Day 16 - Wilderness Systems 'Ride 135'

I woke this morning flat on my back on the couch because I couldn't climb the stairs to bed last night, as I said in the last report my back was jacked up from horsing around the night before. It took twenty minutes and all the strength I had just to roll off the couch and climb the furniture to get to my feet, it was painfully obvious that it was going to be a rough day.

I ended up using a small canoe paddle (thanks Bob P.) as a walking staff all day in order to prevent myself from falling all the way to the ground when my knees spontaneously buckled from the pain in my back. The pain wasn't there all the time only when I did something crazy like bend over to pick up a paperclip or something. I managed through the day pretty much by asking random customers in the store to do all my lifting for me. I was wondering if this would end up being the day that might break the consecutive days of paddling streak that I'm on and possibly wreck the continuity of the 100 days challenge.

By 5:00 I was feeling better but still had to breath deep and bend at the knees to tie my shoes. At 6:00 three friends helped me put the Wilderness Systems Ride 135 SOT on the water. It was the most stable kayak with the most comfortable seat that I could think of and considering my condition those two features were very important. I carefully rolled into the boat and pushed away from the dock wondering what kind of trouble I might be getting myself into. It was then, when I took my first stroke, that a miracle started to happen. I don't know if it was the gentle twisting rotation of paddling or the Ride 135 itself acting like a evangelist tent preacher casting the evil demons out of my lower back. But with every stroke I took my back felt better, and as the lord as my witness, when we got back to the dock an hour later I was a new person. I could bend, lean, twist, lift, and walk almost pain free. There was still a twinge that reminded me to be careful, but I felt healed. So take it for what it's worth but the Ride 135 is a magic kayak, aside from being a ridiculously stable boat that any size person can enjoy for fishing or just paddling around, it can heal an aching back.


Ride 135 Review

Manufacturer = Confluence
Brand = Wilderness Systems
Model = Ride 135
Style = Sit On Top
Material = Plastic
Length = 13'-4"
Width = 32"
Weight = 64 lbs.
Capacity 400 lbs.

Location = Mission Bay to Mariner's Cove and back
Time = 6:00 PM
Distance = About 3 miles
Duration = 1:10
Avg. Speed = N/A super easy paddle
Conditions = Windy, chilly, and overcast