To Guide…

Hola… writing today with the splenders of another penninsula on my mind.  Imagine if you may, endless beaches, unexplained rock formations, colorful deserts, gray whales, brilliant clear skies, and a variety of unique people to spice up your life!  Getting excited already?? Because I sure am!  This winter myself (guide), David Rack (owner of DCKT), Abbie Turner (guide/photographer), Taylor Johnson (photographer), Chris Katzban (guide), John Suhar and some other friends are heading to the BAJA penninsula in search of fun in the sun, a winter escape, and of course adventure.  The winter months in BAJA average 70-80 degrees which sounds like just about perfect winter weather to me! That is one thing I will not miss while basking in the Mexican sun, is the freezing cold Wisconsin winters!  Because of the consistently beautiful weather nothing will hold us back from engulfing ourselves in the endless adventure that awaits.  Mile after mile of stunning coast line provides perfectly sandy kayak launch locations and speaking of kayaking… I thought kayaking around Door County was beautiful, but could you imagine kayaking the Sea of Cortez (water way between the BAJA Penninsula and the rest of Mexico) while gray whales swim by you?

“Ecotourism is a sustainable form of natural resource based tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature, and which is ethically managed to be low impact, non consumptive and locally oriented. It typically occurs in natural areas and should contribute to the conservation or preservation of such areas.”

David A Fennell, author of Ecotourism: An Introduction

    Skipped town down to Alsea, Oregon to visit my aunt Pauline and Uncle Allan for a little known weekend as easter weekend. Car pooled with my good friends Tim, Will. Tim, an architect and Will, a chef, we talked about what my new building design would entail.  Tim was able to focus my ideas with design, function, and aesthetic questions.  I really enjoyed our conversation and felt that much closer to coming up with a sketch, which will be the next phase.  Tim, now my architectural consultant breathed creativity, open, aired, outdoor, geo/eco-dual layered, bio swaled, aritistic inspiration into my living/working space in my dreams. I am staying in a tree house this coming weekend for a camping trip, so, that will motivate some more visual ideas from up high.

As we worked around their organic farm, my uncle gave two large root balls of bamboo to a friend of his, which was a tractor process.  Did some gardening, planting potatoes, onions, chicken manure, turning soil, talking story.  Had a beautiful little soup lunch, made by my aunt pauline, she is such a unbelievable cook, and so humble, she reminds me of my grandmother, but, sorry grandma, a better cook.  ouch, sorry dad! of coarse grandmas lemon merigue and ritz cracker pie, um, um.  It is funny how holidays and food bring back fond memories. Taste and smell have that unmistakable power.

Lunch conversation was focused around my uncle’s 11 year business struggle of the invention of a new sawzall blades that has cutting teeth on every edge of the blade.  The large tool corpocracy has a strangle hold on American innovation and I wish it would be easier for him to succeed.  There is some hope with the European market, so I am teaching him about the power of the web and he will start an inventors blog tomorrow and start talking story about the ups and downs of from idea to market.

Obama was another topic, though my thoughts are that there is no significant difference between the republicans and democrats.  I see no true value in a political system which can be so easily owned by the almighty $.  But that is another post all together.  Should I even mention politics on my Kayak Tours website?  What do you think?