Or too much happening to blog about. So to keep up on some random threads I've started in case we haven't actually talked.
Xtracycle is temporarily out of commission since I almost got a ticket. A police guy pulled me over and lectured me on bike safety with ticket book in hand. Finally let me go so I could take M to school, which was great since we don't have that kind of money. M was a little traumatized; didn't want to be late. But luckily, we'd left early. Stuff like that encourages my libertarian leanings. Fortunately, the double bike seat I'm making just got it's third coat of varnish, and I just need to buy some webbing and screws to finish it.
I have biked to the beach twice and driven once or twice. Surf has still been pretty good, but I am getting a little tired of closeout barrels. But its been epic for here and I know it.
The Klepper has been great, but it is kind of a lot of work. We've gone on three trips, back bay, Corona Del Mar to Crystal cove, and Newport Harbor. Set up is 20 min and a bit, more if I put something in wrong and have to take it all apart and start over. (In German. Vorne = front, Hinter= back). If you waterlog the boat, the pieces take a while to dry. Everything needs to be dry before it can be packed away, so it all get strewn about the living room for a while. Luckily it is all wood and pretty. Hull needs some of the reinforcing strips glued down. Wood frame needs to be re-varnished at some point soon. Maybe Christmas break. But it is super fun. I love being out on the water with everyone. Especially in the evening, when the water is all golden. The kids are good sports, although they have been cold. I think the solution is not to get wet before we start. We are thinking of christening it the "blue seaweed princess" or something like that. We'll let you know when we finish the flag.
I am applying to jobs. I am actually really excited about some of them. There's a handful on the West coast that would be great. Some further East I am pretty excited about as well. It is a lot of work and kind of stressful and it's hard to imagine being someplace new longterm. Some of these places we could actually afford a house on a teacher's salary. Anyway, if you want to hear more about this, let's talk.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Xtracyle fun
It's now okay if we get rid of the car. Today I woke up at 6:30 and decided--I've been thinking about it for a bit--to ride to the beach to go surf on my bike. It was AWESOME. My estimate was that it would take me 45 minutes, being out of shape and all, but I got there in 40. It takes 20 to drive and 5-10 to find a parking space, so it only cost 30 minutes of surfing, but I got a free 20 mile bike ride (which I need, since my knee still needs help). I can just wake up 30 minutes earlier, right. Better yet, over half of it was along back bay drive, a small road/bike path that runs along a beautiful estuary with glistening purple and gold water, mist, and lots of birds. Here's a picture.
It actually looks like this. Way nicer than the freeway. Coming home took a little while longer, since our house is probably several hundred feet above sea level. Also, the xtracycle is pretty slow, so what I really need is a road bike with a surfboard rack, or better yet, salvage an old mountain bike and throw on some road tires. I may never drive to the beach again. The waves were pretty good too.
It actually looks like this. Way nicer than the freeway. Coming home took a little while longer, since our house is probably several hundred feet above sea level. Also, the xtracycle is pretty slow, so what I really need is a road bike with a surfboard rack, or better yet, salvage an old mountain bike and throw on some road tires. I may never drive to the beach again. The waves were pretty good too.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Why I need an epoxy board.
Happened Saturday morning at Newport Beach. Randomly, the guy who sold me the board (who lives in San Clemente) was on the beach watching, recognized his board, and came over to talk to me as I walked up the beach with the two halves.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Danke schon Herr Klepper
Or the saga of the tent kayak. (It's pretty long, but bear with me.)
So some of you may have heard some of this, but I just have to share the whole story, since I am pretty dang stoked about this right now.
So, I have been wanting a kayak for a while. It would be the perfect ocean sport for when the surf is flat and if I got a big double we could go as a family. Plus, there are a lot of places to go around here, back bay estuary, Crystal cove, laguna beach, and I have really wanted to do a kayak trip out on Catalina. We moved out here seven years ago and have never been. Plus, Big Sur is not too far and a kayak would be the perfect way to explore those inaccessible coves.
But, I kept trying garage sales or craigslist and I could never get one in our price range, which over time began to steadily creep up, as you will see. (There were even a few free ones that slipped by, or a $25 garage sale kayak we missed.) The other big problem, as Bekah was quick to point out, we don't really have any place to put one.
