a mountain lion just outside San Jose and a pack of wolves in Denali park.

Kerala is most visited for it’s backwaters. A setting for the book “God of Small Things,” it is home to fantastically green, fresh leafy waters seen by wooden canoe. Here you can spot Kingfishers, peacocks and people washing their children and clothes in the water. Not at the same time. We hired a boat to take us on this relaxing trip early in the day before it got too hot.

There is no truth to the rumor that Assemblywoman Allen intends to offer an amendment to AB 86 requiring welfare recipients to wear a life vest when in a canoe.

Its that time of year when leaves begin to fall, the rain begins to pour and third year medics finish off their second SSM.. the perfect combination of reasons to hire a big canoe and go wandering around Loch Lomond in it!

Anyway, people are asking me about my intention to play canoe polo for New Zealand. I find it all rather amusing. Who cares if I am or not? I’m wondering what difference it makes. Aside from selectors, the rest of the gang have nothing to do with it. Are they planning on squeezing me out? Are they hoping to make me miserable? They’re not asking me to play, so I’m guessing they aren’t asking for nice reasons.

The lodge hosted a free pancake breakfast on Saturday morning - and we were the first ones there, lol. The kids could not sleep. After eating, we took the kids canoeing with grandma and grandpa. We also went down to Tulabi Falls, a great little spot with some rapids and a small waterfall that the kids thought was amazing:)

Sid Cullipher, Program Manager at Headwaters, took up the alligator’s cause, realizing that it would either be hunted or die in the coming colder weather. On the night of July 26th, he went out with Motley and Adam Beeson, another Headwater’s employee and Brevard student, and spotted the animal. At first he thought it was a caiman as did several people who saw the fotos I took in the paper. The following night Sid and another employee tried to catch the reptile but soon realized they would need a third person to be successful. Finally, on the night of July 29th, Cullipher, Motley, and Beeson went out in a canoe with a flashlight and snare.

This is the lake that is just behind the main building. We looked for paddles to enjoy a canoe ride, but no luck. But it certainly looked inviting!

Later we went canoeing on the White River. It was quite beautiful and relaxing – I didn’t even really mind the stench from the sewage treatment plant we went by. We actually went into New Hampshire and discovered that it is possible to canoe to K-Mart. Unfortunately, we weren’t wise enough to go upstream first, so we found ourselves in a tenuous battle with the current. There was seriously a span of 15 minutes or so where we probably moved 10 feet. I’ve done a lot of canoeing in my life, but almost all of it has been on lakes and I quickly discovered that my river canoeing skills are painfully deficient.

I am bogged down in further negotiations on multimillion payments for rights to sail the Ark on the seas of Aotearoa. Other Maori tribes have sued me because they allege the Ark is a Pakeha version of the Maori canoe and they have appealed to the Waitangi Tribunal to declare it tapu. Then the Environmental Court ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.

Drink beer. Build campfires. Tell glorious tales of sport, women and drunkeness. Bond with my inner Tim Allen-ish man and grunt for no reason. And try not to swamp the canoe at any point...that river water is far too cold.

As we trolled around a small point I saw the ‘ole dock. I debated in mind whether or not to ask dad if we could make a few casts by it. There was nothing really special about this dock. It has virtually remained unchanged since the days my cousin and I ruled the high seas from a green kevlar canoe as kids.

I got up ridiculously early this morning to canoe and kayak on the Columbia Slough with Mary, Susan, and Patrick. There were plenty of Great Blue Herons, as usual, and hundreds of Cliff and Tree Swallows feeding on insects and getting their nests in order. We also saw Mallards, Gadwalls, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Song Sparrows, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and a Great Horned Owl that was perched on the shady branch of a tree. But the only decent picture I got was of this cute raccoon:

Of course it isn’t as hare-raising as some of the things that have happened here in the jolly old USA, just ask our brave ex-President Jimmy Carter. Back in April of 1979, while canoeing, he encountered a big bad brazen bunny of his very own.

