Friday, October 20, 2006

An Email From Stopglobalwarming.org

HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR STOP GLOBAL WARMING VIRTUAL MARCH

This week the Virtual March grew to over 500,000 marchers! The movement to stop global warming is here, now and growing louder each day. The diversity of our new partners goes to show that we are all part of this problem, and we all need to be part of the solution. New partners include Pastor Tri Robinson, pop culture designer Paul Frank, Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, The Los Angeles Zoo, Me&Ro Jewelry, and rock band Guster.

Thanks to the Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo music festivals, and to marcher Bon Jovi, for encouraging music fans this summer to join the Virtual March.

GLOBAL WARMING THREATENS RICH FALL COLORS

While the Virtual March continues to grow during the fall, the icon of the season – changing leaves – is being threatened by global warming. Click here to read more about global warming's threat to New England's rich autumn colors.

Another surprising impact from global warming is the recent declining pumpkin crop. The severe rains of the spring and extreme heat of the summer has directly reduced the number of pumpkins grown in the United States. One farmer reports that his normal crop of 70 tons of pumpkins shrunk to only 12 tons this season. Now we are talking about our Halloween jack-o-lanterns and Thanksgiving dessert.

FALL ACTION TIPS

By marching, you have taken the first step to be part of the movement to stop global warming, but perhaps you are asking, "What else can I do?" Here are a few action tips for the fall:

* Get five more people to join you on the Virtual March.

* Check out "Ten Tips for an Earth Friendly Halloween"

* Buy "Stop Global Warming: The Solution is You!" which has lots of ideas for becoming part of the solution. Stop Global Warming Marchers get 25% off. Click here to buy (enter code SGW06 at purchase for discount).

* Watch Virtual March partner The Weather Channel's new weekly show about global warming, The Climate Code with Dr. Heidi Cullen.

* Pick one StopGlobalWarming.org Take Action tip and start doing it in your everyday life.

It's not about doing everything; it’s about doing something – even just one thing. The solution is you!

Keep Marching!

Laurie David

Founder
StopGlobalWarming.org


To sign up for the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, please visit http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

If you do not want futher messages from Stop Global Warming, simply go here and we will remove you from our list.
Buzztone, 15260 Ventura Blvd. Suite 2100 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403



Some of the things we have done around the RiverYak compound, all thanks to the Brother in Law that lives here:

We have replaced most of the light bulbs in our house with efficient fluorescent bulbs. A 60 watt bulb actually uses 15 watts, producing 800 lumens of light, and averages 6000 hours of use!

During the winter we winterize our windows with a thin, clear plastic film that sticks to the sills with two sided tape. Heat is applied to stretch the film tight over the window. When installed correctly, the film cannot be seen. Once or twice, a hand has been stuck through the film in our house because it is so hard to see! This prevents drafts, making the house stay warm without running the heater 24/7.

In the summer, we utilize fans and open windows as long as possible. In this area, that is possible, but probably not for Texas. To minimize air conditioner and heat use, seal off rooms that are not used, insulate the duct work in your house, and dress for the conditions. Although we have already had several frosts and freezes this fall, we still have not turned on the heater. Instead, we have added more blankets to the bed, sleep in pajamas, and wear comfortable fleece sweaters when we feel chilly.

To minimize our water usage, the bro in law purchased a rain barrel that connects to a gutter. The water trapped by the barrel has been used to water our garden for most of the year. This has greatly reduced our water bill.

With these efficiency standards in place at our house, our electric bill averages about $50 a month. The utility bill (water, sewage, gas) however, runs closer to $100 a month. This is because our house is not insulated very well, we don't have a dishwasher, so we end up using more water to wash dishes, I take long showers (I know I'm a terrible person), and a few other problems with the structure that are out of our control because we rent. Still, we are far below the average household energy usage of a two person dwelling, even though there are four people living here. This just goes to show that small changes can make a huge difference in your utility bill, as well as living a low impact lifestyle that is good for the environment.

Another area we save a little money on is garbage. Charlottesville charges by the bag or can, depending on how you want to pay for it. We recycle all our paper, cans, plastic, and cardboard. Our food is composted in the backyard, and will be used in the garden next year. This leaves a few non-recyclable items to go in the garbage. We have gone as much as one month without putting out the trash, but we usually do it every other week. Remember, we are doing this with four adults. It isn't very hard.


