Recent content by Odyssey

Our fly and tarps are seldom wet upon departure, but if they are they get stuffed into a dry bag, which is included in the tent pack. The tents have different sacks for each component anyway; tent body, fly, poles, pegs... they all go into the same backpack regardless. On dewy mornings it...

There was a saying when I was a kid that didn't really apply to tents, but I'll throw it out there anyway. "Hey kid, close the barn door or the horses will get out!"

The closest I've come to a circumnavigation of Ireland was on a portage trail in Algonquin. My wife and I were just finishing up a week in the park, waiting for the portage crowds to thin when I fell into conversation with a lady who had 101 questions...bears, food, weather... Detecting the soft...

I was gifted a Reactor 12 V Multi-Functional Jump Starter Power Bank by my son-in-law, very generous. Thus far I've only used it to charge phones and gkids' toys, but I have no doubt it'll provide backup to devices. It comes along on car trips but hasn't gone canoeing. Maybe this summer...maybe...

Timing eh. Pre 2020 I took a peek at tiny trailers (who needs gas fireplaces and granite counter tops) and the prices were reasonable. Despite that I thought I may as well wait for retirement before getting a used Boler or whatever. Along came Covid and people went on a tear replacing indoor...

I grew up just outside a small village in the middle of farm country. I married the girl who lived way across the fields, so not quite next door, but in those days and rural vibes it may as well have been. Her eldest brother hung out with Wayne, rain or shine, winter and summer. They rode BSA's...

And like all IKEA products assembly will almost be intuitive, the instructions perplexing. Put on some soft music, a pot of chamomile and lock the door.

Today I passed by a fellow who had a red Esquif Huron 15 on his car. Nice looking canoe. Any one of those beautiful paddles would be a delight. The cherry might be my favourite.

"This would be a much less enjoyable trip if I didn’t have functional French." I've found the real universal language spoken there is one of friendly gentle etiquette, without fail. Bonjour, s'il vous plait, merci, au revoir... This is particular to French social tradition.

Could this work? The adjustable legs might almost make it a ramp? https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Platform-Portable-Scaffolding-Adjustable/dp/B0DNYZHQ2L?th=1

We've seldom taken door mats for our tents on paddling trips, but they've become a glamping fixture with car camping. We did try (and appreciate) rolled woven straw beach mats on a couple trips. One in each tent vestibule. However they were prone to wet wear and tear. Despite this they held up...

If you're paddling Killarney it's worth the trip to town for Herbert Fisheries for their fish and chips, right there on the waterfront.

Try the Crown And Beaver Pub next time you're passing through North Bay. Killer burgers. Great mac n cheese. Check out the Beaver Dam Nachos (lol).

from A Life In The Bush, Lessons From My Father by Roy MacGregor... catching, cooking and eating fish in the bush with his father Duncan and Native friends. "The women had large loaves of bread out and were slicing them on a board, thicker slices than I had ever seen. They looked big enough...

While I have used them on rare occasions my preferences haven't changed. Tines too tiny, spoon bowl offers barely a sip. The more trad cutlery are not too heavy for tripping and can be found everywhere, new, used, found. Here are ours: New knives, old refurbished spoons, forks found in our...