Camper Quest Part 4: Hello, TRAK Kayaks

I’m doing it. I’m joining one of the world’s oldest professions. No, not THAT one. The profession I’m talking about is called piloting. I’m pleased to announce I have been selected as a Pilot for TRAK Kayaks. “Pilot” is the moniker given to TRAK’s hand-picked product ambassadors. TRAK describes the […]

Camper Quest Part 3: Our First RV Rental

Well, our first RV rental experience has come and gone. And guess what … we didn’t hate it. In fact, we enjoyed it. A lot. As I mentioned last time, we’re exploring buying an RV so we used the website Outdoorsy.co to rent one. We flew to Southern California’s Orange […]

Camper Quest Part 1: Expanding Our Kayaking World with an RV

My wife and I have been kayakers for about 12 years. Over the years, as we paddled rivers, Great Lakes and oceans, I expanded my knowledge and love of kayaking and today I share it with others as an instructor and volunteer. These days Lake Michigan is literally in our […]

Kayak trip leaders learn the ropes

Fellow level 4 kayak instructor Bill Merrick and I spent two days this week at Gardner Dam Boy Scout Camp helping six kayakers attain their ACA level 1 kayak instructor certification. The candidates are preparing for their summer jobs as guides for kayak camping trips in the Apostle Islands and […]

Island Hopping on Lake Michigan

This past weekend I paddled and camped a portion of what might one day be America’s newest national park. There’s an effort underway to place The Grand Traverse Islands — — islands and some surrounding mainland from Wisconsin’s Door County to Upper Michigan’s Garden Peninsula — under control of the […]