Video of this year’s Door County Sea Kayak Symposium

Each year the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium (DCSKS) takes place during the second weekend of July at Rowley’s Bay near the northern end of Wisconsin’s Door County. In the 2015 edition, 170 kayakers with skills ranging from novice to advanced took part in classes and trips led by 38 […]

Paddling La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin is a beautiful anomaly. Bordered by magnificent bluffs along the Mississippi River in the unglaciated “driftless” region, the valley cut by erosion was spared the leveling effect of the last Ice Age that flattened the surrounding countryside. If you have never driven across the Mississippi River, or […]

Running the Wolf

I’ve been learning how to be a whitewater kayaker for four years so you’d think I’d be better at it by now. But when it comes to playboating tricks I still can’t loop, cartwheel or blunt. I attribute my poky learning curve to my advanced years; that’s my ego-protection rationale […]

Kayaking is a Great Equalizer

When some people hear the word “kayaking” they think about daredevils plunging over humungous waterfalls or three-week expeditions in the Aleutian Islands. In reality, kayaking is what you make of it. You can go for a leisurely paddle in a small lake or you can take on “big” water, and […]

Northern Lights June 22, 2015

Last night we had a spectacular display of Northern Lights over the bay. They weren’t as bright as the St. Patrick’s Day display but these were huge and were rapidly dancing and shimmering. Around 11 p.m. I experimented by using the “night lapse” setting on my GoPro Hero4 camera. I […]

Plum Island Open for Business

Today Mary and I paddled the Death’s Door crossing from the northernmost mainland of Wisconsin’s Door County to Plum Island. There we viewed restoration work on the Plum Island lifesaving station, which began operations April 1, 1896, serving the Portes des Morts Passage (more commonly called “Death’s Door”) at the […]