The Life of Bryon

Feb till Today: Caught Up!

2011-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Finally caught up on the blog posts! More work, some paddling, a little skiing, and a really fun trip down to CA.

(This is the crew and booth NA set up at the PDX Sportsman show this year. Good time and good for business.)

(The NA crew getting a powder day in on Mt. Hood.)

(I love PDX!)

(Got to do a photo shoot with Canoe and Kayak magazine for thier big boat review on Canyon Creek. Really fun day on the river, as the photo session was my second lap of the day. This is a shot of Nick Hinds boofing Prelude.)

(Nick Hinds boofing Champaign on Canyon Creek.)

(Joe Stumpfel dropping into Crack in the Earth on Hagen Gorge.)

(After a morning run on Hagen Gorge a few of us decided to check out the Upper Washugal. Ended up hiking in the snow for a few hours to get some fun class 3/4 rapids. Will have to try to get in there even higher upstream sometime.)

(Attended the 25th Annual Santa Cruz Paddle Fest this year. Only my second surf kayak competition and I managed a 12th place finish of 27 HP Men from all over the world. This shot is from the "mellow" Thursday practice. The comp days had some tough weather conditions to deal with!)

(Photo by Jeffery Steehler)

(After Santa Cruz I got a 4 day vacation in the San Fran area with Julie. We got to stay at some fancy digs provided by my parents (Thanks Guys!!!) in San Fran and spend a little time on the coast. This is a shot of our first tourist activity, Alcatraz Island.)

(Julie is a caged tiger and just can't be let loose on society.)

(Julie took this cool photo of me setting up to kiteboard at Chrissy Field. That is the Golden Gate in the background and the crazy wind and water conditions here are famous. I had a quick nervous session and called it a day. I'll be back for more though.)

(Julie and I stayed in this Airstream trailer along the coast one night at the Pescadero Bed and Biscuit. Cool little place and fun experience.)

(A highlight of the San Fran trip was getting to go indoor skydiving, or tunnerl flying. I can't explain how much fun this is!!! Julie and each got 4 minutes of flight time. At $20/minute that is all we could afford! Julie and I both picked up on it really fast and were achiving relatively controlled flight by the end.)

(Julie showing off our cocktails at NOPA in SF. Cool little resturaunt with amazing food. We got to have a fun night out on the town afterwards at Johnny Foley's Piano Bar.)

(On our last stormy day in SF we visited the SF-MOMA. I highly recommend this really amazing museum.)

Dec. '10 & Jan. '11 Update

2011-03-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Once again life has kept me way too busy and I haven't gotten around to updating this blog. Lots of snow and rain have made for some killar days on both the slopes and rivers. Also got to spend some time with Julie over New Year's this year which was a fun last minute deal. Work at Next Adventure has not let up and the winter has been really busy at the Paddle Sports Center.

(Hoffstadt Creek was quite a mission. Check out the video for all the details.)

(Dan Lahan running Gnargasm on Hoffstadt Creek.)

(Me having some blunt tastic fun on the Washugal Wave.)

(Trip Jennings boofing into Crack in the Earth on Hagen Gorge.)

(Tried to watch the lunar eclipse with Maren from Skyline drive overlooking PDX, but the clouds and rain made that hard. Cool view of PDX though!)

(A little Holiday fun at Next Adventure)

(Dan Devine and I ready to shred the gnar gnar on X-Mas under bluebird skies at Meadows.)

(Julie came out for a New Year's visit and enjoyed some time at the coast on Jan. 1 and some skiing at Ski Bowl late on New Year's eve.)

("Kooks Go Home". That about sums up the OR surfer attitude. Sad really.)

(Local surfer killing it at the secret OR coast surf spot. Conditions where a bit ugly for surf kayaking.)

(Perfect waves at a secret outside point break in OR.)

(Julie at the super-duper secret third outside point break.)

(Finally got a trip down the Little White. At 3.6ft on the bottom gauge this run is everything everyone says it is. Can't wait to get back in there! This is a shot of Lane Jacobs and crew trying to remove the wood from Island Rapid.)

(Photo of me by Joe at the Washugal Wave.)

(Sick level at the Washugal wave forced Joe and I to surf into the darkness.)

(Me boofing fun drop on the Little Klickitat, a run that very rarely has enough water to kayak. Fun crew and a fun continous class 4 river. Photo by Heather Herbeck.)

(This is a shot I thought I'd never see, Canyon Creek without a log jam! I managed to get in thier for the first post log jam descent. Really solid crew and a beefy fun level, 1250 cfs.)

(Dave Hoffman eyeing up his boof stroke on Kahuna Falls on Canyon Creek.)

(Took a fun road trip out to the Deschutes area with Joe and Rachel for some fun high water playboating. Had to stop at Celestial Falls and check it out on the way. WAY to much water to run on this day.)

(Joe surfing the Tressel Wave.)

(Joe finding the sweet spot on Tressel wave.)

(Joe going big on the Conastoga wave.)

(The NA display at the PDX car show. Good fun and good showing with only a few days notice that we would be displaying at the show.)

(Also had a great display aournd the BMW motorcyle display at the show. Good crew and sick bikes.)

Update 3: Sept.-Nov. 2010

2011-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

(Luke overlooking the surf at Pacific City. I've been getting to the coast a good bit, but not finding much good surf. This day was marginal at best.)

(Gerry Lopez on his SUP just shredding the waves apart at Pacific City!)

(The OR coast is a rugged and majestic place.)

(This is a creek that never flows just outside PDX. They where draining the lake for a pipe replacement project and the creek was running for probably the only time in over 100 yrs. This one drop was by far the biggest and most fun on the run.)

(The locals didn't know what to think about a bunch of kayakers in their back yards. Luckily we had every right to be there and the cops where way cool about it.)

(The scene around the judges booth at the Hobuck Hodown surf kayak competition. Very fun comp at the western most point of the contigious US on an Indian reservation. My first surf kayak competition.)

(Luke and I got the same heat in the comp. He managed a win and I ended up in dead last. Had some great rides, like this one, but also got an interference penalty on the best wave of the day, which Luke happened to be surfing. Big thanks to Rob Avery for letting Luke and I borrow some high performance Valley surf kayaks. Photo: Tommy Sly)

(I made a trip back East for Thanksgiving and went straight from the plane to Great Falls. It was for climbing on this day, which was odd since I'm always there with a kayk! On the first rappel I managed to remove a few knuckles.)

(The whole family was around this year for Thanksgiving and it was really good to see everyone.)

(I did get a day of paddling on Great Falls with my good friend Bobby "The Dogg" Miller and Shawn Devine. This is a shot of Bobby running the left side of horseshoe on the MD lines of the falls.)

(This is Bobby running the right line at the Spout on the VA lines of the falls.)

(This is me airing out the right line at the Spout. This was my first time running this line and I styled it! So much fun!!! I really miss having the falls around to paddle all the time.)

Update 2: Aug. 2010

2011-01-14T10:46:00.001-08:00

August was mostly a recovery month for me from my crash and burn off Big Brother. It was also CRAZY busy at the kayak shop! The Outdoor Retailer show, my parent's visit, and Julie moving back to the East coast also made for a busy month.

(This is from the approach to the Salt Lake City airport on my way to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Trade Show. This year I went again as a buyer for Next Adventure.)

(Deek, owner of NA, and Landis, owner of Wildwasser, overlooking the on water demo at OR. I got to paddle a bunch of new watercraft and catch up with a ton of old friends.)

(This is a Lavender farm on the "Fruit Loop" outside of Hood River, with Mt. Hood in the background. Mom liked this place.)

(Julie enjoying a stroll through the Rose Gardens.)

(It was awesome to have my parents come out for a visit. They used to live out this way many years ago and it was cool to show them around my new home.)

(Dog Mountain Hike with Julie. A fun steep climb in the gorge.)

(Julie taking in the views atop Dog Mountain.)

(NA does a beach day every year and this year we had some fun small surf and I taught both long and short boat surf kayak lessons. Good turnout and good fun.)

(Luke and I with the NA van fully loaded with boats.)

Update 1: July 2010

2011-01-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Over the next week or so I'm going to try to update this blog with some photos and commentary. I've been slacking on this and want to get things back up to speed. More photos can be seen on my Facebook page.

(Ross Island Tour on the Willamette River. We managed to get thousands of new paddlers in kayaks this summer on our basic 2.5 hr tour.)

(Bobby "The Dogg" Miller came for a PNW kayak mission again this summer. We got in a lot of paddling and on this day got out on the North Fork of the Lewis River waterfall section on a beautiful summer day.)

(This is Bobby running 90'+ Koosah Falls. This shot shows what looks to be a good line at the lip.)

(This shot shows Bobby not having such a good day! He landed upside down at a bow down 45 degree angle and instantly got ejected from his boat. He was alright and roped to shore, while his boat didn't fair so well in the log strainer downstream. After watching Bobby's line and then Ryan Young's flat landing I decided to just enjoy the photos and video and pass on running it myself this day.)

(Lauren and Three's wedding was a highlight of my summer. It was really beautiful in every regard. The weather and people in Newport, RI where great. This shot is Three shedding a few happy tears as his wife to be arrived at the alter.)

(The gang outside the church, excluding the bride, groom, and best man (Justin Miller). I love the old Ultimate Watersports crew!)

(My 30th birthday was during the wedding weekend and Julie helped me plan some fun events. The first was a 12 meter America's cup yacht sail around Newport Harbor. With a fun crew, beautiful weather, and an amazing boat we had a great experience.)

(The second part of the day was a helicopter ride over Newport. I hadn't been in a copter since I was a little kid when I got an unforgettable ride with my Dad as pilot. I really enjoyed the perspective and trying to get some good areal photos.)

(Julie, Heather, and I where up on this flight.)

(While in Newport we also took a tour of the Rosecliff Mansion. Julie creating theater where ever she goes:))

(On the drive back to Boston from Newport on my actual birthday we stopped at F1 Boston, an indoor go kart facility. Heather and I had some good fun! I of course won the race with 6 karts on the course. I managed to lap everyone except the 2nd place guy, but I almost got him too! In Boston that night Julie, Heather and I did some fun bar hoping across downtown. We even caught up with my cousin Laura and her man Reed for a few beers. Overall a great way to get older.)

(At the end of July while running Big Brother, a 27' waterfall, on the Truss Section of the White Salmon River I had my good WW luck catch up to me. I have run this waterfall upwards of 50 times, never with any problems and a perfect record for staying out of the cave. This shot looks all good, but I'm actually about 8" to the left of where I want to be. I ended up going vertical and hitting a rock at water level. The nose of the boat pig nosed about 9", the bulkhead snapped in multiple place, and I ended up flying upside down and backwards into the cave on river right. I managed to wedge myself back into the boat, roll up, and paddle out of the cave on my own power. After assessing the damage I had broken my right big toe, sprained my right ankle, and re-tore the laibrum in my right shoulder. I managed to paddle down the rest of the river and then took a few weeks off to recover. In the end I also ended up messing up my neck pretty good which took going to a Chiro until Nov. to sort out. Thanks Lana Young for the photo.)

Wedding Season has Arrived!

2010-06-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

I'm going to let the pics do the talking. Basically I spent 2 weeks back in MD for two weddings and some time to catch up with family and friends. I had a great time and managed to break a rib wakeboarding. Since being back in PDX it has been work, work, and more work. Things are busy at work! I've also been healing up from the broken rib and just trying to get caught up on life.

(Justin's Bachelor party. A fun day out on the water with good friends. I got a sweet surf session in, having a long enough ride to catch, crack, and finish a beer.)

(Julie and I at Justin & Sarah's wedding.)

(The bridal party having some fun for the cameras.)

(The groom and groomsmen lookin' sharp.)

(The bridal party. A realy low key and enjoyable ceremony held on the Miller's farm.)

(Enjoying the long walk to the alter.)

(Justin awaiting his bride. A good friend, Frank, officiated the wedding with the assistance of his amazing wife Noreen.)

(Brook, Lauren, Lauren, Three, and Cory enjoy the post ceremony meal.)

(This is the amazing photo backdrop that Julie created for the photo gust book at the reception the day after the ceremony at Sarah's parent's house.)

(Julie and the crew looking good at the ceremony. It was really good getting to catch up with everyone.)

(MD overlook of Great Falls. Sadly the river level was a bit high for any falls runs. This place really does feel like home to me. I miss having the Falls as my playground.)

(This is upper center chute ledge on the Potomac. I showed up for the Chute-Out, a local low key rodeo event held each month during the summer, and won!)

(The family cleaning out my grandmothers house with a yardsale. Finding good homes for the many things my grandmother collected over the years is a tough job. She is also greatly missed every day.)

(Justin throwing a tantrum in Salt Peter Creek behind the Edelstein's boat.)

(Me enjoying some hangtime.)

(Justin driving with Rob ready for another pull.)

(Got out on Justin's boat all day on the Sunday before Memorial day. Got a great wake surfing session in with Justin and Dave.)

(Trying the patented kayak surf style:))

(I felt like a kid that just found the best toy ever. Smiling from ear to ear and just goofing off behind the boat.)

(I got some great surfs in. All wakesurf photos of me shot by Dave.)

(After the morning wake boarding session with Justin, Dave, and Julie and the wake surfing session with Justin and Dave we refueled and picked up Sarah for the trip across the bay to Fairly Creek. We met up with Nate and his 48' hatteras named Aquilo along with a big crew from the Baltimore City Yacht Club.)

(Justin's boat tied up to the stern of Aquila in Fairly Creek. We used the "little" boat to take people wakeboarding, skiing, and slolam skiing. The Edelsteins had also come over with their boat and I got an amazing ride where I managed to break a rib on my third 360 of one of my best rides ever.)

(The huge volume of boats in Fairly Creek on a big sunny holiday weekend.)

