Then went skating the ramp with my buddy Tom B, still getting better. One pump at a time.

Motorcycle ride on my new/old 1974 Honda CB750 Bike.  Checked out the sunset. YES!

Grabbed the fun maker for tomorrows chaos!  Rail sliding all day!  This thing is going to be soooooooo fun!  I am in need of more wind!

Speaking of wetsuits, please don’t go out this early on the water without a wetsuit, drysuit or a buddy!  No one likes to read a story in the paper of a hypothermia incident.  So please be patient, stay close to shore and use a buddy system.  Or better yet, go take this time to practice in a pool those re-entries and kayak rescues.

A goal for this summer is to focus on photography, we will now be giving away images on facebook for free!  If you would like the digital license for any of those door county photography images, then let us know.  Some of the new guides will have experience in photography, so prepare those smiling faces, paddle poses and backgrounds of caves, lighthouses, and cedars.

Here is a photo from an early day of kiteboarding in Baileys Harbor in the fog, it was surreal…

Early march kiteboarding in Baileys Harbor

Looking forward to 2012 summer!

-Door County Kayak Tours video

kayaking the caves tomorrow!

This winter, I had to ask myself what I wanted to do?  Something inside me told me the Rockies were going to get a lot of snow, and a lot of my friends were heading out there, so it was a tough battle between floating down the Rockies on pillows of powder howling like a wolf into the wind, getting silly dancing to Nick Steingart(Fred and Fuzzy’s Tues summer nights, Moe’s BBQ) during Apres, and relaxing exhausted in a Jacuzzi watching the snow fall until the dawning of the first chair.  But alas, I had other dreams, the wind, waves and wild waterfalls of Maui were calling my name.

Ten years prior, I had arrived at Maui to visit my inspiring artist uncle Jimbo and explore the healing island of Maui.  It is quite a long story unto itself, so i’ll skip to the good stuff; Lived with a Mad scientist Marko Rodin, juiced and baked in a basement until a paycheck blunder blessed me with a challenging kayak guide opportunity, after completing some guiding tests(diving 40 ft to pick up a set of keys from the ocean floor and backing up a three story trailer) I was destined to kayak, swim and take photos with the dolphins and tourists for 3 months straight.  Rough gig, oh yea, and I camped on a nature preserve one mile away that I could walk to work, pick and drink a coconut on the way.  So you can probably see why I was leaning back towards revisiting this beautiful piece of heaven.  I am calling it my 10 year reunion.  So far, it has answered most of the dreams I have had in the past 10 years, namely those fears and dreams which I was too distracted to accomplish.

My dreams, some of them may seem a little silly, so bear with me;

It took me a few weeks to get the kitesurfing addiction out of my blood, rallying around the waves and wind of the Northshore of Maui with a friend from Hood River I had met a few weeks earlier visiting my sister,  this first week took my mind off of the snow in the Rockies.  The second day of kiteboarding, we were hit with a swell that gave me goose bumps.  We launched our kites from a place called secret cove, the wind was intermittent and rocks and coral were waiting for our mistakes.  Patiently waiting for the wind to favor me, I flew out into the trade winds which hit maui most every day.  Once out past the reef, the swells grew and I found myself at the bottom of a 20ft wave, now most of the waves are measured from the middle of the wave, so really it was probably only a 10ft wave, but at the bottom of the trough, it was like looking up at a moving mountain, once I had arrived at the top of it, I started skipping down the face, just a flying smile across my face, a dream gifted by the makai(ocean) a mountain (makah) conquered, but not without a lesson, soon I had outrun my kite and it fell from the sky into the front of this monster of a wave.  Bobbing with my kite in the water, awaiting the monsters teeth, my smile quickly vanished and a strong sense of peace came over me, what was to happen next I was only too lucky to have been prepared for.  I quickly grabbed my board and prepared to be shot through the water once the wave grabbed my kite, I went straight as a arrow, and took a breath(ha), I shot 15 feet through the water unscathed, kite still flopping around, the next wave was too close to do anything but be a needle fish through the water again, and the next one as well.  Supriseingly, I felt quite safe, my kite relauched after the third wave, I still had my board in my hand some how and I strapped it on and charged the resuming monsters for 3 hours.  It was quite confidence boosting, to get rolled and come out unharmed.

Well, I guess that is enough of a story to start out my traveling journal for this winter.   Stay tuned for more of my adventures, I could keep writing, but the day is calling, let me maybe inspire some action to come adventure with me for a week or get excited for the summer.  Oh yea, and gift certificates for Zip Line Gift Certificates http://doorcountykayaktours.com/Gift_Certificates.html and Kayak Tours(discounted) http://doorcountykayaktours.com/Gift_Certificates.html do make healthy gifts for these holidays!  They can be emailed and printed out for quick gifts, they also support these stories.

