The Switch to Wordpress

For awhile I was "simul-blogging" with Blogger and Wordpress, but after evaluated both services I will be using Wordpress.

I will still be blogging, just at pinkandgeek.wordpress.com
Make sure to keep reading.

Red, White and Blue

One more reason to ride your bike

The 4th of July celebration began early this morning around 6:30. That's when the many vendors began setting up their booths. There were the obligatory booths that housed those giant wooden dolphin statues, booths with leather belts, booths with woodburned plaques, booths with snow cones and delicious funnel cakes, but most importantly sausage dogs with onions and peppers and a fat line of brown mustard. Although I was too hungry after I purchasing my sausage dog to take a photo of my dog, I assure you it was wonderful and had that nice "snap" to it.

Downtown St. Mary's is a small city that consists of one main street. This means that parking is a bit of an issue when it comes to fiding a parking place for the fireworks display. There isn't really an ideal parking situation. There are simply too many cars on the same road, but there is a solution. Ride your bike.

My solution to most things is the same: Ride your bike.

You are able to get home very quickly, but if you live for than 5 miles or so, you may want to park somewhere on Osborne and ride downtown. However, for those of us that live ~3.5 miles away, riding a bike means that we can be downtown in nearly 20 minutes (less than 15 if you are on a road bike) and your friends that drove cars will only make it a few minutes sooner. After the fireworks, your friends will spend an hour or more and a few gallons of gas waiting and inching forward.

Bike at 4th of July

More Kayak Surfing

Michelle wanted to go to the beach and I wanted to kayak. So, naturally, I loaded up the trusty Sirocco for another surf session. Off to Amelia Island. As you can see, you don't need no stinkin' roof rack to haul boats.

Surfing kayaks is one of those things that when people see you doing it at the beach they naturally turn their heads. And, its tremendously fun. You are able to paddle up and down the beach for miles in hunt of the best breaking waves (which is like searching for the fountain of youth in this East Coast surf) in just a few minutes. No more driving around with binoculars, just hop in the water and start surfing. A sea kayak can ride a 10" wave without hesitation. This makes it a bit easier to dip your toes into the sport because you don't have to hunt for the largest waves to have fun.

As you build some confidence and learn to effectively maneuver your sea kayak in the surf, it is time to find bigger waves. Bigger means a whole new bag of problems, so approach with caution. A 3' can throw you down harder than you might think and rip you from your cozy little cockpit. A bomb-proof Eskimo roll is certainly a prerequisite to avid surf kayaking.

I did manage to find some decent waves.

I also acquired a surf partner. He was a bit shaky in that whitewater boat, and I sensed inexperience when I noticed his paddle was upside-down. Michelle was able to get this sweet picture of us both on the wave, but things went sour from there. More on that to come.

Bicycle Commuting in Camden

Yesterday I needed to get some shock for our pool, which is quickly turning green. Instead of jumping in the car and wasting some gas, I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone: run and errand and exercise.

I grabbed a plastic sandwhich bag for my phone, ID, and credit card and I was off for Wal-Mart. I rode from Shadowlawn to downtown to warm up, and then I headed to the 'Mart. Its nice to have a destination when you are riding for exercise, but in Camden County the journey isn't as fun as it should be. People in cars don't give you enough room, if they even alter their course at all for you.

This may be discouraging to anybody that is hoping to get into a healthy routine and save gas by doing errands on their bike, but the only way to make Camden a safer place to ride.................is to RIDE! People need to see more cyclist on the road.

That's not the end of it either. Once you get to the store you must park your bike somewhere. Even if you where to find a place that wasn't completely in the open where you could lock up your precious bike, it would be hit by some bird excrement or be doused by one of those magically appearing rain showers. So you have to walk your bike through the store. Not that big of a deal, except for the fact that the shoes you are wearing sound like tap shoes on the hard floor. So once you get the items that you need and you have paid for them at the self-check out (to save time, of course) the store employees hawk-eye you as you simply place the items in your jersey pocket, along with the receipt. Saving gas and plastic bags attracts more attention than if I were to use a tractor trailer to run errands.

All of these inconviences could be avoided if more people would ride their bikes, and they would also save some change and lose a bit of poundage.

Pauly's

On Sunday’s I typically watch the shop for Up the Creek Xpeditions, and around 12 I generally get nailed with hunger pangs. The only way to get rid of them is to give Pauly’s a call a place an order for one of their Mesquite Smoked Turkey Croissants.

The sandwhich is simply delicious. They start with a wonderful, buttery, and flakey croissant and layer a hearty mound of sliced, smoked turkey. Two slices of bacon, two slices of avacodo and some crunchy purple onions spruce up the flavor.

Though St. Marys is small, there are several excellent restarraunts, and Pauly’s is one of them. Give them a call and order one to-go.

Martin's Island

A few weeks ago I was planning out a kayaking trip, and I was have some difficulty finding a location for my trip. I wanted to do a scouting paddle, but I couldn't decide where I wanted to go. So, I asked Tom if there were any trips that needed to be scouted. He then told me that I should paddle Martin's Island. So I left out early on June 10th.

The tides weren't favorable for the trip, but it was my day off and I decided that I would do it anyway. I paddled for 8 miles completely against the tide before reaching Martins Island. After landing, I ate my lunch and headed off to hike.

Martin's Island is a 105 acre island that is 2.5 miles south east of downtown St. Marys, Georgia and 3.7 miles south west of the entrance to Beach Creek and 3.5 miles west of the Egan's Creek entrance. The Island was used for indigo and rice cultivation in the 1800's. The island was bought by a development company that planned to build a bridge and develop the island into a private community. However, the state of Florida bought the island from the company so that the island maybe preserved in its wilderness state.



