50 year anniversary of Kerouac's "On the Road"

Sometimes I think that I am literally going crazy. Especially when I react so emotionally and passionately to things like the Cabela's post I put a few days ago. The reason I think that I am going crazy is because when I speak about these issues to people around me I get only vacant looks and no reactions. Has it come to the point where finally I am the odd duck, the extremist, the non-conformist and finally are the people that I do relate to so hard to find that we as a minority are becoming lost, oppressed and beaten down?
Then I read something like I just read in this Month's Smithsonian. It is about the 50 year anniversary of "On the Road" and is written by Joyce Johnson(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Johnson) a former friend and lover of Jack himself. She is also the author of "Minor Characters" and is the person in the pictures behind Kerouac. The story is great and it gives light on how to survive as the radical in a society that is living counter to what you believe in. The ending of the story could become my new mantra so I thought I would put it out there. Here is the whole paragraph......
"50 years after "On the Road" was first published, Kerouac's voice still calls out: look around you, stay open, question the roles society has thrust upon you, dont give up the search for connection and meaning. In this bleak doom-haunted century, those imperatives again sound urgent and subversive-and necessary."
Might be time for a re-read of Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradises antics.....

Interesting post on China and its rapid growth

I saw this on http://www.thepiton.com/2007/08/product-manager.html
"As China Roars pollution reaches extremes" Check out those shots.
This I have no doubt is where we would be heading without regulation. As it is we are heading there in a more insidious way, less obvious but just as horrible. I have no doubt that this is what our country looked like in the early 1900's.

Stand Up Paddling!

So since all the hype is out there on Stand Up Surfing/Paddling I decided to give it a try. This past OR show a bunch of guys from C4 Waterman came and gave us a surprise presentation telling the CD sales force that we would be selling the C4 stand up gear. Boards, paddles (actually produced by us) and also the Uli inflatable travel board. I think that we were all a bit curious as to what the potential sales were for this product, but myself I was curious about how it worked! So after the Madison show I accidentally ended up with the Uli in my truck. I took it out for a day on Gull lake in flat conditions and got the hang of standing on it and making it move. The Uli is obviously a slow board but it was super forgiving. Then yesterday I took the same board out on Lake Superior, Park Point. This is the perfect time of year on the big lake. The water was super warm and there was light 8 inch ot a foot chop that was actually setting up enough to spot a bigger wave. Let me tell you that with live water this is really, really hard. I was all over the place! Getting out was like standing on a ball, turning was super touchy and surving in was incredibly hard. After about an hour I was beat. I did pick up a few tricks though and I do think that this is something I will pursue.

Nuff said

Did the FNR last night here in Duluth. Friday Night Ride. We hit the Stadium Bar, then over the Bong Bridge to see Grady play at the Red Mug and then lastly to the Dug Out, then home. A nice night to hit the bike.

Flood Images

So the building on the left side of the picture is CD/Wenonah Canoe. They actually paddled into the warehouse!

Loss and sadness

https://secure.forumcomm.com/duluth/articles/index.cfm?page=purchase&id=48039&CFID=48345372&CFTOKEN=46580550&jsessionid=8830dcc663cc5d23416d
http://datadirt.wordpress.com/
It has been an extremely dissapointing stretch the last few days. I am stuck down at the Madison Midwest rep show, a totally lame and dead event for me. On top of that I learned about this latest trail developement. We are losing the greenspace in the town of Duluth so fast it is making my head spin. But that is not all. I heard last night that there might be a Cabelas super store slapped on the exit to my home. To put this in perspective, we live in a very slow moving rural and scenic place, to think that a Cabelas is coming and with all the trash it brings with it is crushing my heart. But what hurts me more is to speak to friends and neighbors who's only retort is that they should take the opportunity and buy land so they can profit on the increased value. That makes me sad, we dont fight anymore, we just get in line and accept the bullshit and indeed make money on it. Sad.

Crazy Stuff

Sounds like there was a huge standing wave on Pickwick Creek a few days ago........
http://www.newsobserver.com/2188/story/675705.html

Sweet Kayak Blog!

http://ipaddle.blogspot.com/
Nice.

Cloudveil Founders video

http://www.thesnaz.com/2007/08/11/cloudveil-founders-conquer-the-dome/ go to the site to watch it.
I have been lucky enough to meet a bunch of cool people working in the Outdoor Industry over the years. Two of them, Steve Sullivan and Brian Cousins however have become longterm friends. I actually met Cuzz during his first EORA show with his new company, Cloudveil and we hit it off because he is from MN. Later both Sulli and Cuzz came on the famed BD ski trip in Golden, BC. Cuzz actually made it on numerous versions of that trip. He was deemed stick boy due to his version of "Renegade" Cuzz was also one of the beserkers who dug Elmo out a few years later when were involved in a small but dangerous avalance on Cairne Peak. In anycase in David Gonzales video link you can meet them both, plus see a new version of Renegade!

OR Showing went well

http://www.ibexbuzz.com/the_ibex_buzz/2007/08/freebird.html
http://www.ibexwear.com/
So the Ibex party went really well. Actually surprisingly well. There was a point though where things could have gone horribly wrong. The showing was at the famed Carlton hotel. Sort of a Utah version of Faulty Towers. For some reason there were intermitent power outages going on. So when the AV guy dropped the projector system off and set it up all seemed great. Of course once we had 80 sweaty, buzzed people stuffed in there and staring at me the power surged and the projector reset itself! The AV guy had split and we all know the nuances of the those stupid projector, so there was a few moments of no image and I was close to panicking! Luckily though it kicked off and we showed some good flicks and people seemed to be happy about the films. Really it was the first time that I had a room full of Outdoorsy people watch Cross Country With The Snakes and the reaction was very different than the average film fest. Obvioulsy these people had a connection to the subject matter! I also showed Benny's Ski Boys flick and they loved that even more!

Ladies of the Lake

http://groups.google.com/group/dwslol/web
Man time flies,
It is already Ladies of the Lake time. This usually spells the beginning of the end of my season. This year we are in Manistique, MI. Marg is coming with me so it should be a good time.

This just in! Cross Country With the Snakes will screen at the Bearded Child Film Fest

http://www.beardedchild.com/
Sounds like a crazy time. I just had to submit to this one! The entry form had a mandatory drawing on the back of one of your favorite dream sequences...

Night Paddle at Two harbors Sea Kayak Fest.

Chris Gibbs C5 Photo at www.c5photo.com

OR show in Utah looms over next week

http://www.outdoorretailer.com/or/index.jsp

The even I dread every year is next week. As a guy that would rather have stars over his head than banners and bright lights I hate having to spend a full week at a trade show. I do see some great folks though, then there is the beer too......

Two Harbors Kayak Festival

http://kayakfestival.upnorthmn.net/
Once again we find ourselves at Potters little kayak gathering on the North Shore of Lake Superior. I love it, last year we paddled over to the original creator of the festival and she made breakfast for us on the shore. Fresh picked blueberries and super strong coffee, what more do you need?

This should apply to all of the North Shore of Lake Superior!