Adventure stories to be continued…

Living with an intentional community, Playing music, becoming a circus performer, Cleaning out the cheese curds and beer by growing a garden of exotic smelling flowers and break the mouth organic food, and vine climbing into a living mango tree to sleep in the jungle and a Dolphin Retreat Invitation.

Aloha
David Rack
DoorCountyKayakTours.com
GravityTrails.com
920-344-6641

On a sad note of my puppys departure via a hwy 42 smashed trailer, smoke and ashes, I left for Maui with my kite gear strapped and an old friend and guide, Rachel house sitting with her boyfriend Jesse, a local cook at the Bayside Tavern.  Rachel, curently works at the Bead Bucket in Ephraim and Greens and Grains in Egg Harbor, she is the creative type with her ideas often elegant, simple from unique pieces of jewelry to magical inventiveness somethings. She has a etsy site where she sells her creative jewelry. Hopefully it helps to have her around for the winter, because my new house could use a womans touch.  Jesse, is the quiet hard working type that is dreaming for more than dipping cheese curds in hot fryer oil. I kinda wish I could stick around to create with them. Hopefully I will get a chance in December.

Maui

Maui welcomed me with a 4-5 foot wave day and strong winds.  I have been staying at the Northshore Hostel in Wailuku.  It is a good spot to start from, but I doubt I will stay here long, too many travelers.  I would like to end up hanging out and doing some yoga with some locals, or old friends, like my Evergreen State College soccer buddy Vanessa Charles, looks like she is hosting a big island yoga detox retreat in Feb.  Doubt I will be here then, but wish I could join that, I could clean out some of the wisconsin cheese curd cholesterol sitting in my arteries with some fresh maui juices.

I have a some great friends in Oahu I would love to visit as well, Matt Joswick, who is my search engine optimization specialist for my outdoor adventure zip line, kayaking and kitesurfing, stand up paddle boarding websites.   He also does some work for a local company in Kailua and Oahu, HI called Wind Ward Watersports that specializes in Kayak Rentals, Kiteboarding Lessons, SUP Rentals, and Surfing.  So I hope to get some more time on the water touring the island in a few different vehicles and maybe hang out with a professional kiteboarder, Jeff Tobias.

Colorado

Looking ahead towards the fluffy white, picking up some backcountry gear for some sidecountry riding in east vail.

Oregon

Explore some Zip Line potential in the Alsea Mountains in Oregon at the ThymeGarden.com.  They are secluded, majestic and the local area could use an eco-activity like zip lining.

All in all, it should be a beautiful winter with wind, sun, waves and snow, I just wish more of my friends could join me on the adventures ahead.

Such an example was my departing from The Outpost(now the Harbor Ridge Winery).  After two years of branding my name and energy into an unknown location, they didn’t have room for me anymore, but for another kayak company.  Luckily at the the time I was off surfing in the waves of Costa Rica with some good friends and cooks Jesse Johnson and Robby Paeth from The Waterfront and James Lee Mead from the Shoreline Restaurants so I was well fed and content from all of the beautiful waves and wonderful meals.  The ensuing search for a location was quite a search.

Door County is not the easiest location to find an affordable spot for a business that only runs for three months a year, as well anything near the water is pushing the million dollar mark.  Haha… how we love to share our scenery with the rich and infamous.  But along came a little house with history, it was perfect, an original stone house from down town Fish Creek that had been moved onto Hwy 42 to a little unincorporated town called Juddville.  New roof, new appliances, a large garage, plenty of land and a price I could afford.

Just two lots outside of the commercially zoned Juddville corner was another large undertaking with the Zoning departments.  I don’t get who would just want to purchase a residential house on the hwy???  But it makes sense for me that I can live in it and use it for a business that only runs a few months a year.  The hwy is the best form of advertising and having businesses along the Hwy would facilitate a county bike path off the road, at least in my imagination.

Oh yea, and the best part of this whole story is the pooch!  I never would have gotten a dog, if this blessing in disguise hadn’t come my way.  A week before I bought the house, I saw an ad in the Peninsula Pulse from the Door County Humane Society for a Dog they had.  I looked at the photo and said to myself, “That’s my dog,” went to the Humane society and filled out some paperwork and wrote a short story about how he would be with me everywhere, on the boat, in the zip line woods, around the office greeting people, and at the kitesurfing beach with my friends.  I guess that short story worked when they called me up and said the person who decides who animals go with decided the fastest she has ever decided.

