Hitting The Water HARD!!!

(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

(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!

(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!!!)