OKC Kayak Word Soup

OKC Kayak Ice Cream Social!!! Alaska Slide Show!!! Kayaker Reunion!!!

OKC Kayak will be hosting a free ice cream social on Sunday, July 25th at 7 p.m. in the evening at OKC Kayak (220 N. Western Ave.). This is open to anyone and everyone so do invite your friends and family members. This is a perfect opportunity for all you fo..….lks who get the emails, yet hang out on the sidelines to get involved. The only requirements are that you enjoy ice cream, you pretend to like Dave’s tall tales and pictures from the recent Alaska Mothership Kayaking Adventure, and you don’t remind Casey of the fact that Dave is lactose intolerant.

In the name of being green and keeping more junk out of the landfills, feel free to bring your own bowl and spoon or we will have paper ones to use as well. An RSVP is always handy so we can determine how many Braum’s Ice Cream stores we are going to have to knock down. (As always, email Dave directly by sending this to dave@okckayak.com )

See you then!

Dave Lindo
405.830.9689

dave@okckayak.com

Hey Folks, The new Jackson Kayaks are arriving daily.  They offer an impressive lineup of high quality whitewater kayaks and new for this season some real innovative recreational kayaks.  They even have a two person whitewater boat or a child size kayak.  Come in today and find out why Jackson Kayaks are so well know for comfort and quality.  (I also like the fact that they are very heavily involved in the local communities, presenting world class kayak demonstrations and so much more.)

There is a Game and Fish Commission meeting Monday, April 19th at 1:30 p.m. to
discuss raising the price of the OKC Boat Permit. (This will be at the Will
Rogers Garden Exhibition Center located at NW 36th and I-44.) Please plan to
attend if at all possible.

While, we all realize that our cities are strapped for cash, kayakers already
are hit pretty hard with licensing and other fees despite the fact that no
infrastructure such as sidewalks, boat ramps, etc. are needed to support this
recreation. Raising the fee will serve to further deter paddlesport activity on
our lakes and rivers. Several years back when the City of Oklahoma City
required a $25 permit for bicycles, the citizen spoke up and got this ordinance
revoked. This is your chance to be heard. The only way to speak at the meeting
is to request permission in advance from Jeff Murray in the Parks and Recreation
Department. His email is jeff.murray@… or his phone number is
405.297.2338 (Please be respectful in all your dealings with our city
officials, as their job is not an easy one) Jeff’s response will be that there
are no plans to raise the fee, but it is clearly on the meeting agenda as Item #
5. The Agenda is a public document.

I suggest we encourage participation in recreation by increasing the number of
parks and making it easier for folks to enjoy outdoor activities. We spend
plenty of marketing $$$ trying to convince the world that Oklahoma City is a
progressive town with abundant opportunities for recreation and other things
which add value to our quality of life. Let’s not make it harder for folks to
access our waters.

On another note, another proposal is already being considered for a recreational
paddle trail in Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge. I am all for paddle trails as they
have done great things for recreational paddlesports and economies. My problem
with the current proposal is that it includes signage and docks within the
refuge. I go to Stinchcomb to get away from signs of civilization. Upstream
access to the docks would be provided only to those paying a fee to the local
boathouse. My other issues are the fact that the docks would serve to collect
floating garbage and debris coming down the river. This area floods regularly ,
which would annihilate any signage or other infrastructure. The bank access and
foot traffic would instigate erosion putting more silt in the river. I am in
favor of a paddle trail designation with signage at the put in, a small floating
dock or launch area open to the public just south of the NW 39th street bridge,
and a map of the area with tidbits about the local flora and fauna. This is my
personal opinion.

Sorry for the long post. Just a heads up on both of these items in case your
were not already aware of what is happening.

