What happened to the kayaking?

Well I've been doing just about everything but kayaking lately which doesn't concern me as I plan to head out into the wild tomorrow.  I've got everything done for Christmas that needs doing, all registered for school and will start that in February so tomorrow will be a free day.  I did just get back from a little trip up north to visit my sister and her husband up in Angel's Camp.  

Took my trusty little dog Cowgirl with me and we drove up the 395 through Bishop then over the only open pass we could find to Angel's Camp.  It was nice as the weather was great and I got to stay a bit busy helping my sister package up some of her latest instructional CD's.  Her and her husband are painters and teach all over these United States so the CD's were bound to happen.  You can check out portions of the videos at http://www.krollroberts.com/  You'll also get to see a few examples of their amazing work.

As usual I had my cameras with me and did some interesting night shots on my journey.  Just opened the lens and let it go to see what would happen.  Also took some of the required "this is where I went and what I saw" photos so take a peek and enjoy!

Some prairie grass I found interesting.

Driving along the 395 I glanced over just after 

sunset and saw this!  Full resolution image is

pretty darn amazing as it included some stars

and very interesting colors from the time

exposure.

This was a shot I found near my sister's house.  It is

actually the headlights of a car coming up a hill and 

shinning through some trees.  Another long 

exposure created some interesting colors.

This I saw at the end of the driveway to my sister's

house.  This was about 40 minutes after sunset and 

was another long exposure.

Classic view heading up the 395.  My poor dog 

got sick of me constantly stopping the car to grab

some snaps like these but I made it up to her with

a ton of off leash walks at my sister's and a chance 

to herd my sister's chickens!

A tree in a field.  I just liked how quiet this image

feels.

Oak trees near my sister's house.

Learning new rescues and wild water!

Alicia after a good day with a new rescue under her belt.

Another good week on the water brings me to a quick post on my blog.  As all are aware we had some wild water out there of which I had to partake in Monday night.  (More about this later.)  Ok, I know, by Monday it had died down considerably but for the beach I surf it certainly was quite enjoyable and the water was still wild enough for a boy in his long boat.  I was going to head out on Saturday but received an invitation for some rescue practice with a student from UCLA's Marine Aquatic Center which I gladly accepted.   

Alicia had been looking for a partner so I joined in as I needed to practice a new style of the old T-rescue and I have now adopted into my recovery skills quiver.  Jen Kleck from Aqua Adventures taught me this rescue last month and I promised I would practice it and spread the word and that is exactly what I'm doing.  

Alicia and I started out at Mother's Beach in Marina Del Rey so we could get the fundamentals of it down in calm water then headed out to the Venice pier for the real deal.  Halfway to the pier I capsized and Alicia had me back in my boat in record time leaving us both asking the question "Why doesn't everyone teach this?"  Don't ask me to explain it but believe me, once you learn it you'll never turn back.  The great thing about this rescue is that the person being rescued is no longer some passive stranger hanging on the bow of your kayak doing a bunch of nothing but becomes very active in the rescue and is never more than a couple feet away from you.  If you want to learn it I see that California Kayak Friends is having a "get wet practice day" at Channel Islands Harbor on 9/25 and I'm definitely going to join in so I can share this so be there or don't get rescued!  As for Monday...

It started out as the usual workout paddle afterwork but once I saw the action at the beach I just had to have a peek.  (It seems like I always have to have a peek and so much so I'm considering a surf kayak so if you have any suggestions let me know.)  I paddled up to the Venice pier and worked the surf on the way back.  The waves weren't monstrous like earlier in the week but they definitely had some punch to them.  Twice I got pitchpoled, which isn't hard to do especially on a dumping surf beach, but this time they were a little more explosive than what I'm use to yet I held my own rolling back up and going at it again.

A little while after the sun had set I was about halfway down the beach and it was getting dark so I figured I could play a bit more then head for home and just then a wild bunch rolled in so I just had to finish off the evening with a couple more wild rides.   I then turned my soggy self towards the harbor and called it a night.  As usual I picked up a few pieces of garbage here and there honoring Gordon Brown's request to pick up at least three pieces of garbage after each paddle just to give back a bit.  (This is a request he made in his latest book on sea kayaking.  Saturday I picked up a few pieces of trash as well.  See photo below! lol)

Saturdays haul!

What's in my quiver.

This is the current contents of my quiver.  On the left is the original tip design of 

the paddles I get from Shaman kayaks however, since I also use my paddles as tools, I 

asked John if he could redesign the tip for me making it a bit shorter and stronger
which he gladly did.  The paddle in the center is the result of this change with the
paddle being made of spruce and is quite a bit heavier than the original red cedar he
uses on his standard Greenland paddles.  The paddle on the right is "The Beast"!
Same new tip design but a full 1/2 inch wider.  I love this bad boy!
(See the post below for more info on my paddles.)

