Owner: The Wired Kayaker URL:http://www.wiredkayaker.com Join Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:20:10 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog focuses on recreational Kayaking as well as other outdoor sports that the average person can enjoy. Nothing Extreme or incredibly advanced, just fun stuff for the recreational outdoor enthusiast. Site statistics:Click here
Decorating for kayakers... 2007-10-13 17:50:00 Canoe culture has been around a long time and for so long tat many people think of canoes as the most popular mode for non powered water sports. there are sites that have decor for people who enjoy canoing I have even seen a canoe themed table lamp and a sconce with canoe paddles.So what about the kayaker? I have found very little in my searches to represent decor for a kayaker. I may not want a lamp or sconce but something that shows that a kayaker lives here. Maybe I should hang one of my boats on the wall, that would certainly let people know a kayaker lived in my house. Actually I think that this year I will pick up a kayak Christmas ornament and have baby Eva's name put on it for her first Christmas. Read more:Decorating
T-shirts 2007-10-13 17:30:00 I am a big fan of t-shirts. I just got another one in the mail today. I'll have to take a photo of me wearing said T-shirt. have some Kayaking ones, I have some goofy geek ones and I have a plethora of Harley Davidson ones. I would like to have one for this blog, something that had a great design and that I could sell. Are there any artistic folks out there who would be interested in a T-shirt design contest? I certainly haven't quite thought this through but I am pretty sure I could come up with a decent prize for the winner that I select. I will think more on this. If you have any interest in designing a T-Shirt for The Wired Kayaker please leave a comment.Please also remember to follow my comment policy. Most people do and that is awesome but it is that small percentage that does not that don't quite realize the futility of their actions.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast co
Bringing home the baby... 2007-10-12 18:14:00 Today Allison and I brought home baby Eva. She is a joy and has been oh so good for us. When we got home my Dad had taken the time to cut back the wisteria on the front porch and now I have a great little walkway to get to the mail boxes. The front porch looks like a brand new place now and it was covered with some cute signs that my mom's class made for the baby. They even wrote her a little note as well. It was all very cute.
Still looking for a video camera... 2007-10-12 18:01:00 But the search may be coming to an end very soon. I found this pretty cool looking action video
camera that you can strap to a helmet, can record to a DVR and it is also waterproof. The site I found is called HELMETCAMERA.COM and they have some amazing products. I can't afford them right now but I wonder if they would be interested in hooking me up with a waterproof package and a camera. Doesn't hurt to ask. I think I will do just that. I'll let you know what I find out. Imagine the Wired Kayaker podcast going Extreme with an awesome helmetcam.What I like about this option is that the camera records to any input device and most likely will be a Mini DVR that is rechargeable and fits in its own waterproof case. That is a great option for me as I will probably dump my boat at some point, and with a waterproof camera and case I can capture some pretty cool moments as I try and learn things like the Eskimo roll.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and Sn
College Football and tailgating... 2007-10-05 21:55:00 When I was in college my college had no football team. Our big thing was basketball, and soccer. Not to start any debates, but neither one were my sport of choice. I enjoy watching football. I don't exactly know why. I mean, I played in high school but I was terrible. I mostly got water for the rest of the team. My wife has a friend who's husband is so into Penn State football that I thought he had been on the team. He hadn't, but his dedication to the team stemmed from the excitement of growing up with a great football team near him that his family could go to to cheer on. They all love the team. They tailgate and have a great time. My college eventually got football but the local police won't let anyone tailgate on the property. This stinks because tailgating and football go hand in hand. I have this dream that one day I will have my own tow behind smoker that I can take with me tailgating. I would also use it to have cookouts and pig roasts after long kayaking adventures. It wou Read more:College
, Football
, College Football
Columbus Day sales... 2007-10-05 21:20:00 Columbus Day and Labor day are usually the end of the season when kayak shops want to get rid of their summer fleet of boats. You can really get yourself a good deal on a used boat if you take a look for one this weekend. Remember that kayaks are dang near indestructible and they still work fine with a nick here or a scratch there. Secondhand boats are where it is at when it comes to frugal paddling.My friend Kim at Cape Cod Kayak is having a used boat and a clearance sale right now. You can get yourself a great deal from her. All of her used and fleet boats are taken well care of throughout the summer. Check out what she has on sale.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again. Read more:Columbus
Wired Kayaker at Blog World Expo 2007-10-04 13:36:00 I'm going to take my show on the road and head out to Blog World
Expo in November. I just need to find a place to stay. I've often wanted to stay at the Excalibur Las Vegas because I am a big King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fan. I collect a ton of books about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, so why not stay in a hotel that has that theme. It sounds like a great place for me to be during Blog World EXpo. Read more:Wired
Another Month another Sweepstakes 2007-10-17 14:45:00 Each month Paddling.net puts on a wicked cool sweepstakes. Most months the prizes have been three boats. This month however they are giving away 4 boats. And each one better than the next.The Sweepstakes
