Thursday, July 14, 2005

Paddling and Swatting

Well Daphne the Science Guinea Pig is much better thanks to constant “basting” with Betadine. We’ve acquired those new day touring kayaks, Perception Carolina 13.5 and Carolina 14.5 and we chose not to go with Hully Rollers but Yakima Kayak stackers and boat loaders. Our days of renting water craft are over. Had to keep my student away from the trolling motors, we’re going to work on upper body strength and character.

Paddlefest 2005 sealed the deal on the Kayaks. A map of Canada and conversations with other paddlers landed us in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada for our first major adventure. We are currently reading: “A Paddler's Guide to Algonquin Park (Paddler's Guide)” and “Frommer's Algonquin Provincial Park” and awaiting our Algonquin Canoe Routes Map from the “Friends of Algonquin” bookstore. We’ll probably go to some local lakes to practice what we’ve learned in our clinics and classes. From what we understand, a paddle and a fly swatter are necessary in Canada this time of year. Our kayaks are of the “tippy” nature for beginners, so paddling and swatting seem like a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. I suppose we could invest in some Deet.

Now all we have to do is get the rest of the overgrown boxwoods out of the backyard and we are good to go....