Author: Geoff
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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…
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Anna Mae Hays
Anna Mae Hays was the first woman to achieve the rank of General in the US Army. She passed away today at 97, and I found learning about her career very interesting. I actually remember learning about her before today, but wasn’t aware of the connection to my family, though it makes sense considering the…
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Eaton Canyon
Rappelling, Jumping, swimming and hiking My college friend Jayson Owens was in town for a work trip, and we were planning on hanging out. We’ve only seen each other once in the last 20-ish years, but got along like it was yesterday. Chris Jain had a permit for Eaton canyon and was looking for folks…
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Kayaking Newport beach with the girls and Katy
Had a great time today with my sister Katy, visiting from Texas. We went kayaking, checked out the sea lions. Stopped and played on a beach. Followed with delicious burgers. My sister was vegetarian for almost her whole life, so I’m still getting used to watching her eat meat. =) Katy’s first time kayaking. Margot’s…
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Father’s Day 2016
“It’s more conceivable that I could measure out all the oceans on the earth, a broken teacup at a time, then grasp the amount of love I feel for my” little girls. My friend David wrote this about someone in his life, and I’ve re-read the line about 50 times since he posted it, because…
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Maiden Voyage
We had our first sail on our impulse buy at a garage sale sail boat today. It was also Hazel’s first time sailing ever, and mine in quite a few years. I learned to sail in elementary school, and sailed regularly with my family until college, but since then haven’t done as much. I’d go…
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Getting close
This picture is nearly a month old, and Kim is quite a bit bigger now. We’ve had several nice showers thrown by generous friends, spent a lot of time getting things ready, and I’m starting to feel ready. We’ve taken the classes. We’ve read the books. I know, full and well, that there is no…
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Mill Creek (Northern California)
A few weeks ago, Geno had the idea to run Mill Creek, near Fresno. When I was trying to find information about it, I kept seeing write-ups about a Mill Creek in N. California, and it looked good. I put it in the brain as “Paddle someday” run. Went and did Mill Creek near Fresno.…
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L’etape de California
Last weekend I did the L’etape de California. From the website: “L’Étape du California provides serious recreational cyclists the opportunity to ride a complete stage of the Amgen Tour of California – and the most challenging stage of the 2011 race at that. Riders will cover the same route as the professionals on Stage 7…
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Lower North Fork Kaweah
The North Fork of the Kaweah is an absolute gem of California paddling. This was my first trip down, and I love, love, loved it. 6.5 miles of classic class IV-V whitewater. We took our time, only Geno had done the run before, so we looked at a lot of rapids. There are a lot…
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Mill Creek (Tributary to the Kings River)
Mill Creek is an infrequently run creek that feeds into the King’s River. We didn’t have much information about the run, only the barest of descriptions from American Whitewater. It said there were some junky miles, some good bedrock drops, and a few significant rapids. I searched, and couldn’t find a single photo of a…
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Skyline to the Sea Trail Marathon
Many years ago, I used to be quite an avid runner. I ran regularly with a wild group of fun folks, the Hash House Harriers. Through that group, I ended up meeting Michelle, and we ran quite some number of marathons together. All on dirt, mostly tough courses. I ran a couple without her, and…
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Salt Lake City
My father, Malcolm, and step-mom Deborah invited Kim and I out to Utah for a long weekend. Unfortunately, Deborah wasn’t able to make the trip, she was missed, but we had a good time anyway. We spent a fair bit of time wandering Salt Lake city, checking out the capital, downtown, and the temple. We…
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Joshua Tree Beginner trip
Kim and I planned and led a beginner friendly climbing trip to Joshua Tree in Feb. We drove out through rain, but the weather was pretty nice at the park. Cold, but nice. We had fun climbing, ate well, and enjoyed everyone’s company. Aside from some tents trying to join the space program, the weekend…
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Seattle and Vancouver
I had a work trip to the Seattle area, and tacked on one day of paddling with my friends Arn and David , and a few days to explore with Kim. It was a very quick trip. Gorgeous cities, some delicious food, and a chance to hang out with my Aunt Helen, Uncle Keith…
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Kayaking with Kim’s Family
Kim’s Uncle Hoa was in town in January, and we decided to take him kayaking. Kim’s mom joined us, along with Kim’s brother Ton and sister in law Cecilia. Kim’s mom was a little nervous, so we put her in the tandem with me, and rented a single for Kim, while her uncle paddled my…
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Southern California Beach Town bike tour – San Juan Capistrano to San Deigo and beyond
Kim and I had a great weekend. We did a bike tour, on the tandem, from San Juan Capistrano to San Diego and Imperial Beach. We set out from San Juan Capistrano Sat. morning. It was grey and cool, and I was a little nervous as we headed out. We cruised towards Dana Point, and…
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Rarotonga, Cook Islands
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…
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Islas Coronado Scuba Diving, Mexico
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.…
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Death Valley Century 108 mile tandem bicycle ride
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…