Kim and Geoff

Tandem Bicycle Tour of Lake Tahoe

Geoff — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:30:43 +0000

Last weekend, Kim and I drove to Lake Tahoe, parked the car in Squaw Valley, and rode about 50 miles around the Lake to South Lake Tahoe on Saturday. The route included everything from bike paths to rolling hills to a LONG climb that led to a screaming fast downhill. Super fun. We stayed in an inexpensive motel in south lake tahoe…. then walked 6 miles roundtrip to get dinner. A great night of rest, and we woke sunday, and got back on the bike. A fun ten miles or so of bike path through the woods led to the challenging climb up to the Emerald Bay overlook. We were working hard, for sure, but I was stoked when we got to the top. A rest, a downhill, and another climb. Mostling rolling back to the car.

35 miles on Sunday, and we back at the car and on our way home. one of my favorite bike rides ever. Loving the tandem, and love that I have a wonderful wife to share it with.

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Providence, LA

Geoff — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:13:54 +0000

Kim and I celebrated 9 years from when we first met (OK, mostly an excuse for an extravagant dinner) on Friday, by heading to Providence, a 2 Michelin star restaurant in Los Angeles. It was simply amazing. Each course could easily be in the top 5 plates of food I’ve ever eaten, and there were 7 courses, (plus an amuse bouche and extra little candies) so the math doesn’t even make sense. the service was beyond excellent, and of course, they were very careful with my Celiac disease, making some substitutions to the tasking menu we were enjoying. It was expensive, for sure, but dinner last 3 hours and was truly, truly memorable. Amazing.

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Monterrey Bay Anniversary Weekend – Kayaking, food, and the Aquarium

Geoff — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:34:39 +0000

Kim and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend (April 9) with a weekend trip to Monterrey Bay, CA. We went paddling Sat morning off a point near Pacific Grove. It was windy, and big, and stormy, so we didn’t get far, but it was a lot of fun.

After-wards, we hung out in the tide-pools, then checked out a street fair in PG. Checked into our hotel, then had a nice dinner.

Sunday we went kayaking again, with amazing wildlife. Otters, seals and sea lions EVERYWHERE. Really, really cool.

Then more time at the Aquarium, another nice meal, and then a long drive home. Great, great, great weekend.

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Ecuador

Geoff — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:40:20 +0000

Some of this has been copy/pasted from emails I sent, so if tenses shift midway, please excuse.

I decided to take a Trip on Tuesday Jan 5th. On Sat, the 9th I left for Ecuador.

After some flight delays, I got into Quito at about 11 pm Sat. Night. I was pretty beat, and though my hotel was located near a noisy disco, I fell right asleep. 8am found me at the hotel lobby, meeting my group. 2 guides, and 6 paddlers. 3 guys, 3 girls. Ages 30-46. Everyone married, but not traveling with their spouses (except for our Guides, the Fantastic and Super Phil and Mary DeReimer of AdventureKayaking.com. Super nice, friendly crew.

Sunday was a 1/2 travel day, we drove over a nearly14,000 foot pass to the Town of Borja, where we have a very nice lodge. We outfitted boats, and went for a short class III paddle on the Quijos , followed by dinner.

Monday was awesome. We woke up, had yummy breakfast, and went for a long paddle. Fun, class IV paddling, very continuos, but nothing super hard. About 5.5 hours on the river. We paddled on the Cosanga, to the confluence with the Quijos, and then paddled the Quijos. Saw an Andean Cock-in-the-Rock and many, many other birds. VERY, VERY, VERY cool.

Early on Day 3 we left Borja and went to Tena, about an hours drive away. We stopped on the way to do a really pretty river, though the water was a bit low. This was the Rio Misahualli. It was fun, and I think would be super classic with more water.

After paddling, we headed to Tena, which seems to be a bit of a rough place. Not dangerous, just very impoverished, gritty and run down. Our hotel is nice, and the area is gorgeous, but not much else interesting about Tena. If you weren´t paddling, I can´t imagine wanting to spend much time here. There is an incredible steak restaurant. The steak place has several pet sloths, which was cool. And the rivers nearby are fantastic. Simply incredible. So good.

Day 4-
We seem to be in a bit of a dry spell, so many of the rivers are a little low. Today, we did two laps on the upper stretch of a river, the Piatua, and it was awesome. Not very high volume water, but steep, fun and fast. the river channelized nicely, meaning the low water wasn´t an issue. I bet the run is stomping hard with high flows.

The first time through, we took our time, looking at a few spots, talking about the moves, etc. Second time through, we just blasted. First lap took 2.5 hrs, second was 50 minutes. SOOO much fun. The group (6 paddlers, 2 guides) has melded really well, I feel like I´ve been boating with them for years. Every one looks out for each other, and all seem to be strong paddlers of similar skill. I don´t think anyone is bored with the paddling, and no one seems in over their head. Such a cool, perfect trip. If we had a little more water it would be just a bit better, but it´s still awesome.

Another dinner at the steakhouse. So good. all 8 people had huge, delicious steaks, some drinks, etc, and the tab for the table was well under $100. Maybe some of the best steak I´ve ever had.

