end of the tunnel

"The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is." --Joss Whedon

with the year rushing to a close time on the lake is still enjoyable and warm temps let me paddle both Christmas day and yesterday. a second tunnel is now large enough to slide through, carved out of the sandstone like the north side of devil's island in the apostles on lake superior. if you are paddling and the lake shoreline looks calm though watch closely because it is probably ice and the unaware paddler will end up stuck in the middle... i know.

it's tough trying to be a hero, but maybe with a lot more work... sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of a train...

Christmas day

"we are nearer to spring than we were in september, i heard a bird sing in the dark of december." -- oliver herford, "i heard a bird sing"

today is the first day of kwanzaa and boxing day in canada and the UK. just being on the lake on Christmas day is reason to celebrate, but spending time with family and friends the most special.

virtue

"assume a virtue if you have it not." -- william shakespeare

patience has never been my best virtue and it dates back to early Christmas experiences. my father would put up a sheet of plywood over the hallway entrance and secure it against curious eyes. an orange and a set of lincoln logs was enough to satiate a year's expectations. as we got older new ping pong balls and new flourescent lights over the table would insure many evenings of competition. now, warm socks are the most welcome gift. the thoughts of loved ones far exceed any present under a tree.

dreams of the future

"i like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past." -- thomas jefferson

i unfortunately remember this 1 cent stamp as a time when you could value things according to the amount of work you created. starting out as an 8 year old shining shoes, then delivering papers, and selling greeting cards and cleaning supplies, and baling hay and walking beans, and working at a myriad of short term jobs before finally a career makes me wonder what unemployment really is about. right now the unemployment rate has dropped to recent lows and shows promise of a brighter future. who will take credit? those that are resting on their laurels or those that have vision? it will be an interesting "new year" perhaps. meanwhile our representatives have gone home job undone... with a looming 27% cut in medicare physician payments many seniors/disabled will find medical care unavailable.

delirious burning blue

"all that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream." --edgar allan poe, "a dream within a dream."

up, up the long delirious burning blue... where neither lark, or even eagle flew..... flying to va to see family is the only gift i need this year...... and besides, i'll only get lumps of coal in my stocking anyway..

under the sun

"there is nothing new under the sun." -- proverbs

while in avegno we found that the sun was delayed in presenting due to the mountains to the east and disappeared very quickly due to the steep rise to the west. now back on red rock lake under a full moon last night i expected to paddle with plenty of light, without worry, but the shoreline was frozen and after dark at 6:30pm carrying back out through the mud wasn't appealing. i paddled back down to the dam, carried up the access to the highway and then had to walk the half mile around to my van. paddling, lifting/carrying, and hiking all combined into an evenings workout made for a productive two hours.

where you are

"do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- theodore roosevelt

the village of avegno di flouri, on the maggia river above locarno, switzerland had houses in what they call the "commune" or close set arrangement. the roofs were covered with hewn granite tiles that have weathered long years. the tolling of the church bells enlivened my morning energy to hike farther up the ridges along the stations of the cross. the prayerful nature of the solitude was so peaceful and tranquil, yet brought back an appreciation for time together with others.

beauty

" beauty is not caused. it is." -- emily dickinson

farther sail!

O my brave soul! O farther, farther, sail! -- Walt Whitman, " Passage to India"

returning from europe leaves time to drift back to idyllic times on peaceful shores, thinking about all the places i haven't been..... and where i'd still like to go if possible. unfortuately, with a trip too short to rent a kayak, i had to just imagine gliding quietly along silent waters taking in the unimaginably beautiful surroundings. this church sitting on an island in lake bled, slovenia as seen from grad bled castle has to be one of the most serene communes with a higher power that created all the amazing sites we saw on our journey.

coming out of the dolomite mountains from cortina, italy we first caught site of lake garda, above riva del garda, and it absolutely took my breath away. like some norwegian fjord, tucked in between steep mountains diving into the water, the lake takes one back to the days of summer villas carved out of the cliffsides and accessible only by watercraft. i'm ready to retire to this stunningly beautiful place.