will be running from today till December 13th. You can enter every day to win one of 4 boats.Here are the prizes.1.) a T16.0 kayak from Enlightened Kayaks2.) a Gemini Sit-On-Top kayak from Feelfree3.) an Excursion 166 DLX Canoe from Pelican Intl4.) a Wood Duck 12 kayak Kit from Cheseapeake Light Craft.Each boat is part of a prize package that includes racks from Talic, paddles from Cannon Paddles, PFD's from Stohlquist, and cushions from Skwoosh. Very, Very Cool.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again. Read more:Month
3 Year Anniversary, a look back... 2007-10-17 14:23:00 Three years ago I got engaged. I was at Lily Bay State Park in Maine on Moosehead Lake. My wife Allison (girlfriend at the time) and I had just finished a day on the water. If you have never been to Moosehead lake to paddle you are missing out. The place was awesome.Allison on Moosehead LakeThe boat landing at Lily Bay State Park, where we got engagedAnyway, thinking back on that day It makes me think about my friends Neil and Derek and when I told them that I was going to propose. I wanted the proposal to be something memorable and I wanted to do it while paddling. The problem is that diamond rings and water are not the best mixture. I mean, what if I tried to give her the ring and it slipped from my fingers and she went after it and got tossed in the water. That would certainly be a memorable story but not a very happy ending. So I decided to wait till we landed to propose and that made all the difference. Read more:Anniversary
, Year Anniversary
H2O Audio 2007-10-17 14:13:00 I was reading my Paddling.net newsletter and saw a product that would be a great one for the Wired Kayaker to use when I go on my next paddle. Mind you, I have never listened to music on my iPod while on the water. Probably because I was afraid I would drop it into the drink. I've done it before with my sunglasses from time to time. Nope. I want to keep my podcasts (the ones I watch, not the ones I make) high and dry. H2O Audio
has many products that would solve the problem of getting my tech wet. They make waterproof containers for iPods as well as waterproof headphones. They both sound like great products and whats even better is the variety of options that H2O Audio has. With there being many different types of iPods in many shapes and sizes you'd think that no company would make all the housings for each one yet. Wrong. H2O audio has the housings for each of the different iPods from years back and those that are on the market today.I'm thinking that if you wanted to take the Wir
Great Denim Shirt... 2007-10-17 11:18:00 This past week I received an awesome denim shirt from Clothing4All.com. This was a shirt I was to review. I wore it for the day on October 14th. I have to say that this was a very very comfortable denim shirt it fit me very well. Being an active daddy I love spending time with my new daughter and taking her out for walks on crisp autumn days.Then I like to spend time holding her and talking to her. She loves the sound of daddy's voice.I have had denim shirts in the past and currently this one is the only one in my closet. I am probably going to pick up another one because of the comfort of this shirt. I felt perfectly warm and content inside and out. So content that I took a nap in the shirt with my daughter Eva.Clothing4All.com is one cool website for your clothing needs. And now that I have to make sure that a sweet little baby is clothed as she grows it is nice to find a website with deep discounts. I want to give Eva the best but I'd rather not pay too much for it. The prices are Read more:Great
, Denim
, Shirt
Kayaking In British Columbia 2007-10-17 10:27:00 I visited Vancouver BritishColumbia
quite a few times but I never got the chance to go and explore and do any kayaking. I really wanted to get to go out kayaking. Kayaking
in British Columbia
is supposed to be utterly amazing. I want to get back out there someday and do some kayaking in a place where I could potentially be kayaking near Orcas.While I love Cape Cod it just isn't the great northwest. There is just something about being able to kayak alongside whales and in places where you could possibly see bears. There is a place called Johnstone Strait where there are 220 resident Orcas. In addition there are dolphins, sea lions, harbor seals, minke whales, eagles and black bears. I could take some amazing photos if I could get out that way. I'd love to do that someday, so I'm going to start saving for an expedition out to the northwest.I found this website called Spirit of the West Adventures. I was looking for different logos because David Airey is redesigning a logo for me for
You can be Green and Wired... 2007-10-20 08:09:00 Being on the water and close to nature it makes sense to me that I should do what I can to help preserve those resources. If not for my own personal enjoyment then for the enjoyment of my daughter. Going Green
is the buzzword these days but to be honest my family has been going green for years. It started with can collecting, we would collect cans each summer on the beach and be able to pay for our vacation to Florida. We have a compost pile and my sister raises composting worms. If you are looking for ways to go green you can take a look at a site I found called GreenandMore.com. There they have eco friendly products for purchase and much more. I explored the site for a while and many of the products are very interesting (I really want the hydrogen race car). I looked through the baby products because we just had our first child. They have a diaper bag that is made from truck and tractor tire inner tubes. It is a stylish and functional black bag for both moms and dads. GreenandMore is Read more:Wired
My own private Kayak place... 2007-10-26 08:15:00 One of my dreams is to have my own private kayaking place. I'd love to have a house right on a lake with a large garage full of hundreds of kayaks that I could take out on the lake at me leisure. I first need to find some land for sale and then find a way to finance the purchase of that land and the building of the house and the kayak garage. Outfitting my kayak getaway is going to take lottery money. Sure this is a pipe dream but man it would be sweet to wake up each morning and decide if I wanted to take the Eddyline or the Old Town out on the lake today.I know I would have so much fun out on the water day in and day out. If there was a way to turn that love of kayaking into a business where I could employ kayak instructors and we could film kayak safety videos and instructional videos as well as paddling adventure podcasts I think that would be amazing. It is a dream for now but once I hit the Mass Millions I'm making that a reality.