Then while in Japan I discovered folding kayaks, which are basically aluminum or wooden frames with a skin, like an eskimo kayak. I was immediately sold. That solved the storage problem easily. You could fit in the back of the car for long trips. You could even check it on a plane for neighbor island trips to Molokai, Hana, North Kohala, Na Pali, etc. (Our super fun trip with Enoch and Amy last summer made me want a kayak even more.) Plus they are very durable and can last for 20-30 years or more if properly cared for.
The only problem was that they are super expensive. Although there were cheaper singles, doubles ranged from $2,600 for the Folbots to over $6,000 for a Feathercraft. Since there are a lot of details, I will make a list to keep this straight.
1. Before I get back I find a used Folbot Kodiak on ebay in Auburn CA, pickup only, which means it will probably be cheaper. Yesenia agrees to go and get it for me. I put in a snipe, but cancel it at the last minute, because I think what I really want is a double. I might have won, since it sells for only 600. I decide I want a Greenland II, the Folbot double.
2. I see one for sale on craigslist, almost new, for only 1000. Turns out to be a total scam. He wants me to Western Union him the money. I google his e-mail address and find out he has scammed others and has all kinds of fake stuff on craigslist in widely different places. But it makes me want one more.
3. Folbots go on sale, for %15 off through Sept. So now it's ONLY 2,200, instead of 2,600. Plus free shipping.
4. I drive to San Clemente to try and get a cobra double for $200. Already sold. It was the first thing to go. They have a nice fiberglass single that would be perfect if I lived near the beach. But I hit a bunch of other garage sales and get some other cool stuff, a snowboard bag for $2, computer speakers, planters, wood from a dumpster by a house being remodeled.
5. Last day of the Folbot sale and I buy one. 2,300 with some extras. (More than our car.) Then I check on ebay and there are two used ones for sale. But I have been reading a lot on the forums and some of the older models had issues, which have since been fixed in the newer models, but I am not sure which years. I decide I really can't afford a new one and send an e-mail and cancel my purchase. Folbot has great customer service, plus there is a 30 return period, so it's okay.
This whole time I am obsessing about this, keep talking it up to Bekah, who is not sold on the idea, and basically talking about it to anyone who will listen. John, whose shopping motto is "What would Jesse buy?" is a little disillusioned. Adam calls it the tent kayak and just thinks I should get a plastic one. Christian notes that you never use these things as much as you think you will. True, but I still really want to do all of these trips. And we could have it for a long time. And I know I want one eventually, so the sooner we get it, the longer we can enjoy it.
6. So the next day, instead of writing my dissertation I start checking craigslists. In SF there is a 10 yr old Greenland II for 1,200. There are some older Folbots, non-folding, in Long beach and Oceanside. Then in the San Diego craiglist I discover a used Klepper double for $800.
Klepper is a German company and one of the oldest folding kayak makers in the business. People have paddled their boats across the Atlantic, to Antartica, from Germany to India. They generally acknowledged to be better quality than the Folbots, though more expensive, and they can last for a long time. Some people are still using boats 20-30 years old and they keep their value very well. A quick online search confirmed this was a very good price. It seems like the going price for a upper end, used plastic double was about 600 anyway.
Anyway, so I called the guy up, we drove down there this morning to check it out. The guy has taken this boat on a 10 week trip in Baja, to Alaska, etc. He was a super cool old dude who used to have a bunch of different folding kayaks, but was finally selling his last ones. (On the online forums, most of these guys have at least three.) Anyway, so what you see in those two bags is a 17 foot, double kayak. In his little yard, we took it apart, put it back together and took it apart again in less than and hour and half. With a little practice, I think it will come together in less than 20 minutes. Kayaking anyone?
So some of you may have heard some of this, but I just have to share the whole story, since I am pretty dang stoked about this right now.
So, I have been wanting a kayak for a while. It would be the perfect ocean sport for when the surf is flat and if I got a big double we could go as a family. Plus, there are a lot of places to go around here, back bay estuary, Crystal cove, laguna beach, and I have really wanted to do a kayak trip out on Catalina. We moved out here seven years ago and have never been. Plus, Big Sur is not too far and a kayak would be the perfect way to explore those inaccessible coves.
