I just got back from the SF Bay Paddle-Fest Boats as far as the eye could see. More vendors than enthusiasts (avoiding buy/sell terms), but when I left at 1300 there were cars lined up to come in. Perhaps a respectable crowd finally showed up after sleeping late. If not, I'd be depressed if my living depended on the kayak "explosion". I'm not convinced sea-kayaking is exploding. Perhaps the market is. People buy boats and gear on a whim and a dream. Manufacturers pop up to meet the neon-colored carbon fiber state of the art demand. What happens then? Not much. That's how gyms stay in business. People buy memberships and then realizing it actually takes effort, they don't go. People that do show up benefit from the funds committed by non-users. Same with kayaks. More time, far more time, is spent talking, shopping and dreaming than paddling. I spent 4 hours 2 minutes and 27 seconds paddling yesterday, about one hour past my comfort level, and my aged body is still sore. I'll be on the water tomorrow, and the next day. I know how this goes. An effort of will to get there, joy once having done so. Sloth is the natural human state. Assuming there is a sea-kayak "explosion" there are two options: Cope, or quit. Cope by going out on week-days, early mornings or by the moon. Go a little further. I'll see a dozen boats when I put in and very few more than a mile away. Appreciate the people who are out there. They want to enjoy the same things I do, share, teach, encourage, set an example. The real destruction of the water is not from kayakers, it's from people who have never been on the water, have no appreciation of it and dump oil down the storm drain. The more people who appreciate the water, the more sensitive their off the water behavior. Or quit. Be a grumpy old man and quit. Complain about increasing population, which you can't do much about. Don't encourage more people to appreciate the water. Don't help them. Let them spend their money on new computers and motor vehicles. Then when they, as a society, pursue courses which trash the waters and fill the bays, you can claim credit through your inaction. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Sep 25 1999 - 19:25:41 PDT
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