A few months ago, I found some cheap fares to Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Kim and I decided to spend our thanksgiving there, and had a great time.
Rarotonga feels to me much like Hawaii in terms of the ocean life and the geography and plant life, though it’s much smaller than most of the Hawaii islands we all think of. It’s surprisingly undeveloped, no big hotels, no golf courses, I didn’t see a single chain store or restaurant I recognized, and mostly pretty affordable, with the exception of food, …

Ok, calling it Mexico makes it sound more exotic than it is, but I had a fun weekend diving. Headed to San Diego with my friend Mitzi. Kim was invited, but declined due to an aversion for cold water. Saturday we did three dives at the Islas Coronado on the dive boat, the Lois Ann. It was three of the best cold water dives I’ve ever done. Visibility was in the 50 foot range at times. Sea life …

Kim and I have been enjoying our tandem a lot lately, and decided to try a century (100 miles) ride. The ride we picked was the Death Valley Century, which is exactly 108 miles. I know 108 doesn’t sound much longer that 100, but its 8% harder than a regular century. It’s like paying sales tax.
Last weekend we headed to Death Valley, CA, to do the ride. We probably didn’t train as much as we should have, …

I went to San Deigo to participate in a triathlon.  It was 70.3 miles, consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run.   It was in support of Challenged Athletes Foundation, and thanks to the generosity of my friends and family, we raised nearly $2,500 to assist in providing facilities, equipment and support for athletes with disabilities that want to play, run, swim and do many of the things we all take for granted.  A very deep and sincere …

This was written in 2004, by Kim Luu.  I found it on the computer, and am sharing it here because it’s really a good read.   The pictures are from a more recent trip to Vietnam that Kim took in 2010, with her mom and others from the Buddhist temple that her mom is active with.
My Grandfather’s Grave – By Kim Luu
I have never seen my uncle cry.  Not the heaving kind that affects your entire body, and leaves those around you at odds over …

This was written in 2004, by Kim Luu.  I found it on the computer, and am sharing it here because it’s really a good read.   The pictures are from a more recent trip to Vietnam that Kim took in 2010, with her mom and others from the Buddhist temple that her mom is active with.
“Laa”
Vietnam – 2004
Our cameraman is doubled over in the backseat.  His stomach isn’t feeling very well.  Whether it was something he ate this morning or last night is anyone’s guess, but for the …

I had, Friday and Saturday, the best contest I’ve ever had. I was on fire and it felt incredible. This was the US Waveski National Championships, with about 78 competitors in a variety of categories. Over 40 were entered in the Waveski Open Division, so we started with 10+ heats of four paddlers each. There were guys from Australia, South Africa, Spain. At least 10-12 competitors were from out of the country, and probably 50+% were from out of …

I (Geoff)  did a one day dive trip out to Catalina yesterday. Warm water (for CA), decent visibility, and saw some cool stuff. 3 tanks in water from about 25 feet to about 65 feet deep. Nice bunch of people on the boat.

Holy crap, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane today. Kim and I went skydiving today, to celebrate my having lost over 50 lbs.
It started with her friend Enrique, who had suggested it. Kim asked if I was interested, but I said that I’d looked into it before, but was too heavy and couldn’t go. Kim asked if that was still true with my weight loss, and I replied I wasn’t sure. She checked, and when we realized …

Kim and I ran the 10K Volkslauf mud run today. It was super fun. I had done it many years ago a couple times, but not since moving away from Bakersfield. We ran in a team with Ray Purcell and Courtney Purcell, and had a great time. The Volkslauf has moved sites, and had some teething issues with parking and having enough water for the runners. This 10 K has lots of mud, some long pits, tunnels to crawl …