Monday, September 29, 2008

Fight Gone Bad


I did a little photography on Saturday for FGB @ MadDawgFitness. You can see my photos featured in the post. I am also quoted in the text of the post. It was fun, and I actually worked up a sweat watching all these folks work out. Plus what -- the guacamole was excellent.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Catch a Wave and You're Sitting on Top ...

... of the world.

No kidding. Well, so I didn't actually go surfing. I did catch a wave though. I went to the ocean today in a kayak. The surf was not up much. I took a class in understanding the surf zone (sometimes called the break zone) in a kayak.

There are three zones, the soup -- frothy white stuff, inside the bone crushing, thrash a kayaker, wear a helmet, impact zone, and the shark zone -- which is everything else -- sometimes referred to as the "safe zone."

Notice how many of the words I have chosen sound damaging. Do you wonder why? Well -- it seems slightly more damaging than riding a bike. But not much. I hit the beach, I was rolled like a cigar in a kayak, which was colorfully described as being "Maytagged," which relates, of course, to what a washing machine might do to a person, and I was hammered at least once by an incoming wave. Salt water doesn't really hurt the eyes that much, nor is it too dreadful when inhaled. It seems that the beach isn't all that punishing, in the absence of rocks, or any real serious waves. Although I was a mere mile from Mavericks, I was a long ways from those conditions. It was calm with a NW swell at 3' (probably sounds like I know what I am doing).

You might wonder, "Why would you do this?" I hurt in ways I cannot describe. Unmitigated pain combined with Ibuprofen and the imminent threat of immediate hospitalization. The euphoria often associated with fat tires. I like to work out, and to work hard. Add a small element of fear and surprise, and that's a formula for a good time. It doesn't really hurt that much, and I'll sleep brilliantly tonight. When the sea grabs you and tosses you at the beach -- i seriously rocks, if it's right.

It also clearly beats the hell out of staying in the ocean forever, which would be the other choice. If I can learn to manage the surf zone, I can travel up and down the coast at will. Me, some gear, some food, and a kayak, travelling the west coast to Puerto Vallarta. I can paddle out the gate and go north to Alaska, all under my own power. Imagine that.

There's a bunch of satisfaction in that.

"Get yourself a big board
But don't you treat it like a toy
Just get away from the shady turf
And baby go catch some rays on the sunny surf
And when you catch a wave you'll be sittin on top of the world" The Beach Boys

Growing up on the coast, there's a memorable feeling in spending a day in the ocean. It nas grown and becomes part of me, enveloping me. The saltiness reminds me that there are greater forces at work. Large forces.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The Sleeping with the Enemy Playlist ...

... or the testing out the ipod playlist. Anyway -- I bought a new IPod nano. if I could just manage to succeed at downloading a new version of iTunes, everything would be so cool.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

A Kayak at the Pace of Walking


Yep -- I paddled beside a pedestrian, a girl no less. For about an hour twenty minutes. We were at exactly the same pace. I was in the water and she was in the path on shore. ... She laughed and smiled and said "Hi." The truth is -- I can't paddle any faster than a woman walking.

I was thinking I might be able to paddle some twenty miles a day. I guess not. Never mind that. I guess I'll have to drive to Alaska.

I paddled today out towards the bay, I felt the afternoon wind and imagined the bay with it. A large motor boat made a huge wake and I instinctively turned toward it and powered the bow up to meet it. It was large and broke across the bow, ummm ... but this is a kayak. So we just floated along through it.

It's pretty cool.

Thursday, September 4, 2008





I found a boat. Um -- took it out yesterday for a spin in the little puddle by my house. Everything seems to work. Paddled what I guess is about 3 miles.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Hey ... where's Shawn?

Well ... I've been busy ... I learned to do an Eskimo Roll (no, that's not a sushi roll). I am trying to buy a kayak. I want to learn how to read nautical charts and learn how to navigate surf with a kayak. Ummm ... guess where I am going ...

