Wait, I almost forgot!

I took a trip up past San Francisco  over the 4th of July looking for a little kayak action and though I didn't get in a whole lot of that I did get to see some amazing country and some spectacular coastlines.  The whole problem was I should have spent far more time up there but I didn't have it.  But I'm sitting here promising myself that on my next trip up there I will do just that.

Where I wound up going was Drakes Bay off that little finger to the the west and north of San Francisco.  My word that place is nothing short of amazing!  The rolling hills, the long sloping pastures were just spectacular.  I just stood there breathless.  I drove down every little side road I could  taking it all in.  Visited all the beaches, Point Reyes Lighthouse, Pierce Point Ranch, all of it!  Stunning countryside!

As I said, I had every intention of kayaking  Drakes Bay and off the North and South beaches but the wind proved me wrong.  40 miles an hour was my best guess.  Just standing on the beach it was just about impossible to take a picture handheld as the gust would about blow you over!  I did spend some good time walking there though picking up trash as I usually do but kayaking,  no way.  I even tried getting up at 5:00 am thinking if I could get out before the wind picked up I could at least get out past the breakers, go for a little paddle and let the wind bring me home but no dice.  And as I stood there that morning looking at the surf a shiver went up my spine.

Normally I'm not afraid to paddle alone and do so all the time and in some pretty wild water.  It's just what I do.  I love the peace and tranquility and the ability to go where I please at my own pace.  It's how I get away.  But at North Beach I stood there for about an hour contemplating heading out.  But every time I went to unload my kayak something told me to take another look at what was going on out there.  And every time I did that shiver went up my spine.

I could have probably gotten out eventually but my word the breakers were absolutely relentless.  I kept looking for potential launch spots but everywhere I looked those breakers just kept pounding away.  Close to shore, out a ways, all over the place.  And the ferocity was quite unnerving.  More often than not you would see the waves smash into one another surging upward and I just knew that if two of them came together under you, you would be launched straight up!  Brutal!  So I just sat there and watched and what a show!

I did wind up coming home with some nice images however.  I've always got my cameras with me where ever I go so I'm never bored.  But one day I do want to launch from North Beach and I do want to paddle Drakes Bay, but not alone.  And in thinking about it I think Drakes Bay would be an amazing paddle.  You'll see what I mean in the photo's below.  Enjoy!

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard on the way to Point Reyes Lighthouse.

One of the small bays I photographed under a full moon.

Drakes Bay looking towards Point Reyes Lighthouse. (South)

Drakes Bay looking North.  A friend of mine said this must be what
heaven looks like.  Maybe she's right.

I asked some of the locals if they knew of anyone who had launched
off South or North beach and assume the shaking of the head
meant no.  (She wasn't very talkative.)

Just to be sure I asked another local further down the road if she would
ever consider launching from the beaches around the area and
got what I assume was a big NO!  (I can only assume this was
what she was saying.  She wasn't very talkative either.)

Little warning, maybe?

North Beach at 6:00 am.  This is quite deceiving as to how wild things

actually were but trust me,  I wasn't about to enter this alone!

8/5/2012...CURIOSITY HAS LANDED!

Wow, what an amazing accomplishment!  Mars!  Who would've thought?  And as a kid I thought we were hot launching our Estes model rockets into the far reaches of our schoolyard skies!  But hey, we tried!  Well all's I can say is congratulations to the JPL team!

I just happen to know Patrick Martin who works at JPL and is instrumental in the success of this mission.  He's one of the guys who purposely tries to break everything JPL puts together.  I met him through the California Kayak Friends club and have the distinct pleasure of paddling with him from time to time.  Great guy so if you want to meet a celebrity join CKF.org! (Not that there aren't any other celebrities in the club...)

As for me, I've been lazy.  That's right, just downright lazy.  I haven't kept up with my blog and have been absent from the paddling scene for a bit as well.  As some know I greatly prefer paddling during the fall, winter and spring as I like a bit of a snap in the air and a sting to the cooler water. Makes you feel alive!  When  it starts getting hot and muggy I head for shelter and I suppose it has something to do with having grown up in Arizona.  I've had my fair share of blazing sun and don't need anymore of it!  The only times I have been on the water worth mentioning were my trips to San Diego and my recent solo adventure north of Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

San Diego was especially fun as I recently joined the San Diego Kayak Club and met up with them a couple months ago for a wild paddle on a very blustery day.  I met them at Aqua Adventures and we headed out to the channel where the wind was just-a-howling!  After leaving the safety of the harbor we paddled a bit south staying away from the surf zone as there were some breakers even I wouldn't have wanted to contend with.  The swells were amazing enough and provided us with some good fun.  We wound the morning up playing at the mouth of the harbor surfing the swells as they came rolling in and a good time was had by all.

My most recent adventure took me south to San Pedro where I launched from Cabrillo Beach and headed north towards Palos Verdes.  I have to say that this is really a beautiful area to paddle as you don't see too many houses built along the cliffs.  As a matter of fact I found one spot (see photo) where I saw no sign of the intervention of man.  In my mind it looked as it must have before someone got in and developed the daylights out of it so it makes for a nice visual.

I also fell in love with the kelp beds there and came back with some nice underwater photos of them.  I just held my camera underwater and snapped away.  The light being filtered through the kelp and water made for some nice images.  I do have to warn you that if your going to try this make sure you don't lean over too far as I did! lol  (Yet another reason to have a good roll!)

