Tame the Wisconsin River

Had the need to put in at least once before our adventure to Florida. Cruised up to the Wisconsin River at Peck's Landing, only to find a nasty ice shelf and some deep water. Getting in would be OK; getting out may have proved difficult.
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Koa liked the Arena put-in better, and so did I. Water on entry is pretty shallow, leaving some room for error and mis-calculation. Peck's Landing the water was moving pretty fast; not sure how Koa was going to react getting in and out of the canoe as it has been a couple of months since she has been in a boat.
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Blue skies and a light breeze; could have been any given summer's day on the river, simply put beautiful.
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Clouds started to fill in a bit, but the weather held nicely. I got a call from a friend who was an hour away up wind from me watching the weather; he said it was snowing pretty good.

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Self portrait on the float down; dipped into some chocolate macadamia nut coffee, just taking it all in. A couple of small hawks overhead eyeballing lunch.

- Koa watching the shoreline for any movement. Squirrels, bunnies you name it, she wants to chase it. Stayed in the middle of the river to avoid any mishaps.
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Some of that Wisconsin River muck sticking to the boat. While I was taking pictures, Koa off on an adventure must have rolled in some dead fish. It was a stinky ride home let me tell you.

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Time to pack it in stinky dog and all; a quick stop at the Rutabaga paddling shop to get a new deck compass. Somehow somewhere I left it. Looked all over for it. Drats...

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Hour and a half later and down $175.00, I finally left the shop; resin repair kit for paddles, new cook-set, compass and a new stove and KaBAMM!! They gotcha!

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Thank goodness Buffalo Wild Wings was across the street, sooth the buyers remorse.

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The Capt'n

Look over there...

Where? >>>>>

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We'll be going mobile, so posts will be in the twitter feed and pictures will be uploaded to Picasa. If everything goes "Right" we should be able to get you information quickly and efficiently; pics, commentary and some of that sass.

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Upon our return, I will be over on the KCA blog following the EC down to Key Largo and the FC as they do the 1200 mile loop around Florida.

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Just a quick note: Marissa (Boo) took first place at the Science Fair this past week. Tough judging the first day left her head scratching; the second day, nailed it!

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Way to go Boo!! - The Capt'n

This is Canoeing

Multi-award winning film maker, Justine Curgenven captures the essence of canoeing in 12 short films on her latest epic DVD "This Is Canoeing".
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From open canoe slalom races to 1,000 mile birchbark expeditions, Justine provides insights into the diversity of canoeing and the influential people who tell it's story.
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This entertaining 2-disc set has already been awarded "Best Canoeing Film" at the 2010 Reel Paddling Film Festival. Be sure to watch the trailer!
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Order your copy now and we'll ship it to you for free on March 16 (the official release date). http://www.paddling.net/store/showDvds.html
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The Capt'n

Space Cowboy / Wrangler

NASA Image tracking space debris

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Sweet Judy!!

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There has been some banter on the WaterTribe Website about where to take a dump when you are on a challenge like the EC, UM and the daunting FC. We really got bigger disposal problems:
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The Sky is Falling:
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The shoot down of the spy satellite USA-193 sparked talk about the graveyard of outer space, which is crowded with some 17,000 spent rocket stages, dead or dying satellites and countless crumbs of human-made orbital flotsam. An average of one object has reentered Earth's atmosphere every day. Some of the Russian crap are small nuclear reactors in dead spy satellites...
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A new industry and business is born; Space Cowboy/ Wrangler : new ops in the custodial arts - The Capt'n

And Counting...

We are 14 days out from the WaterTribe Challenges; participants are eagerly posting questions, sharing stories and working toward preparedness. I'm into my 3rd piece of banana bread, pacing myself so to speak. - My version of the carbo load.
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Boo is diligently finishing up homework assignments and working to complete her science fair project. "How to make electricity from fruit" - see mini science for overview. Pretty cool stuff as she is comparing different fruit and combinations of fruit in her study. Lots of charts and graphs being prepared.

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Off to the hardware store... again. - The Capt'n

Winter Olympics 2010

Maybe it's the Northwoods, maybe it's cabin fever; but I do not hold the same sentiment of Jimmy Kimmel... (he ripped on women's curling).

Though his bit about watching for 8 hours made me laugh. Japan vs. Canada was riveting. Now the women's downhill... :-).

-The Capt'n

Thought I'd Share - revisited

Desperate to find a video of a snowmobile going through a house... I came up empty; but did find this snowmobile crash which is worth a few seconds of your time.

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Anywhere North of the Illinois Border... keep your eyes peeled!

