I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

Almost everything comes to an end, someday or other... It was good to
have enjoyed the hayday of RBP, an experience I will always treasure.
It was also fun to have met so many RBP'ers, including you, Myron.
I won't forget that either!

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
http://kayaker.nl/

On Oct 27, 4:36?am, riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

Riverman;

I would have to agree. We can all recall this group's days in the
sun. It was a resouce that had an effect. It was quoted in magazines
and books. It was lively and vibrant, full of personalities. It
created a community of people we hoped to meet some day. And some we
hoped to avoid. Now it is just an empty screen

Did we simply change venues, or did we lose something more? Did we
disappear into the flow of ordinary lives, driven now by family and
careers rather than a sense of outdoor adventure? I think there is
more to it than just the hassles of cyberspace. I think we changed as
people, reflecting perhaps the larger divide that exists in this
country. I sense we are no longer focus on the common values that
unite us, but on the differences that separate us.

Maybe there is a fixed sized appetite for a sense of community. Like
heat, it can only be felt when it is concentrated and not diffused.
What we used to share in this newsgroup in a concentrated form exists
now only in its more diffuse form of electronic communication that
runs all through our daily lives. We have moved from a small town
community to the heart of Manhattan. The amount of ourselves that we
can share with others moves toward zero.

I miss that sense of community. Now standing on the threshold of true
Geezerhood, I think about moving from the city back to a small town in
the hope that I can become a member of physical community. I think I
might try Ely, MN. There has to be enough birds of similar feather
there that one might feel at home.

I am now 58. When I was 49, I published the list of goals I called "A
River Rat looks at 50". I take great satisfaction in those goals that
were accomplished. Many others were not. Some, like a Grand Canyon
lottery slot, still remain on the list. Those that were not
accomplished were mostly replaced by new and different goals. These
things exist in a window of spirit and opportunity. New demands
arise, old wants get replaced. But the spirit of adventure still
remains strong.

Blakely

--
Blakely LaCroix
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
r.b.p clique member #86.

"The best adventure is yet to come"

A sad day for sure from an avid reader, occasional contributor.

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!



RIP? hopefully not yet


Carol

"Railtramp" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Oct 27, 4:36?am, riverman wrote:
I'm calling it. 17:34 local time, Oct 27, 2007. Cause of Death;
overwhelming spam, apathy, sex ads, garbage and general toxicity.

We should have taken better care of her...

--riverman

Riverman;

I would have to agree. We can all recall this group's days in the
sun. It was a resouce that had an effect. It was quoted in magazines
and books. It was lively and vibrant, full of personalities. It
created a community of people we hoped to meet some day. And some we
hoped to avoid. Now it is just an empty screen

Did we simply change venues, or did we lose something more? Did we
disappear into the flow of ordinary lives, driven now by family and
careers rather than a sense of outdoor adventure? I think there is
more to it than just the hassles of cyberspace. I think we changed as
people, reflecting perhaps the larger divide that exists in this
country. I sense we are no longer focus on the common values that
unite us, but on the differences that separate us.

Maybe there is a fixed sized appetite for a sense of community. Like
heat, it can only be felt when it is concentrated and not diffused.
What we used to share in this newsgroup in a concentrated form exists
now only in its more diffuse form of electronic communication that
runs all through our daily lives. We have moved from a small town
community to the heart of Manhattan. The amount of ourselves that we
can share with others moves toward zero.

I miss that sense of community. Now standing on the threshold of true
Geezerhood, I think about moving from the city back to a small town in
the hope that I can become a member of physical community. I think I
might try Ely, MN. There has to be enough birds of similar feather
there that one might feel at home.

I am now 58. When I was 49, I published the list of goals I called "A
River Rat looks at 50". I take great satisfaction in those goals that
were accomplished. Many others were not. Some, like a Grand Canyon
lottery slot, still remain on the list. Those that were not
accomplished were mostly replaced by new and different goals. These
things exist in a window of spirit and opportunity. New demands
arise, old wants get replaced. But the spirit of adventure still
remains strong.

Blakely

--
Blakely LaCroix
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
r.b.p clique member #86.

"The best adventure is yet to come"

krueger wrote:

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!

The higher cost of gasoline might have something to do with it.
I was going to drive north from San Jose to run the class 2 Klamath
(below Copco reservoir) last weekend, but didn't want to pay for gas.
However two weekends ago on the South Silver below Ice House reservoir,
there were scads of kayakers!

Build a river, and they will come!

I was going to submit a TR of my recent Grand Canyon adventure,
but the audience here is so small I didn't take the time.

Do!

I love reading about other peoples adventures and pics too.

Carol

"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message
...
krueger wrote:

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the
paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and
it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting
older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the
creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it
better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and
the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may
morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!

