A few months back, my friend from b-school (Alex M.) emailed me and let me know that he had a camping site reserved at Joshua Tree for thanksgiving weekend. Although I rarely climb anymore, Joshua Tree still ranks as one of my favorite places in the universe. Love it. Kim and I spent the weekend of Thanksgiving out there.

The Black Canyon is the section of the Colorado river below Hoover Dam. Scenic paddling, with hot springs and gorgeous scenery.

We’re lucky to live in an incredible part of the country.  Within a few hours drive of house, we got the ocean, mountains, lakes, forests, deserts and a big city.   We try and keep pretty busy, and have some great adventures around here.   In the pictures, you’ll see sea kayaking, a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert, riding our tandem bike, etc.   Everything in this album is within 2 hours of house.

Last weekend, we went with a group of friends out to Santa Cruz Island, just off the coast of Ventura, in the Channel Islands National Park. It was a great time. We camped on the island, explored the sea caves via kayak, and snorkeled. Such an amazing place, and one of america’s least visited National Parks.  Gorgeous and fun.

Can’t wait to go back!

Some of you that have known me for awhile may remember that before I got obsessed with kayaking, I used to be an avid rock climber. I’d climb all the time. Kim and I met at an indoor climbing gym, and were climbing partners before we dated.
But we only rarely climb anymore. I mostly kayak, and we’ve been busy with school, start-ups, work, family, etc.etc.
But we made a few trips to Joshua Tree this spring, and as I’ve lost a little weight I’m feeling a little more comfortable on …

Friday night we had Kim’s mom, aunt and Grandma over for dinner, which meant another insanely late night drive…leaving our our house around 11:30 and with some mandatory roadside naps, we pulled into Jil and Jeff’s sweet mountain cabin right around 8:45 a.m. loaded Jeff’s truck, headed to the river and put in.
The MF American has miles of class II-III, a couple of class IVs, one Class V, and a class VI. kim rode the raft with Jeff, Jil, and Taylor, I paddled my kayak. It was fun paddling, pretty …

The Green River, through Desolation and Grey Canyons, is a gorgeous trip, with amazing scenery, camping, and fun rapids. I kayaked it over 6 days this year, and had an amazing time. A great time following in the footsteps of Powell on a spectacular river in one of my favorite areas of the world.

When I announced my move back to southern california, more than a few of my outdoorsy friends offered a mix of sympathy and concern.  Los Angeles is famous for many things, but it takes a connoisseur to know about the amazing recreational activities beyond the beach.
For my first full weekend back, my old buddy Greg invited me to go backcountry skiing with he and his lovely girlfriend Marilee.  I gladly accepted, though I rarely ski anymore and it’s been years since I climbed a mountain.  But that was the plan …

We enjoyed an awesome last minute trip to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. Kim got certified to Scuba dive, and we enjoyed diving, snorkeling, caving, eating, and visiting archeological ruins. Another great vacation.

Last weekend, we were fishing around for an idea for something to do, and had the brainstorm to go backpacking in the snow. Two sets of rental snowshoes and some furious packing later, we were heading to the mtns.