(Aquila sliding through the tiny channel comming out of Fairly Creek. Photo: Justin Miller)

(Memorial Day was Diana Borsetti's wedding, Julie's sister. It was an amazingly beatiful wedding on the bay south of Annapolis. My cousin Jay, chillin' in the white shirt, also was the videographer.)

(The lovely Borsetti ladies; Rebecca, Debbie, Diana, and Julie.)

(Pappa Ray giving his daughter a good luck kiss.)

(Denver on the flight home. There aren't really any direct ways to get from PDX to Baltimore.)

Spring Has Arrived in OR!

2010-05-18T01:02:00.000-07:00

(It's official! Julie's Graduate Degree displayed prominently in our apartment with her puppets.)

Not a lot to say in this post. I'll let the photos do most of the work. Been working hard at Next and trying to get out and play hard on my few days off. Julie had a great trip to Cali to visit some friends and is now back with her family in MD. Her sisters wedding is two weeks away and her parents are really enjoying her being home. She is going to stay in MD for the summer and teach windsurfing at Ultimate Watersports.

(Seagulls surfing the swell just north of Seaside on the OR coast.)

(It was fun driving right out onto the beach for miles and miles.)

(We rigged up right next to the car and a few feet from the water.)

(My new kite friend Dan enjoying the 25+ mph breeze on a 9m kite. I had my hands full on my 12m kite!)

(Dan giving land boarding a try.)

(Dan again using a Mountain Board and his 7m kite to go quite fast!)

(Me giving the land boarding thing a try.)

(It was fun, but really easy to crash as well. I think I'll stick to the water sports.)

(Took a really cool new demo kayak out for a spin as well. Very fun boat in the surf!)

(Got a run on the Sandy River Gorge with Brian. Check out his blog about this trip and the MANY photos he took of me.)

(The amazing places you can only get by kayak amaze me everyday.)

(Brian posing for a photo with a small waterfall falling into the gorge.)

(Brian charging the lip of a small boof.)

(One of the many "easy" but consequential rapids in the Sandy River Gorge.)

(Brian in the final rapid of the run.)

(Tony Zanetti having fun during the impromptu rodeo that I organized at Bob's Hole during the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival this past weekend.)

(Luke dropping in on the ramp during competition. This is the ramp that broke my back last year. This year I was the head judge, and the ramp was smaller with less of a kicker at the bottom.)

(The ramp gave up plenty of air!)

(Me getting to give out sweet prizes for the winners of the kayak events.)

(Giving Luke a handshake instead of a prize, even though he did quite well in almost all the competitions.)

(Next sponsors a huge free BBQ at the festival and this year was no exception.)

(Deek, my boss, and his son, Carver, enjoying the BBQ.)

Julie's Graduation Weekend

2010-05-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

(Julie glowing after her graduation ceremony. She now has a masters degree in Teaching!)

Today Julie graduated with a masters in Teaching. She worked really hard for the past year to accomplish this goal and did so with flying colors, a 4.0 GPA!!! She flys off to visit friends in San Fran this week and then she flys back to MD to spend the summer teaching windsurfing at Ultimate Watersports and spending time with her family.

The past few days have been fun. I got an extremely beautiful day of creeking in on Opal creek in Central Oregon. I'll let the photos below speak for themselves. Do also check out another story with more photos about this trip at: http://www.capefalconkayak.com/opalcreek.html . Julie and I also did an amazing waterfall hike yesterday in Silver Falls State Park, the Trail of 10 Falls.

OPAL CREEK

(Luke winding up for a huge boof.)

(Luke airing it out on a fun little class III rapid.)

(Luke stylin Big Ugly. Check out the amazing scenery!)

(Luke scouting Big Fluffy.)

(Luke entering the class IV lead in rapid to Big Fluffy.)

(Luke having what turned out to be an "all good" line on Big Fluffy.)

(Me stomping a fat boof and a crazy soft landing on Big Fluffy! Photo courtesy of Brian Schulz.)

(Luke having fun on the lead in to Thor's Playground.)

(Brian entering the final drop of the run. Crystal clear water, amazing greenery and cool rock formations all make this run special.)

TRAIL OF THE 10 FALLS

(North Falls 136 ft)

(Amazing cave/trail behind North Falls.)

(Twin Falls 31 ft)

(Middle North Falls 106 ft)

(Drake Falls 27 ft)

(Double Falls 178 ft, as seen on sign:))

(Lower North Falls 30 ft)

(Lower South Falls 93 ft)

(Julie behind Lower South Falls)

(South Falls 177 ft)

(Julie running through the updraft of spray created by South Falls.)

(The lip of South Falls. Not good for kayaking!)

(Monkey Business!)

(Winter Falls 134 ft)

(Upper North Falls 65 ft)

U. of PORTLAND GRADUATE SCHOOL GRADUATION 2010

(You can see Julie's big smiling face in the top center of this sea of graduates.)

(Julie being "hooded".)

(Julie with her school advisor.)

Recovery

2010-04-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since my last post. This year kicked off with positive thoughts and a good day on the river, then went down hill from there. Luckily things very recently have hopefully turned for the better. I've had some major health issues since Sept. of last year and haven't been able to get any answers as to why I've been in such bad shape. After many doctors and tests an odd bump on my gums eventually appeared and provided the needed clue. The short story is that I had a root canal that was horribly done, think metal file left in root canal, back in '07 and sometime in the past year my upper jaw developed a horrible infection. After a few procedures, you really don't want details, I am hopefully now on the road to good health. There is going to be a period of recovery and hopefully no complications. There will be a number of years of serious dental work in my future:(

Between all the fun health issues I've been working stupid hard at the Paddle Sports Center at Next Adventure. Nice weather has kicked the season off early and the shop has been very busy. Light staffing, a new building to build out, and a full kayak school to oversee have made for some long days at work. I'm also working hard on pulling my finances together and looking into some exciting new invesments, more info to come soon:) I have managed to get outside a few days in the past few months, but not nearly enough. I'll let the pictures below speek for themselves.

Julie is teaching her last day as a student teacher today! She graduates in about a week and is very happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. She worked with her students to build a set for the high school play of "Oklahoma" and the show turned out great. (Would post some great pictures, but liability issues with kids preclude me from doing so.) She has been putting in some time on the water with both Dragon Boating and Outrigger Canoeing, and has her first big race tomorrow. Julie is looking forward to summer and having some time to play outside.

(Julie at the top of Beacon Rock in the Gorge.)

(Julie at the top of Beacon Rock looking East up the Columbia.)

(This is the amazing "trail" up Beacon Rock.)

(Some more of the Beacon Rock Trail.)

(Me having a great day on the river with friends. This is Off Ramp on the Farmlands section of the White Salmon River in WA.)

(My good friend Stephen Wright enjoying a spring day of boating in the gorge.)

(Me having a great line off Lava Falls on the Farmlands section of the White Salmon River.)

(Fun sculpture outside of the boathouse where Julie's Dragon Boat and Outrigger teams train out of.)

(Julie excited to be playing outside, even though her boots clash with her jacket. We had a great 3 day weekend up at Steven's Pass Ski Resort outside of Seattle.)

(Me in my stylish new Mountain Hardware jacket at Steven's Pass.)

(Julie and I stopped by the Seattle Aquarium on our way home from skiing. Cool place, but not as good as the National Aquarium in Baltimore.)

(Joe styling Double Drop on the Truss section of the White Salmon River at 3.5ft.)

(Bald eagle on Ross Island near downtown PDX on the Willamette River.)

(Bald eagle comming in for a landing.)

(The first Ross Island Tour of the year run through the new Next Adventure Kayaking School. 60 degrees, sunny, and no wind. An amazing morning on the water in PDX.)

(Most of these shots came from my new Nikon D90. Looking forward to getting back into photography with this amazing tool.)

A New Year, A New Perspective

2010-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

Ringing in the new year was a bit on the anti-climatic side this year. Julie was still back East with her family and Portland was producing rain, not snow. I ended up watching Avatar in 3D and chilling at home thinking about the year to come. The conclusions that I came to for 2010: I need to find a way to get healthy (Improve Diet, Exercise More, & Take Care of My Injured Back), I need to have a more positive attitude (I tend to be a bit o a grouch and this attitude only causes me trouble.), I need to figure out and improve some of my relationships with others (step one: Be More Positive), I need to find some finacial stability (Both paying off my business loan and finding a way to finance my prefered way of life in the future.), and last but not least I need to take more time to travel and experience new things (as this is how I thrive). I know these are lofty goals and require big changes, but as 30 years of life approaches in 2010, it is time to step up and make life happen the way I want it to happen.

Julie is back working hard in grad school. She is teaching full time now at a local High School, teaching both english and theater classes. Besides a full time teaching job and graduate classes she is also paddling on a dragon boat team, paddling on an OC-6 team, going to Cross-Fit twice a week, and trying to squeeze in time for climbing, skiing, and the rest of life.

I also wanted to take a second and appreciate some good friends. Congradulations to Justin and Sarah for getting engaged. Congradulations to Marie for getting married and soon to be a wonderful Mom. Congradulations to Cory and Brook for having twin boys at home with them. Congradulations to Three and Lauren for getting engaged to be married in July. Congradulations to Nicole, my sister, for working to improve life for her and her amazing little daughter Victoria.

I also want to send heart felt thoughts to those that will be missed and those that will miss them. Brianna and Mark, you guys are amazing and have been so strong through these rough times. Stay strong and keep being you.

I'm looking for new opportuinites and new adventures. Please pass on all of the above. Please also stay in touch and have a happy and healthy 2010. Hopefully we can find some time to spend together this year, on a new adventure, somewhere:)

(This is the "New New" Paddle Sports Center. A really big wide open space with tons of potential. We have our own parking and great visability on a high traffic street. Work has been keeping me VERY busy lately, with only more busy times to come.)

(Check out the story and video of the new space.)

(This is the WW and Used Gear room in the "New New" Paddlesports Center. It is still under construction, but is going to be a really cool part of the new shop.)

(This is a really fun drop on the North Fork of the Clackamas. It is pretty intimidating, but is a ton of fun to run.)

(This is how you style the drop! It was a huge high to hit this line so perfectly and get a huge boof at the bottom. I can't explain how good it feels to fly through the air, land past the hole in the airated water, and plane away from the drop.)

(I've been getting up to the mountain as often as I can. I've dedicated myself to skiing this year and getting better with each trip up. I've snowboarded once this season and skied 9 times, so far.)

(Enjoying PDX: good local live music, quality dark micro brew, and a stylin' hat.)

Holidays

2009-12-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

(Julie and I enjoying a ski day at Mt. Hood Meadows. The views where great and the sun was shining.)

I know that this post is super overdue, but life has been keeping me busy, sadly in mostly the wrong ways. The big things lately is the fact that somehow I'm still sick:( I'm really hoping I shake this thing sometime soon as my fitness goals keep getting pushed back. The other big news is that the Next Adventure Paddlesports shop is again moving to a new location. The real estate deal fell through on our current place and we are moving one block up the street. We are closed this week, for 4 days, and moving EVERYTHING in that period of time. It's going to be a long week!

I did get to go home for Thanksgiving this year and had a really great time catching up with all the family. Pretty much everyone was there and it was really good to catch up with everyone back home. Julie had grad school and couldn't make it back east for Thanksgiving, but is back east now for the Christmas/New Years break. She is really enjoying her family time and is getting a fun little vacation in NY city with the family right now.

Between bouts of being sick, and while being sick, I've gotten out and played a bit. I've gotten a few days in at the rock climbing gyms, two days of kayaking, one day of snowboarding, and four days of skiing. The snow has been good up on Mt. Hood and I'm working hard on my skiing skills this year. I'm excited to get out on my new skis, that I bought with my Christmas money from my parents, as soon as they arrive.

Julie has been really busy as well. Her BIG job lately has been keeping up with the work and schedule of grad school. She managed to get through her first semester with straight As!!! She has been working hard and I'm so proud of her. She has also been keeping up with her Crossfit twice a week, offseason dragon boating practice, and a few nights at the climbing gym in between everything else:)

Julie and I both want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday. Please do keep in touch.

(I love taking photos from plane windows. This shot was taken on the way back to PDX from MD after Thanksgiving.)

(The rivers have been low and/or frozen lately, but I did manage one really good day of boating. This is my friend Luke boofing the waterfall on Hagen Creek.)

(This is the "old," only been in this space for 3 months, paddlesports center. Expect some shots from the "new" paddlesports center in the next post.)

(Julie showing me her Christmas cheer by surprising me with this cool hand made tree decorated with cool things from around the house and my presents. The lighting was really cool with candles, headlamps, and bike flashers!)

(I went for a ski trip in my own on Christmas day. The bluebird skies and amazing views made for a great morning on the slopes. Jana, a kayaking friend of mine, hosted an amazing dinner party that evening for "strays and orphans". Overall a fun day, but I did miss the family.)

So Ill & Life Goes On

2009-11-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy time lately. Basically I've been sick and not doing much in the way of physical activity. Those of you who know me well know that I'm grumpy when I'm not active. I've also been really busy at work trying to get the new Paddlesports shop up and running. Things are coming along and every day there are big improvements. There have been a few shinning moments over the past three weeks and those can be seen in the photos below. A 3 day trip up to Seattle with Julie for a fun little vacation was the highlight for sure. We got to see and do a ton of stuff. The highlight was probably dinner at Serious Pie, a gourmet wood fired pizza place. This place is so good that it is probably one of my top 3 meals of all time! Julie enjoyed the Pikes Place Market, good food, and nice hotels. Julie has been CRAZY busy with grad school and she is wrapping up her first student teaching placement with the middle school english students. She has also been keeping up with Crossfit and her Dragonboat training. I think she is also enjoying her bike commute to school, even in the rain:)

I was also interviewed for a podcast by my good friend from DC Jeff Macintyre. The interview was about the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show back in August and the state of the paddlesports industry. Check it out at: http://inbetweenswims.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=534555

(My good Baltimore, Portland transplant, friend Andy Maser organized an event for the 350.org movement called River of Action. I brought a trailer load of boats from Next Adventure for the event and ended up putting them all on the water, leaving me to shoot video and photos. Julie is the long red boat at the top right of the "5".)