Kayak Resource: The American Canoe Association 2007-10-26 07:55:00 In April of 2001 I took some kayak certification courses that were ACA certified. The ACA is The AmericanCanoe
Association. Don't let the name throw you off because there are many resources available for kayaking as there are for canoing in this organization. The ACA has been around since 1880 and is the largest most established canoe and kayak organization in the US. There are many facets to this organization. The ACA promotes instruction, safety, stewardship and recreation. Members pay $40 for an individual membership or $60 for a family membership. The membership benefits are substantial and a must for the American Kayaker. These are the benefits of membership:Six exciting, colorful issues of Paddler magazine - a $30.00 newsstand value. Paddler is an action packed, full color magazine featuring articles on exotic and close-to-home paddling adventures and cutting-edge paddling information.The ACA's own newsletter, the American Paddler. Access to hundreds of ACA sanctioned Paddlin Read more:Resource
The Lake Pleasant Paddlers 2007-10-26 07:38:00 While looking for paddling clubs for the previous post I came across a club out in Arizona (One of the 7 remaining states I need to get to have been to all 50). The club is called the Lake Pleasant Paddlers and they are very interesting. This is an informal club that meets each month. They don't have dues and bylaws and things like that of the RICKA club. They do however, have an interpretive ranger who goes on each paddle to instruct the paddlers on the local ecosystem, history and archeology of the lake. Each month the Pleasant Paddlers go to a different part of the lake. There they learn about that area and can easily venture close to wildlife on their silent watercraft.Arizona is very popular right now as a place to live. There seems to be more and more Arizona luxury real estate popping up. Friends of ours have a little place in Arizona and they love it for the climate. My Aunt even lived there for a while. I still need to go there and maybe I can good and visit the Pleasant Padd
Kayak Resource: RICKA 2007-10-26 07:18:00 I'm not starting a club at this time but I think I might join a locally established one next season. The closest one to me is RICKA which is the Rhode Island Canoe/Kayak Association. I had looked into this group once before when I thought I would have more time to paddle, it ended up that I did not. But in order to get out there more I think joining a group might be the best thing for me. Paddling clubs allow you to get out and paddle with other people. You know that they will have their own equipment and experience. IT is also a great way to meet new people. The RICKA club has been established for 30 years and is very organized, by the looks of their website. There is even an offshoot that is specific to the BlackStone Valley River.A Family membership for RICKA is $15 a year. Heck, we can certainly swing that, and it covers 2 adults and the children under 18. Nice. To get involved in the Blackstone Valley part of RICKA is an additional $10 a year. Not to shabby.I think that part of t Read more:Resource
Making snacks for your trip... 2007-10-24 07:24:00 I am a huge fan of any of those products that you see on infomercials. I have bought a number of them and for the most part they have worked very well for me. One of the products that I like is called the Magic Bullet. I even got my wife to register for it for our wedding. We've also given it as gifts to our friends.We've used it a few times to make different dishes and I think we will use it even more to great easy nutritious things to eat on the go or on the water. Sometimes those as seen on tv products are some of the most useful gadgets. With the Magic Bullet we can make things like guacamole or hummus for dips for when our friends come over. Rather than paying for expensive dips and whatnot and spending hours preparing those dips we can chop up everything and toss it into the Magic Bullet and after a few seconds we'll have great tasting home made dips and guacamole. I'd also like to make some salsa as well. Read more:snacks
Flying over the water... 2007-10-24 06:55:00 I was reading on Gizmodo about a flying water
craft. It looks like a hovercraft with wings and instead of riding a cushion of air like hovercraft's do it actually flies above the water at 1.5 meters. However it is still not classified as a flying machine because even though it looks like it is not riding on a cushion of air it really is. It is just a larger cushion.The inventor is Rudy Heeman, a mechanic from New Zealand who has spent 11 years building the hoverwing. He's taken it on a test flight across the water and it did end in a crash landing. The vehicle is not complete yet and it will be soon. Once it is complete he is going to take a passenger along for the ride. I think he should do a contest to see who would like to ride with him. I'd love to do it.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again. Read more:Flying
Train for next season... 2007-10-23 08:42:00 Now that it is pretty much the off season for me I have to start thinking about training for next season. I found this instructional DVD for kayak fitness on Paddling.net. I'm thinking about picking it up. While many of the exercises look geared towards the highly intense white water kayaking I am sure that they would be helpful for me and my low impact flat water kayaking as well. Take a look at the video.I have all of that equipment but no place to workout. Our living room is too small for it but in the basement we have a room that my Dad is going to turn into a home theater. The room used to be a fitness room for my sisters and I but once we put down some home theater carpet then we can start constructing the rest of the home theater. The room will be large enough for us to still have some workout area as well, sot hat will be a great help as I train for next season. Read more:Train