I got my kids back in college. I have a new mountain bike. I have been shooting my bow. I still have a job. I want a real vacation.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Russian Ridge



4.23 miles. Some of the great singletrack had been bulldozed in to road sized trail ... grumble. I mounted the POS™ Garmin GPS on the surly and added a Shimano XT rear derailer. Notice the elevation profile. The climbing went a bit easier with the new derailer.

Friday, July 11, 2008

We the People ...


... spent a couple of days in camp along the Illinois river at Pine Flat. Out in the open grassy flat we found the carcass of a bottle rocket that looked recently used. Fear and anger rise. Fear of being trapped by a fire, and anger that someone would take such a high risk over something so foolish. How could anyone be in this charred wilderness and actually consider using fireworks. To any one that would actually think of doing such an insane thing let me say this: Please don't go into the wilderness to shoot off fireworks, please continue to do that only inside your own house, so the damage will be restricted (hopefully) to only your stuff.

I saw a turkey, and a red fox. The red fox made an cranky, angry, loud, scary, run off your enemies, frightful sound. I have never heard a noise like that except maybe the time I heard the racoon lovemaking -- which is ummm ... really noisy. Anyway -- the fox came by the camp during the night to make that same noise while we were sleeping, or so I heard later.


This is Jim wearing the Albert Einstien hat with grass stuffed underneath it to keep the mosquitoes from drilling through the bandana into his head. I'm an advocate of the Albert Einstien hat, which is a bandana with a knot tied in each of the four corners. Any sculptor or physicist will immediate understand how this turns a flat rag into a bowl shaped hat.




The Sierra Designs Light Year in camp.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Panther Creek to the Illinois River


That sign used to say "Entering the Kalmiopsis Wilderness" or something like that. It was torched during the Biscuit Fire.

The Illinois River.

A carnivorous Pitcher Plant in the York Creek Conservation Area

Ummm ... What is this Yellow Flower? Also in York Creek. Michael Parker of Southern Oregon University has helped me to identify this flower as a California coneflower, Rudbechia californica. Thanks Michael.

Jim shooting a picture

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Day One, Miami Bar to Panther Creek


Day one included a two and a half hour drive from Grants Pass, OR to the Illinois River Trailhead at Briggs Creek near Miami Bar on the Illinois River, and a forty-five minute hike to Panther Creek, where we eeked out a rocky camp. Let's all keep in mind that we are still in the charcoal cathedral.






The camp at Panther Creek, just outside of the Kalmiopsis wilderness.
Next, York Creek Botanical Area, and the trail to the Illinois River near Pine Flat.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Return to the Charcoal Cathedral



In a few days I'll be going back to the Charcoal Cathedral. On this trip I may actually miss the Biscuit Fire. I don't know because this is new. Everytime I have been to the Kalmiopsis wilderness, I have seen the result of the Biscuit Fire. I'll be going in to the Illinois river at Pine Flat. It's a fair piece upstream from my last trip. 4 days, 1 old river, 2 old friends, 2 old dogs.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

What I Did Over My Summer Vacation

Ok -- so ... I have the Real™ job and all that-- and it's new so I don't have enough Staycation™ to cover the Summer; But really -- who cares? I am going to do something, because, well, it's Summer now (almost), and I am in paradise, and I may not live that long. This si all fairly assumptive -- since I don't have any tags yet. And it doesn't even consider pig hunting.

Here's the drill:

Mendocino National Forest, CA -- Scouting -- June 28-29
Grants Pass, Oregon -- Planning -- July 4 -7
Mendocino NF, CA -- Archery Blacktail Deer -- July 12-13
TBD -- California Blacktail -- August 9-10
Hermit Valley, CA -- Archery Sierra Mule Deer -- August 15-18
Kalmiopsis Wilderness, Oregon -- Western Archery Deer -- August 29-32
Hermit Valley -- Sierra Mule Deer -- Sept 27-28

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Bridge Run

Anyway -- took a ride today out on the Embarcadero to Golden Gate bridge and then across.
22.6 miles