(Julie having fun at the Team Huge, dragonboat, wig party.)

(The PDXKayaker film fest this year was a huge event and something that Next Adventure puts on each year.)

(I ended up MCing the raffle at the end of the movie and distributing a ton of good shwag.)

(Julie hangin' with Punch & Judy at the Kennedy School, a cool cheap theater/bar/hotel/restaurant that was converted from an old public school in PDX.)

(Julie enjoying the fashion of PDX, wearing cute boots, and the fall leaves. She secretly admits to enjoying the change of seasons, even though she wishes it was warm all the time.)

(Julie outside the Glass Museum in Tacoma, WA enjoying a break in the rainy weather.)

(Julie on in front of the Cistene wall full of Chulley glass sculptures in Tacoma.)

(Julie lounging at the Hotel Max in downtown Seattle, WA. The hotel featured original works of art in every room and each hallway featured a single photographer, displaying the photos on each room's complete door surface.)

(I enjoyed the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field. The museum had such cool things as a training replica of the science capsule on the International Space Station, an SR71 Blackbird, and the original Boeing factory (The Red Barn). We also got to walk through the first jet powered Air Force 1 and the last in service Concord.)

(I'm actually happy in this photo:) Julie and I went for a bike ride on Vashon Island and had to take the ferry with our bikes. It was a really hilly beautiful ride in the countryside. This is also probably your first peak at my new full carbon bike.)

(Julie enjoying a hot tea in her robe at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle. This place was all class and luxury!)

(Doug and Kurt from Next Adventure put on a great Halloween party. I went as Abe Lincoln and Julie was looking good in a Masquerade Ball costume. Our friend Catherine from HI was in town visiting and rocked a disco outfit.)

Work, Work, Surf, Work, Sick, Work, Run, Work, Sick...

2009-10-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

There are no excuses for not keeping this up. Life just seems to get in the way of documenting life. A Skook video will happen, it just hasn't happened yet. The big news is that the paddlesports dept, my dept, at Next Adventure has now moved into a separate building and will be run a bit more like a full service kayak specialty shop now, instead of a dept. within an outdoor store. Between the new shop location, preseason order writing, events, and our big biannual sale I've been in the shop over 60 hrs. every week. It is an exciting time, but there is a lot to get done and little time to do it. The last few weeks I've been a bit of a mess as well with one of these flu viruses getting me quite good. Today is actually day 5 of basically not leaving the apartment. I'm feeling a touch better and will try to get a few hours in at work this afternoon. Between work and being sick I haven't had much time to work out or recreate too much. I've been to the coast a few times surf kayaking, which I'm really getting into, and I ran the Portland Marathon on Oct. 4th. I managed a 3:50:05, a PR, while being sick. Julie has also been crazy busy with grad school. Between her classes and her student teaching she is busy most of the day and then she gets home and starts writing papers and lesson plans into the wee hours of the night. She actually stays up as late as I do:) She really enjoys school most days, but the piles of work get old fast and "busy" work is never fun, but always seems to be part of school.

(Next booth at the PDX Dragon Boat Races.)

(Julie's team doing quite well at the PDX race.)

(I taught Ross Island Kayak Tours every Sunday all summer and always seemed to have great students and amazing weather. This was the last class of the summer with another perfect day.)

(This is a photo of my largest Skagen account at Washington Square Mall. I've done merchandising for Skagen in HI and OR now and this month put in my resignation. I just ran out of hours in the day to have a second job right now.)

(This is Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, OR. I had a fun little kayak surf session here and will be back sometime for sure.)

(This is the front of the new Next Adventure Paddlesports Center, during our big sale.)

(This is the inside of the shop during the sale, after having the building for only about 5 days!!!)

(We closed down a street outside the shop for our big sale and to help benefit the Surfrider Foundation and Portland Mountain Rescue.)

(I call this shot the "Tools of the Trade". This is Indian Beach and my normal kayak surf beach. This day was 9.5ft at 11 sec.)

(This shot gives you some perspective. That paddler is Joe in a Fluid Element on the inside, smaller, break. We both surfed the outside break for over an hour with some amazing rides.)

(Indian Beach, looking south, showing a serene this place is even with huge surf.)

(This shot is by: byronwillphotography.com, a photographer that just happened to be out shooting the day I went sea kayak cave hopping with my boss, Deek, and a few amazing local sea kayakers. It was truly an amazing day out on the water and a very cool way to experience the Oregon coast.)

Hopefully work will settle down for both Julie and I and we will get out and enjoy all that Oregon has to offer. Ski season is upon us and I'm excited for the snow. The rain has started to fall as well and the rivers and creeks will be back to paddleable levels soon.

Big (Very Late) Post

2009-08-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

I know this post is very late and that a lot has happened since the last entry. Life has been busy with trips, guests, and the busy time of year at work. There are big things happening, all good, at Next Adventure and I'm working hard to grow the paddlesports dept. and try to have a good time along the way:) At the end of July I spent a week in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer show as a buyer for Next. I've now been to the show as a prospective distributor, distributor, job seeker, and now a buyer. A total of 6 shows in 7 years. The other big trip was a long weekend up in BC with Joe and Julie surfing the famous Skookumchuck Tidal Rapids. It was a great trip and Joe and I had the wave to ourselves for two days. I'll let the photos below do the talking about this trip:) Julie and I have also had a lot of guests in town lately. First Bobby "The Dogg" Miller came through town, an old paddling friend of mine and a member of the Fluid kayak team. Then Justin and Sarah came threw for a few nights. We even had a really fun kite/windsurf session in the Gorge with Justin, Julie, and myself. Julie flew into Monterey, CA and drove up the coast with her friend Liz, from HI, for the past week. I got Liz out rock climbing for her first time last night, as Julie was off to the Seattle Dragon Boat races. Today her team qualified for worlds in Macau in 2010! Life is busy and Julie and I are both working on our goals in life right now. Julie is working hard to get her masters in teaching and I'm working hard to find my place in this world and get in shape. My birthday gift to myself was a road bike. I got a crazy deal on Ebay on a bike that is way nicer than I need, but really nice to have:) I've just gotten it all set up and I'm already racking up the mileage and thinking about some endurance cycling events in the near future.

(I still teach a basic intro to kayaking class/tour almost every Sunday. It is really great getting people out on the water and stoked about kayaking. I do miss my whitewater teaching days.)

(Myself, Josh (the Confluence Rep.), and Deek (Next Adventure Owner/my boss), in the Confluence Watersports booth at OR. It was a good show this year with lots of good buys. Attendance was down, but the people that were there were doing business.)

(Ethan and the new Stohlquist rescue PFD. I will have one shortly. Riot also showed up with the new Ninja Surf kayak, another toy that I will have as soon as it is in production.)

(This shot of Mt. Hood was taken with a GoPro Wide Helmet Camera out the window of the plane on the return trip from Salt Lake City. The skies where so clear you could see everything, including the forest fires in Eastern OR.)

(Bobby "The Dogg" Miller came out for a visit and had an action packed week kayaking and mountain biking. I caught up with him for a run on the Truss and had a great time E.L.F. (extremely low flow) boating with the Dogg as usual. Bobby styled the whole run, except Big Brother as seen in this shot. Two runs and two times upside down in the cave at the bottom. This is the first time I ever walked Big Brother, after running it more than 20 times, as my back was sore and the water was LOW.)

(Julie with her tutering student. She is now done with her first semester of grad school and got straight A's!!! She'll be back in school and starting student teaching in a week.)

(The middle of nowhere tiny little town, no gas station or traffic light, where you access the famous Skookumchuck Tidal Rapids.)

(Julie looking cute as usual.)

(Julie and I hangin' out while Joe surfs the wave as it builds.)

(Julie paddling one of my boats into the wave for me and enjoying all the tidal animals along the way.)

(Julie got these great shots while checking out all the tide pools around the rapids.)

(Julie enjoying a morning tea at the Back Eddy Marina where we camped. Joe and I hiking into the wave totally loaded down with camera gear. We left our boats in the woods near the wave each day.)

(Joe surfing the wave in his glass surf boat as the wave begins to form. He stayed on the wave for about 45 minutes!)

(Joe and I had a blast tandem surfing as often as the wave would allow.)

(Joe filming with his Go Pro Helmet camera while I see how much water I can spray at the camera.)

(Joe got some silly air. He even almost stuck a few clean initiated C-1 Helix.)

(Joe throwing the almost clean, just a fist, C-1 left air blunt.)

(Joe was carving so hard in his Mega Maurader!)

(Setting up for a big blunt in the Element. This boat actually releases well for big blunts.)

(I did spend a little time in my Nemesis throwing some nasty air. I prefer the long carvy rides in the Element all day long though.)

(With the tide racing at over 13 knots it was easy to launch huge ollies down the wave face, even in the Element.)

(Carving in a surf kayak on a fast steep wave is SO much fun!!!)

(Joe taking the "Tour" in the huge waves and whirlpools in the runout of the main surf wave. I worked hard all weekend and never made the tour, voluntarily or otherwise.)

All photos taken by Julie and myself. A sweet video from Skook is coming soon. Stay well and please do keep in touch. Peace........

Recovery, Family, & Challenges

2009-07-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

(Debbie, Ray, and Julie enjoying a day in the Columbia River Gorge.)

I have to apologize again for not writing more often. Life has just been really busy lately. The big news is that about a month after breaking my back the doctor has released me to resume life as usual. I should have no long term damage and the bones have healed way better than expected actually. Julie's parents came for a week long visit and we showed them all over Northern Oregon. They got to see a lot of Portland, the Oregon Coast, and many of the cool sites in the Columbia River Gorge. We all also got to sample some great food and drinks around Portland, as well as some not so good food. After Debbie and Ray headed back to MD Julie started Grad school. She is enjoying being back in school, but the work is quickly stacking up and keeping her really busy. She also started teaching a few windsurf classes in the Gorge on the weekends. I am now officially the watersports buyer for Next Adventure and business has been booming. Besides the crazy busy shop the big trade shows are coming up real soon. On the 4th Julie and I both took on the challenge of the Sauvie Island 1/2 and full marathon. We also went out paddling with the Next Adventure crew to see the fireworks from the water. Needless to say life is busy and good. July is going to keep us both extremely busy.

(Multnoma Falls, the big one in the gorge and right off the highway.)

(This is the old rest stop along the old gorge highway. This shot is looking East.)

(The Borsetti's love the animals, especially cute furry ones like these Alpaca.)

(Julie looking cute in one of the many vineyards that we visited along the "Fruit Loop" in and around Hood River.)

(Debbie and Ray enjoying some wine fresh from the barrel at the Wyeast Vineyard.)

(The Borsetti's enjoying the Hood River wine tour.)

(Julie took her parents for a day at the coast, while I was at work, and they explored Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.)

(Ray enjoying the huge variety of good micro brew beers available in PDX. We both had a sampler this night at the Rogue brewery in the Pearl District while enjoying Kobe beef burgers with fresh Tillamook cheddar cheese.)

(We all got to spend a day exploring the Portland Zoo. It was quite a little expedition with a ton of walking.)

(Debbie loved the Lorikeet exhibit where you were able to feed the MANY birds in this large cage.)

(Julie liked the birds as well, and they liked her as well.)

(On July 4th Julie ran her first 1/2 Marathon on Sauvie Island just outside Portland. She did absolutely amazing, doing way better than expected.)

(Julie got this shot of me suffering to finish the Sauvie Island Marathon. I made it 23+ miles at a sub 9 min/mile pace, and then my legs gave up! Between the lack of training and the extremely hot temperatures my muscles just gave up. I did still finish at under 10 min/mile pace though!)

(On the evening of July 4th a big group of Next Adventure employees took out our demo fleet and paddled from Sellwood Riverfront Park into downtown to watch the fireworks. It was a great group of people, great weather, and just good times had by all!)

(Julie enjoying the evening paddle.)

(Our rest/snack break at the top of Ross Island just before dark. The city is a cool site from the river.)

(We all rafted up as close as we could get to the action. The boat traffic was intense and we where shore to have as many lights and glow sticks on us and our kayaks as possible.)

(Julie had fun taking some cool fireworks photos. They were launched from a barge right in front of us! The falling debris didn't feel so good in the eyes though:) )

Hitting The Water HARD!!!

2009-06-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

(I surfed for 3 hrs in various boats on this wave, Joe Bob's, one of the few park and play features in the NW. Luke Spencer took this photo, just before he took a tumble into the river barely saving my camera and busting up his thumb badly.)

Again, I apologize for the late post. Things have been busy around here and I honestly haven't wanted to sit down a do this:) There have been some big events over the past few weeks but the factor that has dominated my life lately has been my broken back. I managed to break my L1 Transverse Process landing flat off a large kayak ramp at the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival. It took me over a week to go to a Doctor, but in the end as broken backs go this is minor. If all goes well, and I don't do anything stupid, I should be good to go again in a few weeks. Because of the broken back I had to cancel my BC paddling trip to Skook as well as my ultra runs for the year. Once my back is good to go again I'm going to try to find some new races/challenges.

Julie has been very busy getting ready for grad school. Besides all the normal financing, paperwork, books, etc... she has been studying hard for two big tests that she has to take. She has also been working hard a few days a week training on her Dragon Boat team and training for her half marathon on July 4th. She is excited for school and also for her parents to come for a visit in a few weeks.

I'll let the photos do most of the talking this post:) Rock on and keep in touch.

(You can see the scale of the ramp at the UCWWF in this shot. The rapid is Carter Bridge and was the site of many of the festivals events.)

(This is how not to go off the ramp! This is just a moment before I fell out of the sky landing dead flat, breaking my back and boat!!!)

