June 2012 Pautiq Camp

 

The first camping trip in the Wagon was to Shawnigan Lake for the Greenland paddlers Pautiq camp on Vancouver Island. It was basically good excuse for Greenland style paddlers and rollers to get together and have some fun.

 

During this time, I got talked into training for a competition held in Seattle in Nov, and so because of that I purchased a “new for me” boat, and second hand “Tahe Greenlander”, the premium rolling boat. wow a touch crazy though i am serious about learning and this boat is the best, plus it will be key in me learning what I can from in order to possibly develop a Greenland style folding boat with TRAK.

the Weekend was fun and casual and full of socialising and learning, plus just some crazy fun!

The Bus had it’s first adventure too, in the fact it rained during the weekend, and the heavy old thing sunk in the grass and I couldn’t drive out with out having gravel being poured under the wheels and being towed. oh the fun!

June 1st 2012; The New World Wild Expedition Mobile!

 

Ok so I have picked up and old Diesel Short bus. a “91 Ford E350” with a 7.3 ltr V8 Diesel Engine. It has only 132,000km’s on her, these engines are good for at least 500,000kms. Being an old wheel chair transporter, she is empty in the back and ready to be designed as a portable adventure HQ and Bio Diesel machine.  Loaded up with Gear Storage, sleeping quarters and kitchen is the hope. Maybe a Roof Rack/upper patio and certainly an internal power system for on the road computer editing.

We will see how she goes, I don’t want to put to much money into her until she has proven herself this summer with a road trip around the NW USA. I will keep the blog updated with our adventures together!

 

Here she is Standard as Purchased!

And now roughly set up to sleep and adventure from!

Feb 7th: Just Round The Corner

 

Trip Log:

Distance: 6 KNM

Weather: Sunny with light winds

Dinner: Chili with Beans

Story:

Waking to a cool morning, with a beautiful vista of the layered Islets across the mouth of the bay, we packed in no great hurry. After walking the boats out quite a distance to the edge of the sea, we loaded and then pushed off. The day was becoming a hot one, as usual, and we paddled for a couple of hours passed many houses and developments; which lead to a twang of remorse in my heart. After our journey around Coiba it was hard not to reflect on how developed the area is becoming and how wonderful it would have been before all the houses where here.

When the heat seemed too much we pulled up on a beach that looked like it had a lodge on it. We were hoping to be able to get fruit drinks and maybe relax in the shade, though we were only to find a gated retirement community that was set up by Panama’s president Toto Martinelli. Toto was also partially behind the protests that had been happening in Panama over the last few days, so we had heard. We moved on and found another beach to rest, one tightly packed with Palms and Flotsam. Amongst the coconut palms in the shade, well out of the way of falling Coconuts, we drifted off to sleep.

That evening we paddled on and found a nice little quite beach where we could set up our tent below a large almond tree on the sand, I hung our solar shower from a branch and Allie began cooking a dinner of Chilli. We took turns stirring the Chilli while the other had a shower. It was a bitter sweet night, we knew we would return to Santa Catalina tomorrow (the town being just around the next headland now) and we looked forward to restaurant meals, cold drinks (beer) and a real shower; though we were also sad to be leaving the simple life of journeying along the coast self sustained and free to explore. It was a full moon that night and the tides were covering all most all of the beach, but we had about 10 meters of space for the boats and our tent. In the that little space was where we were too sleep, with the waves lapping seemingly close to our feet, as we gazed through the mesh tent walls at the moon reflected on the water.

Tomorrow is a simple paddle around to more points back to Santa Catalina, and the surf isn’t big at all for our landing. Another kayak adventure finished and what an amazing one it was!

 

J

Isla Coiba Expedition Feb 6th 2012; A Beach

 

Trip Log:

Distance: 6 KNM

Weather: Sunny with light winds

Dinner: Instant noodles chocolate brownies

Story:

We woke to relaxed morning and came out to fried fish and plantains once again, this time for breakfast, and still delicious. We then hung out with Felix and his niece and nephew “Genisis” and “Joseph” all day. We all talked about Canada and New Zealand, looked at pictures of the countries in books and discussed other places in the world. Felix had never left the province of Veruagas, Panama, yet was very curious about the rest of the world. We then played in the Folding TRAK kayaks and Felix’s dugout canoe/Kayaks that had Greenland style wooden paddles. I showed them my attempts at Greenland balance braces and rolls with the TRAK kayak and their heavy hardwood paddles, quite fun, everyone was excited by the concept of rolling a kayak.

After smoked fish and rice for lunch we sleep in some hammocks in the shade until 3pm before we left at 3.45pm. It was an awkward and sad leaving, with us not wanting to over stay our welcome, though the family was obviously sad we couldn’t stay longer, Allie and I both agreed we would try and return in the following weeks for a longer stay and bring some gifts and food to contribute and thank the Hernade’s with. The family helped us launch the boats and, intrigued, watched us paddled out through the now small surf, they lingered on the beach until we were but specks rounding the nearest point

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Pushing on for about 5 KNM we came to a bay Felix informed us would have good beaches, he suggested we stop and see a guy there he knew, though we liked he thought of having and solitary night and choose a corner of a big beach by a river, here we bathed, cooked instant noodles and baked a chocolate brownie in the Dutch oven upon the fire, then slept.