Engergystar.gov says if every American household would change just one light bulb to an Energy Efficient Compact Fluorescent bulb (the type we use), the country would save 5.6 billion killowatt-hours of electricity per year, or $526 million dollars a year in electric expenses.

When those old bulbs burn out, try to replace them with the Energy Efficient fluorescent bulbs and watch your electric bill. I promise it will decrease, plus you're using less energy. Using less electricity is a good thing for the consumer, the environment, and our health!



Fair winds and following seas...


Tuesday, October 17, 2006

What's Going On?

I guess I should consider myself lucky to have the one affiliate that I have. In the past couple of weeks, I have been turned down by two other companies. Do I suck that bad? My failures have made me fall even more in love with Backcountry.com for being so generous. Now if I can just win the Goat Sighting contest! Click on the banner to see what that means (I don't get paid for clicks, so click away). Scroll down and click on the Backcountry.com Blog link. There you will find all the info about Goat Sightings and why I stuck one of their stickers on my kayak for C.R.A.K.

The last few weeks have proven to me that in order to be a successful kayaking blogger, one needs a car in order to get a kayak to the river. Granted, I no longer have a car payment (since selling JeepYak), but I also no longer have a way to get my boat to the water. Yes, I do have the Honda. But, that is actually my wife's car, and she won't skip school or work to let me use it. I could kayak in the back yard and blog about that, but I don't think you would enjoy reading about a guy dodging dog turds in his backyard. Even if it does involve a kayak. There must be a cabby out there somewhere with a roofrack on his taxi.<--- Ooooo, I might be onto something with that one!

Here is a compilation of what I believe is needed in order for me to become a better blogging kayaker, and what those items cost:

  1. A new computer. The current model is old and beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Plus, my wife has outgrown this one with her school work. $2000
  2. A car. I like the Scion xA<---not a typo. It is inexpensive (as far as cars go), gets excellent fuel mileage, and I can see over the roof, which makes me feel taller and loading kayaks will be much easier. $15,000 plus insurance, tax, title, license and inspection. Yuck.
  3. A 10 mega pixel digital camera with interchangeable lenses and speed shooting capabilities. $1000
  4. An expensive video camera that will make me look like I know what I'm doing while carrying it around. $2000
  5. A sponsor: Priceless.
That's $20,000 so far! Looks like you people better buy a bunch of t-shirts, otherwise this blog is going to hell. And the Devil isn't happy about me coming, either.

I have a trip in mind that I would like to take, but it will be next Spring or Summer before that unfolds. In the meantime, I need another trip. Something within 200 miles of Charlottesville that I can complete in a few days. I have considered the Great Dismal Swamp, mainly because it has a cool name, but camping is only allowed in one area. That greatly inhibits any RiverYak style exploring. The New River would probably be cool, but I don't know anything about it.

So, I have a proposition for anybody reading this. Whether you are the one devoted reader I have, or you just stumbled across here on accident, suggest a trip that I should take. If I accept your trip, I will give you a RiverYak T-shirt. Stop laughing, it's all I have! I'm a desperate kayaker who needs to get back on the water. To encourage replies to this post, I will give you a sticker just for making a suggestion. You simply can not beat a deal like this!

Rack your brains and come up with your best. Just remember, it needs to be no more than 200 miles from Charlottesville and should take at least two days, if not more, to complete.



Fair winds and following seas...

Thursday, October 12, 2006

A Day in the Life


I still have not been kayaking since C.R.A.K., almost one whole month. I could go right now, but the wind is beginning to pick up as a cold front moves in. The cold isn't a problem, because I am lucky enough to have a dry suit, but the wind is hell. There aren't many activities I participate in while the wind blows like this. The only exception is sailing, and I no longer have a sail boat. Even if I did, there isn't anywhere in this area I could sail. Go to the link marked, "Buy me a boat" if you care to remedy this.