(This is my attempt at a move off the ramp, after already breaking my back. I landed flat 5 of 6 times breaking two boats and my back in the process. I'm just glad my whitewater kayaking skills are better than my ramp kayaking skills:))

(This is what landing dead flat looks like. Ouch! You have tons of time in the air to realize that this is going to hurt.)

(Andy Maser threw this fun move. He cracked a beer can while sliding down the ramp, took a chug, and threw an airscrew off the ramp, all with no paddle! He did need me to give him a T rescue at the bottom though:))

(This is the scene in the Next Adventure campsite on Saturday night when we hosted a big BBQ. There was a huge turn out and good times where had by all.)

(Julie enjoying some sun in Tacoma, WA at her first Dragon Boat Race.)

(Dragon Boating in Tacoma, WA.)

(Wasabi Team Huge posing with their first place medals. Check out Julie middle row on the left.)

(Julie and I headed off for a trail run up Eagle Creek in the gorge. After about 3.5 miles my body shut down and I ended up having a really rough day! This was after I broke my back, but hadn't been to the doctor yet. My body really didn't behave correctly for about two weeks after I broke it.)

(This is Metlako falls on Eagle Creek. The freefall on this one is something like 80+ ft, and is currently the women's and junior world record for waterfall decent in a kayak. It is on my radar.)

(Julie and I all dressed up for a 70's cocktail party at one of my co-workers houses. You can tell, but I'm wearing pleather pants!)

(The Grilled Cheese Grill! This is a great little food cart place on Alberta St. The "dining room" is in an old School bus.)

(This is the crowd at the Last Thursday art event on Alberta St. This is the second month we've been to the event. Julie loves all the crazy street performers and artsy things:))

(The Clydesdale's at the Starlight Parade. Over 250,000 people show up for this one and most of the parade is lit and after dark. This is one of the events for the Rose Festival.)

(Yesterday we checked out the Rose Festival and Saturday Art Market. This is the finish line for the Dragon Boat races. Julie races smaller, faster boats, than these that are considered Hong Kong style boats.)

Settling into PDX Life

2009-05-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

(Bike shuttle for a little kayak adventure with Julie.)

(Julie geared up and ready to tackle the rapids. I might have decided for us to put on a bit too high a water level:) The rapids decided to tackle her! Everyone was fine though, as this stretch of water has very few hazards.)

It has been crazy hectic since we've been back in PDX. Between working at Next, having tons of product clinics at Next, working at Skagen, and trying to settle into the apartment things have been busy!!! We have managed to have some little adventures along the way: checking out ice caves in WA, kayaking the Farmlands section of the White Salmon, biking the historic Rt. 30 between Hood River & Mosier, having drinks with our new neighbors, checking out the monthly Alberta Street art festival, trail running Hamilton mountain, watching the new X-Men movie, playboating the Clackamas river, checking out the Pearl District monthly art festival, and trying to just relax in our new home.

Julie is now registered to attend the University of Portland, starting in June, to get a masters of arts teaching. She is excited about school and the future, but has some big tests to make it through even before school starts. She is studying hard everyday, and impresses me everyday with her dedication to learning the material. She has also been out rock climbing at the local gym a few times as well as explored the local "cute" shops:) PDX is know for their dragon boating on the Willamette river that flows through town. Julie has joined one of the really competitive teams that train all year for international competitions. Her first race is this coming weekend.

Julie and I are also trying to take getting in shape seriously. I have decided to run 50 and 100 mile races this year and Julie has decided to run the Portland Marathon in October. We are both going to start by running the Foot Traffic Flat 1/2, for Julie, and Marathon, for me, on July 4th here in Portland. We are currently training hard for these events. My 50 is July 25th and 100 Sept. 26th and both are on the Pacific Crest Trail. We both have our work cut out for us!

(Julie and I both put in a strong effort to "run" the really steep trail to the top of this mountain on an amazingly beautiful day in the Gorge.)

(The view from the summit of Hamilton Mt. was amazing. This shot is taken looking east towards Bonneville Dam.)

(Our apt. is still a work in progress, but it is slowly coming along. This is the front door and living room area.)

(This shot is from the dining room looking towards the front of the house. I have a little office corner and our living room has a sweet TV, thanks to my parents, that we watch Hulu and DVDs on from my laptop.)

(The dining room/art studio from the living room.)

(Our apt. was built in 1929, so the architecture is a bit crazy. Julie found a home for her ships wheel and puppets in one of the nooks.)

(Our bedroom. There isn't much closet space in this old apt., and Julie has a lot of clothes!)

(Our kitchen as seen from the back door. Out of frame on the right is the sink and a wall of cabinets.)

(PS: If anyone has an idea as to why these photos don't show up correctly in the blog please let me know, I've tried everything that I could think of.)

Coast to Coast in a Big Yellow Truck!

2009-04-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

(It was kinda fun driving the big 26ft Diesel Penske Truck. Air ride and /or an air seat would have been nice though:) With no CD player Julie and I enjoyed many hours of NPR on this trip. We know all about the Somali pirates!)

The stars finally aligned and I have finally officially moved to Portland, OR!!!!! I've been thinking/working on this for many years and am very happy to be out here. It is a long way from family, but that just gives me a good excuse for some travel back east:) Julie is on this adventure with me and we are starting a fresh life together on the west coast. We have a great little apartment, with a garage, and will be showing off all its goodness in a later post. This post is about the big move. Julie was back in MD for a few weeks between helping me find a place out in Portland and me flying back to drive our stuff out west. I had a fun and busy few days back east catching up with family and friends. I really miss all the time I used to spend with the people that mean so much in my life. We are trying hard to settle into our new place and find time to spend together, as I am working a ton after talking a bunch of time off to make this big move. We started our drive late on Monday night and didn't get into Portland until Sunday, but we took our time and had some adventures along the way. We enjoyed real and fake roadside animals, ate many a good dinner, checked out the famous Corn Palace, drove through Badlands National Park, "saw" Mt. Rushmore, drove through the Black Hills, won some money in Deadwood, hiked the "M", surfed an indoor wave in Idaho, and attended a kayaking movie premier in Hood River. Our route was 70, 80, 90, 395, 82, and finally 84. It was a long, but really fun, journey.

(Dad helping me fit the last few things in the truck. Somehow we managed to pretty much fill a 26 ft. box truck!!!)

(Julie looking cute next to our huge truck at the gas station, a frequent stop even though we had a 55 gal. fuel tank!)

(I might be wanted in a few states for taking out this big cowboy, or Julie made me pose with this big old fallen 'hero'.)

(Julie was fascinated with roadside fake animals, and real ones to boot. She also might have been going a little stir crazy from being in the big truck with me for so many hours.)

(Buffalo Phil's was a fine dining experience found in the Wisconsin Dells. How can you go wrong with margaritas and pizza! Julie loved the huge decorations made of antlers.)

(Julie and the Jolly Green Giant in the middle of nowhere America.)

(I actually found this interesting, maybe I was going a bit nuts from the long hours in the truck as well.)

(The Corn Palace! One of the many wondrous roadside attractions across this great country.)

(Julie and I enjoying the sunset in Badlands National Park, South Dakota.)

(Julie really enjoying the Badlands.)

(Julie making me be silly in the Badlands. I might have enjoyed it a bunch.)

(Julie in Saloon 10 in Deadwood, SD where Wild Bill Hickcock was killed. This was actually a really cool little bar and casino. They are known for their little poker room, complete with wooden floors with sawdust.)

(I love Ferraris. This is the official Magnum P.I. car.)

(This is the great view of Mt. Rushmore!!! We drove late into the night and rolled into a little town in the Black Hills to get a hotel, but found the town completely vacant and dark. The storm that we drove through knocked the power out. We managed to find a hotel that let us have a room, in the dark. Parking the huge truck in the pitch dark and rain in this little town was not fun! We got up early and drove up to the National Park to find the entire mountain completely fogged in.)

(We hiked up the switchback trails up this mountain to the "M" in Missoula, MT.)

(The view from the top of the hill. We both really liked this little town. You could see the ski resort from town and their was a whitewater play feature dead downtown.)

(Julie enjoying some time out of the truck and in the sun in Missoula.)

(I love the Flowrider! This amazing artificial and indoor wave was in the little ski town of Silver Mountain in Idaho. You apparently need to be a guest of the resort to use the waterpark, but the really nice lady at the check in gave Julie and I passes to use for the last two hours they were open, for FREE! We had a blast!!!)

(Julie rockin' the boogie board on the Flowrider.)

(Julie crashing hard, as is common on this wave. I had some pretty spectacular crashes as well.)

(Julie at the end of the Oregon Trail, or her live version of the video game we all played as kids. No fording rivers or getting typhoid fever on this trip west.)

(The initial move into our dining and living rooms.)

(Julie unpacking her plethora of clothes in our bedroom. Most of my clothes are still in suitcases, as I have nowhere else to put them!!!)

My Next Adventure

2009-03-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy sometimes. Rite now I'm in the middle of working 12+ hr days; working some big events at Next Adventure, merchandising for Skagen, and moving into a new apartment.

Julie was in town last week for a few days looking at apartment with me. We ended up with a 750 sq. ft. apt. in a four-plex built in 1929 very close in to the city. The exterior is all new and looks nice, but the interior is showing its age. The hardwood floors are nice and the layout isn't bad. I'll let Julie complain about the kitchen later:) There is a large storage unit in the basement and we have a garage!!! I'm very excited to have a place to put all my toys, otherwise we would have to live with 7+ kayaks in our living room:)

So obviously the big move is the big news. Julie is still working on her plans in Portland, but she knows she has some time to find something that she will enjoy and my full support to do so. I'm taking the red eye on the 8th back to Baltimore in order to spend a few days with the family and friends before driving cross country with our things on the 13th. Big adventures lie ahead. Please stay in touch.

Big Travel Weekends

2009-03-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

(My empty car basking in the sun along the North shoreline of Lake Tahoe.)

(The shaka even works with gloves on!)

The past two weekends have been nuts. I've been putting in lots of hours at Next Adventure during the week and "working" hard on the weekends as well. I drove overnight on Thur. the 5th after work to get down to Alpine Meadows for a half day of snowboarding in the deep powder. They got something like 74 inches of snow over that week! On Saturday I met up with Stephen Wright and a big crew of boaters from Reno to paddle the S. Fork of the Yuba, 49 to Bridgeport section. It turned out to be an amazing 57 degree sunny day in Cali. It was a great group, over 11 guys, and about 7.5 miles of quality class 4-5 whitewater. After paddling I attended to the purpose of my big Cali drive and picked up 11 Fluid kayaks from a shop that had not paid for the boats in almost 2yrs. It was a long trip home with the car loaded down!

(Ready to drop into some steep stuff on the fringes of the resorts boundaries.)

(Who knew that a Volvo wagon could hold 11 WW kayaks! The cars computer did not like all that extra weight and air resistance. I had the car set on cruise control at 55 all the way home, some 500+ miles!!!)

This past weekend I went on a work trip to Canoecopia in Madison, WI. It is a "tradesumer" show that sets a good barometer for the year ahead in the paddlesports industry. It was good to get to know my coworkers outside of the shop and Madison had some great food and beer!

Julie turned the big 29 on Monday the 9th. She got to spent that weekend in Colorado skiing with some of her old HI friends. The snow was good, but she ended up fighting a cold for the whole trip. She is wrapping up work and HI fun and scheduled to be in PDX for a few days next week, and then a few weeks back in MD. I also just bought my ticket to get back to MD on the 10th so that we can drive our stuff out to Oregon starting Monday April 13th. I'm looking forward to time with Julie and the opportunity to build a life together in Oregon. I'm also looking forward to catching up with Family and friends for a few days in MD around Easter.

Gotta run, still working hard to find a place for Julie and I to live, as I need to move out of my current place by April 1st.

-A big thanks to Erin Higgins for the great snow photos.-

More Next

2009-03-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

I've been settling into work for the past few weeks and trying to shake this lingering cold. I haven't run at all and haven't been out kayaking. I did get two days in the snow, and this last Wednesday I got to ride my powder board in over 34" of fresh snow. It was wet and heavy, but it was still fresh snow:) I've done a little side work for Skagen and will not be working for Google any more. I'm working hard to figure out the logistics for Julie and my move to Portland. The priority right now is finding us a place to live out here, as I have to be out of my apartment by the end of the month. I've got a full schedule of weekend work events and work until Easter time when I head back east to catch up with family, pack my things, and drive Julie and I back out to Portland. Please stay well and stay in touch. Peace.....

The "Next Adventure"

2009-02-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry about no pics and the late posting. I've been feeling sick for over a week now and I managed to mess up my lower back, probably a pinched nerve, last weekend while kayaking. Besides my body falling apart a lot has happened over the past two weeks. I haven't been running much, because of the health issues, but I did mange to get out snowboarding twice and kayaking once. I'm really enjoying playing in the snow again! I also managed to secure a job at Next Adventure, the alternative sports store here in Portland, and started work yesterday. The shop has products for almost all the outdoor sports that I enjoy and they are known for their crazy closeout deals. I'm working in the paddlesports department and trying to apply my knowledge of the industry to the retail level. Everyone at the shop are friendly and really passionate about enjoying the outdoors. I'm trying to adapt to working a regular scheduled job again at the retail level. This is a big change from my crazy adventures over the past 7 months or so. The other big news is that plans are now in place for Julie and I to be living together in April. Julie is planning to go to grad school in Portland to become a high school english teacher. We are both working on plans to be back in MD around Easter and move our belongings out to Oregon. I'm looking forward to a more structured life and one in which Julie is a major part of everyday life. Many things are still in the planning stages, but the next few months will see lots of changes that are all meant to provide Julie and I a quality life together. Stay tuned:) Peace.....

Oregon Life Returns

2009-02-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

(Big chaotic waves rolling into Indian Beach the day Joe and I went for a surf kayak.)