The PFD. 2007-10-23 08:15:00 It is time for a new PFD. I have had mine for quite some time and it isn't as functional as I thought it was when I was standing in EMS all those years ago. I've also read that PFDs should be changed every couple of years as well. Something about them breaking down and losing buoyancy. What I didn't realize is that most PFDs are made with PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Mine is one of those that was made with PVC. So now that I am going to be looking for a new PFD soon I want to look for something that is going to be more environmentally friendly. Patagonia makes PFDs and they are using a new material that is environmentally friendly. The material is called Gaia (after mother earth) and it is soft and molds to the paddler rather than fits like a giant block of foam. My current PFD is a giant block of foam. At least that is what it feels like when I paddle with it these days. So when I go to replace my PFD I am going to test out a few of them for comfort and maneuverability, as well as saf
New Logo from David Airey 2007-10-30 07:53:00 Just yesterday I got my brand new logo for The Wired Kayaker and I couldn't be happier. I am going to redesign this blog and eventually move it to Wordpress but for the time being I will keep it on Blogger. The new Wired Kayaker Logo can be seen on David
Airey's blog and will be part of this blog on November 1st. I hope you like it. I think it came out awesome. And if you came from David Airey's blog Please take a look at my Wired Kayker Podcasts. Wired Kayaker Podcast #1Wired Kayaker Podcast #2Wired Kayaker Podcast #3Wired Kayaker OuttakesJoin the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again.
So, Like the new Logo? 2007-11-02 21:35:00 I sure do. David Airey did a fantastic job on the new logo for The Wired Kayaker. I'd like to point out some of the things I really liked about this. The whole process of working with David Airey was awesome. He is a true professional and it shows. He would send me ideas and samples. I would look at them and offer my thoughts and suggestions and in the end we came up with the logo above.I feel like I got to really contribute to the overall design. The double kayaks that mimic the // in the http:// of a web address were my idea and David tried it and I loved it. I also love the color. It invokes a sense of water and at the same time the grey makes me think of technology. I think that David nailed what I was looking to accomplish with this logo. I am so happy to have won the contest that he hosted. I can take this logo and get it printed on Hats and shirts and other items very easily. It looks very tight and professional. I can't wait to get a nice hat with The Wired Kayaker on it. I'
The Mad Gringo has arrived.... 2007-11-05 12:06:00 Well, the stuff I ordered from Mad Gringo
arrived. Back on the 5th of October I did a blog post for The Mad Gringo on my blog BenSpark 2: Electric Boogaloo. It was all about going slow, the way of life of the Mad Gringo. I love that motto. So I went to the site and saw that they had stickers that said Go Slow or Die. I wanted some so I started an order. For 20 stickers at $1.00 each the shipping was almost half the price so I wrote to the Mad Gringo. Unfortunately there wasn't much that we could do about shipping but he said he'd send me a few of them. Sweet! this was a nice guy who knew that people who were interested in his stuff would talk it up to friends and family alike.I went back to the site and looked closer. There I discovered the Trunk. this is where the close outs are. These are shirts that the Gringo is clearing out and they are 1/2 price. Well, I went and bought 3 shirts, and two T-Shirts because the logo is awesome. I immediately wrote the Mad Gringo back and told him
Getting On The Beach 2007-11-14 07:34:00 I often dream about far off places to go and kayak. I see other kayaking bloggers posting their photos from beautiful locations. I would love to go to Greece and kayak. I always loved Greek mythology and it would be a fascinating place to go visit. My sister went to Corfu on vacation once and her pictures were stunning. As a photographer and blogger and kayaker I would really like to get On The Beach
in Greece. I found a site where I can get cheap holidays including airfare and hotel accommodations. The site is called OTBeach.com for On The Beach. And what better place to be to kayak then on the beach. I say kayak the planet if you can. Get out and explore all regions of the world, there is so much to see and do so why not get out there and get on the beach. And there are many other wonderful locations offered through On The Beach like Spain, and Egypt and also the Caribbean.My opinion is valuable please read my disclosure policy. The opinion on your blog is valuable too, click on the
Follow me in Vegas 2007-11-10 16:56:00 I've been in Vegas
for PostieCon 2007 the past few days on limited Internet access. So I have been using Utterz. You can see what is happening with me by following my Utterz or my blog The BenSpark.Join the Blog Rush.