beginnings

"i had myself a desire to return to the place of the very beginning whence i had, as i have said, renewed my age." -- joshua slocum

leaving tomorrow for switzerland and on to klagenfurt, austria is a trip back to 1967. oh for the carefree days of swimming in crystal clear lakes, climbing mountains and exploring.. but that requires remaking of mistakes and lessons since learned. guess i'll just enjoy the memories. every morning while there i would run up this mountain past the stations of the cross and through the park about 4 miles. then after breakfast i'd ride my bike to the strandbad to play waterpolo and swim all day. it was tough to be an exchange student.

scream

"one's own self is well hidden from one's own self, of all mines of treasure, one's own is the last to be dug up." -- friedrich wilhelm nietzsche

with only a few days left before leaving for switzerland i had to give my "rogue wave" to stripbuilder for repainting and repair. a season of rough use and hundreds of miles has taken it's toll. repainting the graphite bottom and weathered top, and fixing the cowling crack, reminds me it is time to also continue getting back in shape physically and mentally and set a new course for the upcoming year. but occasionally it is just time to "scream" and let go of old emotional dings and cracks.

rudderless

with changing weather we once again don warmer clothing and keep paddling. back in my own boat an aerobic 3 hour trip feels rejuvenating even with the promise of fewer days on the water. hopefully i'll find a boat when we get to switzerland next month. lago maggiore is beautiful beyond description and possibly bled, slovenia will offer the same if we get there.

"fortunate indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right measure of himself, and holds a just balance between what he can acquire and what he can use." -- anonymous

dreams

"hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly." -- langston hughes

mr140

what should have been the mr340 was shortened for us by orthopaedic complications - mine. not every goal we set is achievable, not every dream we have comes true, not every problem has to be insurmountable, not everything is understandable. my son, TA, had a t-shirt while swimming that read, "failure - when your best just isn't good enough." i guess i did my best for 18 hours and 140 miles but that was well short of the requisite 340 miles. we finished at 0230 at glasgow, mo. stripbuilder gave us every advantage with a beautiful tandem boat, experience and energy but intense training just wasn't enough for my half of our combined 125 years age. fog, headwinds and rain made for an interesting trip and seeing the many different types of craft and paddlers was exciting. a SUP paddler actually made the distance and was only a few hours behind us into our last checkpoint. although the disappointment was evident, getting into the best shape possible was a definite success. now back to more dreams...

even someone's partner, wilson, made it farther than me...

beauty revisited

everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. -- confucius
revisiting this trip from davenport south allowed me to see familar landmarks from a past journey. sometimes the trip is easier when we recognize where we are in relationship to the final destination.

river miles

"nature without an effort surpasses art." -- latin proverb
paddling from davenport to muscatine on the mississippi yesterday i met a man paddling a canoe who came from rockford, illinois on the rock river. he was making about 30 miles/day in a plastic rec boat with a "bicycle bugger" tucked in behind him to carry his gear. he had a sign on board that invoked the words peace and God and he told me he was out of money until his disability check arrived on wednesday. he declined my assistance and said he was losing weight on ramen noodles and oatmeal so much lighter than his original 285#. i figure that by louisiana he should be down to playing weight. he doesn't like "gators" or snakes so doubt if he'll get much past arkansas. i felt like huck finn as i paddled down "the mighty" on a beautiful day.

appointed rounds

"we are mothers and fathers. and sons and daughters. who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. and neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. ever." -- mailman's creed yesterday paddling in the waves of 25 mph winds and stronger gusts on red rock i kept repeating a paraphrased creed for paddlers, " ... the paddler from his/her appointed rounds.

