New journey, new focus

Hey, I  am back. After a six month hiatus, I am well rested, and eager to yap in text about our life journeys.

In addition to the regular posts about hikes, awesome vacations, great meals and ripping blues concerts, I will also use this forum for the next 18 months for blabbing about my training efforts, missteps and negligence as I prepare for transversing Alaska by canoeing the Yukon River from Eagle all the way to the Bering Sea, during the summer of 2013. The 1,265 mile journey is almost all docile water, so the only real challenges are getting lost in labyrinths of islands, long stretches between grocery stores and hungry bears. 

Upon announcing my plans for this trip, my wife reminded me of my age and mediocre fitness level, and then doubled my life insurance policy. So against my better judgment, I have decided to train for this event. So here is my plan:

1. Start with a narrower state, closer to home. The trip will be shorter, grocery stores will be more frequent, and EMS response time will be faster. This summer, I will paddle the Missouri River from Kansas City to St. Charles, Missouri, straight-through. Well, I might stop to sleep some nights. At 340 miles, the trip is reasonably formidable, but the bears are smaller and more sparse.
2. Get in better shape. As of yesterday, I started the You Are Your Own Gym 10 week program for beginners. I will follow that with the intermediate level, but the master level is just frightening. I don't want to be in that good of shape. I will also spend two hours a week burning it up on my Concept 2 rowing machine, and canoe at least once a week. Note, the 44 minutes yesterday about killed me.
3. Do some shorter (100+ mile) canoeing runs this spring to ramp up for the race across Missouri. Well, maybe one.
4. Reread my stack of expedition books of other peoples' conquests of canoeing, kayaking, biking and hiking long distances. It might be motivating, if not, a justifiable diversion from exercising.
5. Log and monitor all "training" activity using iFitness app. This will be a helpful excuse for fiddling with my iPhone when the good wife thinks she is catching me playing games instead of listening to her.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Thank you to everyone who dreamed, fought and sacrificed for our freedom.

Happy anniversary United States of America!

New noise

iPad + 5000 songs + TDK monster digital boom box =
awesome music rattling the rafters. Can you hear me now?

Best BBQ in Boone County

Pat with left overs in front of Lonnie Ray's All-American
Grill and Cafe in the metropolis of Harrisburg, which is
my pick for the best durn BBQ in all of Boone County.
When you go there, make sure you bring a truck driver
size appetite.

More a vegetarian than not, Pat attempted to
tackle a half order of baby back ribs. Pat
fought the ribs, but the ribs won.

Dead Red

I euthanized a big, old, ailing red cedar tree last weekend.
Our chickens liked to hide under this tree from my dog
Mr. Bojangles. Now, our ecosystem is now out of balance.

Redneck Woodstock

Music week: Tab Benoit regaled the crowd with his guitar at the Blue Note last Thursday night, followed by Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown at The Midway Expo (a.k.a. Redneck Woodstock) on Friday night. We got there early, so we could get rained on, and then retreated to my pickup to listen to my favorite classic rock radio station for an hour and a half, while hail and 60 mph winds passed through. Apparently only the sane and sober sought shelter. The crowds inebriation level ratcheted up a few notches in our absence. But it was for Willie. He was awesome. Willie was joined by his son Lucas Nelson on stage. Lucas is a pretty good blues guitarist. I expect we will see move of Lucas.

Pat at our first stake out, where we listened to

Branley Gilbert and Lee Brice. New to us.

They play country music,

The clouds and the crowds began to gather. Both grew
thick and thunderous.

Sushi

Sushi for supper! We have had so much rain

that central MO has struggled with flooding

all spring. Apparently this gar ended up high 

and dry after the water receded below the 

deck of the Katy Trail bridge.