Saturday, February 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Free! I love the Madison lakes and all of the entertainment and beauty they offer to my family, friends and community. That’s why I want to do my part to protect them, and that’s why I once again plan to attend the Frozen Assets Festival this... Continue Reading →
Working on the Isthmus
In October, I started a new job in downtown Madison. Wisconsin’s capital is located on an isthmus, which means I can walk a few blocks one direction and stand beside Lake Monona or a few blocks in the other direction to overlook Lake Mendota. Truly, five minutes either way and I’m at the waterside—it’s another... Continue Reading →
Kayak trailer earns an A- its first summer
Loading and unloading our kayaks is much easier and faster with our kayak trailer, purchased in May. Not that my family and I weren’t speedy before—we could load two kayaks on the cartop carrier in about 15 minutes, but now we can load all four kayaks onto the trailer in about the same amount of... Continue Reading →
Cleaning time
After a couple of recent river trips, my kayaks displayed evidence of our tough exits up muddy banks. Hardened dirt caked the bottoms and streaked the sides. While we wiped down the kayaks as best as we could before loading them on the trailer for the ride home, they were due for a good cleaning.... Continue Reading →
My Drive
It’s Monday morning and I’ve got the day off. It feels odd driving away from the city rather than inbound with the others on their morning commutes, yet it also feels refreshing mixed with a touch of relief. I’m on my own timeline today, nothing to do but what I want to do, and that... Continue Reading →
Token Creek Obstacle Course
“I hear voices,” I called out to our leader, Bill. “You might want to seek professional help,” he responded with a smile. A bit of a jokester, Bill was making fun of my answer to his inquiry on whether the rest of our kayaking group was catching up to us on the river. Together, we... Continue Reading →
Saving my Sundays for special friends
I strongly believe Sunday afternoons are meant for relaxing. A calm Sunday puts me in a positive mindset to start yet another hectic work week. Without this weekend time to pause, I feel like I’m going into the week already tired and yearning for Friday instead of enjoying each day as it occurs. Therefore, I... Continue Reading →
Getting to Know You
It’s all fun and games until somebody falls in—and even then, we couldn’t help but smile and clap. Our friend Bill and his wife, Maggie, helped to coordinate a day trip on the Baraboo River on Sunday, September 1. With everyone else in the water, carefully slid one by one down a steep embankment, Bill... Continue Reading →
Thousands of lakes to go…
This summer I’ve had the opportunity to explore many new bodies of water in my two orange kayaks. There’s certainly no shortage of lakes to choose from in Wisconsin. In fact, my home state boasts over 15,000 freshwater lakes—of which I’ve paddled 20 or just over .001% so far. In addition, Wisconsin has 12,600 rivers... Continue Reading →
Paddling by the light of the moon
Darkness surrounded us, our path illuminated only by the moon in the eastern sky and the glowsticks adorning our kayaks. The bluffs of Devil’s Head State Park shadowed the lake as we skirted its edge. Stars decorated the sky, Jupiter and Saturn appearing first, followed by the Big Dipper, then thousands of tiny distant twinkles.... Continue Reading →