The other night I participated in an impromptu kayaking trip. By the time we got on the river (Center Creek) it was almost 7:30 so we really had to work to get back home before dark – we just barely made it.

We did the route I loosely refer to as “Upper Center Creek”, from Fir Road back to my house. I like this route because it was the very first route I did in a kayak. It’s about 5 miles and has some nice rapids and passes the old lakeside park. The only part I tend not to like is the Dyno factory, and the pipes of water (?) that drain directly into the creek…which I find fairly disturbing. Each year the river changes a little bit because of floods – sometimes clearing out debris, sometimes creating new obstacles. This year there seemed to be a lot more obstacles than in previous years, but it was fun nonetheless.

We stopped to release a sea turtle that was snagged on someones trot line, so if nothing else we accomplished a good deed.

A couple days ago I started the initial stages of preparing for my next art festival (Cider Days) and in doing so I realized I needed to order more business cards. Since college I I’ve had maybe 5 different hobbies/projects/businesses that required me to order business cards. I always order the smallest quantity possible (250) and not once have I ever needed to re-order. By the time I used even half the box (if even that), I would not longer be involved in said project, so the un-needed cards pile up in the closet as a memorial to all the dead projects of years past.

As lame as it may sound, the fact that I am at a point where I need more cards it exciting to me. I feel like this trivial process makes this particular hobby just a little more legit than previous ventures. Plus, not only am I ordering more, but my first order was twice the quantity of all the abandoned projects of the past.

I sometimes consult TripAdvisor.com when traveling to get ideas on places to go or stay. Out of curiosity I decided to see what restaurants were tops according to TripAdvisor reviews. One thing to keep in mind is that these are rankings according to people who use the website – so I would guess it’s probably younger and educated people for the most part.

1. Hackett Hot Wings
2. Magic Noodle
3. Pizza by Stout
4. Bella Peppers
5. Red Onion

Really, the only one that surprised me was Magic Noodle. Not because it isn’t great (it is!) but because I can’t recall it ever being even slightly crowded. The other four are obvious favorites of just about everyone I know. It seems like half the people I know would list “Red Onion” as their favorite Joplin eatery. In fact Steph and I are going there tonight!

Another of my favorites that didn’t make the top 5, but was fairly high on the list was Andy + Bridgette’s favorite – UnderCliff. Ichiban Sushi was just shy of the top 5 as well. I was surprised that Big R’s BBQ wasn’t anywhere on the list. That place is great and it’s always packed!

What I found interesting, though not hugely surprising was that one of my long time favorites, Club 609 was way down the list, 2 slots below the Dairy Queen / Orange Julius booth at the mall. The biggest common complaint was that the prices have gone up so much in recent years that they far exceeded the food, service and overall experience. Which I would probably have to agree with.

Overall the list was just a reminder that we have a lot of really great dining options in Joplin.

This morning I completed my first bike riding event of 2010. It was the Tour de Lakes in Lee’s Summit, MO – a ride that I have never participated in before.

The Tour de Lakes was different than other rides I have done in that it was almost entirely through developed areas. But traffic really wasn’t a problem and the volunteers and LSPD did a nice job of watching out for the bikers. Probably the only thing I didn’t particularly care for was the rest stops, or lack of – only 1 on the 32 mi and 4 for the 65 mile route. Things I liked about this ride were the areas around the lakes, the ice cream at the finish line, and the goodie bags (complete with cool t-shirt, nice biking socks, water bottle, headband, and a few other things). It was by far the best goodie bag I’ve ever received at a cycling event.

This was Ian and Cara’s first official ride event and I think they both enjoyed it. While it was not my first ride, it was my first ride on my new road bike, and not to my surprise it worked great! We only rode the 32mi route, so it served as a nice warm-up for some of the other upcoming rides, such as Tornado Alley, Maple Leaf, and whatever else I may end up riding.

For quite a while I’ve been meaning to try out the Ruby Jack trail, especially considering there is a trail head just up the road from my house. The Ruby Jack trail is another rail-trail project, similar to the Frisco or Katy trail. It’s still under construction but as I understand it, the trail is more or less complete from Carthage until somewhere around Oronogo.