Back to the boating, the camp lies within a park and an admission fee is paid at a roadside booth, this is where I will take out. I drive the car to the booth, scouting the only rapid I can see from the road on the way there. This mighty rapid must be all of grade II (graded chesty cough) and turns out to be the only real rapid of the trip. Leaving the boat at the campground I drive the car to the take out and I prepare to enlist my secret weapon to transport me the 2 miles back to the start, the magic thumb. However I notice that the current car at the pay booth is equipped with a canoe, he pays, moves on, I chase after him. He eventually stops and I breathlessly ask if we can be friends, does he want to paddle the Elwah and can he run shuttle. Please, pleases mister, go on mister, please. In a polite but firm way he says ‘not a chance’ to any of this tom foolery and any way he’s only a beginner and surely I wasn’t planning on paddling such big rapids alone, had I actually checked them from the road. At this point an involuntary puffing of the chest occurred and before I could stop myself I’d mumbled something about no worries, my ego was not only stroked it had been tickled under the chin.

It was nice to relax at Mia’s Granparents place in Peterborough after a Crazy Road trip through French Canada, we watched T.V, went to a great Arthouse movie called “Everything is Illuminated” Saw a Curling game on T.V, went to the Canoe Museum… It was really nice.. I really enjoyed listening to all of the old storys about mias family.. and learning more about American History from Mias Nanna and Grandad.

After a morning Mokoro ride (local version of a canoe), the next chapter of our trip started after lunch when we took another small plane en route to our next safari camp, Chitabe. As expected, the Chitabe staff was very hospitable and they once again welcomed us with an African folk song and dance. I was afraid that I was getting so used to this that I might start expecting my co-workers to sing and dance for me when I get back to work. In terms of facilities, Chitabe was even nicer than Little Vumbura --- my definition of a luxury safari has once again been redefined. We even had the added bonus of having the camp all to ourselves --- no other guests! We spent the whole time during dinner learning from the staff all about Africa and , specifically.

With New Year's Eve comming up tomorrow night it is making me think about the past year, where I was last year at this time, and what could God still have in store for me in the future! Lets see, I think my favorite part of 2005 was my canoe trip with Melissa and Erin last summer. We decided to canoe for a day down the Big Sioux river by Flandreau. It started off beautiful, but we ended up running into a thunder and lightning storm. We banked the canoe and walked across this field that had been cut up so it had sharp blades of wheat and grass, and we were all in shorts w/ not much for shoes. We walked to a farm house and the lady took us in and let us call Melissa's mom to come get us. After all was over with, it turned out to be a great bonding experience for us. It was also the first time I ever drove a suburban! (for those who dont know, im petrified of driving)

our next activity for the day was to go and try to swim with dolphins. there are sections of the river that are inhabited by this weird species of pink freshwater dolphin. we took the canoe out, and after going for a while, we spotted some dolphins. our guide would race the boat all around and the dolphins would swim after us, enjoying our wake, and poking their heads out of the water. eventually, the guide turned off the boat and we got to go swimming in the water. the dolphins were pretty shy. often times, we wouldn’t see them at all for a long time and then eventually one would poke its head out for a second and then dive back in the water. we kept trying to inch closer to them, but it was hard since they would just disappear and then reappear somewhere else. in a way, it was a bit scary actually. the water was really brown and murky and it was impossible to see anything below the surface. yeah sure, dolphins are supposed to be nice and friendly, but it’s a bit disconcerting when one would be swimming towards you, then dives underneath the water, and you would all of a sudden have no clue where this giant animal was or how close to you it might be.

after spending a day in rurrenabaque, we headed out on our tour. the 7 of us and our guide drove for several hours until we got to the river where we had to transfer all of our stuff into a long canoe with a motor. after a bunch of waiting around, our adventure was finally about to begin.

Six days a week in harbor towns all along this country‚s palm-fringed coast, small teams of fishermen make their way down to wooden canoes perched and waiting on the beach. They begin their work at a time of day most people sleep, those unaccountable moments after the partygoers late-night farewells and before the shopkeeper’s pre-dawn stirrings. In that inky hour the men use two long 3” x 6” s and a log to skid their boats off the sand and into the water, and mounting a small outboard engine to the stern they shove off into the roaring surf.

“Take note of her last sentence,..”it’s really tough to control a canoe or boat when you’re out in it.” Uhhhh yeah, I’ve heard those ankle-deep floods have quite a deadly current! Which is why she didn’t notice the guys splash by her boat while she was performing her little skit - it was tough controlling her little canoe!”