I could also work a few hours at my part time job, but I haven't had much time off since I started that job. Therefore, I feel it is in my best interest to sit here and do as little as possible. My wife has two baskets of laundry in our bedroom that I could fold. If that isn't done before she gets home, she will understandably be a little upset. I did take the dog for a walk. And, it's not like I haven't been doing anything at all today. I had training from 8am until 4 this afternoon at my regular job. Attending training and walking the dog is getting something done. All in all, this has been a productive day!

Some co-workers are going out to eat in a little while. Even though I wasn't invited, I could drop in on them. If I hung around long enough, I could probably even convince them to pay for my dinner. But, that would be a little rude, and although I don't wear them on my sleeve, I do have morals. I also have to work with these people. Could I face them if I pulled something like that? Probably. This plan is already foiled, though, because at least one of them reads my blog on a regular basis.

My kayak could use a bath, but then again, so could I. Today is also the day my cat gets his fluids. The subcutaneous fluids leave a large lump on his side. Since he is a Heffepoot, the lump has been coined a Heffelump. I usually do the fluids with my assistant, my wife, but this is something else I could be doing right now, even though she is still in class.

It has been brought to my attention that some of my posts have typos in them. I could be correcting those, but then the blog would be perfect(yeah, right), and that would take away from its character. Kinda like an old car with a story for every scratch and dent. In actuality, I just don't feel like reading all of them to find the mistakes.

Several people have told me that I never finish anything I start. I don't consider myself a procrastinator, even though my wife does. But, she is one of the few people that sees the real reasons why I never finished flying lessons, or never took the test to become a certified firefighter after completing all the required training, and the reason I had to take EMT class twice before taking the state exam(which I scored the second highest score of the night when I finally took it). I don't think procrastination or never completing anything I begin has anything to do with why I am not doing anything at the present moment.

Proper motivation, rather than laziness, is to blame. My wife is not here cracking the needed whip to get me in motion to clean up the kayak, fold the laundry, give the cat his fluids, or work on the blog. The facility nurse took us on a tour of her office area today during our training. Her office is tucked away where nobody can see what is going on in there, nor would they ever think about it because it is so far out of the way. I actually thought about how easy it would be to surf the Internet, talk on the phone, or doodle while in that small, tidy, and neatly organized office. What is becoming of me and my work ethic that I even think of this kind of stuff? Special note to anybody at work who may be reading: The thoughts and observations included in this blog do not directly reflect the thoughts and observations of the real person behind the blog.

My brother in law just walked in, which made me think about the sink full of dishes upstairs. I hear water running now. That makes me feel bad. Motivation initiated.



Fair winds and following seas from a very bored kayaker...

Monday, October 09, 2006

Capitalism At Its Finest: We All Knew I Would Sell Out!

Welcome back to RiverYak, where I'll always know I'll be free, but the merchandise isn't(unless you're really cool, then you might get a sticker). Notice the new sidebar, complete with a link to the grand opening of the RiverYak Store. Click on the button for RiverYak T-shirts, stickers, and much more!

Why do retailers always use the term "much more?" The only thing I didn't list is an overpriced coffee mug and a refrigerator magnet. But it sounds good to stop short and finish the line with "Much More!"

You may have also noticed the huge banner under the RiverYak store button. Backcountry.com is a company that I have personally purchased gear through and didn't mind posting their banner when they made an offer. I chose the kayaking banner, because, well...this is a kayaking blog. But, they have gear and clothes for every outdoor enthusiast, from snow sports to water sports. While you are checking out their great site, buy me a tent.

Reilly Web and Graphic Design is owned by the great and powerful Meg, who designed the new RiverYak logo that you will see throughout the blog for now on. The logo is also plastered all over the merchandise in the RiverYak store. I couldn't resist seeing it on a t-shirt. If you need anything designed or hosted, Meg can hook you up.

Good news seems to come in spurts around the RiverYak compound. My wife found my camera the other day. With that good news comes some bad news, though. She told me she had a surprise at home when I met her after work a few days ago. "Oh boy!" I replied, and probably jumped in the air. When we arrived at the house, she stood in our bedroom with both hands behind her back and said, "Guess which hand."

"That one," I said pointing. Then I stood and watched her switch the object to the other hand and display an empty palm to me. Eventually she pulled the camera from behind her back while saying, "Good news! You don't have to buy a new camera anymore, because I found yours!"

