Saturday the 14th, need I say more? I'd been looking forward to my first kayak trip to Black Canyon, ready even to face the brain infesting protozoans that frequent the hot springs by the river, but a nasty earache was complicating things. I'd had it more than a week and despite my Dr.'s ear drops, it hadn't improved. I'd already cancelled my flight to visit my son in Denver and hoped a few more days would do the trick. I'd spent quite some time shopping for the trip, bought a new tent and camp chair, planned out all my food and got the oil changed in the car for the trip. The night before departure, I loaded the car with my boat and gear and baked a batch of brownies to share around the campfire for our planned first night music shindig. Friday morning I awoke and the ear wasn't any better. Still I decided I could spend the night at the Lake Mead campsite and decide in the morning whether to hit the water. So I was quite perturbed when I went out to the car and found I had a flat tire! I considered a can of Fix-a-Flat and how long it might take to get somewhere to get the tire fixed and decided perhaps fate was telling me to stay off the water. Still, as a member, if not a cog, of the CKF Music Department, I had a duty to perform on the night. Without me, Barb's and my duet would lack a certain je ne sais quoi! So I decided to throw all my non-paddling gear into Kristi's somewhat decrepit Honda and hit the road. I got to the campsite with plenty of light to set up and we were soon all chatting away. Thirteen people partying on Friday the 13th. Steve W., the head baton waver for the CKFMD, was the host of the night's action. After burning a few hotdogs on the fire, we all sat around for the music, with Steve starting out on his new compact guitar. Barb and Ken did a couple duets, I sang too many songs, Steve led us all in a game of Name That Tune. Duane got the didgeridoo out for a campfire tune and then premiered a new song he'd written for the ukulele to go along with his hit, No Rudder, No Skeg, No Pick. I was sorry I wasn't going to be along for the rest of the trip. Early in the morning, I was laying awake in my new tent waiting to hear Ken's early morning rustling, when I heard footsteps moving around my tent. It was Steve W. looking for me and wondering if he had the correct address. Turns out Steve H. our club president was feeling ill and decided not to paddle, but as he'd carpooled up with Patrick, he couldn't get home without making him give up his trip as well. I said I'd be happy to give him a ride home, sure the gesture would be remembered come next year's dues! So we bid adieu to the hearty folk and the invalids got an early start on the trip home. Steve and I both seemed to have mastered the art of conversation-well perhaps except for the listening part, so the hours passed as we gabbed along. We were surprised to soon find ourselves leaving Baker and happy to be making such good time. As we drove along at 80mph, we suddenly heard what seemed to be a helicopter coming in for a landing on top of the semi tooling along right beside us. But it wasn't a helicopter, it was the remaining shards of what had been my front left tire flapping against my undercarriage! I pulled into the large center median and we got out to inspect the tire. We both agreed you couldn't mess up a tire much more than that, and yet, the one new thing on this car was the tires. With my guitar, ukulele and all my other gear strewn on the median, I set about releasing the munchkin spare tire hoping it still held air. Now, I wouldn't usually give rides in this car seeing as it's rather run down, so technically I should have been alone when I found that the giant wing nut holding down the spare had rusted solid-that way I wouldn't have felt so much like a wing nut. I had no tools in this car other than a small leatherman tool with which I was soon turning the rusty bugger. But it was all a tease! As the nut neared the top, all progress ceased and my he-man twist only succeeded in breaking the jaw off the pliers. I remember from mechanics class that when all else fails, beat it with a tire iron and so I set about applying this strategy. Soon the bracket attached to the car failed and with a yank, I had the tire free. I put the Mickey Mouse wheel on the back and moved the back wheel to the front and we were back on the road. Thirty six miles later, we hit Barstow and I decided to buy a new tire for the rest of the journey. Perhaps I should have been forewarned by the name of the store, but after a very short pit stop at Tires for Suckers, we had one new tire and my wallet was lite $98. There was no stopping us now and the miles flew by unburdened by the talk. We soon hit the 405 and Steve and I hit a McD's for one last coffee for the road. I got to meet Steve's wife Robin as she showed up to relieve me of my charge. So my first ever trip to Lake Mead was not the adventure I'd been seeking, but it was an adventure non the less! Mark Sanders *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 5:49 PM, Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> wrote: > Saturday the 14th, need I say more?''' Can we now consider anything in which someone, somewhere, has a kayak or even if we speak about kayaks it can be called "kayak camping"? > > I'd been looking forward to my first kayak trip to Black Canyon, ready even > to face the brain infesting protozoans that frequent the hot springs by the > river..... I don't wish to sound unsympathetic but I'm wondering if you've ever been to these hot springs before? That would explain so much. :) > , but a nasty earache was complicating things. I'd had it more than a > week and despite my Dr.'s ear drops, it hadn't improved. I'd already > cancelled my flight to visit my son in Denver and hoped a few more days > would do the trick. On a serious note, I had the same problem at last year's Port Townsend seminar complete with my (family) doc's patented ear drops (guaranteed to cure dropsy... who would have thought it?). The drops were spectacularly unsuccessful and when subsequent trips to my doc elicited comments like, "wow... look at that!" I had him book me in to the local ENT (do they still call them that?) specialist who cleared it out in about 30 seconds. My hearing (such as it is, nowadays) returned and I discovered that I no longer had an excuse for not hearing my wife tell me - again - to do the dishes. Proving that even the most amazing medical success can have a downside. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I suspect regular family doctors don't know that much about ears other than to say, "wow... look at that!" when they peer into them. If your doc has said anything like this I'd advise you to go to your ENT and have him vacuum up the mold or mildew or the larval shells of the brain infesting protozoans (hey, they have to put them somewhere). It took two weeks of pain and suffering before the penny dropped and I went to the right doctor. Perhaps I should have > been forewarned by the name of the store, but after a very short pit stop > at > Tires for Suckers, we had one new tire and my wallet was lite $98. This is a chain store with outlets in every small town within 1 mile of any freeway. Just as a word of caution, avoid any contact with any transmission repair outlet that uses the term "trannies". Trust me when I tell you that you won't be able to handle the tall, leggy brunette who works there. And I don't care if she does have a low, sexy voice. There was no stopping us now and the miles flew by unburdened by the talk. > We soon hit the 405 and Steve and I hit a McD's for one last coffee for the > road. I got to meet Steve's wife Robin as she showed up to relieve me of my > charge. So my first ever trip to Lake Mead was not the adventure I'd been > seeking, but it was an adventure non the less! > > First trip, huh? Maybe those protozoans are more wide-spread than we've been led to believe. Nice kayak story. :) Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA "Gee... what are these little crusty carcass thingies doing in my ear?" *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Well, at least I had the intent! Isnt that 9 tenths of the law? And while I never left the Lake Mead campsite, the rest of the folk camped upriver the next two nights. Im claiming my ear kept me off the water, but really, when I saw all the gear in my car that I was going to have to find room for in my kayak, I slashed my own tire! Mark -----Original Message----- Can we now consider anything in which someone, somewhere, has a kayak or even if we speak about kayaks it can be called "kayak camping"? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 2:46 PM, Mark Sanders <sandmarks_at_ca.rr.com> wrote: > Well, at least I had the intent! Isnt that 9 tenths of the law? And > while I never left the Lake Mead campsite, the rest of the folk camped > upriver the next two nights. > Ok... I can buy that. > Im claiming my ear kept me off the water, but really, when I saw all the > gear in my car that I was going to have to find room for in my kayak, I > slashed my own tire! > LOL... I know the feeling. Wait until you garb up in poly and wool undies, pull on a drysuit, haul the kayak 1/4 mile across the mudflat at low tide, get in, struggle with a spraydeck you can barely find behind you, pull on your gloves, start your GPS..... and then discover that you have to go the bathroom. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> > Well, at least I had the intent! Isnt that 9 tenths of the law? And > > while I never left the Lake Mead campsite, the rest of the folk camped > > upriver the next two nights. Unlike Mark, I have done this trip before. Several of us did this about 3 1/2 years ago and I had no problem packing all of my gear the Gulfstream that I was paddling then. I was so organized that I made a list of where in the boat each item went. Well this year, I had a choice of 2 different boats. I really didn't want to take my glass NF Shadow so I opted to take my plastic Capella. So far, I haven't camped out of either of these 2 boats. When I got my gear outside of my boat, my wife laughed and said it would never fit. I was seriously looking to see if U-Haul made trailers that float that I could tow behind my boat. Boy was I surprised when I got everything in and still had my day hatch completely empty, ready to take on my repair kit and signal kit plus any incidentals like a camera, etc. I didn't even need to use the deck bag that I have only used when camping. About a week before this trip, I had finally gotten over the cold/flu that had been keeping me down for about 2 weeks. Friday morning, my friend Patrick showed up and we loaded his boat and gear onto my car and we headed up to Lake Mead Campsite. Halfway there, my throat started to get a bit sore and I thought I had been talking too much. My 11:00 PM on Friday, I was considering how I could return home and not leave Patrick stranded. By 3:00 AM, I was feeling like I had died and was definitely going home. Nobody had room on their cars for Patrick's boat and he reluctantly said he'd go back with me. That's when our trip host asked Mark if he'd mind driving me home - and Mark without hesitating said yes. So I gave my car keys to Patrick who promised to put a lock on my boat and he should be showing up here sometime within the next 5-6 hours. I will say that Mark really turned this non-paddling trip for both of us into an adventure. Steve Holtzman Southern California __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 3939 (20090316) __________ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Brain infesting protozoans may not be the only concern. Your friends will want to inspect their hulls and the hulls of their kayaks for those pesky quagga mussels. Having a colony of quagga's up your derriere could be as annoying as a persistent ear ache. Brad Mark wrote: > Saturday the 14th, need I say more? > > I'd been looking forward to my first kayak trip to Black Canyon, ready > even > to face the brain infesting protozoans that frequent the hot springs by > the > river, but a nasty earache was complicating things. I'd had it more than a > week and despite my Dr.'s ear drops, it hadn't improved. I'd already > cancelled my flight to visit my son in Denver and hoped a few more days > would do the trick. *************************************************************************** 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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