And here’s the lake it flows into. Up on the hill you can see some of the bigger houses (mansions?) that are a ways away from us. We have canoe and going out on the lake is really a wonderful experience. You feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere, even though you are surrounded by houses and just a stone’s throw (though you never see it) from Valeydale road.

Trish called; she has intermittent (outgoing) service on her roommate’s cell phone. Her house weathered Katrina, and she didn’t have any flooding. She’s there now. Seven houses away, the houses were all flattened. She’s intrepid; yesterday she went to check on Mom and Dad by canoe (!!), and that’s when Dad fell and injured his arm.

Slight change of plan and we actually went to the jungle city of Iquitos rather than Puerto Maldonada. From there we took a boat up the Amazon to the jungle lodge, stopping at a riverside settlement on the way. The lodge was great, parrots and monkeys. Our jungle guide was Ricardo and our first outing was to a Shaman (medicine doctor) who explained how he worked. Night fell at 5pm so we went on a jungle nightwalk to watch the fireflies. Ater dinner, the local girls dressed in traditional costume and performed a dance ceremony. The Shaman came back to the lodges and he saw a couple of us for ´readings´ in the hamock house - amazing! The next morning we rose at 5am for breakfast and the took a canoe out onto the Amazon to watch dawn break and to see the pink dolphins!

Just this past weekend I headed back to Auburn, NY to visit my parent’s house for the last time before they move and to bike in the Great Race. The Great Race is a team triathlon, where one person runs, one bikes and two canoe. I’ve always been the runner, so this year I thought it would be a good change of pace and a good prep for the triathlon to bike. It was different experience actually waiting for someone to finish before I could go, but at the same time very fun. I ended up finishing the (hilly) 10 mile course in 31:55, which I was pretty happy with, especially since I was somewhat sore from biking the same course the day before (albeit, a little slower).

Sunday morning, when I was otherwise bored and had nothing to do, I decided to ride my bike to the river. What do you know, but the Kami-town Dragon Canoe Race was on! One person sat in the back, on the rudder. Another was in the front with a drum, a la Ben Hur (ramming speed!) The others indulged in some "Row Row Row Your Boat".

As we passed through UTP (which was once our beloved campus), we saw the lakes we once used for canoeing. All of us, except Fidah were members of the Cross Water Elite. Nama je cam best but we mostly did kayak activities. The most memorable one being the Canoe Expedition from Lumut, going around Pangkor and back to Lumut. It was the first time I joined such activity (though when I joined the Belum Expedition when I was in KMK, we had to make our own rafts and spent the whole next day rowing it around Belum). I mean, we were all canoeing in the wide open sea here. And though at first I was so afraid, I guess not 5 minutes into it, all of us were laughing as if we had done it all our lives.

Am Freitag (24. Juni) sind wir zu unserem weltberühmten Kanutour-Wochenende auf dem Delaware River im Upstate New York aufgebrochen. Kathleen, meine Kollegin Petra und ihr Mann und ich sind schon kurz nach Mittag losgefahren. Das war auch unser Glück, denn der Verkehr war wie erwartend mal wieder super schlecht. Nach 5 Stunden Fahrt, oder ehr Stau, haben wir dann endlich den Cedar Rapids Canoe & Campground erreicht. Wir waren mit die ersten und konnten uns daher den besten Zeltplatz aussuchen.

Today at work, I angered two large men, chased two teenagers on a 3-wheeler, rescued two foreigners and their canoe, watched a rabbit fight, took a boat ride in a storm (not without being soaked from head to toe), comforted a dad with a son lost at sea (read “on the lake”), put out a fire, and watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Well while the men were out on their canoe trip. We ventured out to see the North Carolina Zoo. It was our first trip and we got to enjoy it with our BEST FRIENDS (The Swartz Family). The zoo was great but it was alot of walking, This zoo is so much bigger than the Jacksonville Zoo. We had a great time, as you can tell from the pictures.

After landing at the Glacier Point beach, we drove inland on modified all-wheel drive school buses to a camp where a team of guides fitted us out with life preservers, watertight boots and extra clothing – the glacial lake could be cold with the wind coming off the ice, and some people had dressed too lightly. The area was swarming with mosquitoes, our first real encounter with the Alaskan state bird. We were told the mosquitoes would be gone by the time we were on the water, as the wind would blow them away. I saw one the size of a quarter lounging on the side of the shack. After gearing up, we hiked a quarter-mile to the river landing where the wide-bottomed canoes were, and were told how to row, how to get out of the canoe without tipping it over, how we weren’t supposed to stand, etc.

