2.09.10
Home sweet home.
Its been a lifelong dream to live in the Rocky Mountains. And we've finally done it. Making this move took a lot of guts -but you only live once!
We will definitely miss living and working in Duluth. However, a new adventure is just starting. We have set up shop in Whitefish, Montana. Its an amazing town with amazing surroundings. Whitefish ski resort has some of the best skiing in the country. Plus we are only 20 miles from the entrance of Glacier National Park.
This area is a hiking, skiing and fly fishing dreamland... but its also a paddler's paradise with hundreds and hundreds of lakes waiting for us to explore. I can't wait for things to thaw so I can get out and start paddling. But for now we will ski as much as possible.. our other passion.
Of course, we still own our cabin on Hungry Jack Lake up the Gunflint Trail in Northern Minnesota. So we will continue to spend our summer breaks in the BWCA. That will never change!
So for us, its the best of both worlds. Our Winters in a ski resort town living as artisans. And our Summers at our cabin in the Boundary Waters, spending our days paddling and fishing.
The town of Whitefish, Montana with the ski slopes in the background.
2.02.10
Mountains in View. Oh the Joy.
I love road trips. Period. I've made the drive between Minnesota and Montana a bunch of times and it never gets old. I love driving through the forests of Minnesota, the rolling grasslands of the Dakotas, and then hitting the wall of mountains in Western Montana. After driving through 1000 miles of flatlands, there's nothing like that feeling when you catch your first glimpse of mountains out on the horizon.
The scenery plus good coffee, fresh baked muffins and local radio makes for the perfect road trip.
01.29.10
Moving Day! Purging is soulful.
Barb and I spent the last two weeks boxing up the house and making arrangements for the move. Moving is always a great excuse to go through all of our belongings and donate anything we no longer need. I ended up taking five truckloads of items to Goodwill. Purging is soulful.
It feels great to be hitting the road!
U-Haul truck with my Whiskeyjack-mobile in tow.
01.11.10
Into Thin Air.
Driving back from Breckinridge to Denver, Matt suggested we pull off and take a run through the mountains. I excitedly said that I would love to... but inside I was dreading it. I run quite bit -but living and training at sea level makes any kind of exercise in altitude a painful, lung searing experience.
Of course, I was way too proud to decline, so we pulled off and changed into our running clothes. I ran in shorts which was a novel concept in January.
I was convinced that this was going to be a horrible, torturous ordeal. In fact, it was way worse. The air was so thin and stripped of oxygen that breathing felt useless. Plus, much of the run involved huge climbs up steep faces. Double whammy.
But, I put my head down and toughed it out. I just reminded myself that it couldn't be any worse than doing Stairway Portage with two Duluth Packs and a canoe on my shoulders... something I do quite a bit.
I can't say I enjoyed the run, but I was glad I did it. 5 miles total.
Pretending not to be dreading this run...
Muddy calves after my hell run.
01.07.10
Summer vacation in January.
Well, like every
January it got bitterly cold in Northern, Minnesota. The morning temperature in Duluth on the day I flew to Colorado was minus 24! Ouch. It was 39 above in Breckinridge, a 63 degree temperature swing. T-shirt weather!
Matt W. picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to the lifts. We skied three solid, thigh burning days. The sun was shining bright every day and the runs were in great shape. I just purchased a new pair of all-mountain skis and was anxious to try them out. Matt opted to use his pair of vintage, skinny, carving skis purchased 10 years earlier while he was living in Switzerland. I think he had ski envy...
Matt W. on Peak 9. Breckinridge.
Dan and his new skis.
A Whiskeyjack landed next to us while we were eating lunch. It reminded me of work...
01.06.10
Breckinridge Tune-up.
Well, we're moving in 3 weeks to Montana. I have tons of orders to fill, a work shop to pack up, a home and family to pack up... so why not take a 5 day ski trip to Breckinridge, Colorado?
The timing of this trip couldn't be worse, but it was booked way before we knew our moving date would be in January. I'm meeting my great friend Matt W. who lives in Denver. I haven't seen him in several years so I am extremely excited to see him and to hit the slopes.
12.20.09
Merry Ski-mas.
Now that we are closed for the holiday we decided to head up to Giants Ridge Ski Resort for a few days of downhill skiing. We are moving to the Rocky Mountains next month and we all need to hone our skills before leaving.
Joey has been skiing since she was 4 and has really become a tireless and fearless downhiller. She and I shredded the Ridge for several days and she's definitely ready for bigger challenges. Which is good because when she sees Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana her jaw is gonna drop...
Joey on the lift at Giant's Ridge.
12.17.09
X-Mas Break (thank goodness...)
OK, we're always busy at Christmas but this year was epic. All orders are finally out but there were a few nail biters at the end. Being a handcrafted artisan isn't at all conducive with deadlines and I really feel the pressure of making sure all the paddles arrive under the tree in time. I think next year the cut off date will need to be moved earlier.
12.12.09
Oh Christmas Tree.
We took a break from paddle making to head up to our property to find a perfect tree for the holidays. Normally we bushwhack quite a ways searching, but this year we had our newborn twins in tow so the event was decidedly less adventurous. Barb hung out with the babies while Joey and I hiked in. We found a beautiful spruce that was as full than anything found on the corner lots in town. I think deer had been munching it for several years giving it the prefect pruned look of a tree from a Christmas tree farm. Barb had a thermos of hot chocolate waiting for us when we were finished dragging our new tree back.... a perfect way to end the day. 
