My Next Adventure

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

(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

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"

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

(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

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

(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.)