Respectfully submitted,

Dave Lindo– OKC Kayak 830-9689

Dear Wetland…. Thanks a bunch for everything
by Dave Lindo, OKC Kayak LLC

The end of April is synonymous with all sorts of going green events in celebration of Earth Day.  The question I have for you is “Have you thanked a wetland lately?”  Yes, I said, “thanked a wetland!”  We owe these treasures a big thank you for many a thing, not the least of which is recreation.  What else you query?  Well how about a significant percentage of the world’s food supply?  How many of us like rice or have ever eaten a real marshmallow?
Whether it is habitat for animals, recreation, flood control, or clean water, wetlands have a vital role in our communities.  Now you can show your thanks by offering one of our local gems of a wetland a helping hand while doing some free kayaking at the same time.  Join us on Saturday, April 24th for the Fifth Annual Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge and Lake Overholser Cleanup in northwest Oklahoma City (near NW 39th and Council—visit the www.okckayak.com home page for launch map links, Google Earth maps and detailed directions).  The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We will be meeting at the pavillion near the Lake Overholser Dam tennis courts to check in volunteers and hand out trash bags.
Please RSVP no later than April 20 by calling Rodney Boegel 405.802.3678 for more information and to reserve your free kayak, lifejacket, and paddle generously provided by OKC Kayak, Oklahoma’s only kayak shop.  OKC Kayak will even give you a mini safety and how-to briefing prior to putting you in a boat.

Participants will want to bring gloves, sturdy footwear that can get wet, eyeglass retainer straps, sunscreen, and a water bottle.  Lunch and drinks will be provided.  Rumor has it that there will even be great door prizes to be raffled off during lunch.
The best part of the day is the fact that you will get to meet great folks via the kayak while pulling some unusual stuff out of the refuge.  Last year I had my hands all over this mysterious reservoir, which I had the hardest time figuring out its purpose until two other kayaks showed up with the remaining parts of a portable toilet. If only you will be so lucky this year.  Come join us!!!!

Scott Wendling and I headed down I-35 yesterday to do some kayaking on the Washita River.  It was at a nice level, the weather was nice, and Casey agreed to hold down the fort at the kayak shop.  In other words, the planets aligned.  The highlight of this trip is a mile and a half long section of rapids called Big Canyon.  This was very pretty, and as luck would have it, the train that runs parallel to the river passed through right as we were running the bigger stuff.  I had the video camera rolling.

The only way you can see these pics and video is to show up at tonights, “Where the heck do you kayak in Oklahoma?” slide show that I am presenting at the Backwoods in Norman.  This will start at 7 p.m.

See you there!

We had our first social paddle of the week last Sunday.  It was a bit chilly, but darn good to be back on the water.

Come by the shop during our warehouse clearance sale, and you will save big bucks on any remaining 2009 or prior model kayaks.  Also, all long sleeve Life is Good shirts, ski racks, and anything else that smells of winter is on sale.

Now for a couple off topic favorite businesses, I think you should support.

Big Truck Tacos on NW 23rd Street.  My wife says I need to go to BTTA meetings.  Big Truck Tacos Anonymous.  She asks what I had for breakfast, and I reply “Big Truck Tacos (Huevo Rancheros or build your own tacos with Steak, Chicken, Spinach, and Avocado $2.75).  “What did you have for lunch?”, same reply.  “What do you want for dinner?”  Yep, you guessed it, Big Truck Tacos again.  They also have a taco called the fifth amendment.  Yeah, don’t ask.  It changes daily and you won’t get them to tell you what is in it.  Go in the next day or look on their website to find out after the fact.  It is always good though.

Next on the list, Abel’s Mexican Restaurant at 50th and MacArthur.  So good, they catered our wedding.  Unbelievable fajitas, authentic Mexican tacos, and more.  Abel himself is almost always there to greet you.  You won’t be disappointed and the price is right.

OrganicsOKC– This place is the new organic gardening shop in town.  They are located at 3620 N. Penn.  They have all sorts of stuff for growing your own food.  If you are looking to grow something else, you are looking in the wrong place.  They assured me that they are only there for legal purposes.  They are really knowledgeable about Oklahoma gardening.  Visit their open house this Saturday for some freebies.

Tiki Auto Glass-  Customer service is number one, and they do a superb job.  I can vouch for this, as they repaired my pickup shell that I broke with a rogue whitewater kayak.  They are kayakers, so you know they are going to be nice.  They also do mobile glass repair at a fair price.  On a good day, you might find the owners volunteering down at the kayak shop!!!!

