It’s been a really busy couple of weeks. (Actually, it’s been twelve days, but it seems like a lot of time has passed very quickly). I spent last week in Wichita, KS on a business trip. I didn’t feel good about the amount of work I got done; things didn’t work out like expected and I spent most of my time waiting around.
On a personal level it was a interesting trip. My lovely wife had decided that it was finally time to purchase the kayaks we’d been wishing for and talking about for almost 4 years. So, I spent all my free time searching for kayaks, evaluating the ones in stock in the various stores, comparing features and prices, and deciding the best way to get them from Kansas to Oklahoma.
My wife wanted a sit-on-top kayak. It turns out that in our price range there were not many sit-on-tops to choose from here on the Great Plains. But fortunately I was able to find the actual model and color she wanted – an Ocean Kayak Venus 11 in the Tangerine color.
I wanted a sit-in model. There are lots of sit-in kayaks available in the sporting goods stores, but most of them are the little 9 foot fun boats. I wanted something just a little longer and narrower. I ran across a good deal on an eleven-foot Old Town Voyager, which was on clearance, and which I think will work well for a beginner like me.
The really difficult part of the whole process was coming up with a good method of transportation. I wasn’t really too keen on the idea of a roof rack, because I know that lifting 40 pounds of kayak over my head can be a chore, especially in a high wind. But I didn’t want to drive the 300 miles home with the kayaks sticking over 5 feet out of the back of my pickup bed. I could find no one in Wichita (or Oklahoma, for that matter) selling trailers made to haul kayaks, and I don’t want to pay $1500 - $2000 for a good trailer right now anyway. In the end, I managed to find one dealer in Wichita who had in stock the exact parts to install a good roof rack on my pickup, so I went with that. It’s not my preferred option, and it cost a bundle for a few pieces of metal, but it worked. I got the kayaks home safe and sound. Today they’re hanging in my garage just waiting for warm weather, and we’re anxious to get out on the water.
The UPS guy brought my new bicycle Friday evening not long after I go home. I spent a little time that evening pulling it out of the box and assembling it to the point that it looked like a bike. I spent most of the day Sunday making all the necessary mechanical and fit adjustments and moving all the accessories from my old bike to the new one – racks, pedals, bottle holders, pump, computer, lights, fenders, saddle. I wanted to put a kickstand on it, but the rear derailleur cable is routed in exactly the spot where the kickstand would be mounted, so I’ll have to try using one of those that mount near the back of the bike on the chain stay and seat stay.
I think I’m gonna like the bike. It’s going to take a little time to get the fit just right, and I’ll have to adjust to shifting using STI shifters instead of down-tube levers. And lots more gears.
On a personal level it was a interesting trip. My lovely wife had decided that it was finally time to purchase the kayaks we’d been wishing for and talking about for almost 4 years. So, I spent all my free time searching for kayaks, evaluating the ones in stock in the various stores, comparing features and prices, and deciding the best way to get them from Kansas to Oklahoma.
My wife wanted a sit-on-top kayak. It turns out that in our price range there were not many sit-on-tops to choose from here on the Great Plains. But fortunately I was able to find the actual model and color she wanted – an Ocean Kayak Venus 11 in the Tangerine color.
I wanted a sit-in model. There are lots of sit-in kayaks available in the sporting goods stores, but most of them are the little 9 foot fun boats. I wanted something just a little longer and narrower. I ran across a good deal on an eleven-foot Old Town Voyager, which was on clearance, and which I think will work well for a beginner like me.
The really difficult part of the whole process was coming up with a good method of transportation. I wasn’t really too keen on the idea of a roof rack, because I know that lifting 40 pounds of kayak over my head can be a chore, especially in a high wind. But I didn’t want to drive the 300 miles home with the kayaks sticking over 5 feet out of the back of my pickup bed. I could find no one in Wichita (or Oklahoma, for that matter) selling trailers made to haul kayaks, and I don’t want to pay $1500 - $2000 for a good trailer right now anyway. In the end, I managed to find one dealer in Wichita who had in stock the exact parts to install a good roof rack on my pickup, so I went with that. It’s not my preferred option, and it cost a bundle for a few pieces of metal, but it worked. I got the kayaks home safe and sound. Today they’re hanging in my garage just waiting for warm weather, and we’re anxious to get out on the water.
*****
The UPS guy brought my new bicycle Friday evening not long after I go home. I spent a little time that evening pulling it out of the box and assembling it to the point that it looked like a bike. I spent most of the day Sunday making all the necessary mechanical and fit adjustments and moving all the accessories from my old bike to the new one – racks, pedals, bottle holders, pump, computer, lights, fenders, saddle. I wanted to put a kickstand on it, but the rear derailleur cable is routed in exactly the spot where the kickstand would be mounted, so I’ll have to try using one of those that mount near the back of the bike on the chain stay and seat stay.
I think I’m gonna like the bike. It’s going to take a little time to get the fit just right, and I’ll have to adjust to shifting using STI shifters instead of down-tube levers. And lots more gears.
