Hey Kids,
Returning to work seems a little harder than ever leaving at all.
But of course I don’t mean that. It was needed to get away, to take a break.
Even still, my laptop doesn’t wish to connect- perhaps enjoying its vacation as well.
By the end of the week, I’ll be back into the swing.
I can’t wait to do it again in June!
Post 3-142
Hey Kids,
The week drew to a close. The boat was cleaned, the appliances switched off, and the doors locked. It was sad to say good bye to our home and friend born of our adventures. It had served us well, ran beautifully, and had kept us safe.
The bow bobbing in the slip seemed to wave to us good bye.
And then the next adventure began.
High winds accompanied an incoming storm. One that nearly tore the kayaks from our rooftop and tilted the car so far off of its suspension with its gusts, our loss of traction alarm sounded. We had to turn the truck into the wind and wait out the high winds until the front passed.
I have never been so sick of wind as I am right now.
Post 3-141
Hey Kids,
I know that the rule of thumb is to do it every day.
The true professional, or the person most wanting to succeed, must put in the time, put in the practice, or punch the clock as it were; every day whether you feel like or not. I’ve adopted this approach to writing and especially in writing this blog.
Every day I put effort into this blog to bring something thoughtful, humorous, or to share my own ideas, values, or personal achievements. But today I’m not going to do my blog. I’m sorry but I can’t. You see after traveling the two-thirds length of Utah and arriving for our maiden voyage on our houseboat, I did something really stupid.
We arrived at the lake, unpacked all of our equipment and loaded the boat docked in the slip, I returned to our vehicle to release the kayaks from their roost on the roof. Although the same wind that blew against us the entire road trip continued to howl, I removed the ties from one of the kayaks and turned to tend to the strap I had just removed.
The kayak, carried in the wind, much like it would on the water, landed straight onto the top of my head and nearly knocked me down to the ground.
The blood flowed. My wife and her daughter came to save me from bleeding to death and we got the other kayaks unloaded and transported to the boat.
Since then, my head gash, my neck, and my pride are going to keep me from writing my blog tonight and sharing what could otherwise be seen as a rather stupid and embarrassing event.
Please accept my apology and continue to think I’m as cool as I try to portray within the posts of this blog and to believe that I never do the same things as stupid people do.
Post 3-134
Hey Kids,
The lake calleth anew.
The weekend has come that we are about to head down to Lake Powell and get our boat training. At one point, this day seemed so far away and despite our numerous trips, I thought it would never come.
And now, the night before we leave, what have I packed? Nearly nothing.
By tomorrow morning, I’ll be rushing around trying to get ready, pushing the clock, and panicking that I’ll forget something.
But I’ll never wish I had more time to get ready.
Post 3-124
Hey Kids,
Did you hug the Earth on Earth Day?
We did!
Post 3-112
Hey Kids,
Remember when road trips took forever? Whoever thought 55MPH was a good idea, never had to drive across Nevada. Especially between Reno and Salt Lake City. We did it at least once every year.
I-80 was the name of the road, but it wasn’t finished for years. When the Interstate approached the small towns of Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, and Elko; the road ended and all traffic was diverted through the middle of town. In addition to the slower speed limit, these diversions made the trip go even longer. What now takes maybe 8 hours, used to take 12-14 hours.
We covered 300 miles today in 5 hours. Mostly 2 lane roads, some with passing lanes, we still traveled faster than the old 55.
And with air conditioning. Good air conditioning. I’ve crossed that desert a few times without it but I can do without that merit badge.
Traveling has changed a lot in my life time. Some of it I miss, like actually seeing the small towns you zoom pass now, but most of it do not. I think on this subject, progress has served us well.
What’s the line from the Billy Joel song- “The good old days weren’t always that good, and tomorrow isn’t as bad as it seems.”
Because, in the words of another song, but this time by Sammy Hagar; “I can’t drive 55.”
Post 3-106
Hey Kids,
The kayak is tied up.
My arms are tired.
My skin is red and crisp.
The grill is hot.
My tummy is full.
The music is soothing.
The boat in the slip is swaying.
The sun is setting.
The bed is calling.
Another successful day of stress relief at Lake Powell is ending.
Post 3-105
OK, this might seem more like a Facebook update than a blog post but here’s the story.
The day started out early, around 4:30. I got up did the morning routine, got me and my bike to the day job, did my full day there, got back home, packed the 4Runner, and got out of Dodge, er, Salt Lake.
Most of my pontificating will be done within the echos and cobwebs of mind as I watch the little dotted lines of the 300 miles of roadway fly past us. I’ll sing a little, cuss at other drivers a little more, and count down the miles as we roll through each town on the way.
In the morning, I’ll wake up floating atop 100′ of liquid happiness, other wise know as Lake Powell.
I love being where I belong.
Post 3-104
Hey Kids,
Our last scheduled day at Lake Powell arrived and we spent the day kayaking and biking in this super beautiful day. The sun warmed the blue sky to a perfect temperature and kissed our skin red. If there are limits to the amount of perfect days in one’s life- we just used one.
Sitting on the back of the boat, eating sandwiches and enjoying the warmth, dangling out feet in the cool water, and watching the bass swim underneath and the ducks cruise by looking to see if we had any more bread offerings; we both bemoaned how sad it was that we would have to leave today.
And then one said to the other, “what do you have to be back for?”
And the other replied, “nothing specific.”
So the first one gave the look. And the second agreed.
A few phone messages later, both were set for another evening spent on our little floating happiness.
Post 3-092
Hey Kids,
During the next two months a few “firsts” will be accomplished. Tonight will be the first of the firsts.
Last October, I spent a couple days on Lake Powell and it was love at first sight/boat/fish. If you’ve never seen Lake Powell, look it up.
Following our trip, it became my mission to return, and to make it so we would return more than once. We investigated and invested into a houseboat. This weekend will be our first overnight visit. Although we won’t be able to take the boat out of the slip, we will be hanging out for a couple of nights. We do have the task to commission a new kayak and I have a few new rod and reels to baptize.
I hope to have enough Wi-Fi from the docks to post new updates. If I disappear for a few days, which wouldn’t be a first, I’ll catch you up on our return.
Wish us sunny skies and calm waters.
Post 3-090
Mike M Jensen 