Ok, so it's been awhile...

I was out paddling a week ago or so when a couple friends of mine happened upon me while I was practicing my self rescues and one of them asked why I stopped adding to my blog.  "Good question!" I replied and wondered just why I had stopped.  Ok, so I'll start again and see where it leads.

I finally got back out on the water after a month's absence.  Why a whole month without paddling I'm not quite sure but that period is history and I'm "back in the saddle" as they say.  I forgot how nice it was to just get out there and paddle around the Santa Monica Bay or better yet,  drive up to Channel Islands Harbor to play in the pond or head out to platform Gina.  I've had tons of hobbies in my life and have enjoyed them all but I do have to say that sea kayaking is far different from everything I have tried so I think I'm going to stick with it.  Not only is it great exercise but if you need some peace and quiet or a good adrenalin rush there is no better way, in my book anyway, to achieve either.

Recently I purchased a custom built Greenland paddle from John Petersen of Shaman Kayaks.  This one I had a hand in designing as I wanted something with a wider blade,  a tiny bit shorter and a lot heavier for my wild adventures and for a good overall workout.  And I got exactly what I wanted and I call it...."The Beast"!  I've handed it over to a few people who gasp at it's weight (made of Spruce) but I'm quite use to it now and really like it.  It's not a paddle I would use for a long haul but I find the swing weight  amazing.  I'll admit that it takes a bit to get it going but once you do it has this amazing fly-wheel effect.  That and the 4" wide blades make for a good workout.

I also wanted to play with the strokes river kayakers use so often like bow rudders, etc. and this paddle really performs well in that arena.  You have to remember that river kayakers mainly use Euro style paddles with really wide blades for fast response when digging in.  My new paddle is kind of a cross between the two.  Next I want to have one built with the same dimensions but out of red cedar like most of John's paddles to eliminate some of the weight.  'Course I have to wait for John to get home from Alaska or where ever he is.

"It's raining cats and dogs!"

Been outside today? Holy smoke, even I decided against paddling
 on this fine blustery day which is unusual, but it is just nasty out! 

I took my Border Collie Cowgirl for a walk earlier when the rain had
supposedly "let up"and came home just drenched. She usually loves this
stuff but today was jogging right along side me when it started breaking
loose, and I started running back home!  I don't mind the rain so much,
it's that North wind driving it! Yeeesh!

Talk about lazy!

Man, I feel like a bloated fish out of water I tell ya! Don't know what's gotten into me but I haven't been out paddling in nearly a week now and that's usually not a good sign.  Of what I'm never quite sure but something is amiss, just not sure what.  Not to worry though as tomorrow is Tuesday and I will definitely be out and about the Santa Monica bay.  If you care to join me I usually leave Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey at around 5:30 pm and get back in around 8 or so. Noting too wild,  just a good workout out towards the Venice pier then back. Make sure you bring a headlamp as the Coast Guard guys like to be able to see you when they fly out of the harbor so bring one.  

                   

Hot Dog, it's my 55th birthday!

The ultimate gift!

Wow, 55 and still alive! Who would've guessed!  I was kinda dreading this one and honestly, I'm not quite sure why but, it turned out okl! I had to step back from the number and take inventory of my life thus far and I must say that things are going pretty darn well.

I finally finished my book. It's a collection of my street photography over the last 25 years and I am pleased that so many like it! I had no idea how much work went in to producing a book but here it is a year later and its done. You can check it out at www.blurb.com. Search for a book titled "Places I've Belonged" and you'll find it.  I donate all proceeds from any sales to Doctors Without Borders as I firmly believe they are one of the best organizations around and do great work. Another exciting project I'm involved with and is nearing completion is a book my wife and I are working on.

Working it off!

I must say,  the  winter of 2010 was lazy for me and I feel it now! I just laid around the house most of December and did a whole bunch of nothing which is quite unusual for me but hey, I did it! I was looking forward to the storms that stir things up but nothing really wild came a calling. And I think I had overdosed a bit on the winter of '09 and most of '10 as I put in a lot of water time. So maybe I just needed a break! Now however it's time to pay for my sins and get busy. Have gotten back in to my "twice weekly and one good day on the weekend" routine and I actually feel a bit better as a result. I think that just getting outside  is refreshing but being able to paddle the open sea...

The Greenland Movement

Isn't that a beautiful Kayak!


"Where's mine?" I asked my wife on my 55 th birthday.  That would be better than a car for me. Heck  I have a car, but a skin on frame Greenland style kayak? Seriously, how many people own one of those? I do however own 2 beautiful Greenland style paddles that are trusted friends and companions when I am anywhere in my kayak. I truly think it has to do with the fact that they are hand built and made of wood. The wood feels warm in your hands and has a really nice grip to it. I have owned both the Euro and Greenland styles and they are completely different so I say try them both before you buy. I just wound up preferring the Greenland style.