Some of the photo links seem to be having trouble, but if you type in http://photos.dietan.net/ you should be able to get to the whole gallery.
SouthEast Expeditions
If you're wondering how you can get out on the water and have as much fun as we are (or more) come see us on the Eastern Shore of Virginia any time.
www.southeastexpeditions.com has trip descriptions and all the information you need.
Point 65 North
The Kayaks that we have been using for all of the incredible adventures on this trip have been provided by Point 65 North. Please check out www.paddlepoint.net to find out more about these great boats, or call SouthEast Expeditions at (757)-331-2680 to paddle one yourself.
Loco Kiwis
Josh and John have headed across the Sea of Cortez and are on their way to Rio. To keep up with their adventure (and see if Josh gets his Baja info before me) check out www.locokiwi.com And if you happen to see them on the road, please buy them a beer and listen to a couple of stories. It's the best decision you'll make all day. Cheers boys, travel safe!
John Wayne Cancer Foundation
When we say "DIE TAN" we aren't talking George Hamilton tan. We're talking Old Man and the Sea tan. The expression "Die Tan" means "Don't get stuck in the office." You never know when your time here is going to end, so make sure that you get outside and live life to its fullest. Tan is a state of mind, not a state of fashion. So check out www.jwcf.org and protect yourself so that you can die tan later rather than sooner.
Shakey Earl & The Earthquakers
The soundtrack for our days on the water always includes at least one cut from the new Shakey Earl album Tellin' Your Tale. Go to www.shakeyearlband.com to get the next album that your friends will steal out of your car.
January 28th 7:00am. I'm
leaving Bluffton on my way South. Still no word from Sea Kayak
Georgia except that they're open every day from 10-6 and on the other
line. Back roads through Hardeeville lead me to the Talmadge bridge
and into Savannah. One more state under the wheels and it feels good
to be moving again. Except that Savannah is stop light hell. It
takes me an hour of starting, stopping, re-starting, cursing, and
re-filling the clutch fluid to get 9 miles through Savannah. Growing
up I never had anything nice to say about Savannah. All the schools
were our rivals. The paper mill smelled bad. And the concert hall
was named after Johnny Mercer. I went to Savannah voluntarily for
very few reasons. In fact, I think that there were about 6. St.
Patrick's Day of course. But before then it was David Lee Roth. And
Poison (with Cinderella). And Motley Crue with Guns & Roses
opening (GnR got booed off the stage 2 weeks before they were on
everyone's radio). And David Lee Roth again. You get the picture.
Anyway, I appreciate Johnny Mercer more now, and I even stopped
talking shit about Savannah for a few years after the release of
Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil when everyone fell in love
with the city. But now, today, I don't really have anything nice to
say about Savannah except that I'm very happy that I don't have to
drive my Jeep through that city ever again.
On to Tybee. I get to SKG nice and
early. They've got a great looking spot with lots of pretty boats,
and a creek right out back. The sign in the window says OPEN... but
the one on the door says “We'll be back on January 2nd.”
Shit.
From the outside of the fence I can see
my boat just sitting there taunting me. I contemplate my options. I
call the numbers I have again. I pace. I ask the folks at the Real
Estate office across the street if they know any of the folks that
work at SKG. For some reason they've never even been over there. I
don't get it. The store looks great. Their gear is shiny and cool.
Kayaking's a great way to explore the marshes that line every lot and
house in the real estate brochure. Wouldn't you go check it out if
you were across the street? Would you hire a realtor who didn't even
think of it? I wouldn't, but then again, I think everyone should
spend several hours and several hundred dollars a week in their local
paddling shop.
Finally someone pulls over behind me
and asks what I've been doing stalking around the shop for an hour.
This guy seems to know what's up, and all I need is the vague sense
of permission that accompanies the confused look on his face when I
tell my story and ask if I can jump the fence. Within seconds I have
the X-Ray on my shoulder, and a slightly puzzled co-conspirator to
pass it to. 2 minutes later I'm on the road and my new friend is
still standing in the parking lot at Sea Kayak Georgia holding my
card and a note that could have been the final clue in the DaVinci
Code if it were any more nebulous.
I hook up the new Sirius Radio I got
myself for Christmas, and the Allman Brothers lead me off Tybee and
back toward Savannah. I swear that if there's a Traffic Light Hall
of Fame, the city planners of Savannah, Georgia deserve a whole wing
of their own. Preferably a wing with a one way entrance and 7 exits
that all detour back to the start of the exhibit.
I had been wondering a bit about what
impression my vehicle of choice leaves in the minds of the motorists
I pass. My first clue is the cop who pulls up next to me (at a stop
light) and offers this bit of friendly advice: “If you kick out
that floorboard you can just run with that thing like Fred
Flintstone.” I respond by sticking my foot through the hole in the
floorboard and praying that I don't get arrested.