Where does he get those wonderful toys.... 2007-11-15 15:08:00 I am a gadget junkie and I hate paying too much for my tech. So when I can I look for the most economical ways to support my tech junkie habit. One of those those ways is to look for some of the best tech deals out there. However, in this fast paced world you have to be able to make split second choices and have up to the minute information in order to get the best deals. But you also have to be able to weed out the junk. If I am looking for the best deal on an SD card I don't want to have information about the XBox coming my way. I want to get the alerts that make the most sense to me and help streamline my bargain shopping experience.Enter Tech Bargains.com. This site has the latest and greatest discounts, deals and tech bargains that the Internet has to offer. The information that they cull and send your way is very useful and can be sent directly to you in many different fashions. For instance if you work online all day long like I do then you might enjoy getting deals sent to you
Mooning the Cog 2007-11-15 08:12:00 So today I heard a ridiculous story about undercover cops (actually they were an off-duty state trooper and a ranger - dressed in hiking clothes) on the Cog Railway charging hikers with a federal offense because the hikers mooned the cog. Isn't there some better way to spend money on undercover cops. Seriously with all the drugs and guns and pedophiles and rapists and scumbags out there why arrest hikers for participating in a tradition. This has been going on between 20 and 30 years and the thru hikers on the Appalachian trail moon the cog. There are many theories as to why. One because the thru hikers are known to call the train the Smog railway. So shooting it the moon is a way to protest the smoke belching beast. Another theory is that the Cog was called the Railway to the Moon.Mooning the train is pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things but of course some body got their panties in a bunch and became "highly offended". It makes me thing of that movie clerks where the custo
Podcast: Beach walks with Rox 2007-11-29 14:47:00 Because of The Mad Gringo I am learning all about people who are of the "go Slow" mentality and added tot hat list is Roxanne of Beach
Walks with Rox. Roxanne and the secret cameraman Shane take walks
along the beautiful beaches of Hawaii. Throughout these five minute walks Rox talks about a variety of topics. She is poised and articulate and her thoughts are very very interesting. She's already up to Beach walk #540. This was the first one that I watched and I really like the ideas that Rox talks about in this episode. Beach Walks with Rox #538 - Boycott NeedAlso Rox is inspiring because she has a company called Bare Feet Studios and produces all her videos in Hawaii. That is very very cool. A dream job of mine would be video production and filming on location in Hawaii. Maybe if I ever get out there I could do a Wired Kayaker episode with Rox. Now that would be pretty awesome. She paddles a 6 person outrigger canoe so I bet kayaking would be right perfect for her as well.
Read more:Podcast
San Diego Zoo 2007-11-28 08:36:00 I have never been to San Diego
but I am hoping that work will send me on a trip there and I hope to get a travel day while in the area. For me a Travel day is a basically a free day where I can travel to the next location for a demo or spend time at the location of the first demo. If I happen to get lucky enough to have a travel day in San Diego
I am going to take a look at some tours in the area. I love to explore places when I travel, no matter where I go. However most of the time I go to east chi-pip and end up staying at the local crap hotel. San Diego however holds many possibilities for adventure. One such adventure that I have wanted to go on is the Trolley Tour and a visit to the San Diego Zoo
. I love Zoos because I love photographing the animals. The San Diego Zoo is an amazing zoo and is one of the top places that I want to visit. I've been to the Tulsa Zoo, and our local zoo but to go to one world famous zoo would be amazing. Also I bet I'd have a great time photowalking
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