Kelly’s, as it is colloquially known, is a flagship example of a whitewater kayaking park. It is named for the benefactor’s sister who died in a car crash at a young age. I am not certain why they chose to create a whitewater park in her honor, but I am certain that it is a […]
kayak, road trip 2013
One of River’s dog bowls was riding shotgun in the van with an old black sock draped over its edge dripping water onto the carpet. Just moments prior, I dipped the sock into the bowl’s water and used it as a makeshift washcloth to soak my shirtless body with moisture that evaporated in just a […]
kayak, road trip 2013
After a week and 1000 miles of driving, I was still only one state away from home. And despite my skin being fully covered in sweat, dirt, and dog hair, I was definitely living the dream. The road trip began inconspicuously with a Sunday trip to the Poudre River near Ft Collins, CO. But after […]
Wyoming
The Upper Animas River is considered by many kayakers to be the most scenic and worthy stretch of whitewater in the state of Colorado. After its beginnings at 9300 feet in the historic mining town of Silverton, the river gains speed as it descends 2800 feet on it course to Durango. The mountain river is […]
kayak, Upper Animas River
Winters of late have served as a time of rest for me with a focus on projects around the house. So after several months of mulling about the house, the arrival of Spring brought with it another season of opportunity to travel and explore the West. When Colorado was still locked in Winter’s hold, the […]
gps, photos, stories
On June 3, 2012, Jon “JB” Boling died while rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. Among the many facets of JB’s life, he had a particularly strong love for whitewater rafting and his friends in the whitewater community. On the weekend of September 22, 2012, many of his closest river friends […]
kayak, photos, stories
It has been a year since my first foray into Gore Canyon which also marked my 100th day of kayaking last season, and on Saturday, 9/15/2012, I had my second opportunity to paddle the majestic canyon. An abysmal snowpack and extreme drought resulted in the worst kayaking season in a decade, so when we began […]
GoPro, kayak, outdoors, stories, video
Although the 2012 drought has been less than ideal for kayaking, the upshot has been that I’ve been able to get out on my mountain bike more this year than in the past several years combined. So when my good friend, Scott, suggested a Labor Day weekend bike trip from Buena Vista to Crested Butte, […]
digital, gps, mapping, photos, stories
The grass is always greener on the other side. No where does this expression hold more truth than Antarctica where grass has not existed for eons. Not surprisingly, visitors to the white continent spend much time daydreaming of their return to a place where the grass is greener both literally and metaphorically. And since Christchurch, […]
Antarctica, New Zealand, photos, stories
For the first time during my 6 week stay in McMurdo, the phone in our dorm room rang to life. Awaking from a deep, restive sleep after our Ross Ice Shelf adventure, I noted that the time on the digital clock read 9:00am. In my groggy state, I overheard a conversation with none other than […]
Antarctica, New Zealand, stories