If you ever find yourself 3 hours North East of Des Moines in Decorah, Iowa, take the time to canoe the Upper Iowa River. National Geographic named it one of their top 100 U.S adventures in 2000 (Number 89 to be exact). Start off in Bluffton and rent a canoe from Randy’s Bluffton Store. Beginners need not worry; the river’s current will take you most the way with little effort. In fact, seeing a canoe moving sideways in not an uncommon site. Look out for bald eagles, trout and turtles. And if you hear a big explosion in Bluffton, don’t worry it’s just Larry blowing something up again.

Once down in Florida, I canoed with friends down the river. We met a man named Ed who wore nothing but a loincloth, lived in a riverside grass hut, and on weekends wore clothes and was one of the county's top pool sharks.

I’ve been keeping track of flat-water paddling mileage on Cheat Lake, and the dogs and I hit the 45 mile threshold yesterday. Had a very interesting encounter with a mamma duck, who - sensing that our presence was a threat - feigned injury in order to lure us away from where she had stashed her chicks on shore moments before. She pretended to be unable to fly - flapping across the water away from us - but then turned back in front of the canoe and continued to zig-zag back and forth across our bow while splashing and flapping wildy.

This morning, I spent 1½ hours composing an email about canoe camping in the BWCAW. I am hardly an expert, but it surprises me to see how much I learned in the in the trip we made last year.

1. Good rain gear is worth every penny. It is especially nice to find it on sale.
2. Tarps really come in handy.

This morning we proceeded at an early hour. . . . soon after we got under way it began to rain and continued untill meridian when it ceased but still remained cloudy through the ballance of the day. The obstructions of rocky points and riffles still continue as yesterday; at those places the men are compelled to be in the water even to their armpits, and the water is yet very could, and so frequent are those point that they are one fourth of their time in the water, added to this the banks and bluffs along which they are obliged to pass are so slippery and the mud so tenacious that they are unable to wear their mockersons, and in that situation draging the heavy burthen of a canoe and walking ocasionally for several hundred yards over the sharp fragments of rocks which tumble from the clifts and garish the borders of the river; in short their labour is incredibly painfull and great, yet those faithfull fellows bear it without a murmur.

I know all about buoys, and how to steer my way to open seas. I know what to do if a tug boat pulling a barge crosses my path. (unlikely on this lake) I know what to do when gassing up the boat (sniff for fumes before starting up the engine, gas cans filled on the dock not in the boat) I even know the correct part of the boat to step on when climbing in from the dock. But what I do not know is how to turn the boat on, or make it go. I asked husband if friendly boat donor planned on showing us how to do such trivial things and he didn’t think so. Oh, canoe, canoe, canoe.

plans are mostly set for our canoeing trip in july. Ed and I are going to canoe for a few days. It’s going to be down the Greenbrier River, something like 30 miles. very excited about it. a little apprehensive being so far from civilization, but Ed’s boy scout training will keep us safe.

When we got the island, I thought "Canoe!", the husband thought "Speed boat!" or some other kind of big, noisy, gas guzzling, lake polluting boat, I don't know the difference.

Looking for a perfect family canoe trip with desert landscapes rivaling the Grand Canyon, ancient Indian ruins to explore, and no crowds? Then pack up the kids, strap on your canoe, and head to Canyonlands National Park for a float on the Green River. Just don’t forget to calculate the “Sky Factor.”

Around 1300 paddling enthusiasts from all over the world will be on Hamilton Island from Friday June 24th for a long weekend of outrigger canoe racing.

American, Karel Tresnak Junior, who is the number one OC1 (one-person canoe) paddler in Hawaii will be competing in the OC1 races as well as steering for Team Hawaii’s Open Mens Crew.

I have a weakness, I admit, for this sort of thing. Two years in a row I went on a multi-day canoe trip with my (now-)wife’s stepfather and a group of other guys. Now, I’m not a big fan of the outdoors, with all the bugs, and the paddling, and the sleeping in a tent, and the bugs. (As my mom used to say, my idea of “roughing it” is a Holiday Inn where the elevator’s broken. I like to think of myself as an avid indoorsman.) But buying camping gear? That I can get behind. Waterproof bags, sleeping bags, backpacks, travel toiletry kits…set...

