Friday, March 25, 2011

Getting To The Beach On Time


I just added a new piece of equipment to my hoard of junk. With it, I'll be able to get to the beach quickly, paddle sooner, run errands, lower my carbon intake, attract girls and generally get more out of life. Well, mostly, perhaps, if I'm lucky.

One of the things about kayak camping is being able to explore the coastline. However, I like to see the coastline from both sides and with my new folding bike I'm hoping to do more of that during my travels this coming summer. The MEC folding bike is actually made in Taiwan by Dahon and comes well fitted out for day cruising both in town and out in the country. I can just picture me now, returning after a long day's paddle, peddling down to the store for some cold ones, a bit of firewood and then curling up to a camp fire meal with all my gear close by. You guessed it, idyllic isn't it?


While the bike folds into a relatively small package, it's too large for my kayak hatches. It might work as a deck ornament for short outings in calm waters, but that's not my objective. This bike is one which will pack easily in my small car, yet rides much like a full-sized bike on shore for trips here and there. While I've yet to test it out, I'm pretty sure I can set it up to tow my kayak to the beach if I don't feel like carrying it that far. I already have a cart which will carry the boat and only need a rig to fix the bow to the bike. I can't wait to see how it works out!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Not Today, Mate!


Looking up the driveway this morning after yesterday's snow storm was a mixed bag. While the snow had been cleared finally and the cars were now visible under their new white blankets, the kayaks are still a long way from the water...


But it's March and the sun was warm while I shovel around the cars. The melting has begun already. I'll be back on the water soon. Sure I will!