Jacamo “Shaka” Khan is his name and I never thought I would have a dog or get one.  But when I got a horoscope reading that told me I could “county my chickens before they hatch because I was prepared” on easter sunday, I got the dog before I bought the house.  Shaka made a name for himself real fast at parties, since he is black as night and loves to goose people(his little way of shaking hands, I guess) we nicknamed him the “Midnight Shocker”  and I have only seen him poop once, he disappears into the woods usually,  so I also nicknamed him the “Poop Ninja”.  He does all the tricks I know of and is a total fluff head silly beast.  They only had him for 3 months and I don’t know how old he is so I call him “ageless” and “timeless” I hope he always keeps his fun loving puppy ways.

So stop by, say “Hi” to Shaka and give me some landscaping advice, my green thumb is growing and so is Shaka!

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20106190449

We have lots of new stuff going on this year! New locations, new employees, new twitter account- but still the same outlook on experiencing Door County’s natural beauty!  Come join us in sharing a tour of the caves at Cave Point, the Bluffs in Fish Creek, or a scenic tour through an inland estuary.  First-timers are more than welcome- don’t be shy! Our friendly guides will ensure your comfort and enjoyment.  The weather in Door County is beautiful so come make the most of it with us!

As well, we have a new logo we are working on.  Here are some of our past logos and the new one.

The last blue logos were created by Kara Hanson a Graphic Design Student.  Those are some of the options we are looking at for our 2010 season.

We have moved down to Costa Rica for the winter months and are living at the Cabinas Pura Vida in Zancudo Costa Rica.  Our good friend Robby, who works at the Waterfront Door County Restaurant during the summer has been kind enough to show us around the Zancudo Costa Rica area where everyone is a friend.  We have been cooking thai green papaya salad, drinking tico sangria(red wine and orange juice), learning to surf and reading a lot in the hammocks.  The black sand beach is long and beautiful and only seldom do we run into people on the beach jogging, or biking when the tide is low.   The waves are great for beginners when the tide is low.  We have been watching rays surf the waves catching fish, and pelicans surf the wind funneling off the top of the waves, as we take a break from paddling.  It took a week, but finally we have started to defrost from the bitter cold.

The beautiful Black Sand Beach, that is always unoccupied!Rachel catching her first wave!

Robby and I hanging under the Cabinas Pura Vida surfboard.

We will have a Tarpon Springs Florida kayak tours location, where we will also Kayak Clearwater Florida. Come join us as we kayak the manatees and kayak the mangroves around these other Florida areas as well;

Cockroach Bay Kayak Tours

Caladesi Kayak Tours

Sanabel Island Kayak Tours

Clearwater Kayak Tours

Ft. Desoto state park Kayak Tours

Longboat Key Kayak Tours

Siesta Key Kayak Tours

Honeymoon Island Kayak Tours

Lets put those rumors to and end and follow the leave-no-trace principles.  If we and future generations are going to be able to appreciate the beauty we see today, lets follow my own rule of thumb.

“Take photographs, and leave paddlestrokes.”

Summertime in Door County may be idyllic, but fall is when our county really shows her stuff. Brilliant yellows and vibrant reds are already beginning to dapple the trees, and orchards are getting ready for what looks to be a massive apple harvest. Anyone who wasn’t able to get away for the summer can still get deals on biking, kayaking, zip lining, sailing, sightseeing, scenic boat cruises and airplane rides – all without the heavy crowds. Pumpkin Patch Festival comes to Egg Harbor October 10 and 11 this year, a fun family weekend that draws people from all over the country. The village comes alive with colorful displays, zesty hot ciders, parades, retail specials, cultural events and more. Local farms put out their best at all of the roadside stands and markets throughout Door County, selling the freshest produce and delicious seasonal treats. You can experience great cuisine with the Kingdom So Delicious festival, one of the tastiest September fall festivals in Door County, or enjoy the magic of Fall Fest in October – whatever you do here this autumn, you’re going to have a ball.

Gravity Trails in northern Door offers you the chance to get up close and personal with Door County fall colors. Our Fall Colors tours take you straight up into the trees for breathtaking views. Bike the scenic trail back to our zip course and fly through the trees. Make it a true fall experience with a kayak tour on the pristine Mink River, where you’ll travel through Wisconsin’s only officially designated wilderness state park, Newport State Park in Ellison Bay. It doesn’t get any more refreshing than having fun with friends and family in the crisp fall air.

Get a shot in the arm this fall with these great Fall Color Activities and more. Give GT a call to make your reservations today – remember, weekends fill up fast!

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”  Frank Lloyd Wright