But, I kept trying garage sales or craigslist and I could never get one in our price range, which over time began to steadily creep up, as you will see. (There were even a few free ones that slipped by, or a $25 garage sale kayak we missed.) The other big problem, as Bekah was quick to point out, we don't really have any place to put one.
Then while in Japan I discovered folding kayaks, which are basically aluminum or wooden frames with a skin, like an eskimo kayak. I was immediately sold. That solved the storage problem easily. You could fit in the back of the car for long trips. You could even check it on a plane for neighbor island trips to Molokai, Hana, North Kohala, Na Pali, etc. (Our super fun trip with Enoch and Amy last summer made me want a kayak even more.) Plus they are very durable and can last for 20-30 years or more if properly cared for.
The only problem was that they are super expensive. Although there were cheaper singles, doubles ranged from $2,600 for the Folbots to over $6,000 for a Feathercraft. Since there are a lot of details, I will make a list to keep this straight.
1. Before I get back I find a used Folbot Kodiak on ebay in Auburn CA, pickup only, which means it will probably be cheaper. Yesenia agrees to go and get it for me. I put in a snipe, but cancel it at the last minute, because I think what I really want is a double. I might have won, since it sells for only 600. I decide I want a Greenland II, the Folbot double.
2. I see one for sale on craigslist, almost new, for only 1000. Turns out to be a total scam. He wants me to Western Union him the money. I google his e-mail address and find out he has scammed others and has all kinds of fake stuff on craigslist in widely different places. But it makes me want one more.
3. Folbots go on sale, for %15 off through Sept. So now it's ONLY 2,200, instead of 2,600. Plus free shipping.
4. I drive to San Clemente to try and get a cobra double for $200. Already sold. It was the first thing to go. They have a nice fiberglass single that would be perfect if I lived near the beach. But I hit a bunch of other garage sales and get some other cool stuff, a snowboard bag for $2, computer speakers, planters, wood from a dumpster by a house being remodeled.
5. Last day of the Folbot sale and I buy one. 2,300 with some extras. (More than our car.) Then I check on ebay and there are two used ones for sale. But I have been reading a lot on the forums and some of the older models had issues, which have since been fixed in the newer models, but I am not sure which years. I decide I really can't afford a new one and send an e-mail and cancel my purchase. Folbot has great customer service, plus there is a 30 return period, so it's okay.
This whole time I am obsessing about this, keep talking it up to Bekah, who is not sold on the idea, and basically talking about it to anyone who will listen. John, whose shopping motto is "What would Jesse buy?" is a little disillusioned. Adam calls it the tent kayak and just thinks I should get a plastic one. Christian notes that you never use these things as much as you think you will. True, but I still really want to do all of these trips. And we could have it for a long time. And I know I want one eventually, so the sooner we get it, the longer we can enjoy it.
6. So the next day, instead of writing my dissertation I start checking craigslists. In SF there is a 10 yr old Greenland II for 1,200. There are some older Folbots, non-folding, in Long beach and Oceanside. Then in the San Diego craiglist I discover a used Klepper double for $800.
Klepper is a German company and one of the oldest folding kayak makers in the business. People have paddled their boats across the Atlantic, to Antartica, from Germany to India. They generally acknowledged to be better quality than the Folbots, though more expensive, and they can last for a long time. Some people are still using boats 20-30 years old and they keep their value very well. A quick online search confirmed this was a very good price. It seems like the going price for a upper end, used plastic double was about 600 anyway.
Anyway, so I called the guy up, we drove down there this morning to check it out. The guy has taken this boat on a 10 week trip in Baja, to Alaska, etc. He was a super cool old dude who used to have a bunch of different folding kayaks, but was finally selling his last ones. (On the online forums, most of these guys have at least three.) Anyway, so what you see in those two bags is a 17 foot, double kayak. In his little yard, we took it apart, put it back together and took it apart again in less than and hour and half. With a little practice, I think it will come together in less than 20 minutes. Kayaking anyone?
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