Monday, July 28, 2008

Reno

I'm currently still in Reno and really don't know when or where I'm headed next.  I don't even know where I'll stay tonight:)  I've been in Reno all week, basically having a full time job playing poker.  I've done quite well, but the last few days where a bit rough.  The weather here has been crazy hot and there has been tons of crap in the air due to the wildfires in CA.  I tried running inside and out and my body just dosen't like the air.  My asthma and allergies are beating me up more than they have in many many years.  I'm taking today to take care of chores: laundry, emails, job searches, oil change, car trunk fix, and updating this blog.  I'm also hoping to get out kiteboarding on a local lake later today.

The Devol's, my Mom's parents, are having a few health issues rite now.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

This should be an interesting week.  I have a feeling by this time next week I'll be someplace very different:)  Probably Hood River or Salt Lake City.  We'll see how things pan out.

Sorry for not having any photos.  The smoke outside prevented me from taking any outside interesting photos and I'm sure you all know what the inside of a casino looks like.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Colorado & Beyond...

I spent most of the last week in Colorado kayaking and catching up with friends.  I also did a ton of driving which landed me in Reno, NV last night.  I spent Tuesday night at the casino town of Black Hawk, CO.  I had a blast and ended up gambling in something like 6 casinos and walked away up a few hundred.  I stayed and paddled in Salida, CO for a few days and had a lot of fun.  I got to catch up with old Fluid Team members Deb and Tracy.  Tracy is doing well and now has an amazing little girl.  Deb is doing well and is now married, has a dog, and living near Salida.  I did get a chance to get out on a trail run on my first night in town with Deb.  I felt like I was breathing through a coffee stirrer for the whole 5 miles or so!!!  The run was at over 8,000 ft and probably climbed over a 1K ft.  I guess that is one way to try to acclimate to the altitude:)  I also watched Hell Boy II in the "local" theater in Salida.  Fun experience, and a somewhat entertaining movie.  I then got a chance to paddle in Gunnison and checked out Glenwood Springs, which was too low.  I basically then drove for two days straight across beautiful, but never ending, landscapes through Utah and Nevada.  I took Hwy 50 across NV and stopped for some fun at a crazy tinny casino in Ely, NV.  It was a 1929 6 story building in the middle of no where and had a ton of personality!  I'm now in Reno enjoying my free few nights stay at Harrahs.  So far I'm eating for free and also making a bunch of money to boot:)  Wish me luck and check in next week to see where in the world Bryon is!
(A cool little CO mining town HIGH in the mountains.)
(Me looping in the Salida hole.  It was  a bit on the high side of good, but still quality.)
(Me with a big righty backstab in Salida.)
(The mountain pass between Salida and Gunnison.)
(This is the really fun new wave in Gunnison.  It was tons of fun in my Astro and a handful in my Element.)
(This is the crazy 40+ miles of off-pavement that I drove between Gunnison and Glenwood Springs.  It was an absolutely spectacular drive!!!  The road less traveled is always more fun!)
(This is the Glenwood playspot at a lower than optimal water level.  I was also told by some locals that the river right wave changed with a rock that shifted recently.)
(Entering Utah at the Colorado border.)
(Entering Nevada at the Utah line.  The road looked like this for something like 500 miles!)
("The loneliest road in America" about sums it up.  I'll take it over the major interstates any day.)
(This is a crazy sand dune/mountain in the middle of no where Nevada.  It was totally out of place and very cool.)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Finally Traveling West!

It has been yet other long week.  I ended up taking the casino tour across the Midwest as I put in the westerly mileage.  I tried to kiteboard twice on this leg of the trip, both times on Lake Michigan, but got skunked with low wind on both days.  I did manage to get in a few runs, but slacked a few days since I didn't have access to a shower.  I tried to get a hotel in eastern Iowa, but all the rooms where booked due to all the flooding.  Really the only crazy thing I did all week was to sit in a single seat at a poker table for 31 hrs strait!  I didn't plan to sit there that long, but I was doing well and just kept playing.  I made some money, but probably not enough for 31 hrs worth of work:)
(Lake Michigan in the town of Muskegon.  These guys only had a 1/2 hr set on huge kites and boards.  The wind was only blowing about 10 knots.)
(This is the entrance to a river boat casino on Lake Michigan in Gary, Indiana.)
(The kiteboard launch on Lake Mcconaughy in western Nebraska.  Very cool spot, but again people were on 18+ meter kites and HUGE boards in order to use the lite wind.)

I'm in Denver, CO now and will be headed out to other part of CO later today.  I got to catch up with my friends Gary and Christie Mullins here and they were nice enough to take me in for a few nights.  Gary and I also got a chance to get out boating last night at the Lawson Hole.  This is a great playspot, but brings back some painful memories for me.  This is the last place I paddled in CO, as it is where I injured my shoulder 2 yrs ago.  This session was full of cold water and frustrating rides, due to my rusty paddling skills, but no carnage.
(The beautiful sunset over the Rockies as I entered into Colorado.)
(Me cartwheeling in the Lawson Hole.)
(Me getting a front loop to work at Lawson.)

Monday, July 7, 2008

Back on American Soil

(Fireworks on July 1st you say.  This year I celebrated Canada day instead of the 4th.)

This past week I've been cruzing around in Canada boating and gambling.  I had a business meeting in Montreal and also picked up a new playboat.  I then headed over to Ottawa city and paddled the Champlain Bridge wave for the first time.  It was at a low level, but was tons of fun in my surf kayak.  I then watched the fireworks at Wilderness Tours, launched from their Bungee Tower, for the Canada Day celebration on July 1st.  The Ottawa river was running quite high and I managed to surf a wave called Mini-bus, or Greyhound Buseater, for 4 days.  The wave was huge and a bit dynamic for my reintroduction into playboating, but I had some fun rides and got some amazing photos.  I also had some HUGE crashes!
(Me surfing the Champlain Bridge wave called "The Wall" near downtown Ottawa.)
(View from River Right at the Mini-Bus wave on the Ottawa river.  The tow line is used to get on the wave and by some to get some cool up close video footage.)
(View from river left at Mini-Bus.)
(My buddy Stephen Wright, US National Freestyle Champion, going big on Bussy.)
(Stephen was kind enough to take a few shots of me on the wave to help me prove that I actually surfed it.)
(Mini-Bus really isn't that "mini".  It looked like a lot of fun on a surfboard!)

I left the Ottawa on Saturday morning and headed over to the Rama Casino about an hour north of Toronto.  I then headed for Detroit on Sunday afternoon.  The drive was long, but smooth, until I hit the US border.  I sat in about 8 miles of traffic to get across the bridge and through customs.  I then had a good business audition today in Detroit and spent a few hours at the Motor City Casino.  I'm now in West Lancing, MI and plan to get some kiteboarding in on lake Michigan tomorrow.  After that I'm really not sure, but I'm sure I'll head in a Westerly direction:) 
(Stuck in about an 8 mile backup trying to get back into the US.)
(View from Bridge into US at Port Huron.)