There is not too much new to report. I've settled back into life in Oregon with the normal job search, running, and online Google work. The only big news is that I finally got back on the ski slopes for a night of snowboarding, after almost 2yrs of not playing in the snow! Joe and I met up for some night skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows last Sunday. The conditions were fair at best, but I had a blast in the 12 degree and flurries. I've been out surf kayaking twice. Once with Joe on a big day that had us both completely worn out in under 2 hrs. The second time was with Mike and it was a beautiful day out on the water, but the waves were quite poor. Mike did manage to have THE one HUGE (like 9+ ft. face) wave of the day land directly on his head. I've also been out running a bunch and keeping track of the data with my new Garmin 305. I got out trail running this past Sunday morning with a local trail running group, Trail Factor, and put in 14+ miles on the trails in Forest Park. I will be joining this group for some more runs in the future for sure. Sunday afternoon I attended a Super Bowl party at Mike's house and had a great time. The game and commercials were both entertaining this year and the food was good, especially the fried turkey! I also managed to win the betting pool for the evening, netting a whopping $14:) Sunday was a good full day.

I'm hoping to get a job locally in the next few weeks, hopefully in the outdoor industry, and start searching for an apartment for Julie and I to move into in the next few months. Julie sent in her grad school application today to Portland University and is looking into becoming an English teacher for grades 6-12. Things are very much up in the air at the moment, but if Julie and I can get jobs in PDX and she can get into grad school here things will fall into place. I do realize that there are a lot of conditions there, but I'm trying to be optimistic:)

More HI in '09

2009-01-19T12:17:00.000-08:00

In the past two weeks I have: ran around the western most tip of Oahu, hashed around UH, filmed and took photos for the first 1 man outrigger race of the season, stand up paddle boarded, watched 7 Pounds, survived another Bikram Yoga class, ran the first peak on Olomana, kiteboarded in Hawaii Kai, ran Coco Head, kiteboarded in Waikiki twice, lost my kiteboard at sea and had to body drag across an exposed reef, had a hawaiian kid take a swing at me at a karaoke bar, watch the Steelers beat the Ravens, and flew back to PDX today. Besides all that and spending time with Julie I haven't done much:)

Life has honestly been hectic. There is nothing new to report on the job or Julie front, although there have been great efforts made in both cases to change the current situation. I'm healing up from my run in with the reef in Waikiki while kiteboarding, as my left foot got pretty banged up. I'm hoping to get back on the running band wagon in the next few days, as I feel like I've neglected the mileage a bit in favor of time out on the water. I'm back in Oregon and trying to get things organized and a quality future started. Please keep in touch and thanks for reading about my crazy life. Peace......

(Julie and Rob at the start of the Kamanu composites sponsored one man outrigger canoe race. Julie loved seeing here "art projects" out in the water. I was out in a power boat filming and taking photos for the race organizers.)

(This is Zsolt Szadovski WAY out in front of the entire field in his Epic V10 surf ski just outside of the Mokes. He let me paddle one at the finish line and might have hooked me on yet another water sport!)

(This is the finish are of the race and one of the coolest boats on the water. Julie painted this one.)

(Some hikers took this shot when I ran up Olomana. My calves are still burning!)

(This is the Coco Head crater hike that I ran up and down. The hike is straight up the side along some old railroad ties. The trail is next to the telephone poles in the upper left of the photo.)

(This is me kiteboarding in Waikiki just in front of the Hilton. You can see Diamond Head in the background.)

(Julie loved taking tons of photos of me on the beach.)

(The kite rigging area in front of the Hilton in Waikiki.)

(More of me kiting in Waikiki.)

(This shot is again in Waikiki. You can see the boat channel markers on the right of the photo. This is one of the only deep spots along the reef. I made it out threw the channel and was surfing overhead + size waves when some whitewash ripped my board off my feet. The wind and waves pushed me in and a rip current took my board out to sea. I couldn't make it back threw the channel body dragging and ended up having to body drag across exposed reef in the surf.)

(Julie surfing some fun small surf in Cockroach bay.)

(Julie took all kiteboard shots of me in this post.)

Hawaiian Holidays

2009-01-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

(I love kiteboarding in Kailua Bay.)

I've been in HI since Christmas Eve. The crazy weather in Portland made the airport experience interesting. Since arriving in HI I've been kiteboarding nearly every day. The kiting has been amazing and I'm really learning how to control the kite and launch some big jumps. I've also really gotten into surfing the waves with my kiteboard. I got one long run in, surfed some big waves on the North Shore, and did a bikram yoga class. My lower back has been giving me major troubles and I've been beating my legs up bad with all these crazy sports. New Year's was tons of fun with a big party at Julie's place. Julie's old theater friend from MD Lynne came into town last Friday and has been enjoying the HI weather and craziness.

I missed my family for yet another holiday season in HI. I had them all in my thoughts and reminisced about my late Grandma Devol. I'm still trying to find a job, figure out the future for Julie and I, and get into shape. I'm headed back to PDX on Thursday. I'm really hoping to get some things figured out this month and start the new year off right.

(This is the scene at the PDX airport. 16 inches of fresh snow, and counting, in the previous few days.)

(I took this shot of Julie windsurfing in Kailua while following her on my kiteboard.)

(Julie and I enjoying some time out of the wind under my kite on Christmas.)

(This is a cool little tree on the beach with Chinamans Hat in the background. I took this shot while Julie and I went for a little run along the coast.)

(Fried turkey is soooo good, especially on New Year's Eve at a party with lots of drinks!)

(Fireworks were good fun and made the ravaged turkey carcass look interesting.)

(Julie, Rob, Shannon, ?, and Jimmy on the roof just after midnight on New Years Eve.)

(I did a little hike along the old Pali road and took this shot that shows the new and old Pali.)

(Lynne, Julie's old theater friend that is in town visiting, and Julie at Pinkey's.)

(Lynne negotiating the bamboo forest on the Hash designed by our friend Rob.)

(The Hash "virgins" at the end of the Hash.)

(Julie out enjoying the high winds.)

(This is what Julie wears when it is 75+ degrees and she is inside out of the wind!!!)

(Devin took this shot of me surfing a wave next to Flat Island.)

(I also used the waves to catch some air.)

(I took the following shots of Devin.)

(Devin is getting real good at launching himself into the air!)

(Devin flying high again.)

(Devin surfing some ocean swell headed towards world famous Lanikai beach.)

Winter Has Arrived

2008-12-23T00:15:00.001-08:00

(This is the front of my Apartment in OR on Sat. 12/21/08. 4-6" of snow and .25" of ice on top.)

(This is my car before cleaning it off Monday morning 12/22/08, another few inches of snow!)

Everyone out here seems to think this weather is weird, but this is the weather I expected to get living in the Pacific NW. Apparently this is usually rain and not snow and ice. I'm enjoying the snow after not being around it since the Salomon Ski Tour in '07. The roads have been nuts, as apparently they also don't know what a plow is out here??? I bought myself some chains this morning so that I could get mobile again.

There is nothing new to report. I'm applying for jobs left and right and not hearing much back. I'm trying to put in hours at Google, but there doesn't seem to be work to be had. I'm putting in my hours with Skagen, but it is a very part time job. I'm talking to Julie everyday and trying to work out the logistics to build a life together. I'm also running a ton and trying to stay on target for running a few ultras and marathons in '09.

I think about and miss my Grandma Devol on a regular basis and will miss not being with family for yet another Christmas. This year I will be again spending the holidays in HI with Julie.

Stay well, keep in touch, and have a happy holiday.

I Love to Travel!

2008-12-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

(Sorry for the crazy photo sizes lately. I can't seem to fix the problem, as I have no clue what the problem is! Click on the photo to see the whole thing.)

(I grew a beard during the 3 weeks between Iowa and Maryland, shaved it off before my high school reunion.)

I'm sorry about not posting the past few weeks, but there has been little to report and no photos to go with the reports. Over the past two weeks I have been back in MD. The week before I was just hanging out in Portland and working for Skagen. I did get to hang out with some new Portland friends for a quality Halloween party as well. The MD trip was a lot of fun and I was able to collect some photos to hopefully make this post interesting:)

I flew back to MD on Friday the 21st and got to see the new Bond movie that evening with my parents, Jacklyn, Julie, & Rae. The movie was entertaining, but not nearly as good as Casino Royal, the only post Ian Fleming Bond movie worth much. On Saturday I attended my 10 yr high school reunion with Jacklyn. It was held at the Red Star in Baltimore and was good fun. It was good to see what people are up too, that you knew 10 yrs ago and haven't kept in touch with. Lots of drinks and many years of catching up kept the conversations flowing. I got the prize for traveling the furthest for the reunion as well. On Sunday Julie left with her family for a three day trip to a time share in southern VA. I managed to catch a cold and went out to my parents place to help move my sister into here new apartment, which was quite a job! The first half of the week I spent with my parents fighting off my cold and cleaning out my old room. Thursday was Thanksgiving and was a great to enjoy a feast with my family. The senior Dorr's, John, Linda, & Jason Spence, my Mom, Dad, Sister, & Victoria all got to spend the day enjoying good food and playing cards. My Grandma Devol was greatly missed by all:( On Saturday I got up early and ran the NCR Trail marathon. I probably shouldn't have, since I hadn't run all week due to being quite sick. The weather turned out to be quite nice and I felt relatively good during the run. I was shooting for under 4 hrs and managed a 4:00:13. Those 13 seconds get to me every time I look at that result! Saturday night was a big party at Julie's house that went quite well. My family came and met Julie's for the first time, the UWS crew showed up in force, and many of Julie's old high school/college/& theater friends showed up as well. Julie's Mom made some amazing food and everyone ate and drank quite well. I woke up the next day feeling quite rough from the marathon.

The second week in MD was a bit more mellow, but still quite busy. For the first part of the week I worked on cleaning up my Grandma Devol's house, as there is a lot of work to be done on that place before it can be sold. On Wednesday Julie and I took a trip down to DC to check out some of the Museums. We went to the Natural History Museum, Sackler Gallery, Freer Gallery, and enjoyed some shopping and dining at Union Station. Friday night Justin & Sarah threw a party out at their place. It was good to catch up with the UWS crew again and many of Sarah's Park Ranger friends came out as well. Julie caught a cold earlier in the week and was feeling quite rough and my allergies were killing me from all the animals, so we only stayed out until about 11. On Saturday I got to take my parents out for a nice B-Day dinner, as they both have B-Day's this week. Sunday Julie and I both flew back to our places, Julie back to HI and me back to OR.

I have to say that life is a bit rough at the moment as Julie and I have tried so hard to find a way to be together again. In the end I need to find a job and a location for us to be. Julie is very interested in becoming an art teacher and will probably be pursing that path sometime soon. For now I have most of Dec. planned out with work for Google and Skagen. I'm also searching for jobs and running everyday. Hopefully things will come together soon.

(This is one of the aid stations along the NCR Trail marathon that I ran back in MD.)

(My sisters new kid is getting big! Victoria at 2 months.)

(Julie threw a great party on the 29th at her parents place. Much of the UWS crew were in attendance.)

(Sarah was nice enough to bring her chocolate fountain for Julie's party. Julie's Dad was in the party spirit with his HI shirt and cacua nuts.)

(This is Julie in any moving vehicle. This happens to be on the DC metro headed down to the museums.)

(Julie enjoying all the animals at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.)

(This was one of the many amazing photos in a temporary exhibit at the Natural History Museum.)

(This is a very cool natural sculpture formed by sand and crystal that can be found in the Hope Dimond room at the Natural History Museum.)

(Julie and I really liked this plate in the Sackler Gallery.)

(The arcitectue and sculptues go hand in hand at the Sackler Gallery.)

(Party photos by Rae Borsetti)

Portland Life

2008-11-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sadly there really isn't much to report. I'm still in the Portland, OR area working to find a job and doing some odd jobs to make ends meet. I finally started the Google quality rater position and now need to put in 10-30 hrs a week in front of the computer. For the most part a really boring job, but the money is okay and I have rent to pay. Julie and I talk everyday and are still trying to make plans for the future. Basically she is looking at a number of paths and I'm still looking for a job to settle into. I did get out kayaking both days this weekend and had a great time. I love steep creeks! I have also been running a ton trying to gear up for yet another marathon. I figure if I'm going to be unemployed than I should at least be in good shape and happy about that. I will be running the NCR Trail marathon back in MD the Sat. after Thanksgiving. Well, that is about it. I'm looking forward to another couple of weeks back east with family and friends.

(Sorry for no photos again, but it has been rainy and cloudy here all week!)

Iowa

2008-11-03T22:59:00.001-08:00

This past week was a rough one as I had to bury my Grandma Devol. She was an amazing lady and someone that cared about others deeply. She was an integral part of my close family and someone who will be missed greatly. Her memorial and burial was held in Des Moines, Iowa, her hometown. My parents did an amazing job of organizing everything, following my Grandmothers wishes, and making it possible for the entire extended family and friends to spend time together. It was really good to meet many extended family members that I had heard about over the years and reconnect with family that I hadn't seen for years.

I'm back in Portland now trying to organize my life. I'm still working to find a new career, create a future for Julie and I, and make ends meet now. I'm also still working to increase my fitness, mostly through running. I'm looking forward to spending some more time with the family and Julie back in Maryland around Thanksgiving.

Julie in OR!

2008-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

(Julie and I enjoying a little hike at Indian Beach)

This past week Julie came for a visit in OR. We had a great week exploring Northwestern Oregon. We got a chance to check out the coast, Portland, and the Hood River area. It was really great to have Julie back on the mainland and enjoying the amazing fall weather in Oregon. We are still working out the details to again combine our lives on an everyday level, but we both have a number of decisions to make. For now Julie is enjoying her life in HI and I'm still working on finding a new career on the mainland. I'm now in Iowa attending my Grandmothers Memorial/Funeral, more on that next week.

(Indian Beach on an amazing Fall day in Oregon, 60 degrees and sunny!)

