"Frederick Burroughs" wrote in message
...
Chris Guynn wrote:


Have you ever considered strapping a tank to your back and checking out
what
the surface of the water looks like from the other side? You might be
amazed. I've got limited kayaking experience, but I'd much rather swim
with
the fishes.


Never had the pleasure, largely because I don't get the chance.
Closest I got was snorkling in Key West. The rivers where I live are
very low volume, as in knee deep at best during the summer. Canoe and
kayak are best suited for the local aquatic niche. Scuba classes are
held in some of the local abandoned rock quarries, all on private
land. Much of the river banks snuggle up to National Forest, open to
public use and camping. So, I take advantage of what's in my backyard.
I can be on either the North or South Fork of the Shenandoah River
within 10 minutes from my home.

I lived within 15 minutes of the headwaters of the Nantahala in NC. I
enjoyed my limited kayaking, but I'd still rather travel farther to watch
the fish in their natural habitat. :-)

Frederick Burroughs wrote:
donquijote1954 wrote:

Darwin proposed the "survival of the fittest." I think he also proposed
"size matters," though this may have been proposed by his wife. And
both laws fit our roads and waterways quite well.


Niche is as important, or more so than competition. While the bass
boaters are restricted to a two or three mile stretch of river behind
a dam, paddlers have a couple hundred miles of quiet, remotely
beautiful and largely unspoiled river.

But, that short stretch of river frequented by the bass fishermen is
an economic engine for the state, with boat registration, fishing
permits and fishing guide businesses.

Let the muthaboaters have their piers and concrete ramps. Paddlers are
happy to have a dirt or graveled pull-off from any state road that
runs near the water. There is little that can rival the beauty of
silently gliding on a waterway unassaulted by the hand and removed
from the noise of man. In fog-shrouded morning or gold and red-hued
evening, these quiet places become transcendent.

A canoe or kayak is the best time machine invented. It takes you into
the distant past (or far future, beyond the reign of man). It is not a
question of survival of the fittest. It becomes an appreciation of
aesthetics, an exercise of our brain's highest functions. No longer
anchored by primitive survival requirements, we progress into levels
of metaphysical beauty. We flow on currents of expanded consciousness.


Beautiful piece of writing indeed, but rather weak in justifying the
lion. Where's that money from motorboats going if not to pay THE
MACHINE, rather grinding I'd say...

Where's the law?

Things get more difficult all the time...

Beautiful day for kayaking. Perfect where I live, since I live here, in
a human jungle, mostly because I can walk to the bay, barely one block
away. So I just walked my kayak there until I heard someone--the park
guard--screaming. "No kayaks here!" "Why!?" I said. "Well,
regulations," he barked back. "But is there any law?" I insisted. He
informed me that the Parks Department doesn't want any legal suit from
people hurting themselves on the rocks... According to that logic, the
medical profession would be banned because you can bring suits against
doctors... And then I asked him if he didn't do anything about a
homeless couple near us, a common sight at the park. He challenged me,
"do they bother you?" And I say they don't bother me in quickly passing
through the park, but they sure scare the average family. In effect,
most of our parks remain no man's land.

Anyway I didn't take "no" for an answer, and I had him call the police.
But, of course, lion helps lion, and I was almost swallowed. And they
say they serve the community... I asked them why they don't take care
of the homeless in the park, and they anwered back that that was a
different issue. Thinking to myself, "shouldn't the issue be a clean,
safe park?" And then I asked, "where's the law that prevents me from
launching a kayak at this park?" They clued me in there's no law, only
the law of the guard, and roared at me to get lost at once or else...
And I say, I know that law, THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE...

NOTE: I called the Parks Department later and they confirmed the
prohibition. So a member of the community trying to have fun out there
is restricted by the "law"; the homeless though got the law on their
side. Where's the law?

Chicago Paddling-Fishing wrote:
In rec.boats.paddle Chris Guynn wrote:
snip
: Have you ever considered strapping a tank to your back and checking out what
: the surface of the water looks like from the other side? You might be
: amazed. I've got limited kayaking experience, but I'd much rather swim with
: the fishes.

As I see schools of latex fishies passing me in my kayak, no, I have not
considered jumping in...

http://www.chicagopaddling.org/grandcalumetsign.jpg

You're probably thinking, "Gee it's a jungle down there." But hey, it's
a jungle on the surface too, let alone on land so go ahead and jump.

donquijote1954 wrote:



Beautiful day for kayaking. Perfect where I live, since I live here, in
a human jungle, mostly because I can walk to the bay, barely one block
away. So I just walked my kayak there until I heard someone--the park
guard--screaming. "No kayaks here!" "Why!?" I said. "Well,
regulations," he barked back. "But is there any law?" I insisted. He
informed me that the Parks Department doesn't want any legal suit from
people hurting themselves on the rocks... According to that logic, the
medical profession would be banned because you can bring suits against
doctors... And then I asked him if he didn't do anything about a
homeless couple near us, a common sight at the park. He challenged me,
"do they bother you?" And I say they don't bother me in quickly passing
through the park, but they sure scare the average family. In effect,
most of our parks remain no man's land.

