Big Sweet Tooth

My New Kayak - Tarpon Wilderness 100

Kayaks - what is really needed?

Freaky deaky how much time it takes to find the right vessel for your vibe.  I just wanted a kayak that was small - like 10'.  Weighed something insignificant - 53 lbs.  Was a super cute color - I'm calling it cucumber (The Cuke as in fatty speak).  And, that I could literally flip and flop about the marina in.  No fear.  No hesitations.

I ain't looking to traipse the damn Congo in the thing.  I like sneaking up on peeps.  Peering into situations.  Observing from up close and afar with nobody none the wiser.  A nice cup holder will do as well (full of something saucy of course).  Couple of hatches to stow some things in.  Sleek and sassy.  And, I dig the sit on top.  I'm claustrophobic you know.  Can't be trapped down low - which means a full flip and near death experience for me.

I tried out one this weekend - a pals pal had it for sale.  14' of super fast, super white insanity.  I was flying in about 2.2 and literally slid straight up under a 50' catamaran.  Just cruised on thru.  God help me.  Was a good deal - but more next level kayak.  I need the baby girl that's gonna have my back.

This one arrives on some giant 18 wheeler this week - and will be put to good use this summer and onward.  Have you ever seen a more adorable kayak?  I can strap it to the roof of my Land Rover and head to Baja - no problemo.  I can haul about in the water with my Whisper Light paddle.  I can step off the back of the FLO directly onto it.  I can lock it down on my sailboat easy peasy.  Guess I could bench press it at 53 lbs :)

Tarpon Wilderness 100.  Love it.

 

Manitou Springs, Colorado: Historic Hippie Town USA

Yet another perfect place to live was discovered this past week.  While driving from Chicago to Colorado to pick up Yatz, I stayed the night at a motel in this little mountain town called Manitou Springs, just outside of Colorado Springs, CO.  Talk about adorable. It's really tiny and super hilly and perfectly situated at the very base of Pikes Peak.  The folks were definitely friendly (seems I got into very heated debates in the local watering holes regarding global warming, third world travel, eco-minded retreats, etc...) and they all seemed to step outside the bar every few minutes for a bit of doobage which lent to the hippie feel of the town all night long.  At one point, I was sitting at the bar enjoying a convo with a wild-eyed war vet named "Black" when I glanced out the window and saw a few of the locals pushing a coffin up the street.  Turns out they were practicing for the big coffin race coming up that weekend.  Interesting stuff all the way around.  It'd definitely make a good basecamp for an outdoorsy type--hell, when the rugged sporting goods store has a liquor license and does open mic nights, you know somethings gotta be right in the world!

This Is Really Chicago~

Pretty crazy to think that this image was taken just a few steps from my front door.  My building cradles a tiny private beach and with the weather being in top form these past few weeks, I'm still amazed to walk out, look right and boom...see a sailboat just floating by.  I'm on my way to the Carib in a few weeks to check out a slightly bigger boat than the one I have (not that I don't love my C & C but I'm having a real hard time accepting the fact that I can only sail 5 months out of the year here in Chi)-- and I just have a feeling that once I get there, I'm not going to want to return to the cold.  Thankfully, Indo is on the horizon and I'll be in mad heat for a month. In the meantime, I've got my boat in the water 'til Monday and I've always got my view.

Lake Michigan and Urbanspoon: Where I'll spend my summer~

I swear to God, when I walk down the little pathway to my front door every morning and look East this is the view I have of Lake Michigan.  I mean, can you imagine? How the heck did I get so lucky to find a super-adorable little place (with a fireplace, mind you) this insanely close to the lake?  Cheesy as it sounds, it's just such a total joy to come home every night and know that yep!  tomorrow morning when I wake up the lake will still be there--I am always just totally stunned.  Needless to say, this summer I am gonna get me a little kayak and this little patch of beach will become my put in for some big time adventures.  I also plan on slowly discovering every single restaurant in my new 'hood (East Rogers Park)---which will be made much easier by using this handy new website I was just turned onto--Urbanspoon.  It's quite a brilliant collection of various citywide reviews of a plethora of restaurants all across the city...and if they just tag in some photos, well, they'll have a 100% winner on their hands~~

A Sweet Little Cottage in Michigan

I've always wondered what it would be like to own a cute little cottage in Michigan,  so this past weekend, after seeing a house for sale ad on craigslist, I hauled up to a tiny town near South Haven to check out a place.  Very cute, indeed.  It was really adorable, set back on a country road, surrounded by blueberry fields, picket fences and a backyard full of apple trees.  I was just sitting on the front porch, listening to the neighbors chickens squawk and imagining that I owned the place.  EEEEEEEE!!!!!  Michigan?  No, no, no....that's not right.  What, am I settling down?  Who needs a country home in Michigan when there's the whole entire world to gallop around? And, besides that, I love the city. When I left there (and I felt like I spent hours pretending), I was delighted that I'd struck yet another location off the on-going Misty List of places to Live.  I'm always in a constant state of motion with that one and 'til I find the place (I have a feeling it ain't in the USA), then I'll just keep plottin', plannin' and pretendin'~

