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Good Beer, Good Cause |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Tuesday, 21 April 2009 10:53 |
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 If you're reading this, you're probably a paddler, right? And if you're a paddler, the odds are then very good that you love beer almost as much as paddling itself. And as a bear-loving paddler, you almost certainly love the environment in which you enjoy those two passions and want to protect it. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., based in the paddle-centric town of Chico, California, gets this and has launched a "Wild Rivers" campaign to help keep waterways clean and healthy. For every 12-pack (we call them half-racks in Seattle for some reason) of Pale Ale and Summerfest Lager purchased in the United States this May, Sierra Nevada will donate a portion of proceeds to the Western River Conservancy. That money will go toward WRC's efforts to create river parks and protected areas along rivers like the Klamath (California), John Day (Oregon), Bear (Utah), and Hoh (Washington), pictured above.
Of course, you might infer that this is as much a PR campaign for Sierra Nevada as it is an environmental purpose, but I could think of a million worse ways to spend your dime than buying good beer for a good cause.
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Justine's European Vacation |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Tuesday, 21 April 2009 09:19 |
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If you haven't heard of Justine Curgenven, she's a British sea kayaker/filmmaker who made a splash in the international scene in 2005 when she led the first all-female circumnavigation of Tasmania. She has made four sea-kayaking films in the This Is The Sea (the acronym TITS is her humor, or humour as they spell it overseas).  That's her in the middle of this shot of the TITS4 cover; that's Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme of Body Boat Blade, a stellar guiding and paddling school on Orcas Island in Washington State, on both sides of her.
The cool thing about Justine, actually there are many, that stands out in her films is that she actually has a background in TV broadcast so there's a high level of professionalism that is, frankly, absent from many kayak videos.
Right now, Justine is blogging about her roadtrip from England to Sardinia, a big island to the west of the Italian mainland, in the Mediterranean Sea. Definitely worth checking out, along with the rest of her website. Nation-to-nation-to-nation roadtripping is something we just don't get to experience here in America. |
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Old Guy Saving Lives |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Monday, 20 April 2009 15:14 |
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Three people took a pedal boat out Jefferson County, New York, and capsized last Friday. They thought they were dead. For sure, though, they were definitely scared. But a 75-year-old guy, apparently with Parkinson's Disease, paddled his canoe out into the water to save them.
Ed Fillingham was canoeing with his daughter when he saw the three people struggling. He and his daughter launched their canoe, and the save was on. One survivor said, "He [Ed] was glowing like an angel and all of the sudden he was there."
OK, to us paddlers, we're a little more comfortable getting dunked in cold water and definitely more set up to execute a rescue than these three people were, but, still. They credit the guy for saving them, and when was the last time someone said you were "glowing like an angel"?
Well done, Mr. Fillingham. |
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Google Maps NY-Japan Directions, Enduro Mom, Canoes as Flood Savior |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Thursday, 16 April 2009 15:41 |
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This is the second such story I've seen about kayaking across the Pacific, so I figured it's worth mentioning here. Apparently, Google, everybody's favorite search engine (except for the fine folks at Microsoft and their live.com engine), is talking about how you can paddle from New York to Japan. Here's a link to Google Maps, which shows you the way. Too funny. I think I'm going to do it this summer. Anyone want to join? I wonder if they consulted Ed Gillet, who took 64 days to kayak from California to Hawaii—solo—in 1987 for input.
As if moms don't have enough responsibility raising families, working around the house, and at their jobs away from home, a New Jersey mom has also taken on the task of saving the world's oceans and their inhabitants. Margo Pelligrino is paddling her outrigger canoe more than 1,000 miles from Florida to New Orleans, via the Intracoastal Waterway. She wants to raise awareness of the condition of the oceans and, ultimately, convince congress to pass a Healthy Oceans Act. She'll keep a pace of about 32 miles per day. You might remember her name; in 2007, she paddled 2,000 miles from Miami to Maine. "I do do do for you dolphins and all I get is complaining," Pelligrino has been heard mumbling. JK.
And finally, we all know two things about Canadians: they love hockey, and they love canoeing. But right now, the people of St. Adolphe, a town near Winnipeg, are using canoes for a more practical (and important) purpose: to deliver sandbags around the community that is at high risk of flooding. And speaking of Canada, I also thought now would be a good time to honor the greatest rock band our neighbors to the north have ever produced. Enjoy ... Celine Dion. OK, seriously, let's warp back to 1981 and enjoy a little Tom Sawyer. If I have to tell you who this band is, you'll just never get it. |
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