The higher cost of gasoline might have something to do with it.
I was going to drive north from San Jose to run the class 2 Klamath
(below Copco reservoir) last weekend, but didn't want to pay for gas.
However two weekends ago on the South Silver below Ice House reservoir,
there were scads of kayakers!

Build a river, and they will come!

I was going to submit a TR of my recent Grand Canyon adventure,
but the audience here is so small I didn't take the time.

"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message
...
krueger wrote:

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the
paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and
it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting
older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the
creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it
better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and
the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may
morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!

The higher cost of gasoline might have something to do with it.
I was going to drive north from San Jose to run the class 2 Klamath
(below Copco reservoir) last weekend, but didn't want to pay for gas.
However two weekends ago on the South Silver below Ice House reservoir,
there were scads of kayakers!

Build a river, and they will come!

I was going to submit a TR of my recent Grand Canyon adventure,
but the audience here is so small I didn't take the time.


I think the gas issue is a point - I'm lucky and have a dozen little
fiddling around rivers near here, and I get out paddling quite a bit, but
they're hardly worth a trip report...even my moonlight treks down the
Kalamazoo at midnight are a lot more fun to do than to read about.

I still read, and I've got most of the spam canned, but things are a bit
slow around here.

Cricket

On Oct 30, 6:21 pm, "Cricket" wrote:
"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message

...



krueger wrote:

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the
paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and
it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting
older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the
creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it
better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and
the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may
morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!

The higher cost of gasoline might have something to do with it.
I was going to drive north from San Jose to run the class 2 Klamath
(below Copco reservoir) last weekend, but didn't want to pay for gas.
However two weekends ago on the South Silver below Ice House reservoir,
there were scads of kayakers!

Build a river, and they will come!

I was going to submit a TR of my recent Grand Canyon adventure,
but the audience here is so small I didn't take the time.

I think the gas issue is a point - I'm lucky and have a dozen little
fiddling around rivers near here, and I get out paddling quite a bit, but
they're hardly worth a trip report...even my moonlight treks down the
Kalamazoo at midnight are a lot more fun to do than to read about.

I still read, and I've got most of the spam canned, but things are a bit
slow around here.

Cricket

I think one major reason RBP has lost favor in the past 10-15 years is
the advent and tremendous popularity of the WWW. Not naming any
websites in particular, but people love websites, because they offer a
much richer mix of media than simple ASCII text, which Usenet is
limited to. Plain and simple.

It's almost a wonder Usenet still exists! I mean, horses and buggy's
barely exist anymore, and such is the way with yesteryear's
technologies, of which Usenet is these days, yano?

Maybe someone needs to start an rbp.com website! Whoops! Someone
already did:

http://rbp.com/

;-)

John Kuthe...

John Kuthe...

I think it's more than just fuel costs.

A group of us open boaters were on the Klamath 4th July week, and normally
we see rafters and kayakers, but rarely canoeist. Curly Jack CG, Sarah
Totten CG are full, commercial rafters at Trees of Heaven, Happy Camp,
Curley Jack, and Ferry Point put-ins. This year we saw one youth group of 3
rafts, and one guided raft on the Happy Camp run, and one group at Trees of
Heaven, and the camp grounds were basicly empty... Unheard of! To our
surprise though, the surf wave at School House is now considered a "park 'n
play" spot, and was occupied with lots of kayakers.

We still enjoyed having the river to ourselves, but it was almost too quiet!

Added note: Rattle Snake and The Trench have seen some changes from our
last visit 2 years ago.

Carol

"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message
...
krueger wrote:

But in some respects, I think this also reflects the state of the
paddling
community, especially open boaters on the West Coast. It used to be our
rivers were a busy place with lots of folks of both persuasion out there
enjoying a great sport. Did anyone catch "My Turn" in Newsweek? Now it
seems that every other outing, our group is the only one out there and
it's
getting smaller too........We're getting older, our boats are getting
older
and neither are replaceable to a certain degree. Yes, along with the
creaky
joints, our interests are slowly shifting or is it expanding? Be it
better
or worse. But as long as the knees still bend, the ankles still flex and
the
wrists/fingers are willing to grip, we'll still paddle. Rivers may
morph
into the bay, slough, and lagoons, but the spirit carries on!

The higher cost of gasoline might have something to do with it.
I was going to drive north from San Jose to run the class 2 Klamath
(below Copco reservoir) last weekend, but didn't want to pay for gas.
However two weekends ago on the South Silver below Ice House reservoir,
there were scads of kayakers!

Build a river, and they will come!

I was going to submit a TR of my recent Grand Canyon adventure,
but the audience here is so small I didn't take the time.

most people don't like to read things they don't agree with,
so they prefer moderated sites instead of usenet.

Dirk