age of gold

"time will run back, and fetch the age of gold." -- john milton, hymn

stripbuilder leaves tomorrow for the NC challenge's 100 mile race. i hope that his 20 yr. younger partner doesn't spoil him for our tandem race as "team geritol". i prefer to refer to our team as "lewis & clark kent". my g'g'grandmother was a clark related to wm. clark so this race has more meaning. now if i could have even a fraction of his fortitude.

a swinging time

revisiting times past with bro took us to the eighth tee at pine knolls.. now if i could just find that slice somewhere in the rough. i've been out of the fairway most of my life i'm afraid. always looking for a challenge.

dark beginnings hopefully end in the light but today's run in the tandem from cordova to the dam and back terminated with wind and chilly dark weather. the two hour trip was a shakedown cruise for stripbuilder's NC challenge friday. 100 miles in less than 24 hours? the kiosk overlooking elk rock is well placed to see what is possible on red rock.

to arrive

i love to travel, but hate to arrive... -- Albert Einstein

solitude revisited

paddling everyday now expands the opportunity to revisit quiet moments. sunrises, sunsets, full moons, wind, waves and solitude.


the great misfortune - to be incapable of solitude. -- jean de la bruyére

in memorium

“War would end if the dead could return.” -- Stanley Baldwin

blackhawk down the river

last sunday's run from howell station below the dam to ottumwa was on a beautiful but windy day. the 8 hour trip included low water, suddenly appearing sandbars, and about 50,000 paddle strokes. solitude on the river ended at blackhawk access in ottumwa.

will the grand ol' party's deregulations increase this tragedy observed on more shorelines of the dsm? planting wall to wall will increase personal wealth but be loss for generations to come. this soil will soon be new land in louisiana i'm afraid.

native petroglyphs remind us that there were paddlers around here long before we called ourselves explorers and discoverers.

maiden voyage

stripbuilder's 23' tandem baidarka is almost finished and we took it out on rock creek for a trial run. now the only questions are, "can i keep his stroke cadence and can he tolerate me for 340 miles?"

"I simply believe that some part of the human Self or Soul is not subject to the laws of space and time." -- Carl Jung

rock & roll

last weekend our continuing trip took us from denison to storm lake and on to okoboji. life continues to be an adventure even for this rather wooden explorer.

the old roller coaster and ferris wheel at arnold's park, as seen from the water, reminded me of a high school weekend with bands at the "rooftop ballroom". a trip to the rock & roll hall of fame and museum there afterwards was nostalgic too. long live rock & roll!! now if i could apply that to my kayaking.. i can rock, but not roll well enough...

migration

in a trip down the lake stripbuilder and i revisited the "indian tree" or "peace tree" west of the mile long bridge. winter weather and flooding have sculpted the top off and shortened the stump considerably. one lone creature claimed this resting point even as we drew near. we all are migrating somewhere.... in our own manner.... in our own timeline.

more for loess

last weekend we ventured west to the loess hills parkway from council bluffs north and then on to denison and a nice B&B. the rolling hills and view of the receding flooded valley were spectacular and much better than my limited photography, but the serenity was special.

the sloughing hillsides resembled the terraced mountains of peru in minature. the term for this is commonly known as "catsteps" or terracettes. it is fascinating to see what nature has created in the millions of years past. our lives are like catsteps in that they seem forever, but are minute particles of loess making up the vast reaches of geography.

"in our leisure we reveal what kind of people we are." -- ovid

lazy days

"neither will the wave which has passed be called back; nor can the hour which has gone by return." -- ovid, ars amatoria
with warm water/air the time to play on the lake brought out all the "young" people and left us old paddlers to plod along. lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.... getting ready for a 340 mile race in october will require some serious training so guess i'll keep my head down and my paddle in the water.

last days of summer

with days cooling to fall these young adventurers made the most of a beautiful day, playing in the sand and swimming for hours. a last run off the whitebreast dock washed away the thoughts of obligations to come.

"the swallows are making them ready to fly, wheeling out on a windy sky: goodbye, summer, goodbye, goodbye. --george john whyte-melville, "goodbye, summer"