Why am I plugging these folks, you might ask?  No they did not pay me.  They are good, hard working, local business people who add great value to my life and their communities where they live.  When you shop local small businesses most of this money stays local.  When you shop local but at an out of state chain less than half stays in the local community. When you shop the internet, none stays in your town.  Now, more than ever, shopping local counts.  Find and support a local business or three and see for yourself if product knowledge, service, and the other perks don’t make this more than worth it.  Who knows, your favorite dining spot or place to get your windshield fixed might be around a while!  Stop in at these places and others, say hey, spend a buck or two, and become a part of the family of friends that local shops tend to attract.

Happy Spring and have a good weekend despite the bizzard!

Dave

Rain or shine, we will be having our no commission Outdoor Gear Swap this Saturday, March 6th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at OKC Kayak.  Believe me, there will be some great bargains, even if you have not a thing to sell yourself.  This will be in the parking lot (or indoors at the shop if it rains) of OKC Kayak at 220 N. Western Avenue in Oklahoma City.  Bring outdoor related items such as tents, bicycles, scuba gear, kayaks, paddles, etc., that you wish to sell the day before the event.  No, your ceramic goose from the lawn does not count as outdoor related.

See you at the swap!

The OKC Kayak Crew

It was late afternoon by the time Kevin and I returned from our adventure up the side canyon. The camp was empty. Even Angela who had sworn that she was going to do nothing but enjoy some R and R, had gone up the canyon to the waterfall. As we neared the river’s edge, I spotted what would be the only piece of trash that I saw in the hundreds of miles of the Colorado River that we would encounter. Even your fire-pit ash has to stay in a metal pan, and thankfully, the type of folks who do this trip appreciate it enough to not leave behind beer cans, litter, and other debris.

This human artifact was likely once attached to the bow of a raft as some sort of mascot. It was a lanky Bratz doll which had obviously seen many miles and even more days floating rogue down the river. I plucked the doll from the water with the initial intentions to add it to our daily trash. The only problem was this old lady of the river was just not destined for the dump just yet. Like trash to treasure, I took a glance around to see if anyone was watching, then quietly unzipped Angela’s tent. Handy as it was, the doll already had a noose of twine around its neck, and a twisted head of hair laced with river debris. I used this to hang the doll form the center loop of the tent’s interior.

Kevin and I were on dinner duty again this night, so we began our kitchen duties without mention of the doll to anyone. It was long after dinner at the evening campfire, before word of our special treasure made the conversation. Angela beamed that whoever was responsible for leaving the voodoo like present would pay. I am certain that Kevin, myself, and Dave Meeks, were the first three to receive interrogation. Each of us retorted in surprise that we had no clue what she was talking about. Angela seemed particularly perturbed by the fact that the effigy was violent hung by the hang-man’s noose. By nights end everyone was suspect, but I am pretty sure that she had Dave pinned as the culprit.

The remaining weeks of the trip were marked with hours of dialogue between Angela and every member of our party, as she tried to get someone to leak. She was determined to crack the case, so she could delve out her revenge. At one point we even had her convinced that it was the most innocent and kind of camp members, Bruce. Later Bruce would threaten to spill the beans if he got fingered for the crime one more time. So it is with this Blog post that I will finally admit to Angela that the sadistic act was really perpetrated by…….. Whoops, out of time once again.

Here it is, the mother of all days in the Grand Canyon and we are not even talking the much feared Lava Falls. You have been warned!!! (Some language may be inappropriate for our less than mature readers!)

Damn It, Damn It, Damn It! Suddenly I instantly found myself underneath the crushing, recirculating waves of a monster hole. Darkness from the murky waters surrounded me and the uncertainty of my survival was at the forefront of my mind. The waters of the Colorado River are so cold that your body cannot override the gasp reflex. (The Gasp Reflex is the instinctive and shockingly uncontrollable, sudden inhalation of air like when you jump into a cold shower). Gasping air into your lungs is particularly bad when your face is already under water. Lungs in the water = bad. In addition to the pressure from the immense weight of the water, it is also noisy when you are underneath all the turbulence.

