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.

A while back, Kim and I took out the tandem for an awesome tour of Sacramento and the Delta. About 36 miles. Loving the tandem, but I need to figure out some better bars, my hands go numb. We stopped for a quick snack and some warm drinks. Total we rode was nearly 40 miles, our longest tandem ride to date.

Kim and I had another fun weekend. Saturday we joined our freinds Erol and Paula for breakfast, then did a bike ride in Napa, stopping at several vineyards. Sunday I went to the Farmer’s Market, then we paddled the SF American with Jeff, Michael and Nini. M&N were in a Topo-Duo, like ours. First time we’ve ever paddled with someone else in a Topo. Monday we did a cool ride round Sacramento with Jeff B., then headed to Walnut Creek for lunch with Anuj and Shefali. Fun time.

John Day River
A few months ago, my old climbing buddy Brian emailed me. I hadn’t seen him in 8 or more years, but we’ve stayed in touch. He’s retired from climbing these days, but has taken up rafting with enthusiasm. He was listing his plans for the next few months, and I invited Kim and myself along. The trip grew into a full week vacation for Kim and I.
I was busy the week leading up to the trip, and didn’t get everything as organized as I …