Currently on the island is a house that the state of Florida proposed could be used for nature talks and such. There is also a small building that has a sign stating "Check In", but the door is broken from the hinges and there are soda cans strewn about inside.

The most attractive feature of the island is that it is true wilderness. It is only accessible by kayak for the most part. At low tide there are expansive mudflats and oyster beds that prevent most boats from coming any closer than several dozen yards, at least on the east side. If you choose to attempt a landing in a boat from any other side, there is plenty of trekking through the marsh ahead of you, and you must also find a way to anchor your boat.



There is a short walking trail that loops around the eastern side of the island. This eastern side is made up of 1/3 mile long peninsula that curves upward . The trail is just over 1 mile and is relatively easy, though over-grown in many places. The majority of the island is still unexplored due to the dense brush that covers the western side.



There is much wildlife to be found on the island. I spotted a doe with her two fawns, an eagle and his nest, a pair of ospreys perched up in a tree, a wood stork, a peregrine falcon, and an armadillo. I heard a wild boar, but was not able to get close enough to see him. I was able to follow the three deer around the island for about 20 minutes before my cell phone rang and frightened them away.

All in all, a great day of paddling and exploring, and the discovery of a trip that I will soon do again.

More Cycling

I have been proud of my diligence lately. I went on my morning ride around 8, and rode for about an hour @ 18.7mph (avg.) I was disappointed that the new bike shorts I got the other day do not fit, even though they are the same size and brand as my favorite pair of bike shorts. So, I will have to exchange them.

Well, until my next outdoor adventure...............................................

Surf Kayaking 06/18/08

So I decided to go surf kayaking last Wednesday, but I had promised Michelle a kayaking trip. Seeing as how I don't think that she wanted to go surf kayaking, so, I took her to Lofton Creek to do a quick little trip. After we paddled for an hour and a half, Michelle and I went to the beach. She went to lay out, and I went to catch that pitiful Fernandina surf.



Though somewhat tiny, the waves still provided me a little bit of fun. It also reminded me that my rough water paddling stills aren't what I think they should be, but I did manage to stay alive.

Grover Island

Grover Island has become an obsession of mine in a way. Its a small island between Harriet's Bluff and Crooked River State Park. When Keith told me that he and his wife, Shirley, would be in town for the week, I was interested in doing some paddling with them. We arranged to paddle Plum Orchard on Tuesday, but I had to bail on them for that trip. They still did Plum on Tuesday, but I suggested that we do Grover Island on Wednesday and they agreed.
Though I forgot to bring my camera along, I was still able to get some photos after we returned to Crooked River. The trip was about 9 miles and took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to complete, not including our 20 minute lunch.


After our return Keith and I wanted to cool down and practice some Eskimo rolling. We headed to Gilligan's Island Park to use the small lake there. A storm was approaching when we arrived, but we decided to wait it out so that we could get some rolling in. We waited beneath a pavilion on a picnic table for around 15 minutes. After Keith found a nice set of tongs in a tree, we decided to go on an adventure. I wanted to introduce Keith to geocaching so we went in search of a nearby cache. While hunting for this thing in the woods it began to lightning, and Keith is deathly afraid of lightning. I turned around, only to find Keith huddled on the ground in a near fetal position, meanwhile explaining to me that that was the best way to be safe. I was still searching for the cache while crouching around. One particular lightning strike was terrifyingly close. We decided to make the 1/4 miles run through the woods to the car. Keith took off like a racehorse, but I only had flip-flops on. I quickly ditched them and carried them. I had my GPS in the other hand, and every once in a while i glaced at it to see how fast we were going. I clocked Keith at ~14mph. Keep in mind that he is running 14mph while in a full crouch position.

It was truly hilarious, but we made it safely to the car. In 45 minutes we were on the water capsizing and righting the boats like we actually new what we were doing.

Cycling

Today I decided to strap on my road shoes and go for a ride. I rode for around an hour averaging around 18mph. I made myself a pit stop at Camden Bicycle Center to check out what shorts and jerseys they had in stock. I picked out some shorts that I will return for later on today. But, before I could leave Terry (owner of CBC) showed me a mountain bike trail that runs through just about the whole county. This trail incorporates a lot of different types of trail and provides a much needed off road biking venue for residents and tourists, specifically those that have chosen to use the East Coast Greenway as their method of travel.

Anyone interested in riding this trail, shoot me an email. I am always looking for comrades on the trail, and even the road for that matter.

I hope to go ride the entire trail with Terry in the near future, and there will certainly be pictures of that adventure.

Plum Orchard 05/31/08

Though this trip happened some time ago, it is still noteworthy. This trip was a guided trip for Up the Creek Xpeditions. It was a Plum Orchard Trip which departs from Crooked River State Park and arrives at the Plum Orchard mansion on Cumberland Island.
Since I was guiding, my photographing does not begin until I reached the Island. Upon arrival the group completed the usual landing activities of stretching their legs, hydrating and eating.

After eating we walked around the Plum Orchard mansion and looked for the alligator that resides in the pond behind the house.


We hiked across to the beach via the Duck House Trail and spent about an hour and a half at the beach. While the majority of the group waded and swam in the water, I chose to go on a bit of a jog down the beach. While jogging I encountered a large steel tank. It appeared to have been either a fuel tank or buoyancy for a barge that had washed ashore. I also found a horseshoe crab that was still intact, but very dead.


After our stay at the beach we hiked back across the Duck House trail and we were greeted by some of the feral horses.


After the hike back we returned to our boats and made the trip back. On the way back we saw a few dolphins and two manatees playing near the marsh bank.

Revival

I have decide that I need to resurrect my blog. I have deleted all of the previous postings and will begin making new ones. I will mostly be blogging about my outdoor adventures.

I will be changing the green theme that is currently in use.