This is an abbreviated trip report. Four kayakers spent a week on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Two vehicles were involved. Neither driver had spare car keys. None of the four had a cell phone. The launch site was at the end of a bumpy logging road in the middle of nowhere. On the second day of paddling, a set of keys went into Davy Jones' locker in about 30-40 feet of water. I will spare you the details of extracting ourselves from this dilemma. Let's just say it involved understanding kayak guides equipped with cell phones, a very experienced tow truck driver, a locksmith who doesn't work on cars, and a clever woman working at an electric supply store who makes perfect keys. The main point is...never go anywhere remote without spare keys. In real life, stuff happens. -- Bradford R. Crain *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The kayaking part went routinely. We paddled around Barkley Sound and the Broken Group, which I hadn't seen in about 12 years. Now there are composting toilets and camping fees, plus you must camp in designated areas, and there is no longer fishing allowed in the interior of the Broken Group. We camped on Hand, Gilbert, and Dodd Islands, and had the company of other kayakers each time. We checked out Benson and Clarke Islands, and they were busy too. I would love to go back in the fall, after I replace my worn out rainpants. Performances by humpback whales and orcas, plus sea lions, were worth the price of admission. You haven't lived until you've been charged by a handful of sea lions...a somewhat helpless feeling in a kayak. The scenery was beautiful as expected. BRC Quoting Mike Jackson <mhj_at_smus.ca>: > Sounds like fun! > How was your trip? Where did you go? We had a great trip this summer > going from Nootka to Port Renfrew and last summer from Winter Harbour > to Nootka. > > At 12:29 PM 23/08/2007, you wrote: >> This is an abbreviated trip report. Four kayakers spent a week on the >> west coast of Vancouver Island. Two vehicles were involved. Neither driver >> had spare car keys. None of the four had a cell phone. The launch site was >> at the end of a bumpy logging road in the middle of nowhere. On the second >> day of paddling, a set of keys went into Davy Jones' locker in about 30-40 >> feet of water. >> I will spare you the details of extracting ourselves from this dilemma. >> Let's just say it involved understanding kayak guides equipped with cell >> phones, a very experienced tow truck driver, a locksmith who doesn't work >> on cars, and a clever woman working at an electric supply store who makes >> perfect keys. >> The main point is...never go anywhere remote without spare keys. In real >> life, stuff happens. >> >> -- >> Bradford R. Crain *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Here's our close call: On a river trip, the keys were packed safely in a dry bag. Somehow we missed it when loading the car. We went to the gas station, and found the set of keys with the gas cap key was missing, it was then we realized we missed picking up that dry bag. We had to go back to the take out, and find the dry bag/keys, but then didn't have enough gas to get back to our motel... We had to go to the closest exit off the Interstate, and hope it had gas!! 12 gallon tank, 11.99 Gallons to fill up. mark -- # # mark zen -- fort lupton, colorado, usa #-========----============--=========--===- # ckayakr[at]dotzen[dot]org------------http://www.dotzen.org/paddler/ # o, o__ o_/| o_. o__/ # </ [\/ [\_| [\_\ [\/ # (`-/-------/----') (`----|-------\-') `\--------/--------/' #~~~~_at_~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~_at_~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # Semi-Random Fortune ... # A bug in the hand is better than one as yet undetected. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bradford R. Crain wrote: > We paddled around Barkley Sound and the Broken Group, which I hadn't > seen in about 12 years. [snip] We camped on Hand, Gilbert, and Dodd > Islands, and had the company of other kayakers each time. We checked out > Benson and Clarke Islands, and they were busy too. I would love to go > back in the fall, after I replace my worn out rainpants. Brad, my first trip to the Brokens was in 1996, when the changes in fees and camping policy were new. Even though it is a highly regulated (and expensive, at CDN$10/night/person camping fee and a three CDNbuck parking fee/night) area, it is still extremely beautiful. A little imagination and effort will provide solitude and isolation as if the other 200 paddlers were not there. Camping at Gilbert seems to avoid the yuppie crowd, while providing excellent access to the more rugged portion. My fave time now is middle of June or middle of September, when the weather is still OK, and the population of paddlers is about half or less what is in August. I've heard March, when the herring are spawning on the kelp is also a magical time. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I always carry at least three keys and usually four car keys when I go kayaking: (1) My normal set of keys in my right pants or shorts pocket. (2) My courtesy car key and a spare house key in my left pants pocket. (3) A detachable car key fastened to a D-ring in a PFD pocket. (4) A car key in my personal first-aid kit. Usually I put my shorts/pants in my clothing dry bag and pack it away in the stern compartment before I park the car, which is why the detachable key in the PFD is so handy. On my last kayak camping trip, though, I forgot to do this. My wife gave me a spare vinyl dry bag just big enough for the shorts but not big enough to roll the top down more than two or three times, which was no problem, since I was able to put the bag in my day hatch. But then she discovered four apples and some hummus she had forgotten to pack, so I took the shorts dry bag out of the day hatch to make room for the food and without thinking stuffed it behind the seat instead -- upside down, as I recall. But there was a little bit of water in the cockpit from the rain the night before, and extra drips from getting into the kayak, and when I opened the bag in camp on Devils Island, my shorts were half-soaked. My wallet, fortunately, was wet only on the outside, but my Palm T3, which I carry on camping trips to record expenses, for its astronomy program, and for reading e-books in the tent, was completely dead, and failed to revive even after I dried it out. So now I have a brand-new Palm TX. The keys, however, were fine. I have an Otter box I bought especially for PDAs, but I have never used it, because I always pack my pants away so carefully -- except for this one time. By the way, my wife brought the latest Harry Potter novel along on that trip. The following story will make sense only to people who have read the Harry Potter books: During our layover on Devils Island, my wife was sitting in a low camp chair, reading Harry Potter, and snacking on dried cranberries and coffee when a vole came over to investigate. It found and ate some dropped cranberries, took a sip from her coffee cup, which was sitting on the ground, and then climbed up her pants leg to see what she was reading before she nervously chased it off. "We should give that vole a name," I said. She immediately responded: "Vole Demort!" Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
[Please remove all old content that is not pertinent to your reply including old headers and footers. It's list policy.... this post was modified to meet policy] I found a keychain in a sailing shop recently. It is the size of a basic keychain, but when it hits the water a small baloon stored inside it is inflated. This device is supposed to bring the keys to the surface. Its an interesting concept, though I agree that its not entirely idiot-proof. The cost was about $7. Sadly, I don't recall the brand name of the product. --- "Bradford R. Crain" <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote: > This is an abbreviated trip report. Four kayakers spent a week on the > west coast of Vancouver Island. Two vehicles were involved. Neither driver > had spare car keys. None of the four had a cell phone. The launch site was > at the end of a bumpy logging road in the middle of nowhere. On the second > day of paddling, a set of keys went into Davy Jones' locker in about 30-40 > feet of water. > I will spare you the details of extracting ourselves from this dilemma. > Let's just say it involved understanding kayak guides equipped with cell > phones, a very experienced tow truck driver, a locksmith who doesn't work > on cars, and a clever woman working at an electric supply store who makes > perfect keys. > The main point is...never go anywhere remote without spare keys. In real > life, stuff happens. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Was this device invented by Dr. Peregrine Inverbon by any chance? BRC Quoting Derek <glamourpets_at_yahoo.com>: > I found a keychain in a sailing shop recently. It is > the size of a basic keychain, but when it hits the > water a small baloon stored inside it is inflated. > This device is supposed to bring the keys to the > surface. Its an interesting concept, though I agree > that its not entirely idiot-proof. The cost was about > $7. Sadly, I don't recall the brand name of the > product. > > --- "Bradford R. Crain" <crainb_at_pdx.edu> wrote: > >> This is an abbreviated trip report. Four kayakers spent a week on the >> west coast of Vancouver Island. Two vehicles were involved. Neither driver >> had spare car keys. None of the four had a cell phone. The launch site was >> at the end of a bumpy logging road in the middle of nowhere. On the second >> day of paddling, a set of keys went into Davy Jones' locker in about 30-40 >> feet of water. >> I will spare you the details of extracting ourselves from this dilemma. >> Let's just say it involved understanding kayak guides equipped with cell >> phones, a very experienced tow truck driver, a locksmith who doesn't work >> on cars, and a clever woman working at an electric supply store who makes >> perfect keys. >> The main point is...never go anywhere remote without spare keys. In real >> life, stuff happens. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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