(The lighthouse off Tillimook Head, OR.)

(Julie and I enjoying the sunset on the "Prom" in Seaside, OR.)

(Sea lions taking a nap in Astoria, OR.)

(Julie staying warm while enjoying the sea lions in Astoria.)

(It has been awhile since Julie has seen leaves! This is a great overlook in the Columbia River Gorge.)

(One of the many waterfalls we got to check out in the "gorge".)

(Julie and I enjoying Bridal Veil Falls.)

(Julie at Multnomah Falls, the second largest waterfall in the US.)

(Julie feeding the alpaca on the "Fruit Loop" drive outside Hood River, OR.)

(Julie enjoying a beautiful fall day at a local Hood River fruit stand with Mt. Hood in the background.)

(Julie in a really cool ravine on the Southeast side of Mt. Hood.)

Sad to Say Goodbye:(

2008-10-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

(This is my Grandma Devol kissing me on the cheek the night before she passed away.)

The really sad news this week was the passing of my Grandmother. She was an absolutely amazing woman and the best Grandmother anyone could ask for. She cared for people so deeply and tried to help anyone and everyone she could. She passed away this past Friday morning in her sleep. Her standard of living was going down considerably because of numerous health issues and she is now in a better place and not in pain. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to spend the past two weeks visiting with her and letting her know how much she is loved. Most of the important people in her life had a chance to show her their love and admiration over the past few weeks. Memorial services will be in Des Moines, Iowa next Monday.

I am currently back in Portland and have been working hard the past two days doing Skagen watch merchandising in the area. I'm still looking for full time employment, but haven't been getting any luckier on that front lately. On the positive side I'm super excited to have Julie coming for a visit this week. She'll be here Wednesday morning and then leaving Sunday midday. I will be flying out to Iowa at the same time.

My love and thoughts go out to my amazing parents. I can only strive to be as good a son as they have been to their parents.

Family Time Back East

2008-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

(My niece Victoria)

I've been back on the east coast all week spending time with the family. My grandmother isn't doing so well and I've been spending time with my parents taking her to her medical appointments. My other grandparents are doing quite well. My sister and her new baby girl are also doing quite well. I was supposed to fly back west today, but decided to stay through Saturday to spend some more time with the family.

I did get to catch up with my friends Justin and Sarah on Saturday as well as the Edelstein's. We had a great afternoon out on the water wakeboarding. Beautiful weather, warm water, and good friends made for a really great time. I also caught up with my old high school friend Jacklyn over a nice dinner. Helene and I also got to catch up over dinner tonight.

Julie spent this past weekend in Maui with her friend Liz. They had a great time and got to see an amazing sunrise. I'm looking forward to Julie coming to Portland for a visit a week from Wednesday.

(Victoria & I enjoying some time at my parent's place)

(My Sister Nicole with her new baby Victoria & my Mom's Mom, Loraine)

(My Father's parents, Marilyn & Ken, and I)

(Dick, my Mom's Dad, and I)

(Justin driving the Edelstein's wakeboard boat)

(Me being goofy for the camera)

(Airing it out with a stylish grab)

Marathons & More Flights

2008-10-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well I managed to get a few of my goals for last week completed at least. I got the Google job, but won't start for a week or so. I also did two Phix demos that went well. Most of the week I was just taking it easy trying to rest up for the Portland Marathon. I got two 5 mile runs in early in the week and managed to get some solid shin pain in my left leg and knee pain in my right. I also had a major kink in my neck all week from the beating I took in my surf kayak last weekend. One way I took it easy was by playing some poker at the local casino. I managed to go home with a few hundred in profit both times I played.

I managed to run a 3:59:47 marathon, just under my 4 hr goal:) It rained the whole race and never got over 50 something degrees. I was running a 3:45 marathon until about mile 17 when I backed off a bit. At mile 21 my legs started to completely seize and cramp up. I ended up walking a few times because my legs wouldn't bend far enough to get a running stride. At about the 25 mile marker it started to rain harder and the 4 hr pacer passed me. At that point I just put the pain aside and told myself that I wasn't going to let my 4 hr goal slip through in the last mile or so. I ended up sprinting that last 1.2 miles and finished a few hundred feet in front of the 4 hr pacer. My legs are completely broken today, but hopefully with some rest and ice they will recover quickly:)

Today I flew back to Maryland to visit with family and see some friends. I'm looking forward to visiting my Grandparents and seeing my niece, Victoria Ariana. I'll be flying back to Portland next Monday.

I'm still working on plans for the future. A solid career is still one of my primary focuses, and still not happening very fast:( I am very much looking forward to a visit from Julie in a few weeks in Portland.

Google Time

2008-09-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

This week has been full of time on the computer in my new apartment near Portland. I've been settling in and working on the normal things, finding a job and keeping up with friends and family. I did manage to get out surf kayaking yesterday and had a blast as usual. I've also been training hard for the Portland marathon coming up this weekend. I think I'm ready for a sub 4 hr. marathon, but we'll see how it works out:)

On the work front not much has changed. I've looked at a ton of things, sent out a few applications, and heard nothing back from the MANY applications that I still have out there. I did start doing demos, just one so far, for Phix energy (www.phix.com). It should be a fun and easy side job. I've also been working all week on a test for a job with Google as a web site rater. It would be a solid part-time very flexable job that I could use to pay some bills each month. I'll be working late to get it done by tomorrow morning's deadline and we'll see what happens from there.

Julie and I are still going strong and trying to figure out what the future holds for each of us independantly and together. Julie's big news from yesterday is her completion of the Molokai outrigger canoe race! This is a 40+ mile 6 man outrigger canoe race across the open ocean channel between Molokai and Oahu. Julie worked really hard to accomplish this goal and had an amazing experience surrounding the race.

The family is having some crazy times to say the least. My sister is in labor currently, I think? I might be a uncle before the day is out. My Grandma Devol is still in the hospital and on my mind all the time. From what I hear her spirits have slightly improved, but physically she is still struggling. Please keep her in your prayers and thoughts. My Mom and Dad are amazing for handling all this chaos with such grace and composure.

My goals for this week are to: get the google job, schedule some Phix demos, run a sub 4 hr marathon, find a full time job, and take care of a ton of little things that I just haven't had time to take care of. Wish me luck as this might be a tall order!

Cispus Video

2008-09-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Cool video of me running the big drop called Behemoth on the Cispus River in Washington. I wrote about this run a few weeks ago. If you look closely I had a helmet on at the top and none at the bottom. Luckily I had a good run and my helmet popped up undamaged next to me in the eddy a few minutes later.

Video

Hood, Kailua, & now in Portland

2008-09-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

(Kailua from the air, you can see the Mokalua Islands just off Laniki Beach)

It has been a crazy week. I've been running a ton prepping for the Portland Marathon in two weeks, Oct. 5th. I managed a 20 mile run yesterday in exactly 3 hrs, a 9 min/mile pace. Low water has kept me off the rivers and it seems that the wind only blows when I'm leaving town, so no kiteboarding.

On the job front there is very little to report. I'm working on three part time jobs now, more on that next week. The one I worked a bunch early this past week was the Skagen watch merchandising job. In two days I spent over 12 hrs at 6 different Macy's stores in the greater Portland area. I'm still looking for that career move and will be working even more this week to really focus my energies on getting something to happen ASAP.

The big news, and craziness over this past week was a very last minute trip to HI. I bought a ticket at 4 am Thursday and was in HI at 3:30 that afternoon. I just got back into town this morning from a wonderful few days with Julie. I figured out a few months ago that I had made a huge mistake leaving her in HI back in June. I needed to see her in person and show her just how much I love and miss her in my life. Julie and I have an amazing friendship and a love for one another that is extremely rare. We have committed to each other to work things out and find a way to be together in the future.

Julie is racing in the 6 man outrigger canoe race from Molaki to Oahu this weekend. I wish her and her team a safe and speedy crossing of this grueling and challenging channel. I'm so proud of the huge amount of work and effort that Julie has put into this amazing endeavour.

My Grandma Devol is in my thoughts everyday. Her health is not getting any better and she is back in hospice care after another trip to the hospital this week. Please keep her in your prayers.

My sister Nicole is expecting her first child within the next two weeks. She seems to be doing well with all of it and I wish her the best. It is crazy that I'm going to be an Uncle!

Please keep in touch, as you can see I've been busy! Please also keep me in the loop if you know of any job opportunities. I moved into an apartment near Portland today with a paddling friend, EJ Etherington, but can still move anywhere for the right career move.

(Honolulu Airport)

(Julie ready to tackle the Coco Head Hike)

(Julie and Bryon happy together again)

(Hawaii Kai and Honolulu with some rain rolling through, from atop Coco Head)

(Sunset over Hawaii Kai from atop Coco Head)

(Julie prepping the paint for another outrigger canoe)

(Julie spraying in the first colored gel coat)

(Julie showing off one of her creative masterpieces)

(I got to check out some serious RC airplane and helicopter enthusiasts in Kailua)

Still Working Hard to Find Work!

2008-09-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

The headline tells most of the story. I'm putting in most of every day trying to find a new career, or at least a descent job. I have accepted a very part time position, like 12 hrs a month, doing merchandising for Skagen Watches in the Portland area. This is the same position that I had with Skagen in HI. I'm also working on a part time position with Google rating websites. Other than that not much is happening on the job hunt side of things.

My Grandma Devol is having some more medical issues and I keep her in my thoughts everyday. My parents are amazing and are dealing with a lot to make sure that their parents are having the best lives possible at this time.

The water is drying up fast around here and there hasn't been much in the way of whitewater to be had. I got a low water run in on the Green Truss and hit up a dam release on the Tieton. The winds have also been dead most of the week, and only blowing when I need to get work done:( I have been running really hard though, trying to prepare for the Portland Marathon on Oct. 5th. I feel pretty good about my speed and distances, but the marathon is going to hurt with the minimal time that I've had to prepare. I'm shooting for a sub 4 hr marathon, anything below that will make me happy.

Joe and Rachel have been great hosts here in Hood River, but I don't want to overstay my welcome. I'm working on finding a place to live in the Portland area, which will also hopefully get me closer to some job opportunities. The commute to the kayaking and kiting will be a bit further, but I'll be closer to the job center and only a little over an hour from the coast.

Surf Kayaking on the OR Coast

2008-09-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

(Indian Beach, OR)

Overall this has just been another week. I have been running a ton, preparing for the Portland Marathon on Oct. 5th, and searching for jobs. I'm still sending in new applications and following up on old ones every day. The job search is getting old fast and my funds are running dangerously low. I've even contacted a few local car dealers to see about selling high end cars again! Bills need to get paid one way or another:( I managed to sneak in a short kite session as well as a mellow kayak during the week as well.

All the photos this week are from a trip on Saturday to the Oregon Coast to go surf kayaking. A big group from Portland as well as Joe and I headed to Indian river and got some solid 7-9 ft. surf. Joe and I spent more than 5 hours out on the water trying to catch all the big ones in our surf specific boats. It was an exhausting day, but was well worth the long drive. On the way home we stopped at this really cool old logging museum/restaurant. The brownie desert is amazing and you might get a glimpse of Sasquatch while your there!

(The North end of Indian Beach)

(My first Elk spotting in OR, rite on the coast.)

(Joe spotted Sasquatch!)

(Sasquatch and I making a run for it!)

Still in the Hood, but Disconnected for the Long Weekend

2008-09-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

(Me running a sweet boof on the North Fork of the Payette.)

Tuesday I finally got out Kiteboarding for the first time in Hood River. I had a fun little session and managed to get a solid 1/2 mile up wind. It was fun, but I bagged it a bit early as the wind was picking up quickly to the 30 knot range while I was on the water. After kiting Joe and I managed to squeeze in a sprint run down the Truss. We kayaked the whole thing in just over an hour, and finished less than 15 minutes from pitch darkness:) Wednesday I got in a more casual run on the Truss. On Thursday I managed to check out the local premiere of the new TGR surf film, "Out There," as well as a local hip-hop show by "Sweatshop Union." A busy, but really fun evening. Friday was full of packing and driving to Idaho for a weekend of kayaking. Joe, Rachel, Mike, James, and I loaded our creekboats in two cars for three days of paddling the various stretches of the Payette river near Boise, ID. Saturday Mark, an old paddling friend from DC now living in Boise, lead Joe and I down the North Fork of the Payette, a 15 mile section of class V whitewater with big water character. This is not my style of boating and I was a little stressed out most of the day, although I did fine and styled a large majority of the run. Saturday our whole crew paddled the Staircase section of the South Fork of the Payette as well as the Gorge section of the South Fork of the Payette. These are fun class III runs in an extremely beautiful countryside. Monday Joe and I lead Rachel, James, and Devon (a 14 yr. old sponsored paddler from Portland) down the lower 5 section of the North Fork of the Payette. James started off a little rough and decided to bag the trip early. The rest of us had a really fun run with solid lines had by all. Overall the weekend was amazing and it was good to get out camping in the wilderness without cell reception or internet access. A huge thanks goes out to Rachel for organizing things and making some quality meals for the whole gang.

Today I got back to work catching up with people and applying for jobs. I think I sent out another 3 applications today alone. I'm probably at over 25 outstanding applications rite now:( Hopefully I'll start hearing back from people this week. I also went for a long run today, or at least long for my current physical conditioning:) I'm training hard for the Portland Marathon on Oct. 5th that I signed up for just last week. I've got a lot of mileage to get in the next few weeks!

(My Hood River hosts: Eddy, Joe, and Rachel.)

(Our, free, campsite along the SF of the Payette.)

(James, Joe, Cory, Devon, Rachel, & Mike enjoying the hot springs along the Gorge section of the South Fork of the Payette.)

(This is the one mandatory portage on the SF Payette Gorge run called Big Falls.)

(The crew at the take-out near sunset enjoying a little sun.)

Still, Hangin' in the Hood

2008-08-25T23:14:00.001-07:00

(Mt. Adams with a crazy cloud formation at its' peak.)

