Author Archives: the alygator

I’m a mechanical engineer by training, insatiably curious, possessed of an odd sense of humor, prone to extended bouts of introspection, and a little bit of a literary snob.

My interests include
aerospace, air quality, archeology, bionics, crash testing, dark chocolate, egyptology, fast cars, firearms, forensics, kayaking, law enforcement, mint tea, mythology, NASCAR, the ocean, osteology, science fiction, rally racing, roses, rubbernecking, severe weather, soccer, sustainable energy, and (of course) whitewater.

What EJ said about my future kayak

June 26, 2007 – 11:50 am

I went up to Lyons, CO, a couple of Saturdays ago to be a spectator at the whitewater events of the Lyons Outdoor Games. After the events were over, I had the opportunity to meet Eric Jackson and Nick Troutman. (I have to be honest, for a while these guys have been up near the [...]

Posted in Events, Gear | Comments (1)

Paddling in a straight line - Arrrgh!

June 22, 2007 – 3:45 pm

This is a problem that I hear a lot of beginners asking about. I’m no exception. Usually I can get where I want to go without too much trouble. When I rent a kayak, I can paddle around just fine once I take a few minutes to get a feel for it. But with my [...]

Posted in Skills | Comments (2)

My first kayak

June 20, 2007 – 3:52 pm

I can’t complain too much, because when I went looking for a kayak last year, all I really wanted was a cheap, functional boat that I could paddle around the reservoir once in a while. I found a Perception Dancer on denver.craigslist.org, packaged with a paddle, spray skirt, PFD, throw rope (not that I’ve ever used [...]

Posted in Gear | Comments (0)

Hello world!

June 19, 2007 – 10:23 am

I’m posting this just so I won’t have an empty blog. I hope to have more kayaking-related things to blog about in the near future; it is my goal to chronicle my rise from novice flat-water kayaker to class VI creeking/freestyling superstar.
I wish.
Well, maybe I won’t get that far. But I will share my learning [...]

Posted in Denver, News | Comments (0)