86 I think. It has a Schwinn logo on the downtube, “MP21” on the seat tube, and a Paramount logo by the crank. It’s had most of the original hardware replaced.
The other one is a 2005 S-40 DSX.
I don’t have pics handy though. 
Regarding the impact on paddling: As someone trying to get back into paddling, there’s been an obvious impact on the industry. There are fewer places offering lessons, shops with restricted hours or by-appointment-only, reduced inventory on almost everything. To my eyes, it looks like clubs are a lot less inclined to answer inquiries from new members, which makes sense because they might not want to expand their membership during a pandemic. Some clubs’ social media accounts reflect no activity since the start of this mess. Maybe that’s just a local thing where I am.
Any discussion about masks and vaccines turns political but viruses don’t care about any of that. Viruses are like the mountains and the sea: they don’t care about us one way or the other. You want to wear a mask in a car by yourself: I don’t care and neither does the virus.
Bill Maher has a funny bit about the absurdity of wearing a mask as you walk through a restaurant to your table, where you’re aloud to take your mask off and eat 2 feet from someone else. The punch line is something like “the virus would never attack you at the table while you’re eating!..It’s a virus not a monster!”
I wear a mask all day at work. I work in healthcare. I vaccinated early. And I still got it! Best guess is at an out of state wedding attended by Republicans & Democrats, whites & non-whites, religious & non-religious, straight and gay…viruses don’t care! Do the best you can to protect yourself and others.
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Data, please.
Some of it might be COVID, but like everything else, I think many clubs have become victims of social media. I am very active in my local club, and I try to lead a couple of club trips over the course of the summer, but most of my paddling is now with friends that I arrange over email or through one of several facebook groups. With meet-up groups, even beginners can skip the clubs. It’s a shame, but that’s the way things are.
That is probably COVID - tough to be socially distant if you are helping with a rescue.
One benefit of covid was it made me think differently about paddle instruction. Traditionally, in a club setting, I was involved in clinics. This year in June, we had a clinic with about 15 participants. It was kind of the sweet spot, timing wise, when vaccines became widely available yet the D variant had yet to hit wv. The year before that- no clinic. I made it point to work with individuals in a small group setting. I’m preferring that to the clinic model.
Right now wv is getting slammed with the D variant. As a public school teacher I notice a lot of empty seats. Masks at work are mandatory. Since getting vaccinated I’ve been living life. I’m one of those out of state tourists (in a rv no less) who invaded Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado this past summer for a paddling vacation. Complain away, I’m part of the problem.
This is off topic so I won’t post again about this, but since you asked here is what I found. I happen to also have a immune disorder, so have a self interest in knowing some of this info.
Just now I looked up for you the 2021 US population number ( 333,357,810 ), and divided it by the current number of recorded deaths ( 673,678 ). Those numbers yield a 1 in 494.7 ratio of deaths.
Here is a link to an article using insurance drug data.
There are more immunocompromised Americans than we think, and that’s a problem with COVID-19 vaccines | Popular Science (popsci.com)
Here is a quote about the JAMA article, and the data collected.
" A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open aimed to quantify the second group. The study found that out of a group of over 3 million insured US patients between ages 18 and 64, 2.8 percent were on immunosuppressive drugs."
For many individuals over 65 their immune system has declined due to aging. This number is about 16.9% of the US population in 2020. here is the link I used for that number.
• U.S. - seniors as a percentage of the population 2050 | Statista
I could not locate the article that found estimates of from 3 to 4 percent of the population are believed to be immunocompromised in the US. The higher estimate included not just drug induced immune suppression, but also those that are immunocompromised for reasons other than medication.
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I am willing to make judgements about people that threaten public health, threaten Democracy, want to make voting more difficult and act like Fascists. We have a civic duty to speak up.
It is exactly how I keep getting thrown off Facebook for a month. Social media is no longer following the First Amendment. Often when there is a lively discussion on forums, the thread is closed.
Many forums are created on specific topics, such as gardening, biking, hiking, paddling, cooking, and even politics.
Always best to stay on the topic of the forum as sometimes those “lively discussions” disintegrate into personal attacks, name calling, and even worse.
Well it sure seems like the pandemic has resulted in more people on the water paddling. I drive to the Ann Arbor area 4-5 times a year to paddle in some of my former favorite places and it is just shocking to see how full the Metroparks are along the Huron River. Parks that I had never seen even half full now have all parking spots taken and cars are overflow parking on the grass.
Here are a few articles with evidence that masks reduce the spread of the virus, from a non-lefty biased site:
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More studies and data to add to what you linked (actual controlled studies on mask efficacy):
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When I used to visit China and Japan for work it was common to see a few people wearing masks…presumably most of them had a cold. They do it to protect the people around them, not themselves.
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This is not a randomized-controlled trial study. It is the infamously unreliable survey method with a logistics model applied. Enough with flimsy science. We might as well just all tell anecdotal stories and call that undisputed fact. Notice the last line, “buy-in from society as a whole is, therefore, necessary for the success of the intervention.” I live in a state that highest death rate and the strictest laws and compliance of masks and lockdowns. Let’s study that.
Hasn’t changed my paddling one bit. I did notice a significant jump in recreation paddlers, especially SOT and SUP use.
I haven’t gotten flu shots in 20 yrs and haven’t had the flu for 25 yrs. I got both shots this time, because of the transmission rate and because I’m now in the vulnerable range.
I understand the fear people have about getting a rushed vaccine, especially when the current leaders initially said they wouldn’t trust it. As noted, some people can’t get the vaccine due to health issues. We all have to make the decision and respect others for theirs.
Regarding masks. We were told they only reduce the risk by 1%. All of a sudden, they became the answer. What a mask does reduce is the amount of atomized saliva that spews from our mouth as we talk, breath or sneeze - that’s a good thing. The problem is how the mask catches and incubate the bacteria. The mask is a germ trap. I watched every world leader make impassioned speeches from a podiums while finger fondling a germ infested mask every 20 seconds (watch news clips if you don’t believe). Then each one would go out and touch everything they could find and transfer their filth for us to pick up on our hands and touch our eyes.
Touch your mask by the ear loops only, never the fabric. Wash your hands when entering or leaving public places, and don’t use your mask when it isn’t necessary. Breathing through it contaminates it. Enjoy the outdoor sports. It’s probably the safest place to be, and the physical benefit may keep us out of the vulnerable group.
Great point TomL.
A proper masks will protect you or others. I have yet to see any study with paper or fabric type masks providing significance protection.
Agree. While driving into the sun on several occasions, I noticed how much atomized spittle swirled across the windshield area. I’m fairly sure that’s the reason surgical masks are used. Medical professionals know enough to keep clean hands away from a contaminated mask.
I was told the surgical mask protects the patient; the N95 respirator protects the wearer. Kayaking is still safe.
I always thought they did it in major cities because of the poor air quality due to pollution.
Probably do it for that as well. Didn’t they shut down industry three days before the last Olympics to reduce the smog and improve world perception about China’s air quality. Didn’t the vaunted climate accords exclude China from any restrictions and award them several billions of dollars because . . . They wanted to . . .
Nice original write-up, Eck. No “re-sets” necessary. I don’t swing by here too often anymore, preferring to save the data for content where so many “experts” are not quibbling/so much in love with the sound of their own written voice. Still running ww as much as possible. Pandemic has not much curtailed paddling with my local crew, as we always use open air pick-up trucks and masks when shuttling.
Cheers, Mate.
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