Over this past week I have tried to make the best of the time I have while being unemployed. I have been working every day to find a new career, or at least a solid job. Last Tuesday I went on two interviews. Both went well, one with a second interview on Wednesday and the other is a job at a kayak shop. The second interview on Wednesday went rough, as I found out the job was a bit of a "pyramid" type deal and not something I wanted any part of.

The rest of the week has basically been full of paddling. I ran a VERY silty East Fork of the Hood River with Joe, Rachel, Sam, & Kate on Thursday. The run was very manky and the water was extremely hard to read with the insane amount of silt in the water. I ran the Truss section of the White Salmon, for the third time, on Friday with Sam and Kate. I had solid lines and again stayed out of the cave at Big Brother. Saturday I paddled the Lower Wind River with Joe and Sam. I had solid lines on the harder section, with multiple laps, but completely ran the rapid called "flume" on my head. I will be back to clean that manky little rapid! On Sunday a big crew of 11 boaters headed up to run the Upper Upper Cispus again. I had some really good lines and fired up the big one, "Behemoth", this time around. I styled the rapid, even avoiding the huge ledge hole after the main drop, 1 of 2 paddlers from the group of 11 to pull that off. I did somehow loose my helmet from the impact off the main drop. Luckily it resurfaced in the eddy next to me and everything seems fine with it. Sadly the wind has not cooperated and has been dead or way to strong for my gear. Once I get a job my first purchase is going to be a smaller kite so that I can enjoy the strong winds in the gorge.

I did finally get talked into joining Facebook for all of you that do that kind of thing. I have to admit that it is good catching up with so many people that I had lost touch with.

For all of you who have also been following Julie's story here is the latest: She is still enjoying her work both as the Windsurfing manager at KSK as well as her custom painting job at Kamanu Composites. She has been spending most of her free time training for distance season on her outrigger canoe team. They have done two races, the last one being from Kailua to Waikiki all the way around the south end of Oahu!!! Julie has been on Facebook for a long time and if your interested I'm sure you can find out more about her on there, through her.

Wish me luck on the career search, as it seems I need it. Please be sure to keep in touch. I miss being around a lot of good friends and family that are now all over the country, or at least not in the part of the country that I'm currently in:)

(This was a cool side hike off the Cispus.)

(Joe running the good line at Island rapid on the Cispus. I ran this on the right, out of frame, and got surfed pretty good in the hole Joe is boofing over. That will teach me for not scouting a rapid with 90 cfs less water than the last time I ran it.)

(The is Dan Rubado, an old kayaking friend of mine, running Behemoth. This shot doesn't do the drop justice as it is something like 40 feet from top to bottom.)

(This is a little map of the windsports area in Hood River.)

(This is a shot looking back towards the "Events Site" in Hood River from the sand bar.)

(This shot is from the Kiteboard parking area looking out onto the sandbar. This shot was taken about 1/2 hr. after the shot above. Notice the crazy clouds!)

Hangin' in the Hood

2008-08-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

(Just a cool photo)

After OR I spent some time hanging with my friends at H2O paddles before they flew back to Canada. I also got a chance to see The Dark Knight in an IMAX theater in SLC before I left. Definitely worth checking out on the BIG screen. I then drove up to Hood River, OR to hang out with my friends from Baltimore, Joe and Rachel. They have been great hosts and I've been crashing in their spare bedroom. The week has been full of paddling, eating out, and watching the Olympics. I paddled the Truss with Joe on Thursday, and then again on Friday with Andy Maser, another Baltimore paddling friend. On Saturday a crew of 8 of us drove up to the Cispus River in Washington. It was a really fun creek, but the water was a bit low and there where lots of trees in the River. I walked the big rapid on the run, but will fire it up next time for sure. My paddling skills are all there, but they aren't coming second nature like they should to run the really big and hazardous rapids. On Sunday I did a whole lot of nothing as the stress, allergies, and everything else finally caught up with me and I got a bad cold. Today I'm working hard on job applications and followups, as I do everyday, and trying to get rid of this cold. I should have an interview in Portland this afternoon and another again tomorrow afternoon. We'll see what my over 14 applications for various positions make happen.

(Joe running Big Brother on the Green Truss section of the White Salmon river in WA.)

(Me having a solid line on Big Brother and being the only one of 6 on this day not to go into the cave on river right.)

(Me at the put-in for the class V Upper Upper Cispus River in WA.)

(Joe's fully loaded rig on the way back from the Cispus with Mt. Adams in the background.)

(Sunday saw the return of the wind to the gorge and everyone was out enjoying it in Hood River. This shot is from the windsurf launch and doesn't come close to showing the magnitude of this place and the wind junkies that are out enjoying it!)

(This guy was just going off doing huge moves all afternoon.)

(Some of the pros set up a video shoot with this guy on a ladder about 100 ft. away from the sand bar. The ladder is probably only in about 2 ft. of water.)

(Photos of me taken by Joe Stumpfel)

CA, Hot Rods, & The OR Show

2008-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week driving around and checking out the scenery. Route 4 through California was amazingly beautiful and a place that I'll be back to for sure. South Lake Tahoe was also quite scenic. Hopefully I can make it back there when the snow is on the ground:) Sadly there wasn't much wind and I didn't get out kiteboarding again:( I then spent a little time back in Reno checking out the Hot August Nights car show and hanging out with Stephen Wright. I wish him the best at the World Cup of Kayaking that starts this week in Europe. I then spent two days driving across the desert of Nevada, this time on the highway. I then spent the last four days in Salt Lake City, UT at the Outdoor Retailer show catching up with old contacts and trying to make new ones. The career search goes on... and on... I do have a few solid prospects that might happen in the next week.

I have re-evaluated the important things in my life over the past weeks on the road alone. In the end I just want to be happy and healthy, and I don't think that I could ask for more. Finding these "small" things has proved to be increasingly difficult. The real kicker is that I have recently made some mistakes that have made it increasingly difficult to have the important people that I love be an integral part of my life. It is really difficult when you discover what you want in life and can't have it:( Hopefully I can adapt or make things rite again in the near future.

The world is still full of possibilities and I'm working hard to find the ones that will fit best in my life. Please stay well and keep in touch.

(Beautiful California Scenery)

(More CA Wilderness)

(South Lake Tahoe)

(Hot August Nights Annual Car Show in Reno)

(A Really Sweet Orange Hot Rod)

Cali Kayaking

2008-08-03T19:48:00.001-07:00

This past week has been relatively uneventful with the many things that I'm working on in life. I did manage to give back a bunch of money to the casinos. I also got out to Washoe lake once for a little kiteboarding, but the winds where a bit crazy. The good news is that I got to get out on the river 4 days this week with my good friend from back east Stephen Wright. We park and played at Barking Dog, ran the Chili Bar run, ran the Gorge section of the S. Fork of the American, and ran the Ramsey Run section of Hells Kitchen. Barking Dog was fun play and Stephen was showing the locals how to go absolutely huge in a relatively small spot. The Chili Bar run was stunningly beautiful, but very easy and the play wasn't all that good. The Gorge section was a blast with tons of little boofs and fun moves to make. The Ramsey Run section was solid class 5 and was the most beautiful by far with huge granite domes and giant sequioa trees surrounding the river. It was a blast to be back in my creek boat running the gnar:)

(A cool kiteboard spot about 25 min. south of Reno. The wind here is crazy gusty. When I was out I was riding in 9-30!!! A bit scary to say the least.)

(Lake Washoe kite scene.)

(Stephen Wright going huge, as usual, at the Barking Dog playspot on the S. Fork of the American River.)

(Giant sequoia trees with Jessica, Stephen's girlfriend, and my paddling rigs.)

(Packing the boat for the 1/2 mile bushwhack down to the Ramsey Run.)

(One of the first drops on the Ramsey Run.)

(Stephen getting a nice big boof on one of the many manky rapids on the Ramsey Run.)

(Me dropping into one of the many beautiful granite gorges.)

(Stephen boofing into and styling the big drop on the run. I walked this one today, but I'll be back.)

(Stephen using the rock to style this little chute.)

(Me helping out a fellow paddler on the river recover his boat after a swim.)

I'm now out in the middle of nowhere CA and looking for some more trouble to get into. My only plan at the moment is to be at the OR show in SLC on Friday. My grandparents health has improved, but please still keep them in your thoughts. There is great news from Hawaii, Julie got 3rd in states for her outrigger canoe racing! A BIG congrats to her on that amazing accomplishment. Well, I have to find some cell service and a place to sleep tonight. Keep in touch. Peace....

(All photos of me courtesy of Stephen Wright)

Reno

2008-07-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Colorado & Beyond...

2008-07-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

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.)

Finally Traveling West!

2008-07-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

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.)

Back on American Soil

2008-07-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

(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.)

Finally On The Road Again!

2008-06-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay between posts, but life has been keeping me busy. I did leave HI and am now back on the mainland. Julie stayed in HI and is keeping busy with her many jobs and the canoe club. Her canoe team is fighting for first place! Julie and I are not together anymore, but are remaining good friends.

Baltimore treated me well, as I got to kayak, wakeboard, and catch up with lots of friends and family. I ended up staying in Westminster with the parents for 15 days. The big projects where finding an outfitting a cross country ready car and buying a new laptop. The laptop was easy, and just required a large CC payment:( The car was a complete headache. I finally settled on a '98 Volvo V70 wagon. It is nice with power everything, leather seats, dual climate controls, heated seats, CD player and it even has a tape deck:) I did have some major issues that required the car to be in the shop for a few days and had me writing another $2K check. In the end, with the roof rack setup, the car came out to about $7K. The issue now is that the check engine light is back on and the trunk won't open. Apparently it is going to cost me another $300 or so to get the trunk to work again. For now, I guess I'm climbing in through the front:(

The next adventure was a week in Boston to visit Heather and Erin. It ended up being tons of fun, even though Heather was a bit decapacitated due to a bone spur and bursitis in her ankle. My ankle is still messed up from kiting in HI and I really hope I don't have to deal with the pain and issues that Heather has been dealing with. I managed to get to the local rock climbing gym 3 times with Erin, kiteboard in downtown Boston, catch the "Grand Canyon" & "Alps" IMAX films, and enjoyed a lot of quality meals and drinks out on the town with the girls.

(Boston as seen from the Boston Science Center Parking Garage)

(Wide view of Pleasure Bay with the city in the background)

(The Locals go HUGE out here! I'm flying the red kite in the background.)

(A bit of an industrial setting, but quite fun)

(Laid out and lovin' life)

(Heather, Erin, & I havin' some drinks in H's kitchen)

Today I left Boston and headed up to Montreal. It was a long drive and I had to deal with the many issues of picking up a new Fluid kayak from the distribution center in VT. The distributing company is a quality outfit, but I'm so glad to not be doing business with Fluid Kayaks anymore!!! I did manage to get a great session in at the Habitat 67 wave in downtown Montreal in the new boat. After a quality kayak surfing session I headed over the bridge just downstream of the wave for a bit of gambling at the Montreal Casino. It is a very cool and interesting casino and I luckily walked out with enough extra money to get a hotel room tonight. I'm looking forward to some more boating, and possibly gambling, before heading for the Ottawa River tomorrow.

(Arriving in French Canada)

I'm excited about this trip. It has been way too long since I've been on a solo cross country adventure. I'm hoping to get in shape and find as much kayaking and kiting as I can as I go. My plan is to make it out west in the next month or so and set up roots with a new career. I'm working on a number of options, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open if you hear of anything. Please be sure to keep in touch. More adventures and photos to come shortly.

(Boston Kiting Photos taken by Erin Higgins)

Farewell Hawaii

2008-06-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been intense to say the least. We had lots of visitors, we canoed, we partied, we hiked, and I made some big decisions.

Julie and I took out some one man outrigger canoes that her work generously let us borrow, these things are over $3K a piece! It was tons of fun and Julie got to show off her canoeing skills. Julie did manage to tip over a few times, but it was a hot day and I'm sure she was just trying to stay cool;) Julie also caught the wave of the day surfing it all the way to the inside of the breakers. Luckily for her she was able to put those speedy canoe strokes to work and make it back to the outside before she and the boat made friends with the reef.

(Julie showing off her canoe form on the new Kamanu composits design the Pueo)

(Bryon giving the outrigger canoe thing a try)

We had a ton of house guests over the past few weeks as Aaron had three friends in town (Andy, Tim, and Nate) and Julie and I had Heather and Erin. It was a full house, but everyone got along and had a good time.

Julie took a day off early in Heather and Erin's visit and took them out to the Mokalua Islands by kayak. They got to enjoy the beach, check out the tidal sea life, as well as enjoy some cliff jumping.

(Heather enjoying the local sea life while the ocean explodes behind her on the Mokes)

(Julie jumping on the back side of the Mokalua Islands)

Two Saturdays ago we had a huge party at the 651, our place. Aaron decided that it would be an Indian Jones themed party, as the movie opened that weekend. The crew went all out with movie posters, full size Indian Jones cutouts, the official movie display, fake whips, Indiana party hats, booby traps, tiki torches, balloon snake pits, balloon boulders, and the list goes on. Derek made sure the party would go off properly by providing a keg of Longboard Ale. We had a few less people than anticipated, but that was a good thing and we still managed to tap the keg!

(Julie & Erin getting into character, too bad it was more Charlie's Angels than Indiana Jones:))

(From Left to Right/Back to Front: Andy, Nate, Derek, Aaron, Tim, Jenny, Erin, Heather, Julie, Bryon)

(Julie attended the canoe blessing ceremony at the Kailua Canoe Club on Sunday)

On Sunday Heather, Erin, and I attended the Land Rover Wheels Event at Kualoa Ranch. All of us had a hard time getting up after the crazy party the night before, but everyone managed to hold it together and enjoy themselves. We couldn't have asked for a better day or a more fun group of people at the event. It is always fun to take Land Rovers out into their natural environment.