The gentleman on the canoe is floating over the soccer fields between Rivertown and Four Seasons.

I was born in Calcutta. Whilst I have many memories from my time there, the one that stands out is of a flood in late 1970. I remember it starting with water outside the house, we lived downstairs while the landlord lived upstairs, and then the water entered the house. My distinct memory is of an uncle of mine walking around in a few inches of dirty water inside the house with a shrimp net yellling at someone to shut the door as water snakes were coming into the house. My other recollection is of another uncle, my "burra chacha", using a kayak or a canoe to go grocery shopping for my mom. He took me with him, water had reached 4 feet at least as I recall people in the streets wading in water upto their chests. As the water level rose, we moved upstairs to the landlord's apartments, our furniture and stuff piled up on the stairs and landing, while another distinct memory is of playing in the landlord's four poster bed with his grandchildren. That was when I saw my first set of false teeth in a glass on the bedside table.

Once we arrived on the banks of the Mitchell, we had lunch, packed most of the food stores into a barrel, which would be with Phil - the water instructor. He was in a canoe, and carried the food, and his gear and Harry’s gear, as Harry had an uber big pack.

John Fitch was a not particularly successful brass button maker, and later a manager of a gun manufacturing shop during the U.S. Revolutionary War. Captured by the Indians, he was sent to prison in Canada, and later returned to New York in an exchange of prisoners. Somewhere in his experience, he conceived of using a steam engine to power a boat. His first model was small, and used a paddlewheel. A few months later, in September 1785, his second model was tested. It was larger, and used automated canoe type paddles. ...

A male ivory bill was seen by a lone kayaker on Feb. 11, 2004, in a cypress and tupelo-gum swamp in northern Arkansas. Since then there have been six other sightings. A year ago this week, a video camera mounted in a canoe recorded four seconds of the bird in flight, catching its distinctive white wing patches.

About a half mile past the dam, we came across our first bridge to cross the river. This bridge was plenty high enough to travel under. I think if we do this trip again, this bridge will be the place to launch at to avoid having to contend with the dam. After this bridge, we paddled for another hour and a half or so and then stopped for lunch. Finding a place to stop for lunch was not easy. Most of the banks were very steep… making it difficult to stop and get out. We finally found a small creek off of the river. We paddled into the creek and found a place to get out. We sat there and ate our lunch. Mine consisted of a tuna lunch pack, an apple and a kudos bar. You definitly develop an appetite paddling for hours. We walked around shore for a while and check out the big deer tracks, and then got back into the canoe.

“Pollution from runoff and combined sewage overflows, both of which occur after rainstorms, make it unsafe to take a small watercraft like a canoe out on the portion of the Mystic that flows through Somerville for a couple of days after a heavy rainstorm,” he said.

Sitting atop a knoll on Dewey Lake, a “country retreat” awaits guests in the Irish Hills of Southern Michigan. The Irish Hills is a jewel nestled amongst clear blue lakes, red barns, botanical gardens, and quaint towns. This century-old home, furnished with antiques and original kerosene chandeliers, has five guest rooms, each with queen bed and fireplace, and one with jacuzzi. A large deck and glass enclosed porch provide a pleasant place to enjoy a full breakfast or to just relax. There are paddleboats, canoe and bonfires by the lake....

This weekend saw us practicing canoe polo again, on Saturday and Sunday.

Me demonstrating the superglue-butter method of paddling (feathered blades) to the intrepid canoeists, with some of Valletta in the background.

the next morning we were up at dawn, and on a bus towards the Brazil/Guyana border by 7. it was probably one of the more interesting border crossings i have ever made, though the crossing from Israel to Jordan rates first because of the starkness of the desert and all of the automatic weapons carried on both sides of the barbed wire fences. his crossing was quite opposite, with the bus stopping for us to get stamped out of Brazil, and then carrying us only a few hundred meters more, to a muddy river. nonplussed, we jumped into a canoe, and the...

During our time in Orlando, my family and I visited Sea World. At the manatee exhibit we were shown a brief film whose opening scene showed an American Indian paddling his canoe through pristine waters while the announcer informed the audience that the Indians "lived in harmony with nature."