Sunday, November 25, 2012

Drope Lake Timelapse

This was shot on the last night of our canoe trip this fall on the Churchill River.  We were camped at Big Stanley Rapids overlooking Drope Lake in Lac La Ronge Provincial Park.

Drope Lake Time-lapse from Rob Kunz on Vimeo.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip Photos

Stanley Mission Church in the distance.Our rig at the Montreal River campground.Montreal River PanoramaOn our way to La RongeThumbs up from the patientQuick stop for a geocahe - DNF
Loading boats at Stanley MissionOn the waterAnother "thumbs up" from BryanLooking for the Stanley Mission rock paintings.Looking for the Stanley Rapids Rock Paintings
Found them.Stanley Rapids Rock PaintingsStanley Rapids Rock PaintingsRelaxing at the Stanley Rock PaintingsPaddling past Big Stanley RapidsStanley Rapids Rock Paintings
Approaching Little Stanley RapidsLittle Stanley RapidsStanley Rapids? SignBryanRod & JayBryan kayaking the Churchill River
2012 Canoe/Kayak Trip, a set on Flickr.
Hey folks, here are the photos from our NSE Canoe trip from September 28 - October 1, 2012. We camped on Nistowiak Lake and did day trips to Nistowiak Falls and Potter Rapids. It was a great trip with great fall weather.  Enjoy!

You can also check out the timelapse that Rob put together on the last night of the trip at it's own blog post.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Gnarly Sailing

On the recent Northstar Expeditions trip to Nistowiak Falls from Stanley Mission, we did a little downwind sailing for a few kilometers. Our sail rig was as simple as it gets: with the canoe in the centre and a kayak on each side, we held the a tarp erect with paddles to catch the wind. Sometimes hard to hold, hard to see where we were going, and with strictly downwind capability, this tarp sail was rather limited in it's efficiency. We sailed a little slower than we would have been paddling, but didn't need to paddle (that's not to say we weren't working at it).

It looks like we could learn a lot from Mr. Gnarlydog. Check out this post on the Gnarlydog News blog to see some fantastic sailing in small paddle craft. http://gnarlydognews.blogspot.ca/2012/08/video-kayak-sailing-in-bay.html

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Kayaking in Some Hairy Stuff

This is way beyond NSE, but it's pretty exciting to watch. Interesting to see how they got out in the end. This is from Neptune's Rangers who are the California coastal kayak equivalent to Northstar Expeditions. (No, not really.)

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Potato Gun + GoPro

Don't show this one to Rod.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Where To Go, Version 12.0

The 2012 NSE trip got pushed back a month, which is why you haven't seen the photos and trip report yet (not that that actually makes a difference). As every year, we have been asking each other

"So, where should we go this year?"


This year I'm suggesting we strap the kayaks to the roof of the van and head for Wawa and the Gales Storm Gathering. It would be pretty awesome to ride the rough water of Lake Superior. The cast of instructors (here & here) that are going to be there is pretty remarkable too (hey, if I went maybe I could add myself to the list).


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A Fishing Tip For Us

As canoeists, we don't bring minnows or live bait with us on our trips. It would get stinky real fast. Here is an article from Outdoor Canada that we could make some use of.

http://outdoorcanada.ca/22340/blogs/on-the-water-online/using-artificials-when-fishing-for-walleye

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Johnny

This one's for Jay. I heard this tonight while listening to Fred Eaglesmith and I thought of Jay. I was able to find this video of a couple of guys in a bar, but I'm pretty sure they're covering a Fred song, they sound like they're trying to sound like Fred Eaglesmith. Maybe they're a couple of Fredheads.

To hear Fred sing it properly, find it here: http://www.robspotter.com/jukebox2/120121_knoxville/ (21 minutes in if you want to skip the opening acts, which are also pretty good).

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Friends

Thursday, May 3, 2012

It's Almost Time

The folks at Churchill River Canoe Outfitters in Missinipe, Saskatchewan obviously have a great sense of humour. Check out this video from earlier today (May 3rd, 2012).

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Don't Tell The Other Guys About This New Product

I learned from our friends over at PaddlingInstructor.com about a new camping innovation. It's Coleman's Camping Oven and holds the promise of fewer instances of burned cinnamon rolls frypan cooked over the campfire. I can see a certain member of NSE either lobbying for it's inclusion on trips, or deciding he could build one himself out of 18 gauge steel.



Check it out at http://www.paddlinginstructor.com/gear/4478-coleman-introduces-a-propane-camping-oven.html. Oh, and did I mention it weighs 41 lbs?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

in Cahoots

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favourite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the heart.

And, sometimes, I think I am in Vincible, but life shows me I am not!

I have, however, been in Deepshit many times; the older I get, the easier it is to get there

Thanks to the folks at MyCCR.com for the jokes.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Men in Skirts

Bomber Gear is currently running a contest (last day is today!) on their Facebook page asking folks to post videos or pictures of themselves wearing Bomber Gear in public. We like the following entry.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Compensating for anything?

Note that none of the members of Northstar Expeditions rides a Harley.

On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together. One day the two were playing, when the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the horse whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer for help! Off the chicken ran, back to the farm. 
Arriving at the farm, he searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Harley. Finding the keys in the ignition, the chicken sped off with a length of rope hoping he still had time to save his friend's life.  
Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive on the shiny Harley, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmer's bike, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful bike, rescued the horse!  
Happy and proud, the chicken rode the Harley back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two animals was cemented: Best Buddies, Best Pals.  
A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon, he too, began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his hangy-down thingy and he would then lift him out of the pit. 
The chicken got a good grip, and the horse pulled him up and out, saving his life.
The moral of the story? (yep, you betcha, there is a moral!)









'When You're Hung Like A Horse, You Don't Need A Harley To Pick Up Chicks'