Anyway I didn't take "no" for an answer, and I had him call the police.
But, of course, lion helps lion, and I was almost swallowed. And they
say they serve the community... I asked them why they don't take care
of the homeless in the park, and they anwered back that that was a
different issue. Thinking to myself, "shouldn't the issue be a clean,
safe park?" And then I asked, "where's the law that prevents me from
launching a kayak at this park?" They clued me in there's no law, only
the law of the guard, and roared at me to get lost at once or else...
And I say, I know that law, THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE...

NOTE: I called the Parks Department later and they confirmed the
prohibition. So a member of the community trying to have fun out there
is restricted by the "law"; the homeless though got the law on their
side. Where's the law?



Perhaps you should stand up, take control of your life, and move out of
that overpriced slum that you appear to live in. Of course, I really
doubt that you'd fit in out in the country. All those rednecks, don't
you know? The ones that you appear to look down on. The ones that you
might have to depend upon to pull you out of the ditch, jump start your
car some time, or be part of the volunteer crew that comes to fight a
fire at your place. Heaven forbid that they might expect the same from you.

"And what of the dolphin who kills the shark, yet eats his fill of
sardines? The problem with sardines is that they are designed to be
eaten....."

See what I mean? Typical Conservative: the sardines are designed to be
eaten, probably designed by God...

Has it ever crossed your mind that they are living creatures, no worse
than sharks? Why then we don't pick on them? They are ugly for one...

Well man, I got news for you, sardines are pretty and they have the
right to cooperate to survive. By the way, dolphins (save for a few)
belong with the little fish because they are smart and also cute.

I think there's another Law of the Jungle that says (or ought to say)
SURVIVAL OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL.

"Just like a pack of Wolves ha? Yeah They are efficient predators. The
needs of the PACK outweigh the needs of the individual, But wait with
in the PACK there is always the Alpha male & Alpha female. How does
that quote go, we are all equal but some of us are more equal then
others.."

Predators do cooperate all the time, and you can observe it at the
Tundra, the Jungle or the United Nations...

All the more reason for the little fish to get together and cooperate.
They won't be the exactly the same (a lie planted by communism) but it
will ensure them SURVIVAL AND LIVING WITHOUT THE PREDATOR.

"donquijote1954" wrote in message
oups.com...

All the more reason for the little fish to get together and cooperate.
They won't be the exactly the same (a lie planted by communism) but it
will ensure them SURVIVAL AND LIVING WITHOUT THE PREDATOR.

Pure propaganda perpetuated by the FLA (1). The AASP(2) has been fighting
this prejudice for decades now with little inroads into breaking down the
misconception towards Aquatic Predators. APs are not the fishes' enemies,
they are helping to remove the weaklings that, if allowed to survive, would
weaken their respective species and therefore their ability to survive. DO
NOT believe the lies of the FLA, we will be more then happy to meet with any
independent thinkers of the fish contingency to go over the facts. Any
place, anytime, just don't forget to bring the tartar sauce.

(1) Fish Liberation Army
(2) Association for the Advancement of Sharks & Piranhas

donquijote1954 wrote:

"And what of the dolphin who kills the shark, yet eats his fill of
sardines? The problem with sardines is that they are designed to be
eaten....."

See what I mean? Typical Conservative: the sardines are designed to be
eaten, probably designed by God...

Has it ever crossed your mind that they are living creatures, no worse
than sharks? Why then we don't pick on them? They are ugly for one...

Well man, I got news for you, sardines are pretty and they have the
right to cooperate to survive. By the way, dolphins (save for a few)
belong with the little fish because they are smart and also cute.

I think there's another Law of the Jungle that says (or ought to say)
SURVIVAL OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL.

And I ought to be rich, and you ought to be more intelligent.

But that's the way the world works.

--
Your ridiculous little opinion has been noted.

My diesel truck has been modified to run on an environmentally friendly
mixture of clean burning Caribou fat and whale oil.

"Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions"
G.K. Chesterton

Don Freeman wrote:
"donquijote1954" wrote in message
oups.com...

All the more reason for the little fish to get together and cooperate.
They won't be the exactly the same (a lie planted by communism) but it
will ensure them SURVIVAL AND LIVING WITHOUT THE PREDATOR.

Pure propaganda perpetuated by the FLA (1). The AASP(2) has been fighting
this prejudice for decades now with little inroads into breaking down the
misconception towards Aquatic Predators. APs are not the fishes' enemies,
they are helping to remove the weaklings that, if allowed to survive, would
weaken their respective species and therefore their ability to survive. DO
NOT believe the lies of the FLA, we will be more then happy to meet with any
independent thinkers of the fish contingency to go over the facts. Any
place, anytime, just don't forget to bring the tartar sauce.

(1) Fish Liberation Army
(2) Association for the Advancement of Sharks & Piranhas

You shall not trust the AASP. They have been canning sardines for the
last one hundred years. If they mean good, we can only negotiate with
sharks in cages.

dazed and confuzzed wrote:
I think there's another Law of the Jungle that says (or ought to say)
SURVIVAL OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL.

And I ought to be rich, and you ought to be more intelligent.

But that's the way the world works.


And the shark ought to be less hungry.

I mean, this is NOT about survival for the predator, but just a bulimic
shark.