Tag: MapYes

Escape from Vietnam

At a time when there is a lot of anti-immigration rhetoric and bs from the right against government aid, this article about Kim’s family’s voyage to the US and their early years here is really worth a read. My life, and our country, are richer for having her family here, and they were able to […]

Salt River

Earlier in May I spent a week paddling the Salt River, in Arizona. Was a fun time, with good company, good food, great scenery and amazing skies, and a surprise bonus of the northern lights! I’ve not really paddled much the last few years, mostly been rafting with the family. The car accident in 2021 […]

Diana’s Throne

Diana’s Throne is a fun slot canyon near Zion that requires some technical rope work. We had done it before, and I had read that there was little water, so I decided to take our friends down. With 8 people and me lowering everyone, it wasn’t a quick day, and we discovered a few big […]

626 Golden Streets

I love Open Streets events, where roads are closed to cars, allowing people to come together and explore and enjoy parts of town without worrying about cars. We’ve ridden in and enjoyed many.

Ciclavia

Some days I wonder if selling Nomad Ice Pops was the right call. But being able to be present for the family and do more things like Ciclavia makes me feel like it was.

Skiing Colorado Video

We had a couple of great days skiing Copper Mountain and Arapaho Basin during our Spring break road trip to see the eclipse. These were some of the areas I grew up skiing, so I loved revisiting them and sharing them with Kim and the girls.

Whale Sharks

This was a literal bucket list item for me, to swim with whale sharks. I’ve been thinking about it for decades. It was incredible. Hard to capture the size of these sharks. These are juvenile, but whale sharks are the largest fish around. These were somewhere around 18-25 feet long. They can be even bigger […]

Catalina Weekend

Super nice weekend at Catalina Island. Feel lucky to live where we do. Be sure to check out the videos from the Zipline and from Hazel’s SCUBA certification

PADI Open Water Certification for Hazel

Congratulations to Hazel. She finished her PADI Open Water SCUBA course today and is now a certified diver. Millions of thanks to Michael Francisco for his skilled, patient and kind instruction. If anyone in SoCal wants to learn to dive, I can say he is an absolute top notch instructor. I’ve been diving for 30+ […]

Catalina Zipline

We all went to Catalina so that Hazel could get her scuba certification. Margot and Kim went to the Zipline, and I handed Margot my GoPro and asked her to film. She did an amazing job and produced just about the cutest video you can imagine.

Rose Bowl Parade

I had told Margot we could camp out to see the parade. My friend Joseph had an alternative that would have let us sleep at home tonight, but it wouldn’t be front row and Margot really really wanted to be front row. Plus she’s never slept out on the street with me for the Rose […]

Swamp Tour

On our last day of our trip (sort of), we took a pretty neat swamp tour just outside New Orleans. We saw alligators, racoons, and wild hogs. The guide was great and we enjoyed the tour a lot. https://www.cajunencounters.com/

New Orleans

New Orleans. So far it’s mostly been an eating tour, but we also ran into a parade for the Sugarbowl, which Margot LOVED.

Texas A&M

A quick visit to my Alma Mater, Texas A&M University. We had a nice time walking around the campus while I told the girls stories from my years there and about all the traditions the school has. A short but nice visit.

Discover Diving

With our trip being extremely last minute, and Hawaii being busy, just about every activity I called about was booked solid. But I found a discover scuba for two people and signed Kim and Hazel up. When Hazel had gone to Catalina with me to do her open water class, she had trouble doing a […]

Mala Wharf Sea Turtles

When our planned trip to the Philippines fell apart and we needed a last minute pivot, I had promised Margot Sea turtles, and that was part of what guided us to Hawaii. This spot delivered for sure.