Good news? I was certain that camera was gone and I was getting this for my birthday. Oh well. I am glad she found it though, at least I will be able to take pictures again, until I get a new camera. I am making enough money with my part time job to buy that camera in a couple of months. Shhhh...she mustn't find out!

I haven't had the boat in the water since C.R.A.K. The weather has turned really crappy and I've been working quite a bit. I'll try to keep posting on here, even if it's not about kayaking. The next trip is looking rather promising, but I would like to line up at least one sponsor before talking too much about it. In the meantime, buy some RiverYak stuff and visit the companies in the side bar. Stay tuned...



Fair winds and following seas...

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Day 4: Four Days, Two Rivers, Almost 100 Miles

We planned on getting up early and leaving as soon as the sun came up on the morning of day 4. Knowing this was our last day of C.R.A.K. and we had a timeline in which to reach Richmond, we missed our chance to get up with the sun in order to huddle like babies in our sleeping bags because it was so damn cold. This was the only day cold weather hit us. Eventually, one at a time, we emerged from our warm cocoons of down feathers and got underway somewhere close to 8am. Fog lifted from the warm river like smoke from a wildfire. Until the fog began to burn off, B.I.L. and I had to keep near one another in order not to loose eyesight of each other. When visibility finally reached decent levels, we took advantage of the wispy fog to grab some really cool photos.

The fog was lifting from the river in spiraling twists of little tornadoes. Fog tornadoes are evidently vampiric in nature, as they do not turn up on film. Attempts to photograph them were futile, and unfortunately this is one natural phenomena you either have to read about or get lucky enough to see for yourself. The twisters rose high off the water until they could not be seen anymore because of the rising sun. They were only a couple of inches in diameter, and did not move from their focal point on the water, but were just as fascinating to watch as their larger, destructive siblings.

Here is a picture I took of B.I.L. taking a little rest early on day 4. The skyward twisting fog is slightly evident in this photo, appearing as jagged finger-like extensions jutting from the top of the smooth blanket on the waters surface. We didn't get very far this morning because of visibility, both from the fog and the glaring sun in our eyes.

About an hour into the day, we found the public area marked on the map. It was a boat ramp next to a highway. We stopped for a little rest and I took the opportunity to some more work on the charts and figure our exact mileage and time to Richmond. While we were there, some high school age kids parked their cars in the parking lot and ventured down a path that led to a hidden hang out under the bridge. One by one, carloads of kids parked in the lot and headed down the trail. B.I.L. and I paddled away and waved back to a couple of them waving at us. This sparked a reminiscing conversation between the two of us about our high school hang outs. In my town, one of our haunts was the river. As sneaky as these kids were, I knew exactly what they were up to. The river wasn't very deep in this area, so I assume they didn't have the luxury of a diving platform as we did in our river. A cop once informed us, "The bridge is not a diving board." To which we promptly corrected him with, "No, it's not springy enough for a diving board, but it's a great diving PLATFORM." That little comment put a stop to our river hang out for a few weeks. The threat of arrest really is scary to a bunch of kids. But only for a few weeks.
The clump of trees in the center of this photo is our island we camped at. To show how little progress we were making this day, notice the fog is almost gone. At this tip of the island lies a pretty good explanation for why there were no private property signs posted. We discovered a birding blind with a state owned sign attached identifying it as a blind. Bird hunting is a sport I have never figured out. How sporting is it to hide in a camouflaged blind a person can't even see with some realistic decoys floating in the water and a bird call? Then when the birds come, the hunters spring from the blind, or just stay concealed in it, and start shooting without really having to aim. At least with training deer to come to a feeder set with a timer, the hunter actually has to aim! Real men hike in bear country, without a gun.

B.I.L. is a sucker for tree houses. This one caught his fancy, with good reason, and he could not resist taking its picture. Not really a tree house, per say, but still cool, none the less. I hope some rich sucker didn't build this for his spoiled kids. I wanted one of these badly when I was a kid. Not fair. It's right on the river, too!