Other than that I've just sped out of Marina Del Rey to play in the surf a couple times.  I need to get back into venturing north to Channel Islands Harbor where the water is cooler, cleaner and I have some good friends to paddle with.

My launch point at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro.

Rest stop along the way.

Just another shot I found interesting.

Beautiful sun streak through the kelp beds.

Reaching for the sunlight.

As it may have been thousands of years ago.

This guy kept peeking at me here and there just to make sure.

The dolphins were plentiful and one jumped about 8 feet in front of me!

1/6/2012, a day to remember.

As most of you know it was the day that big swell 

came rolling in creating chaos all up and down the coast.  

I thought for sure all my friends that surf were going to be 

heading out but I was wrong and  in fact they thought I was a bit 

off for planning on taking my kayak out.  Having done 

just that I now know I was not thinking clearly and 

won't be doing that again any time soon. 

I paddled out of Marina Del Rey at about 2:00 pm at 

low tide thinking things wouldn't be so bad and that

maybe, just maybe the waves wouldn't be slamming onto the beach

as they usually are as this area is known for it's beach

break.  Anyway, as I rounded the corner I was pretty 

darn amazed at what I saw and that was BIG waves.  

Bigger, I think, than I have played in in my entire 

kayaking career but naturally, me being me, the bigger 

the better, right? Well...

I started off at the south end of the beach in the smaller

waves as I wanted to get a feel for things and get warmed

up for the good stuff but soon found that there was 

absolutely nothing to be surfed.  It was pretty much 

just surviving the crushing blows of those darn things. 

I mean I have surfed at night and gotten the crap kicked

 out of me, paddles ripped out of my hands and such but 

these things were just downright violent!  Far too often I

would get knocked over and found it a challenge to roll

back up and a couple times had to bail and swim.  Once,

I honestly didn't think I was going to find that grab loop, 

gulped and nice bunch of sea water and finally popped

back up watching my kayak race towards shore and the

jetty.  That kinda told me things were coming to an

end for this day.  But oh, I just had to paddle to the pier

just to put a good close to the day!

Just to try and describe how big some of these waves got I

was cruising along towards the pier at which I honestly thought

was a safe distance from shore.  Yeah, I was playing hide and seek

as a big swell would roll under me but I felt quite safe and really didn't

think anything this far out would have the courage to break on me until...

As usual I always keep my eye out to sea and this time I saw the

swell coming but didn't think it would break until I saw that tell tale foam

building at the lip!  Honestly, my heart started racing as I paddled like hell

trying to turn straight into that thing as it raised it's ugly head

and just about stood me vertical!  I thought for sure I was going to

meet my maker and for an instant I realized that my stern was 

nearly at the bottom of the trough and there was only about 

4 feet of my kayak breaking clear of the lip!  (My kayak is 

17 feet long!)  Once I cleared this thing I quickly paddled out a 

bit farther and headed for home!

Ok, so I learned a lesson and that is, don't be a fool!  I'm doing 

pretty well building my skills, can handle some pretty wild 

water,  have been told I am a good teacher and that is enough. 

 I gotta learn to live a little less on the edge.  I love this sport 

more than any I have gotten involved in but I'm not willing to

accelerate my death doing it.  It's extreme  enough on it's own!

  

Wriggly coming to my rescue with a miniature life ring!

2012, here I come!

Wow, a whole new year ahead of me and I can't wait to get started!  

2011 was interesting,  some say it was down right nasty and I will admit, it 

wasn't my best but I did certainly learn a lot from it and what it brought to bare.  

Now I'm going to try to apply those lessons to the year ahead and make sure 

it's a good one.

To start off I, after a bit of an absence,  I hopped back in my '82 Mercedes "Joon" and took a

nice trip up to Carpenteria to check out the local oil platforms up there.  This has

been a trip I've been trying to make with some friends but missed out on

each time so decided to put it in my book of travels on my own.  In all honestly

it was nothing spectacular, nothing wild happened.  No night surfing or 

shark attacks just a beautiful day on the water.  I was amazed at how

flat the ocean was that day.  It was like glass the entire day with absolutely no 

wind and the surf couldn't have been more that 6" but still,  I got out there

and had a great time.  I do however have to be honest and say that I'm not 

sure I would do it again as there are about 8 platforms within as many miles

of the beach and the smell of petroleum was a bit unpleasant.  Makes one 

hope clean energy would get a move-on.

Of course I had to add a shot of my kayak on the 

beach before launching.  Not sure why but I 

always do this but you can see the three oil platforms

Hondo, Heritage and Harmony in the distance.

The four platforms I didn't visit.  No idea what 

their names are but they're out there pumping

away.

Hondo, Heritage and Harmony.  Not sure which

is which.  I think Honds is in the middle but 

don't quote me on that.

Got a little too close to this one and the guy

on the loudspeaker yelled at me to steer 

away.  Ok, ok, I just wanted a nice photo.  I 

couldn't see the guy scolding me but I waved

and went on my merry way.

In the distance is Carpenteria State Beach.  That

tan spot on the mountain to the left of center was my 

landing marker.  Things get awful small when your 5 

miles out in the ocean so you need to pick out points 

of reference so you can at least get close to where you 

started when heading back in.  I did check my compass 

bearings first though and if the fog rolled in I just needed 

to put my compass at a heading of 30 degrees and I 

would have gotten close to home. 

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.