Cup o' Joe

Food, travel, and news on the Chesapeake Bay

You may have noticed the photograph of two red kayaks on the cover of our current issue. (May/June 2009) That shot was supposed to have accompanied a story about L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School, which has been actively leading kayaking classes and tours in Annapolis as well as overnight kayaking getaways for the past several years.

Last September I signed on for Bean’s Chesapeake Bay Island Hopping trip, which covered kayaking and bunking down at several islands in the lower bay, including Smith and Tangier. My group of 10—plus three guides—had a wonderful time and I was all set to report on it in our May/June issue. We had the story written and designed, the photos all picked. But then after contacting Bean to verify dates for this season’s trips, we received an e-mail stating that “due to the current economic and business environment, L.L. Bean, like many businesses, has needed to make some difficult budget decisions. And for us at the Outdoor Discovery Schools, this included the decision to suspend all of our courses, trips, and tours in the Mid-Atlantic region—including the Chesapeake Bay trip.”

There was also something in there apologizing “for the short notice.”

Magazine folks aren’t used to scrambling like our antacid-popping newspaper brethren, but scramble we did. I quickly contacted my friend and kayaking guru Tom Horton to ask him for a few of his favorite area paddles and we included his responses in a brief story so we could still retain our kayak-themed cover.

It’s a shame that L.L. Bean decided to suspend its Mid-Atlantic ODS programs. They’ve only had a presence down here for a few years—not enough time to gain necessary traction. But I know quite a few people who took its kayaking basics courses in Eastpost, and all of my trip mates were enthusiastic about signing up for more tours.

So what does all this mean? No. 1: Even stalwarts like L.L. Bean are hurting in this economy. And No. 2: You can’t always judge a magazine by its cover.

| Email to a friend |
Comments (0)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/21/09 at 02:34 PM

---