August 23, 2008
Doggedly digging up info on kayaking
My paddling obsession had me Googling "kayak gps" earlier, and up came this guy's page. Very cool.
Posted by Bob Benz at 6:47 PM | Comments (2)
August 19, 2008
More sunrise paddling porn ...
sunrise1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
I paddled downstream to a large cove on Monday morning, where I caught this sunrise bursting across the lake. It was another amazing paddle that started under a full moon and concluded with the rising sun at my back as I headed back to Duck Cove.a
I finally broke down and ordered a "real" Kayak from a company in Wisconsin that makes boats that are supposed to be great for big people. I have my fingers crossed. I talked to them on the phone for a while, read all the online reviews and decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. I'm hoping to get it in time to do a lot of paddling before it gets cold. My goal is to be confident enough in it to paddle all winter, but I'll need to get a lot of paddling in before the water gets cold if I'm going to be able to pull that off ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:04 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2008
Cove sunrise
cove_sunrise.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
Another beautiful sunrise this morning while I was paddling. Went downstream this time, past the osprey nest and into the cove this photo was taken from. Sadly, the entire, wooded shoreline is littered with for sale signs, so I guess once the economy picks up this will become some sort of subdivision. But for now, it's a great place to paddle amid the smell of pine trees and the shouting of waterfowl.
As I was heading out this morning, I paddled toward a mother duck and her ducklings. She cut away from the youngsters and started flopping and thrashing in the water, trying to convince me she was injured so I'd follow her rather than her little ones. She kept the act up for a hundred yards or so before she finally took off and flew a wide circle back to the ducklings, who were safely in the middle of the lake by that time.
The weather remains amazingly temperate for this time of year, with the lows dipping into the low 60s at night. We have all the windows open in the house. Hard to believe we were sweating through hundred degree days at this time last year.
Posted by Bob Benz at 8:16 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2008
Today's canoe sunrise ...
sunrise2.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
Shot this today during my morning paddle. Another incredible sunrise to complement the weather we've been having. Last week's heat is gone, leaving weather so temperate that we've turned off the AC and opened the windows.
I paddled upstream this morning, just past Choto Marina before turning around and heading back home to Duck Cove.
I rented a Hurricane Tracer 165 for a week, but I decided to stick with the canoe for my morning paddles. The kayak is really tippy at this point, and I'm having a hard time getting it to track straight (the skeg is broken and won't come down, which I think has something to do with it).
The other, bigger problem, is that I really have to squeeze into the cockpit. I didn't fall out during my inaugural paddle this weekend, but I want to make sure there are people around to help yank me out of there if I end up underwater. So for the longer solo paddles, I'll stick with the canoe and play around with the kayak in the evenings.
Posted by Bob Benz at 4:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 8, 2008
Paddling video ...
paddling
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
During Tuesday's paddle to Prater Flats, I used a Gorillapod to secure my digital camera to the canoe's thwart and shot this video.
Aside from my horror movie heavy breathing that dominates the sound, it came out better than I expected, but i didn't count on the fact that the bow of the canoe would ride so high in the water that most of the view from the thwart is canoe instead of water.
I'll make adjustments next time ...
Posted by Bob Benz at 3:34 PM | Comments (0)
Rage, rage against the "dumbness" ...
I've been frequenting Marlon James' blog since I read his book John Crow's Devil. He doesn't post often, but when he does, it's awesome.
His most recent post might be his best yet, even though it's utterly gut wrenching. Is black culture "allergic to intelligence"? he asks.
"Of all the interviews I’ve had the most stupid was from a fellow Jamaican who couldn’t think of something more profound than 'did you write the book to get girls?' I complained and was told that it was all about publicity and fun and sometimes one had to play the game. What game was that actually, pin the tail on the dumb-ass-sex-mad Negro? I was offended by the question. I’m as irreverent as anybody and pride myself on a perverted sense of humour, but I bristle at stupidity and go apeshit at dumbness commoditized and thrust upon me."
Posted by Bob Benz at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)
Herons hate me ...
sunrise_paddle.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
Anyone who knows me knows my interests become obsessions pretty quickly. Enter my latest obsession: paddling.
I've been going out in the canoe one or two mornings a week, slipping out of the cove before sunrise and exploring the Tennessee River as day breaks. This morning I saw my first truly transcendental sunrise after a series of cloudy, brooding paddles. This photo barely does it justice. I had to stop and drift for a while just to drink it in.
As I paddle, I leave a trail of croaking, pissed off herons in my wake. Often they're dead asleep on a dock or a rock as I approach and I get incredibly close before they awaken and take indignant flight. Other times the warily watch my approach and move on only when it's clear there is no alternative.
This morning I cut immediately over to the south shore at Parks Bend after exiting Duck Cove and paddled downstream about 2.5 miles to Sequoyah Heights. There's a red buoy there that I set as my goal, and when hit it, I crossed to the north shore and passed the osprey nest on Coulter Shoal daymark as I headed back upstream. An osprey chick and one of the adults were in the nest, taking off and flying around for a bit while I passed.
I'm going to start uploading my paddling pictures to a Flickr photoset called, appropriately enough, Paddling Pics.
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:48 AM | Comments (1)
August 2, 2008
Check out Root Clip. Now!
Voting is open in the latest installment of Root Clip. I posted a note on the Maroon Ventures blog about this, so I won't ramble on here. Just go vote. It's very cool and worth checking out.
Posted by Bob Benz at 9:06 AM | Comments (0)
August 1, 2008
Foggy sunrise as seen from a canoe
canoe4.jpg
Originally uploaded by Suffering the Benz
It rained last night. Hard. So this morning when I got down to the dock to launch the canoe, there were wisps of fog everywhere. It made for a great ride.
I've been taking the canoe out several mornings a week to try to break up my workout routine. I started by exploring neighboring coves, and then moved on to seeing how far up or down river I could go with a 1.5 hour total trip time. I went down river today, toward Lenoir City, and managed to get as far as the Osprey nest that's on the Coulter Shoal Light and Day Mark (608.3).
Watching the Osprey chicks rise up and screech out of their nests was pretty cool. The water was like glass and there was a lot of fish action. I guess last night's rain created plenty of breakfast opportunities.
After I got as far as the nest, I turned the canoe and paddled home. I'm using a used Old Town 12-foot canoe with a pretty wide beam. Instead of an oar, I'm using a kayak paddle to propel it, and I'm starting to get pretty confident. I'm really wanting to rent a kayak soon to see how much of a difference there will be ...
Reading recommendation: The Kayak Companion by Joe Glickman. Very readable and informative. It's helping tons with my paddling technique and when I'm ready to make the switch to a kayak I think I'll be well-prepared.
Site recommendation: Paddling.net. Awesome forums. Decent classified section. Lots of useful information.
Posted by Bob Benz at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)