Flagstaff, AZ: Eco-Adventure Central

On the way to Baja, we stopped in the beautiful little town  of Flagstaff, AZ for some Cracker Barrel (beans, greens, salad with homemade ranch and cornbread with honey is truck driver fuel) and a bit of Red Bull.  Taking a moment to jump away from the highway (Route 66), we moseyed through the charming village-like town of Flagstaff and promptly fell in love.  It's now made my Perfect Place to Live list and me and my whole crew just simply wandered about, chatted up the locals and contemplated what it would be like to live in this rustic, eco-hip mountain town.   

Snow-capped peaks, organic restaurants, walkability, free-trade coffee, outdoor gear, mountain biking, deep valley hiking and general goodness spreads up and down the cute, chilled-out avenues.  A fella working at the local mountaineering store says he pays $650 for a 3-bedroom house on the outskirts of town and another local says, "It is by far the perfect place to live."  I believe him. 

Chattanooga, TN~Outside Magazine's Top 10

A decade ago, I bolted from what we lovingly call Chattavegas, intent on never returning to the mountain that I was raised on~I was headed for grander pastures like movie-mecca Hollywood.  Ahhh, how times change though.  Not only do I now return every month or so, my whole family lives in/near here and it is literally my favorite spot (besides Yelapa, Mexico) in the world. 
A few years back, Outside Magazine named Chattanooga as one of the Top 10 Places to live in the  USA;  indeed, I definitely took another look at my hometown after reading the article.
Perched directly on the TN river and surrounded by magestic mountain ranges and wide open spaces, what was once a sleepy little river town has turned into an adventure lovers paradise.  There's kayaking, rock-climbing, hang-gliding, mountain hiking, boating, extreme bicycling, rafting, canoeing, lake swimming, and three-wheeling.  The restaurants have become more and more delicious and buying a home isn't going to put you out a cool million.  You can actually purchase a super-cute bungalow, in a cool part of town, for about a $100k.   
The weather rocks, the people are friendly, there is ALWAYS parking, and the vibe is definitely mountain eco-hip.  I just love calling it home.

Sunny Los Angeles, California

I know, I know---who can stand LA?  Ah, but there is a perfect part of LA that is honest-to-goodness paradise.  It's called South Bay and here's the deal.  About 14 miles south of Santa Monica is this little patch of heaven that is what everyone dreams of when they think about Southern California.  The area is right on the Pacific Ocean and is made up of super-cute little villages like Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.  I happen to keep my sailboat in Redondo Beach at King Harbor Marina...it is the best marina in Southern California and literally blows Marina del Rey away!  My boat is at the end of the dock and there is nothing like waking up there and being 2 seconds from the Pacific Ocean, as well as The Strand (beachfront path that runs for miles and miles---through Malibu).  Of course, I already need an upgrade on the boat (um....40'?) but even when I do that, I will absolutely keep my boat in the same location.  This area is just minutes from LAX (much needed, for a quick getaway!), and when you are there, you don't even remember the patches of severe depression that riddle Los Angeles. 

Blazin' through Charleston

For some reason, I thought Charleston, South Carolina was the answer to all my questions.  Super-quaint, not too big, full of Southern charm, has a Slow Food convivium, and more than anything, positioned right on the Atlantic Ocean (I wanted somewhere I could keep a sailboat in the water year round). 
Look at this little house!  Who wouldn't want to come home to this?  I'm sure this place was a cool million.
Ah, but what I quickly found out after a short trip there in Dec. was that :
A.  It does get cold there (40ish in Dec.).
B.  Just because it's in the South doesn't mean it's not  expensive.
I guess you have to pay for all that cobble stoned history.  Right in the heart of a historical district was a sign for a 3rd floor, 500 sq. foot apartment for sale for $350,000.  That is just totally insane.  Who even makes that sort of cash in Charleston???  The only true industry  there is tourism and come on, what the heck??
Of course, slip fees for a sailboat were once again the cheapest, smartest way to go.  $10 bucks per foot, per month (unlike LA, where my boat is at King Harbor Marina, you could be a liveaboard at a marina here for this amount per month--so, 35 ft. x $10=$350 per month) and you are right in the heart of it all.   Livin' on a boat just looks better and better every place I go.  And, the most important discovery of all~once you have lived on and explored the Pacific, the Atlantic just pales in comparison.  Sorry.