The sound of clanking coffee cups is quickly subdued by the roar of the espresso machine. Laptops are crammed onto tiny, rickety tables while hipsters raise their voices in an effort to be heard by their cohorts. Meanwhile, I sit nervously across the room. My heart pounds as I glance over the words on the […]
Writing has become one of the most rewarding yet challenging activities in my life. Last year at this time, I was wandering along trails in New Zealand and considering the role of writing in my life. Among the many considerations, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a deliberate effort to improve […]
In May of 2011, I embarked on several projects to improve the functionality of my 1985 VW Vanagon Westfalia camper. After installing a Bostig turbo charger and designing & building an Arduino-based battery monitor, I designed and installed a solar panel system to keep my beer cold all summer long. But of course, just as […]
I spent the end of 2012 and the start of 2013 driving through the mountains of Colorado in freezing weather in my van without heat. I skied Steamboat on New Year’s Eve and kayaked Shoshone on the Colorado River on New Year’s Day, but somehow I was coldest when driving the van. In spite of […]
The thoughts we carry in our minds can be a blessing or a curse. When we cage them, our lives are filled with disappointment and an overwhelming sense of what could be. The thoughts must be set free and this can only be done by making them real. In October of 2002, I toured a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