Catalina Weekend

A nice weekend at Catalina with Hazel. The goal was to get Hazel’s PADI dive certification. We didn’t do that, a combination of mostly fear and slightly rough conditions (to a lesser extent) meant Hazel didn’t get all of the dives necessary and skills done on her first try, but we will try again. She […]

Grey Whales Upclose

In Laguna San Ignacio, we did what we had come to do. These lagoons are famous for offering a whale encounter almost unlike anywhere else in the world, with Mama whales encouraging their babies to come up close to the boat. It was something I had read about decades ago and wanted to do, but […]

San Felipe and Bahia de Gonzaga

Like normal, I was behind prepping for the trip. The day our friends showed up, I was still putting the final touches on the roof rack I built for the van. But finish I did, and early Sunday morning we were off. Our first stop was San Felipe, where elotes and other street food were picked up, photos were taken, and after a short break we drove on to Bahia de San Luis Gonzaga, a wonderful spot on the Sea of Cortez side.

(Lots of Photos inside)

Green River – Desolation Canyon 2021

We had a fantastic trip down desolation canyon in Utah.   Due to craziness at work we drove literally through the night to get there on our launch day, and launched in the afternoon Friday.  We spent a glorious full week on the river, doing some hikes, tons of swimming, and just enjoying being out […]

Desolation Canyon

Desolation Canyon and Grey’s Canyon in Utah is a gorgeous stretch of river, running through canyons very reminiscent of a scaled down grand canyon and with similarly scaled down rapids, mostly class II and a couple III- at the low waters we had. We spent 7 days paddling, swimming, eating, and camping. We’ve been quarantined […]

Klamath River – Rocky Point to Happy Camp

After months of sheltering in place, we finally escaped to the Klamath River for an unforgettable adventure. With our 16-ft raft, we navigated exciting Class II and III rapids, introducing Hazel and Margot to whitewater thrills. Wildlife abounded—bears, deer, and bald eagles accompanied us. We camped under the stars, enjoying fresh produce from our garden and the peace of remote sites.

Big Bear Compilation

Big Bear Skiing and Snowboarding Compilation Big Bear Lake has several ski areas, and three that are covered on our ikon ski passes. While they may not be as incredible as Mammoth area or Tahoe, they are close enough for day trips and we’ve enjoyed a lot of fun days skiing there. Enough that it […]

Grand Canyon Compilation

National parks are one of the best ideas america has ever had, and deserve to be protected at all costs. The Grand Canyon is an incredible place and we’ve made several trips there, most memorably rafting and kayaking the full length of the canyon several times.

Le Flamboyant

Perhaps the greatest AirBNB ever, but sadly no longer available. La Flamboyant was an old sailboat anchored in the harbor in Mo’orea, and we had a few days there. An easy swim to an incredible reef, sharks and rays swimming under the boat while we ate breakfast, it was pretty close to perfect.

Snorkeling in Cabo Pulmo

My favorite part of Cabo was spending time in the ocean. We did two days of snorkeling on our short trip. Didn’t see much at the Arch, but Cabo Pulmo the next day was really nice. It was Hazel’s first time using a snorkel and fins, and she took to it like a fish to […]

Vegas

A quick stop on our way home. Vegas is always such a weird spot to me, but the girls enjoyed the fountains and some of the fake cities and things. We saw some petroglyphs at Red Rocks and got to visit with my friend Kevin and his wife Natasha, so that was very cool as […]

Lower Antelope Canyon

Perhaps one for the most famous slots canyons in the world, you’ve probably seen photos. It’s a great, non-technical and gorgeous canyon. You do need a guide, it’s on Navajo land and a guide is required. We enjoyed it and it’s certainly worth a stop. Lower Antelope Canyon does require climbing some steep stairs, and […]

Monument Valley

Perhaps one of the most recognizable landmarks in the American West, we spent a cold windy day here, exploring and doing the scenic drive.

Durango

Our goal had been to visit Mesa Verde, but snow made the roads bad and I wasn’t confident getting in and out, so we saw it from a distance, but ended up diverting to Durango. We ended up having a super nice day, with sledding, building snowmen, and a visit to a cute bookstore where […]

Bandelier National Monument

One of the surprises of this trip, we really enjoyed this monument. It’s not huge, but pretty and interactive, you can climb inside some of the cliff dwellings. Well worth a visit.

Carlsbad Caverns

Another amazing National Park. We all explored, and Kim and Hazel took a more advanced tour into less developed parts of the cave.