I rode from my house up Old 66 and got on the trail where it crosses the road just before Steph’s parent’s house. I wasn’t sure which direction to go, so I chose east into Carthage. The gravel on the 2 mile section from Carthage is extremely coarse, more like driveway gravel than something suitable for a bike trail. It was rideable…but barely. I heard that there was a mis-communication when the gravel was ordered. The trail going west toward Oronogo is the correct small gravel normally found on bike trails.

It turned out to be a bit shorter than I expected, my entire trip was only 11.5 miles. Most of the trail crosses through farm land, so I wouldn’t describe it as terribly scenic, but nearing Carthage there is a nice canopy of trees shading the trail. Also this section appears to receive heavier use, so it was a bit more worn and the rough driveway gravel was less annoying.

When complete, the Ruby Jack trail will ultimately run from Carthage to the KS state line. Initially it was planned as a bi-state trail all the way to Columbus, KS. However, Cherokee County passed an ordinance in response to those plans that effectively prohibits the rail-trail from entering Kansas. So until the good people of Cherokee County overcome their fear of bikers and joggers, the trail will stop at the state line.

Rough gravel aside, I am really excited about this trail. I think it’s a great asset to the area and another excellent component of the ever expanding trail system in the Joplin area.

I keep seeing car companies bragging about their cars getting 31mpg or a hybrid getting 40mpg and I just roll my eyes. These seem lame to me because my first car, a 1996 Honda Civic HX routinely achieved between 40-50mpg. It was NOT a hybrid, yet it was more “green” than just about any car on the market today – hybrids included. GM used to manufacture the Geo Metro, a (also non-hybrid) small car that was capable of achieving nearly 60mpg. You would think with today’s gas prices and a greater interest in being “green” these types of cars would be flying off the lots… but they’re not. Because they aren’t even being manufactured. Not anymore. Coincidentally, as gas prices started soaring, the Geo Metro was discontinued in 2001, and not long after, the Civic HX was replaced with the much more expensive Civic Hybrid.


Back in 1996 no one (except geeky me) cared about fuel efficiency. Gas was cheap (about $0.75/gal) and high MPG wasn’t something that would command a higher price tag like it might now. The cars above weren’t necessarily made with the goal of efficiency…they were made to be affordable and this was accomplished by eliminating features and using smaller engines; ultra efficiency was simply a by-product.


When MPG became all the rage, car manufacturers started touting their “efficient” models, arbitrarily setting 30mpg as the gold standard for fuel efficiency. Hybrids were available for those really wanting to make a statement. Unlike their slimmed down economy brethren, hybrids achieve higher mpg by ADDING technology and cost, rather than reducing it, thus aligning the hot ticket item (high MPG) with their most expensive price tags. But there was a problem…those pesky economy models. How is a car manufacturer supposed to sell expensive hybrid technology when there are options within their own lineup that cost significantly less, and strictly in terms of mpg, perform just as well or better? Easy – get rid of the economy models. Since they weren’t big sellers back in the day, most people probably don’t realize these types of cars ever existed.


The Civic Hybrid actually gets less MPG than my old HX model and costs a staggering $8,000 more. Today’s non-hybrid Civic gets 26 city /34 highway, compared to my Civic of the mid 1990s that was 37/52…so basically the civic of 15 years ago on it’s WORST day still outperformed today’s civic on it’s best day. And on the open highway it could literally double the mileage of today’s Civic. Double!!! Today, the closest thing GM makes to the Metro is the Aveo, which peaks at only 35mpg. Their most efficient model is the Cobalt which tops out at a radical 38mpg. If you want the fuel efficient version of VW’s Jetta… it’s their most expensive model and it’s nothing short of groundbreaking at 30/42mpg. Ha.


My question is – if car manufacturers could make cars 15-20 years ago that just about anyone could afford and got 40-60mpg… why can’t they now that MPG is actually what people are asking for? I’m sure they can… they just want to charge a premium for what people are wanting, and right now hybrids are a way to do that.