Making a Camp Bed Big Enough for Two

Making a Camp Bed Big Enough for Two

Planning for an upcoming camping trip Amy and I decided to purchase a sleeping bag and pad wide enough for both of us. We ended up with a Guide Gear self inflating pad and a King Camp Snowflake  300D                  ...
A Day Spent on the Water

A Day Spent on the Water

    My friend, Joe Castaldi, built a beautiful, sixteen foot gaff-rigged Melonseed Skiff from the original plans. He sent word he was planning to launch her for a maiden voyage down at the Hood River Marina, so I showed up yesterday, bright and early to...
Well, That Was Dumb.

Well, That Was Dumb.

My last week before I retired, I decided to ride the moto to work. People expected it of me and I enjoy the ride. It was December, with temperatures down around 15f (-9.4c). I suited up and went out to the garage. The bike had been plugged into a tender, so the...
Good Morning

Good Morning

              5/29/25 5:30 57f (13.9c) Cloudy. The morning started dull, gray and broken up, but now the clouds have gone all Maxfield Parrish. What I thought were swallows chasing bugs turned out to be floaters, but still,  it is a...
Mardingtop 25L Backpack M6347A

Mardingtop 25L Backpack M6347A

For years my EDC was a Wolfman tankbag. When I was still working, I kept it filled with maps and tools and fuses for my moto, emergency kit, knife, a roll of T.P. and my lunch.  I could leave straight from work for the woods when the notion took me. When that bag wore...
In Search of Disappearing Lake

In Search of Disappearing Lake

      Every winter South Prairie floods, forming  a chain of connected lakes or impoundments covering many acres. For a brief, miraculous moment there exists the Pacific Northwest equivalent of a bayou. You can kayak between towering cottonwoods and...