Blog

West Hansen and Salli O’Donnell neck and neck on Day 4 of Great Alabama 650
Solo competitors West Hansen and Salli O’Donnell were paddling side by side again Tuesday afternoon, tied for second place overall on Day 4 of the Great Alabama 650. The two veteran endurance paddlers - both leading their classes - were about two-thirds of the way...

Hansen still leads men’s solo race on Day 3 of the Great Alabama 650
The rain stopped, the sun came out, and West Hansen hung onto the men's solo lead on Monday, Day 3 of the Great Alabama 650 paddling race. By 5 p.m. Monday, last year’s winners, the tandem team of Joe Mann and Paul Cox, had taken a 40-mile overall lead in the event,...

What’s biltong? A less sweet, higher protein type of beef jerky
Sunday’s trip to Inks Lake State Park provided the perfect opportunity to test out an array of meat snacks made by Apex Protein Snacks. The company makes meat sticks and “biltong,” a drier, more shredded and less sweet version of beef jerky. My initial reaction to the...

Austin paddler Hansen slogs on during Day 2 of Great Alabama 650
Rain is still falling in Alabama, where West Hansen is running side by side with another veteran solo paddler, Salli O’Donnell, in the Greater Alabama 650 paddling race. The two are tied for second place in the long-distance race, which starts in northeastern Alabama...