I’m not giving up on spring. It may be summer before it gets here, but spring’s coming. I know it to be true because people who paddle and bike have made all sorts of plans, and it wouldn’t be nice for Mother Nature to spoil all those plans, would it?

Not that she hasn’t already. She dealt me a face full back on Feb. 7, when I was scheduled to take the oral exam for my Maine Guide Sea Kayak license. It snowed so hard even Augusta was shut down, so I had to reschedule for March 7. Yep, another storm. But this one couldn’t keep me from my appointed rounds. (I passed, by the way.)

Seems March was more like a typical February in the snow department. I made plans to attend the Kittery Trading Post’s Paddle Sport’s Show March 30-April 1 in Durham, N.H. My paddling mentor – Karen Francoeur of Castine Kayak Adventures – signed me up to play the victim in her pool rescue demonstration. We planned to go on March 30. Yep, big snow, again! We delayed our departure until Saturday morning. The interstate between Bangor and Waterville resembled a white washboard. We made it to Durham and put on our show, impressing hundreds.

Last Saturday, we decided it was time to christen Francoeur’s new Dagger Meridian, and 2 feet of snow on the banks of Pushaw Stream was not going to stay us from our rounds. It did make the launching a bit tricky, but there’s something strangely delightful about paddling between snow-covered shores. We got a good start on making paddling calluses and counting ducks.

The white fertilizer pulled the rug from under the plans for the Gilman Falls Whitewater Rodeo in Old Town. Organizers moved it from April 14 to May 5 in hopes of more cooperation from the weather. Peter Lataille said he hoped that river and shore conditions would be more hospitable by then.

Last year, participants from Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and the United States competed for points doing pirouettes, cartwheels, splitwheels, blunts, wave wheels and roundhouse moves.

What makes this a fun event to watch is the fact that it takes place on one section of the river – in a river hydraulic or “hole” at Gilman Falls. Spectators don’t have to move about to watch the action, it’s right there in front of them.

“We expect between 40 and 70 participants as well as hundreds of spectators, and I am confident observers will enjoy watching this exciting and action-packed sport,” Lataille said. The action is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Come see talented paddlers play in the water and perform interesting stunts in their little crafts.

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If your interests are bicycle- oriented, think about attending the Maine 2001 Bicycles and Tourism Conference Friday, April 27, at Atlantic Oakes by the Sea Hotel on Eden Street (Route 3) in Bar Harbor. The conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You will have the chance to learn how good bicycles are for business from Warren Busteed and Beth Polhemus of Bradley Inn at Pemaquid Point. Dann Lewis, director of the Maine Office of Tourism, will talk about the state’s initiatives to promote bicycle tourism, and Wilbur Smith Associates will make a presentation on the economic impacts of bicycle tourism.

After lunch, there are four workshops: East Coast Greenway-Down East Trail; attracting bike tours to your area; marketing your region or chamber to bicycle tourists; and building bike-friendly businesses.

Registration is free as is the lunch, and you could bring your bicycle along for a post-conference ride in Acadia National Park.

Contact John Balicki, Maine Department of Transportation, State House Station 16, Child Street, Augusta 04333-0016, call him at 287-6600, fax him at 287-1030 or e-mail him at john.balicki@state.me.us by April 23 if you plan to attend, so Balicki can have an idea of how many lunches to prepare.

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It’s a good time to be thinking about improving your paddling skills. Keep your eye out for opportunities to get in the pool with your boat and practice techniques. Contact your local YMCA or YWCA to see if pool time is available.

You may also come across someone, like Francoeur, who’s offering lessons. A Registered Maine Guide and American Canoe Association instructor, she has three-hour rescue clinics scheduled Fridays, May 4 and June 1, at the Old Town High School pool. Also on tap are rolling clinics on Fridays, May 11 and 25, and stroke clinics for beginners, intermediates and advanced paddlers Saturdays, May 19 and June 2, at Pushaw Lake. Call her at 866-3506 for more information.

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And speaking of paddling, the third annual Festival of the Kayak is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, at Southwest Harbor. This celebration of sea kayaking has grown a little each year. It offers participants a cross section of kayaking experiences, from two guided tours, to expert advice on extended tours, safety techniques and navigation, to Leave No Trace information, to the Saturday morning Greening Island Challenge, a 3-mile race from Manset around Greening Island and back.

I attended the first two and came away with a good feeling about the festival. It’s not too big and the atmosphere is intimate.

The guided tour Saturday after lunch is up Somes Sound, with a special presentation at Valley Cove about an original Indian settlement and the first Jesuit settlement on Mount Desert Island. The other tour is 11 a.m. Sunday. Guides will take participants out to Bear Island and back.

Contact the Southwest Harbor-Tremont Chamber of Commerce at 423-9264 or e-mail them at www.acadia.net/swhtrcoc.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-

8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.