I bought a new kayak over the weekend! I have never owned my own kayak, but I bought one super cheap from our Perception rep..an Essence 16.5. The specs are here.

I got this baby on the water for the first time today, and it paddles quite nicely. The boat seems pretty stable...it is a British design similar to its cousin the Wilderness Systems Tempest 165, which I have been paddling intermittently for three years now, so I pretty well knew what to expect. I feel that the Tempest has a little more primary stability perhaps, but from my brief one hour paddle they seem pretty similar. As I continue to paddle it, I will be able to post a more complete review.

My trip was out around Garrett Bay, and the conditions were completely glassy. I left my camera in the car, but when I get the pics up tomorrow, I think you will be able to see the reflectoin of the clouds on the water. SWEEET!!

Last night I got out on my mountian bike for the first time in a month...I can't believe I've been of the trails for so long, but it wasn't too bad; I have been averaging 4 hours a day in the kayak and riding on the road twice a week, plus volleyball. Just enough to keep a brotha in shape. I decided to get back on the MTB to prepare my bike handling for Moab with Kennen and Phil. This shouldn't be a bad trip: Slickrock Trail, Porcupine Rim, Bartlett Wash, Sovereign Trail, and The Whole Enchilada. And some riding in Fruita. Looks like the best riding trip since Whistler '06 and MAYBE more fun than Telluride in '02...we'll see.

I just got a new digital camera, so that will be going, and I'm really hoping to have a DV cam by then. Other than that I need some baggies, a new Camelback, and a few other minor odds and ends, and I should be good to go. STOKED!!!!

Here's a decent video from the Slickrock Trail in Moab. It's about ten minutes long, but more than half decent.