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The Capt'n

see post - Thought I'd Share

Lake Mills Dive Team - Training Photo

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and you thought I was joking... now if only a snowmobile would land in someones living room.
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Vehicle Breaks Through Ice, Driver Escapes and is Unhurt
On Feb. 10, at 6:11 a.m. Lake Mills Police Officers were dispatched to a report of a vehicle in the water in the 700 block of Owen Street. Upon arrival officers found a vehicle sunk up to its roof in a retention pond. Lake Mills Fire deployed two members in "mustang suits" who checked the car, and found no-one. During its investigation of the accident, the LMPD discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Thomas M. Fisher, 48, of Lake Mills had been negotiating a corner on Owen Street and slid off the roadway and onto the retention pond. While trying to get the vehicle off the ice, the vehicle broke through. The door was pinned shut by the ice and Fisher was able to roll down the driver's window and escape. Fisher walked to work to change into dry clothes at which time he notified the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. The Lake Mills Police Department, Lake Mills Fire Department and Lake Mills EMS all responded to the scene.
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Somebody get me a brat and a beer - The Capt'n

Ahh.. she's back to the woods

Emily is going winter camping at the end of the week and she needed to sort through gear! Plus it gives us a good excuse to head to the outdoor stores in the area!!! Saa---weet!
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So like kids in a candy store we spent the better part of the day stuffing the necessities into a pack, buying food and other comforts for the trip. She is so excited! Ahh... me too; she's back to the woods and even mentioned getting her climbing gear together for a Devil's Lake Trip!
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Marissa (Boo) went through her UM gear, yeah we both need to scale back what we are bringing down to Florida. We are set up for a full challenge, which is way to much too haul down a 2 day event.
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But then you look at the weather these past few weeks and you say... "bring on the gear!" It has been nasty cold down in Florida.
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Two bags each, one checked one carry on... what ever fits is coming!
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The Capt'n

Where's the...

"The Mug"

The question is, where's the buzz around the America's Cup? After searching the web for some pics and video I finally came across ESPN360; which I believe is right behind ESPN (8) and the Dodge Ball Championships out of Buttwater USA.
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They're live at the moment, but race 2 has been postponed. Gallery
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The Capt'n

Thought I'd Share

As much as people like to complain about the weather, the cold and the disposition of Mother Nature mid February in Wisconsin; It's days like these walking through the woods that inspire.
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Walking has become a favorite pass time of mine, simplistic, really no gear needed but some good footwear. The snow adds resistance so the blood gets flowing; You're on the move so you're pretty warm.
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Besides being a great canoe camp partner; Koa is a great walking companion. She's a free spirit, no lead or collar, simply put, hates them. She is very attentive to commands, stays close... loves to romp in the snow. "Now where the hell did she go...."
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Thought I'd share that it's not all beer and brats redneck haven up here in the Northwoods. All outdoor enthusiasts share the resources. -

Sure you get your random shooting of a human during the deer hunt, and a couple of trucks go through the ice every year, the occasional snowmobile goes out of control, flys through a living room window now and then; that just sass. It's not like we had any *crazy laws on the books:

*State Law made it illegal to serve apple pie in public restaurants without cheese. -The Capt'n

How I roll for WaterTribe

For SandyBottom who is off to spin class and weight training; for ManitouCruiser who single handily saved the micro brew industry of Wisconsin; This is how I roll...
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The Capt'n

Show me some..... love

Hey! Your not thinking of leaving back home while you go out paddling are you? I see you packing gear... Come on man show me some love!" - Koa
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I got gear scattered everywhere! Sorting out all the comforts breaking it down to the essentials for the UM.
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Lots of restrictions on what I can bring on the plane without a lot of extra fees. I got 49 linear inches x 2 for carry on luggage and 62 linear inches x 2 for checked.
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Travelling with the required gear only; The rest has got to stay!!
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The Capt'n

Sharkchow

Well Boo and I are in the 2010 running of the WaterTribe Ultra Marathon. These open water events are not without their inherent dangers. Preperation and safety protocals must be observed at all times.
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So basically the UM is a much shorter version of the EC, in fact the course you paddle is to CP 1 which is consistent with FC and EC courses. After reading this article by Sharkchow, it's a bit of a wake up call to go over and over a few scenarios with Boo before we hit the water.
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We're 30 days out, haven't paddled since September, this should be interesting. Boo hit the weights last night, danced around playing wii; I dragged myself to an all you can eat rib night at Carp's Landing watched the masses consume the gnarled remains of glazed bones... I had salad.
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I did manage to drag a very dusty paddling simulator from the corner where it has become a great place to hang clothes and get it in working order. So no excuses, we have the means.
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I can smell the ribs.. I mean salt air from here - The Capt'n

Hook line and sinker....

As series of events have taken place over the last 24 hours, that just may put The Boo and The Capt'n down in Florida for the WaterTribe Ultra Marathon; a 67 mile paddle either on the outside on the Gulf of Mexico or the inside on the ICW. Festivities start March 6th!

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We won't bore you with the dramatics; but rings of fire, searing hot coals and a burning desire to get out and paddle has caught us hook line and sinker.

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We're still working out the last detail... A nod from Mom ma Bear. Plus with the blogging we will be doing on the KCA site - Gotta be there for the start!!

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Sah... We're in!! - The Capt'n

Tough events

WaterTribe vs. ToughGuy - Too close to call! - The Capt'n