A good bombproof combat roll is an absolute necessity if you want to paddle whitewater bigger than class 3. Until you’ve learned one you’ll probably go swimming a lot in class 3 whitewater. That’s just the way it is. The water gets big and pushy and next thing you know you’re upside down in the [...]
Wednesday August 5th was my 2nd run down the McKenzie river in central Oregon. We ended up being a flotilla of 3 canoes and 6 kayaks. John and Christy in John’s We-No-Nah Rogue Tandem White Water Touring canoe, Ben and Celia in an Old Town tandem white water canoe, Zak in an Esquif Raven solo [...]
Last Tuesday’s trip on the McKenzie River was great motivation to get back into the pool and work on my roll. There was a big class. We had six boats in the water not counting Christina Russell’s boat. She was teaching. There was a family of four. Mom, Dad, brother and sister all learning how [...]
Kayaking is one of the primary reasons that I moved to Oregon. My Dad taught me how to canoe when I was still wearing diapers, and we were always going on great weekend canoe trips in Louisiana and Mississippi. Sometimes we’d go a bit farther out. These were great beautiful rivers with swift currents, and [...]
My friend Deno has a sweet 2004 Triumph Thruxton for sale. We shot a video of it last Thursday. Here is a list of the work and upgrades that have been performed on this fantastic bike. South Bay Triumph 904 Big Bore Kit Stay Tuned Stainless Steel PeaShooter Exhaust Imported English Stainless Headers OHLINS Rear [...]
Finally, after almost two years, I’m getting some time in the cockpit of a whitewater kayak. This past Thursday I participated in Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Shop’s “Brace and Roll” class. Taught by members of Alder Creeks staff at Bend’s Juniper Park Pool, the Brace and Roll class is the perfect place for newbie [...]
This past weekend I was out with the crew from Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe shop in Bend, and Geoff Franks busted this great seal launch just below Tetherow Logjam on the Deschutes River. I did my own seal launch just a few feet downstream from here where the bank of the river was only [...]
Last weekend my niece Joanna Ridgeway came to town for a visit, and we went kayaking on the Deschutes River. No white water on this trip, just a pleasant paddle upstream from Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Shop to the Bill Healy bridge. This section of the Deschutes is backed up by a low damn [...]
I’ve been visiting my Dad this month, and his kitchen looks out over the driveway and back yard. While I was doing dishes this morning we had a little visitor amble up the driveway. A little grey fox! What a gorgeous little creature she was with a light grey face and back with red fringe [...]
Yesterday I got into a kayak for the first time in over twenty-five years. What a difference in the sport. Last time I was in a kayak they were all made of fiberglass and the short ones were about 14 feet long. Now they’re made of plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass, wood, abs, and other materials. [...]