My faith was placed on the skills of Tom and the crew on his raft, because the rafts ahead of me could do nothing to come to my rescue now that they had already entered the rapid. Hopefully the raft following me saw me get pulled under. Still holding my breath, I ripped my kayak paddle through the violent currents, placing it in position on my best side. Of all the practice, back deck, combat, pool sessions, etc, this was going to be the one roll that counted. One flick of my hips confirmed what I teach in every Eskimo roll class. It is much better to end up upright seconds after you capsize, rather than having to pull your skirt, wet exit, swim, recover your boat and paddle, get the water out, and get back in. I made my roll and was quick to confirm that the hole had released me downstream, effectively granting me permission to continue on down her river.

Getting sucked under left me with more questions than answers. Our friend Angela, a quite competent rafter with many years of experience was helping Kevin and me to pick our lines. We were finally in kayaks today after purposefully postponing this until we could muster the confidence to brave the biggest waters either of us had ever seen in our lives. Up to now, Angela’s “read and run” techniques of picking the line as you enter the rapid rather than stopping to scout these from the shore, had proved effective. Kevin entered the rapid on the left as Angela indicated, with me following close behind. At the last second, she gave me the hand signal to go right instead. Let me repeat, she clearly indicated that I go right. I quickly corrected my course just in time to see that I was headed directly towards the biggest hole we had seen all day. Did I mention that my objective was to avoid holes at all cost? “OH @#$%, I was going right into the pourover created by an underwater rock ledge!” From the perspective of the kayak, the backside of this hole was a depression in the water akin to a meteoric crater. This Bermuda triangle of the river was followed by a wall of water from the giant haystack waves. Even after I made my roll I still had to maintain my composure to finish the last 500 yards of the rapid.

With much relief, I turbo charged my kayak to catch Kevin. “Did you see what just happened to me?” He had not. He was busy with his own challenges that the rapid had dealt. Still keeping on the speed, I caught up with Angela’s boat. “Did you mean to send my right into that hole?” Laughing her butt off, she exclaimed, “Yeah, I saw it was a friendly hole, and thought it would be funny to see you go into it.” K A R M A!!!!

Double blog special today!

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Lindsay Lohan, and many others, I must confess, I am an addict. Shocking, I know. Yes, folks, I need help. I am seriously addicted to a blog that my friend writes daily. I check it multiple times through the day, reading not only his fantastic prose, but also the comments from his many other loyal followers. I even check in regularly to see where his SPOT Transmitter satellite beacon has pinned down his current location.

What is so interesting about my friend Jake Stachovak, you might ask? Well, he is undertaking a 5000 mile kayak journey from Portage Wisconsin, down the Wisconsin River, over to the Mississippi, across the Gulf, around Florida, up the Eastern Seaboard, over the New York Canals and Great Lakes, back to his starting point. IN A KAYAK. This is no small feat in a much larger boat, but doing so self-supported and solo is nothing short of amazing. He intends the journey to take about 9 months to complete.

Jake is a wonderful guy who I know from my friends kayak shop in San Diego, Aqua Adventures. Not only does he have the kindest of spirits, but he is also an incredibly skilled kayaker. Thankfully he does a much better job of offering daily updates to his blog than I myself do.

He currently is in Florida heading south past the Crystal river, over 1300 miles into his journey which began in early December. His posts about his experiences paddling are pretty phenomenal, but the real saga are the challenges he faces when encounter some rather nefarious humans when he goes to town every week or so to fill his water bags, buy some more calories, and charge his batteries on his equipment. To date he has had all his many thousands of dollars of gear stolen (and miraculously recovered), nearly had his kayak frozen into a popsicle until spring, and been maced by two baggie pants punks.

The worthy objective and purpose for Jake’s trip is to delineated that his trip is a collection of trips that anyone along his route could be doing in their own backyard. Fellowship? Hmmm, ever heard me exclaim what it is about paddlesports that I enjoy most? I was even lucky enough to see Jake at the start of his trip as he passed through Oklahoma on I-40. Everyone he encounters has to sign the Seda Ikkuma kayak that he is paddling. This has become quite the collage of signatures.

So, if you find yourself craving another piece of chocolate cake, or one two many smokes, dial up your internet, and check out www.portagetoportage.com instead. I can assure you, if you take the time to start reading from the beginning, it will be more than worth your time. Go Jake, Go!!!