12.03.09
Deck the Halls.
Its standing room only in the loading dock area lately. Boxes and boxes of paddles destined for a home under a tree somewhere fill every square inch...
11.30.09
Return of the Nanook.
Every year around this time I make a group of Whiskey Nanook Greenland style kayak paddles. They are by far my favorite model to make. But they are a lot of work. I've been running a waiting list since last winter and am just about ready to ship them out. When the last coat of varnish is dry I will take some photos for the blog.
It was a lot of fun to do and I'll for sure be making at least a few more this winter! I'm working with some really nice wood right now, which makes it even more satisfying...
Whiskey Nanook Greenland style kayak paddle.
Close up of the grain.
11.03.09
Custom blade.
Kimo H. of Half Moon Bay, CA. contacted me about doing a custom Double Whiskey with a spoon-blade for his new Novacraft canoe.
Kimo owns a Whiskey Apostle kayak paddle, which has a spoon blade. He wanted a canoe paddle to match. Now, I almost always say no to custom paddle requests (we get several each week...) but I really owed Kimo. When he ordered his kayak paddle several years ago, I was swamped with orders and he patiently waited over 3 months for his paddle to arrive. Without a single complaint. You gotta love those laid back Hawaiians...
I was glad to repay the favor. Pics are below.
Kimo holding his custom Whiskeyjack canoe paddle on Lake Sonoma.
10.14.09
Paddles in cars... Not roofs!
We received nearly identical emails last month from Whiskeyjackers who accidentally left their Whiskeyjacks on the roofs of their cars. In all of our years doing this we've never received an email like this -and then we get two of them back-to-back. Canoes go on the roof. Paddles in the car!
Happily replacements have been sent....
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Hi Whiskeyjack,
Two years ago I bought a Whiskeyjack Bender paddle, signed by Danny Brown 2006. Not only is it the best paddle I've ever owned, but it is so beautifuly l made, craftsmanship on the highest level, a piece of art it is. Sometimes I even take it out of to its bag, even when I am not going paddling, just to admire its beauty.
Well enough said about this, I think you got the picture of how fond I am of my paddle.
Here comes the story: you are about to laugh out loud (since I can't see you anyway)
After returning from a week long canoe trip, I drove into my garage to unpack to car. The last thing to do was to find the bag for the paddle. While I was looking for that, I put the paddle on the car roof. My next door neighbour came over for a chat, and I forgot about the paddle!!!
Later that day I had to do some food shopping and drove off in my car. First bend, I saw in the mirror something fly off the car roof. I stopped and jumped out of the car, just to see the local bus run over my beloved paddle!!!! What a tragedy!! Well again it show the quality of this paddle, it is not broken , a little chipped in the end and a few small spots on the blade, but it is still usable. Not as perfect as before ,but still a beauty.
I can’t find the Whiskyjack Bender on you website, don’t you make this model anymore? I might buy a new one and use the old one as a spare, or the other way around!
Best regards,
Leif H.
Haugesund, Norway
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Dear Whiskeyjack,
2 summers ago My wife and I spent a few hours with you and the crew watching paddles being made. You helped size us up and select paddles that would work great for us. We left with a Whiskey Jill and a Whiskey Jack, and had begun making memories with them in the BWCA, on the Wolf River in WI, and in the Syvania Wilderness in the UP of Michigan.
This weekend I made the unforgivable error of placing our paddles on top of our truck while we slept a few hours waiting to get our wilderness permits. You guessed it, I forgot about the paddles and took off down the road. Now we need your help. Are you still taking orders for paddles? Has the Whiskey Jack been replaced? How do we get the right size? Hopefully you can help us replace our paddles. Nothing feels like one of your paddles in the hand, and can't imagine having anything else. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Derek J.
Appleton, Wisconsin
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10.08.10
Long time no blog.
Well its been a crazy few months for Barb and me. Our brand new set of twins arrived healthy and happy on August 25. Ingrid and Max have been keeping us busy -needless to say!
Between the twins and work I haven't had much time to post photos or reports from the final days of summer. Normally we spend the month of August at the cabin, but with Barb due at any time we had to stay close to home base. Just in case... I wasn't interested in delivering a set of twins on my own in the middle of the wilderness.
That said, I was able to sneak in a trip to Montana in early August and also spent some weekend time on the water here in Northern Minnesota. Below are a few pics from the final days of our summer. Seems silly to be looking at summer photos when they are predicting snow for us tomorrow... I still haven't even drained the pipes in the cabin yet...
Jo Jo turning a frog into Prince Charming.
Barb and Joey chill-axing the day away in the tube.
View of Whitefish, Montana
9.01.09
SUP Nation.
Bob Turcotte of Lake Tahoe sent us this email a few weeks back. Bob purchased a Whiskeyjack stand up paddle as a Christmas gift for his wife a few years back. Thanks for the article, Bob!
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Hi Dan,
Thought you might be interested in an article written about Lisa that just appeared in our local paper. I'll send you a hardcopy of the article if you'd like. I think the picture really shows off the paddle.
-robert turcotte
Click here to view a larger image of the article.
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