(Land Rover Wheels event at Kualoa Ranch)

On Tuesday I took Heather and Erin up the Stairway to Heaven Hike. It was a beautiful day for the hike and the views where spectacular. I think the ladies will remember this one for awhile just because of its uniqueness.

(You could see most of the windward coast, Pearl Harbor, and all the way to the North shore from the top of Stairway to Heaven on this day)

(Erin, Bryon, & Heather at the top of Stairway to Heaven)

(Heather & Erin descending the final set of stairs on the Stairway to Heaven Hike)

(Bryon getting in a little light wind kiting)

On Wednesday Julie, Heather, Erin, and I took the scenic drive up to the North Shore. We toured around all the famous surf breaks and checked out a ton of surf shops along the way. We had lunch and drinks up at Cholos in Haliewa and then headed down to Sharks Cove for some napping and snorkeling. We also took the ladies out to Kona Brewing in Hawaii Kai for dinner and drinks. By the end of the day we had circumnavigated the entire island of Oahu!

(Erin wondering like the rest of us why Haliewa had NO waves!)

(Snorkel Julie ready to see the fishies at Sharks Cove)

(Heather and Bryon enjoying a beautiful sunset at the Paradise Cove Luau)

This past Thursday Julie and I took a sick Heather and friend Erin up the Olamana hike. Heather was a trooper and ended up enjoying herself, even though she looked like she might keel over ascending the first peak. Erin did an amazing job fighting off the jitters with the extreme exposure that the third peak offers. It was a great day with amazing views of the windward coast of Oahu.

(The girls atop the third peak of Olamana with Kailua in the background)

(Erin descending the third peak on Olamana)

My Turkish motorcycle friend Umut found the love of his life and got married this past Sunday on Lanakai Beach. It was a beautiful ceremony and he is extremely happy. He also doesn't need to worry about his expired US work permit anymore:)

(Jenny and Umut's wedding on Lanikai Beach)

My big decision has been to leave Julie and the Land Rover job behind in Hawaii and move back to the mainland. I'll be back in the DC/Baltimore area for a week or two sorting things out and then I'll be hitting the road. I'm hoping to squeeze in a bit of kiteboarding and kayaking as well as catching up with friends and family. My plan is to find a new career in the Pacific Northwest. I have a number of solid prospects, but have yet to nail one down.

We'll see how often I'll update the blog, as I need to buy a laptop when I get home. Hopefully all will go well and I'll have some great adventures and career news to share shortly. Please do keep in touch and maybe I'll get a chance to catch up with many of you soon.

Surfing & Paragliding

2008-05-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Julie and I had the day off and went exploring on the North Shore. Julie also passed the drivers test and got her HI liscense. We spent an hour or so surfing 6-8ft swell in Haleiwa. Julie and I both took our beatings, but also got some great rides.

(A very good longboarder surfing at Haleiwa)

Paragliding off Makapuu point was the big excitment for the week. Aaron made arrangements for the three male housemates to get tandem rides with some of his buddies friends. It wasn't cheap, but we got a good deal and had an absolute blast. All our pilots were very proffessional and really cool guys. They were also kiteboarders, which made it really easy for me to relate with them.

(Aaron just after launching off the cliffs above Makapuu)

(It was a beatifull day and there were a lot of pilots out flying)

(Aaron enjoying some acrobatics with his pilot Jorge)

(Derek & his pilot Dave preparing to launch)

(Derek taking flight)

(Derek soaring over the ocean just after takeoff)

(Derek and I launched just below the road where it takes the 90 degree right turn. Aaron launched from the first plateau on the island side of the road by the turn.)

(I was flying high above Derek as we flew over the beach, yes those are people on the beach!)

Juile and I are both still working really hard to make ends meet. Between fuel and food prices things have gotten really expensive here in HI, but I guess everyone is dealing with these issues rite now. We are really excited about having Heather and her friend Erin come into town this Thursday. We have a big party planned Saturday night and the Land Rover Wheels event is on Sunday. Stay tuned...

Slow Going

2008-05-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

There really isn't much to report from the past two weeks. Julie is working hard at her jobs and really getting into her outrigger canoe club experience. I have been kiting when possible, but there hasn't been any wind this week. Land Rover sales have dropped significantly since the economy took a dive and gas prices went through the roof. We did have a fun party at our place last night with a bunch of friends. We are also really excited to have Heather and her friend Erin coming for a visit next week.

Ice in HI & Mountains in the Desert!

2008-04-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

(Julie, Aaron, & Shannon ready to hit the ice in HI!!!!)

Sorry for the delayed post, but life here has been quite busy. I didn't get this post out last night because we hosted another party at our place. Time at work has been extremely boring, as not many people are buying luxury SUVs with the current economic situation. Julie has been busy teaching windsurfing and taking out kayak tours lately. She also designed some new paint schemes and a new logo for the outrigger canoe company she paints for. Julie and I have both been working hard to get back in shape and shed a few pounds. Julie has been doing better at it than I:) I've gotten out kiteboarding a few days, but the winds haven't been very good lately.

Julie, Aaron, Shannon, Umut, my manager Dave, and I did all get out ice skating in HI!!! Yes they have A ice skating rink here in HI. I do have to say that the ice is absolutely horrible, but still tons of fun:) Dave and Shannon showed us all up as they both play or have played ice hockey before. I made the mistake of working hard all night to learn to hockey stop. On my first full speed attempt I crashed hard onto the outside of my knee. Needless to say that was swollen and painful for a few days.

(Bryon & Julie atop Red Rocks.)

(Bryon working on a 5.10c.)

(Julie flashing the final climb of the day, 5.10b.)

(Julie climbing out of the Dark Corridor at Red Rocks.)

The big news from that past few weeks was our vacation to Las Vegas! My parent had invited Julie and I back in September to join them for a week in Vegas for their 37th wedding anniversary. It is funny that our only vacation out of HI has been to what the locals call the 9th island. The trip was tons of fun with great food, great shows, lots of gambling (for me), and great company. We saw a standup comedy show, Blue Man, and "O". "O" was absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. We also ate dinner one night at Smith and Wolinsky's steakhouse. It was by far the best meal that I've ever eaten. I lost a few dollars gambling, but had tons of fun and did quite well at the poker tables. Those blackjack tables are what took my money:( Mom and Dad did quite a bit of geocaching, which turns out to be quite interesting. We all had a good day out in the desert near Mt. Charleston looking for cashes.

The adventure part of the trip was a day out at Red Rocks rock climbing for Julie and I. I arranged for a guided trip based out of the local climbing gym. Our guide was Bob Cons and I highly recommend this guy for any rock climbing trip. He turned out to be a local legend and a true professional out on the rocks. We managed to get in 5 climbs. The first was my first multi-pitch. The climb was called the Great Red Book, had a hanging belay, and was rated at 5.8. It was an easy climb, but was a great warm up and provided amazing views of the entire area from the top. For the rest of the day we stayed in the "Dark Corridor" climbing: 5.9, 5.10b, 5.10c, and 5.10b. Julie and I both did quite well for not rock climbing since October. Julie even managed to flash the last climb of the day, a 5.10b. We both hope to get back to this spectacular area climbing and hiking again soon.

(Julie, the cowgirl, in front of Paris, Las Vegas.)

(Bob & Paulette Dorr celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary at Smith and Wolinsky's.)

(Julie, Bryon, Paulette, and Bob at the Bellagio before "O".)

(I played a lot of poker, but none at Binion's on this trip.)

Vegas was tons of fun and a place I could see spending some time. Granted I can see getting in trouble there as I like to play a lot of poker. Julie was not a fan of Vegas in general, but enjoyed the shows and Red Rocks. Maybe someday we can organize a big group to party and explore all the possibilities that Vegas has to offer.

Slack Line & Time

2008-04-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

(Bryon having some fun on the new slack line in the front yard, and no I'm not falling.)

It has been a relatively uneventful week.

Julie hasn't had to paint any canoes, as the company was loading a shipping container for the mainland all week. She has been thourghly enjoying her outrigger canoe team practices and has been pretty good about exercising on a regular basis.

(Julie giving the slack line a try, with a little "support".)

I've been plugging along at work, as things have slowed to a crawl in the car industry. I've also been okay about getting back in shape, as I've run a few times this week. Luckily the wind has picked up and I've been out kiteboarding a bunch. On Sunday I spent the entire day at the beach riding when the winds were good, as it was all over the place all day. I did get a horrible sunburn on my face, eyes, and lips, even though I used sunscreen. When I did get out and rode I had a blast and worked hard on controlled jumps. I managed a few really nice 15 ft airs with controled landings. I also did have a few wipe outs and managed to land on a blue bottle jelly fish on one crash landing. My hand burned for about 24 hrs. I also got a chance to ride a strapped surfboard while kiting on Sunday and I think one of those is going to be my next purchase. The best was this morning when I woke up hearing the wind hitting the house. I got up at 5:30 and went out riding. I was the only one out on the water and enjoyed a beatiful sunrise as I surfed the big surf. It was a great way to start another slow day at work.

Julie and I fly to Las Vegas late Friday night to meet up with my parents on Saturday. A week away from work, some quality time with the family and the poker tables should be fun:)

(Aaron set up the slack line and is seen here jumping onto the slack line. He is pretty good.)

Puppets, Haircuts, Canoes, & Kiting

2008-04-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

(Lauren with the Julie & Bryon puppets that made their way back to B-more)

I apologize for missing yet another Tuesday post. I think I'll make this a biweekly thing unless I get really motivated or something really exciting happens:) Life has been keeping Julie and I busy out here in the middle of the Pacific. I'm also happy to report that the Julie and Bryon puppets had a great time at Justin and Sara's party over the weekend. Thanks Lauren for giving us a lift to this great event. We really miss all our B-more friends:(

I'm still trying to get rid of this cold thing, but it keeps sticking around in a really mild form. My foot is also still healing, but is now much better than it has been. I started running again yesterday and already feel a bit better, although I am really sore! Work has been REALLY slow lately, but I'm still selling enough cars to make a good living. Hopefully the economy will pick up and things will get better soon, but I'm not to hopeful on that front:( The big news for me is that I've been kiteboarding a ton! I can now ride toe side, make controlled jumps, ride/surf waves, and kite in onshore winds. I'm not good yet by any means, but I'm picking up the sport really quickly and enjoying every minute of it.

Julie is really the one doing all the crazy and exciting things lately. Her jobs at KSK and canoe paint have been keeping her quite busy. Besides all that she has also decided to join the Kailua Outrigger Canoe Club. She practices three times a week and is really enjoying the exercise and social atmosphere of this traditional Hawaiian team sport. Julie also got a chance to get out on a boat in Kaneohe bay with some friends from KSK and enjoy the "sunken island," the sandbar in the middle of the bay. She did have fun playing with a trainer kite while at the sandbar. She also got a haircut that shocked me a bit when she walked in the door. I've never seen her with straight hair! She thinks I'm over hyping it, but it was an all new look for her. Check out the pics below.

(Julie pre-haircut)

(Julie just after her haircut)

(Julie today)

Julie did talk me into going out on the town for the First Friday celebration in Chinatown last week. Everyone got all dressed up for the nice nightclub we went to, but I was in my Land Rover work clothes:( The crew got there early, but I wasn't able to get there until later when I got off work. It took me over a 1/2 hr to get parking, and ended up Valeting my P.O.S. car, and then another 1/2 hr waiting in line by myself to get into the busy nightclub. It was tons of fun once I got in though and the Martinis flowed like water as they were only $3.50 until 8 pm! Our friend Catherine and our roommate Adam joined the party.

Adam arrived about a week ago, moved his stuff out yesterday, and will be gone for good on Friday! Our roommates are all over the place: Aaron got back from 10 days in Japan today and Derek gets back on Thursday from a trip to DC, Oregon, and Vegas over the past 10 days. We are also now searching for a roommate to take over Adam's room.

(Bryon, Julie, Catherine, & Adam at Indigo nightclub)

Hopefully life is treating everyone well. I wish cousin Laura the best with here PHD dissertation this week. I also hope that all the traveling family members have fun and travel safe. My warmest thoughts go out to Laura in this exciting time of accomplishment.

Lauren & Luau

2008-03-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

(Bryon and Julie enjoying the sunset at the Paradise Cove Luau.)

Lauren had an exciting week and got to explore the entire island. She literally saw every major part of the island in one week! She got to explore and shop on the North Shore, go to the weekly swap meet, snorkel at Hanuma bay, explore Waikiki, Honolulu, and Kailua. She also got plenty of beach time on all sides of the island. One of the big events for the week was the Luau at Paradise Cove in Koalina. She also got to experience all our local friends in their full bowling glory.

Besides the great times with Lauren over this past week their really isn't a whole lot to report. I'm still fighting of some sort of illness, but its getting better. I'm also still dealing with my foot injury, as it doesn't seem to be healing properly. Hopefully the antibiotics the doctor put me on yesterday will do the trick. Sales have been really slow at Land Rover, but I'm hanging in there. I've been out kiteboarding a bit, but the winds have been on the low side of good, and gusty.

You should also check out this cool website (www.riversindemand.com) from my old paddling buddy Andy Maser. I only dream of adventures on this magnitude. Maybe someday... I'm just happy to hear that he made it safely through Tibet during the recent political uprising in the region.

(Lauren and Julie get into the hula under a Hawaiian sunset.)

(Lauren gets a Hawaiian "tattoo" from a local hottie.)

(Julie enjoys the local "culture".)

(Lauren and Julie looking cute with the local flowers.)

(The fire dancing at Paradise Cove was spectacular.)

Julie and I are both missing our friends and family back in Baltimore. Lauren brought a little bit of home with her when she came out for a visit. Please be sure to keep in touch.

PS- Everytime someone comes for a visit they bring lots of wind with them. What I'm saying is that you all need to come visit so that I can get out kiteboarding more:)