This was the first structure we saw as we began to get closer to Richmond. This area of the river is developed more than the rest of our trip. Sparsely located large houses began to spring up. We still found ourselves in large areas of no development, though. For a while, the tracks ran alongside the river. A train passed in the opposite direction of our travel and honked at us. It's one thing to get a truck to honk at you. A person who can get a train to honk at them is in a whole new class of cool. Inevitably, though, the large houses began to grow closer together as we reached the lake formed by Bosher Dam.

Again, the current slowed to almost nothing in the lake, making for hours of boring paddling. We also ran into more people in this area, but still not many. Another boat ramp made for a nice resting place and we had the thrill of watching a guy we named Bubba put his jet ski in the water. Bubba seemed like a nice enough person, even if he was a few inches from having his shorts cover his ass crack. B.I.L. and I noticed this at the same time and tried to conceal our laughter. Concealing laughter only makes it more obvious you are laughing at someone. There were only three people on the ramp, and two were laughing. You'd think he might pull up his shorts. Nope.

He had a cigarette in his mouth and carried a bottle labeled as tea, but it didn't look like any tea B.I.L. and I have ever drank. We compared our experiences with tea over this subject. After a few seconds of cranking on the starter Bubba's jet ski fired up with enough smoke to put out his cigarette and he noisily sped off, in the same direction we were about to go. "Keep close to the bank," I cautioned B.I.L. It didn't need to be said, we both knew, but something needed to interrupt the following silence. About half an hour later, we encountered Bubba speeding past us, back up river. He waved with the cigarette between his fingers as he hauled up the river.

Later on we passed a boat which two guys were fishing from. Neither of them waved when I did. This automatically made them assholes to both of us. One had a military style haircut, so we brainstormed with each other and decided he was in the marines. They were both drinking, which it is illegal for the operator of a boat to drink. We rounded a bend in the river and they were out of sight. A shallow shoal forced us closer to the center of the river as I heard the familiar sound of an outboard wound up to full throttle. "Look out B.I.L., the marine and that other guy are coming," I said. We paddled as close to the shallow water as we could. In a few minutes the boat rounded the bend and passed by us very quickly. I made the observation to B.I.L. that these guys either knew the river extremely well to be going that fast, or they were idiots. Judging from their lack of the ability to wave and bad haircuts, we deduced they were idiots. An hour or so later, we found the ramp they had pulled out from. A fresh beer can lay on the beach next to the ramp, so I paddled over and discarded the litter in a trash can at the top of the ramp.

Once we were fully in the lake, we saw another bald eagle and two people rowing. The rowers were actually stopped, watching a flock of Canadian Geese swirl in the air above the lake. We stopped, as well, to see if they were planning on landing or if they had just taken off. A peculiar white goose flew with the rest of the flock. This one had a very prominent orange beak and matching feet. I pointed in the air like a flailing idiot hollering at B.I.L. who was a few yards behind me, "A white one! Look at the white one! You see the white one?" Of course he did. The poor thing stuck out like a streaker in a soccer match. If bird hunters ever aim, that is the goose that will be chosen. He doesn't stand a chance of making it past Alabama.

It didn't take long to spot the area the rowers had come from. A public park with an emphasis on rowing was located on river right at the very tip of the lake. We parked our boats to get a closer look. The park was very nice, with the cleanest public restrooms I have ever seen. B.I.L. and I used them because they were so pretty. We both agreed the restroom would make an ideal indoor camping spot, if needed.

There was a lot of real estate on the lake. Most of the houses had docks with pretty nice power boats moored to them. Some even had concrete ramps built, giving the landowners ideal access to the water. A few of the people who lived in this area have attempted to build retaining walls at the water line. It was funny to see the river reclaiming her banks by chewing its way behind the walls. Retaining walls on a river are in no way a good thing. All of the retainers had promoted premature erosion of the banks downstream of them. As much as people think Mother Nature needs help from Man, she doesn't. Maybe people don't realize the river was there thousands of years before they decided to build their dream house on the banks. No matter what is done to tame the forces of nature, it all fails. Even dams crumble.

