More Planning and a Logo!

Brother-in-Law is definitely on the Charlottesville to Richmond Kayak trip! We are still in the market for the boat that will carry him on the trip, but we have a few possible candidates and will probably have one picked out by this weekend. The gear is mostly in order. By mostly I mean we have to gather it all in one location. He has most of the stuff we need, but it is strung out all over the state like a freakin scavenger hunt.

After careful study of my Rivanna Trail Guide, I have come to the realization that the Rivanna River is much longer than I anticipated. It looks like it is about 35 miles from Woolen Mills dam to the James River. If my calculations are wrong, someone please correct me! As of now, we are going to paddle to Pettit Island where a public campground is conveniently located. Day two will take us on a 21 mile journey to the James. Depending on how we feel, we will probably make camp at the put-in on the James across from Columbia. My USGS charts have not arrived yet, so I don't have a clue yet as to how long we will be on the mighty Jim. Or where we will camp. I still have a month and a half to figure that kind of stuff out though. Details, smetails.

Since I haven't been doing much kayaking the last few days, I have come up with some nifty ideas for stickers and a logo for riveryak. The first one is a bumper sticker concept with a slogan that I haven't researched too heavily to make sure it's not already in use. Oops! If you've heard this somewhere, let me know. I like to think I am original, but there are millions of like minded people in this world that probably beat me to it. Google searches have turned up nothing so I think I'm pretty safe using it. Is it copyright infringement if I don't make money off it? Hmm...



This is the bumper sticker prototype. The slogan across the top says "Conservation Through Participation". That's the one I'm worried that somebody else is already using, even though, as I said earlier, a Google search didn't bring up anything (that's a legal search, right?). I like it because I believe the best way to practice conservation is to participate in it. Every time I go to the river I pick up trash and I am publishing this blog to try to get the word out that our river needs help. Conservation through participation. That's me.

This is the logo I came up with. As you can see, it is a stick figure wearing a bandana paddling a kayak over the riveryak url. I like these smaller stickers because they can be printed on any type of paper and will look good on any surface, not just a bumper. The colors are easily customized, so it can be a very diverse sticker that hopefully will appease to most kayakers. The paddler can be customized as well, for example, by placing a pony tale on the head. Now you have a girl yaker. I haven't made any like that yet. But I would if anybody ever wanted one. I tried to put a PFD on the figure, but it didn't look right. Always paddle with your PFD on your body, not on the boat! A PFD is useless unless you are properly wearing it. I used to be in the Coast Guard, I know these things.<--That last part was sarcasm.

If you are interested in any of the stickers let me know by responding to this post. For now I am printing them on my computer at home on adhesive printer paper. There is a product out there somewhere that sprays onto stuff like this to water proof them. When I find that stuff, aww man, watch out Cville...Every flat surface I see will be a blank cavas for riveryak stickers!

Fair winds and following seas