Damn it, not another crappy kayaking Blog!

I have no idea what to say here other than Hello!

Bear with me please, my command of the English language is about as advanced as my knowledge of how a microwave works, where our tax dollars go or what women want. Writing and I are like a couple with a bad break up in the past; we can still deal with eachothers shit, but we prefer to live in seperate area codes.

I have created this blog to share my experiences in life with my friends and family.
I find a lot of joy in this world, out in the woods and on the river and I would like to be able to share this joy with others. Not everyone has the ability to ditch the social constraints imposed on them by careers, family and such, to take off onto the road and find something new and exciting. Neither can I, but I do it anyway and pay for it during the week. But I think its about time to start sharing what I do on the weekends with the people that notice I often disappear around Friday afternoon and return late Sunday evening.

I like to kayak. I like to spend as much of my time from day to day on the water. But, that being said, life has a way of coming between you and your plans. Still, even as a weekend warrior, I try to get out as often as possible. I like to take pictures as well and I'm sorry to all my friends that have to wait for me while I do so, be it on the river, off the side of the road or on the trail. Kayaking is an odd sport. One where you have to go through quit a bit of misery to arrive at a place of enlightenment. Kayaking is also a vehicle to the greatest bliss I have ever experienced. The feeling of life melting away as you concentrate on the upcoming horizon line is the best therapy money can buy. The best weekends of the spring involve me coming home with another couple hundred miles on the odometer and no skin on my knuckles, but the ear to ear grin stays until about Thursday. Through kayaking I have met and continue to meet some of the best and most interesting people on the planet. People from every conceivable background. Lawyers, construction workers, real estate agents and people who leave the "current employment block" blank on the Census forms.

I grew up kayaking on the South Fork of the American River in Coloma, CA. The old man, Richard Patrinellis, got me involved with the sport around the time that the RPM was the hot buy on the market. For the most part, I stopped kayaking when I got into high school and then completely forgot about it when I joined the Navy in 2001. It wasn't until an annual Rogue River trip three years ago that I rekindled the love and excitement that comes only from wearing a spray skirt. The past two seasons have been an amazing adventure, exploring the rivers and creeks of Washington and Oregon.

Please enjoy the following media and feel free to criticize, that's the only way I can improve...

Cheers!
Dan