An exclusive marina was even included on the lake, called Virginia Power Boat Association. Even their website is members only. We searched in vain for a restaurant, but found nothing. They probably wouldn't have let us in, anyway. I mention the power boat club because I noticed a serious lack of sailboats. I didn't see any. Not even a Hobie or Sunfish, which are easily found on any lake. Maybe the current is normally too strong or the water is not deep enough for a sailboat, but everybody seemed to be enjoying their motor boats. Although, we didn't see any boats underway in this area.

The foundation of the lake and our first major obstacle of the trip, was Bosher Dam. Somebody was thinking of paddlers and built a very nice portage around the dam. Thanks! Bosher Dam is a low head dam, just like the Woolen Mills dam in Charlottesville. The dam is a very dangerous area to play. Our boats were a little lighter when we carried them through the portage than they were on day 1, but they were still not easily maneuvered once out of the water. B.I.L. called his wife from this area to make sure she was still going to be available to pick us up. The time was now a little after 1 o'clock. She would be available until 5. No problem, we were less than 10 miles from our take out.

We paddled to the next obstacle, a "Z" dam about one mile from Bosher Dam. Again, somebody was thinking of paddlers on this dam and built the longest portage I have ever seen. The trail was a dirt path just like any hiking trail. I dragged my boat the length of it, then went back to help B.I.L. with his larger, heavier kayak. We labored over his boat, taking turns carrying the heavy end, and stopped several times to allow the feeling to come back into our hands and arms.

A "Z" dam is pretty simple to describe. It is a dam that stretches from bank to bank in the shape of a "Z". I don't know why they are built this way, or what the original purpose of this dam was. I'm sure it started as somebody trying to help Mother Nature. It's another low head dam, but only rises a few feet from the top of the water on the downstream side. Water gushed over it on this day, but it's not really as dangerous as Bosher Dam or Woolen Mills dam. A person could just stand up and walk out of the "Z" dam.

When we finally reached the end of the portage with B.I.L.s kayak, we rested for a bit. I was getting nervous about the unknown rapids coming up and drinking a lot of water. After a few minutes, we jumped back in our boats and headed to the first area of white water called Pony Pasture. Pony Pasture was difficult because there were so many rocks. The passages between them were only wide enough for a kayak. We had to pull our paddles from the water in many areas and let the current pull us through. Close to the end of this set, we encountered Richmond Raft Company with six of their rafts. Not a good sign for me, who was hoping for the water to be low enough to not encounter any rapids.

Some of the areas were pushing my limits as a paddler. I don't have much white water experience, and didn't have a spray skirt on my kayak. We did our best to stop and scout the routes before running, but the water rarely slowed down and pushed us hard all the way through. In most places, we were running ill-advisably blind, that is, we didn't know what the hell we were doing. The photo to the left is the only shot we got of any of the rapids. The water was running too fast for either of us to stop and take any pictures. In the few areas we were able to stop, I was pumping water out of my boat. This link explains this portion of the river extremely well. We ran all of the areas pictured and written about on that site. The last 50 yards was constant class IIIs with a couple of class IVs. We could see our take out point, and I wasn't going to die that close to completion. Keep in mind as you read, I was hitting class IVs without a spray skirt, and neither of us capsized. We are truly amazing kayakers...hold on while I laugh.

Halfway through this section of the River, I revisited God. I prayed in a way I have not prayed in about ten years. I didn't bother with praying to God or Jesus. I wanted to make sure I had the right one, so I prayed to "Whoever is up there." We had a couple of really scary close calls, but in the end we made it. I don't think it matters which religion is right. Something is definitely up there, and It looked out for us that day.

When we reached the calmer waters of the lower James, B.I.L. and I looked at each other in great relief. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. We survived rapids that have killed much more experienced paddlers, I had no more unknown routes and distances to calculate, we didn't get in trouble for trespassing, I made it home the day of my anniversary, and we were on time for B.I.L.s wife to meet us at the dock. A thought popped into our heads a few months ago and with careful planning, and most of all, determination, we made it happen. In four days, two rivers, and almost 100 miles, we accomplished something we aren't sure has been done since the day of the batteau. Two kayakers with a dream tackled the Rivanna and James Rivers. We did it.


I'll end this post with more pictures from the trip that didn't have a place, elsewhere.



























































































































































































































I was going for the Pirate look and ended up with the Hillbilly look, instead.