It´s hot as heck in Tena. I wish I´d brought some more clean shirts. I might have to send a few out for laundry, if I´m not paddling, and not in A/C, I´ve just got sweat pouring down my body. Running out of non-stinky shirts. Tough to stay hydrated too, but I´m doing it, pretty much always drinking something. The sun is brutal, we´re almost on the Equator, so I´ve been using the sunscreen 2-4 times a day. So far, no red.

Day 5

We paddled the Lower Jondachi today. Easier than some of the other stuff we did, but probably the prettiest run we did. Some really fun rapids too. Steep canyon walls, wild orchids, and the several Blue Morpho butterflies, huge blue butterflies the size of a large saucer. The put in was interesting. My truck arrived last, and there was a group of German boaters who had arrived even before our first truck. The put in was crowded with locals, who appeared eager to earn a few dollars carrying boats to the put in. I felt a bit weird having tiny Ecuadorean women carry my boat for me, normally I’m offering to carry for others! But not long into the steep, muddy, hot, humid hike, I wasn’t going to complain.

Day 6+7

Day 6 and 7 we were back on the Quijos, running a longer section than we’d run on Day 1, that included a few bigger, more technical rapids. Our group had truly melded by then, and it really just felt like paddling with my freinds. Jokes flew, people watched out for each other, and it was grand. Really, truly awesome.

On Day 7, Sat, we headed back over the pass to Quito. We had a big steak dinner that night to say goodbyes, and all too soon, 1/2 our group was heading home. Phil and Mary would be picking up a new group in the morning. Ann and Merida had invited me to join them Mtn Biking on Cotopaxi, so it wasn’t quite time for our goodbyes.

Day 8

Another early start to the day, but this time, no paddling gear. I was joining Anne and Merida to bike Cotopaxi. Anne described it in an email as follows:

ap made it home in one piece after geoff, merida and i nearly perished from hypothermia at 15,000 feet and all developed an unusual case of sudden-onset black lung on our mountain biking adventure. we took a tour that involved getting taken up cotopaxi in a 4WD vehicle and dropped off to coast on “mountain bikes” downhill. at the top, the wind was blowing at about 40-50mph (you do the metric conversion) and the temp was freezing. and did i mention the sleet? we were all laughing pretty hard about it and geoff had the quote of the day when he approached merida and me and said, “i hate you both!” it warmed up as we descended and that is when the dust cloud hit! we coughed our way back to quito. overall, a comical adventure. i am also certain that we did not have the ace guide of the biking dutchman roster!

i had such a great time hanging out on and off the water with y’all. if you are ever in boise, you are always welcome to stay at our place!

yours, as always, in the third person,

ap

I’ll admit that I think I might have enjoyed it a lot more than this makes it sound. Though it is very accurate, there was long stretch in the middle of biking the high grasslands on the volcano that I enjoyed a lot. Really pretty. That night, Merida and Anne were both feeling a bit under the weather, so I grabbed some dinner and was in bed early again.

Day 9

I rose early, and headed to Old Town Quito. I visited some churches, which were amazing, and stumbled upon some sort of government ceremony or rally, which was interesting. I joined in some “Viva Ecuador!” chants, but couldn’t sing along with the national anthem. I got my haircut, and I must say, it was the finest $1 haircut I’ve ever had! Lunch was $2 at a little local place, and I enjoyed my day, although I’ll admit that after a week of traveling with new friends, it felt a little lonely. In late afternoon I was pretty well finished with spanish churches and colonial architechture, so I headed back to the Mariscal and walked the lenght of the main drags there, did some internetting, and picked up my laundry. Fresh shirts felt awesome at this point.

Day 10

Up early, early, and on the bus to Mindo. Spent some time chatting with an older English couple, who had been all over. Quite the goal to strive for. Mindo is muy tranquillo, a sleepy town in the cloud forest known for it’s amazing biodiversity. I took a long walk, found a place to stay for $10 a night, and sat on the porch. In minutes I’d seen 4-5 butterfly species, and 5-6 hummingbirds. And dozens of other birds. Amazing. I took an even longer walk after settling in, and got caught in a massive rainstorm, but it was so warm I didn’t care. I stopped at a cool butterfly farm, and enjoyed getting photos. A nice, relaxed day, and I could see spending more time in Mindo.

Day 11

My last day, and I’d wrestled with staying in Mindo or going to Otovallo, known for it’s markets. I decided to shop, and it was a series of long bus rides that got mt Otovallo by 11 am. I wndered the market town, bought some gifts, and headed back to Quito for early evening. I treated myself to a nice dinner, and it was off to bed.

Day 12 I flew home. Excited to see Kim, but sad to leave Ecuador. There is something about Latin America that just sits right with me. Something about the people, or the pace, or the food, but I just love it. (spider bites and injuries excepted).

I really want to see Asia and Africa, but I’ll admit that when my mind wanders to travel, it’s hard to keep it off Central and South America.

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Middle Fork Of the American River Friday night we had Kim’s mom, aunt and Grandma over...
Kayaking the Black Canyon of the Colorado River The Black Canyon is the section of the Colorado river...
Joshua Tree Climbing and Camping A few months back, my friend from b-school (Alex M.)...

Joshua Tree Climbing and Camping

Geoff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:46:42 +0000

A few months back, my friend from b-school (Alex M.) emailed me and let me know that he had a camping site reserved at Joshua Tree for thanksgiving weekend. Although I rarely climb anymore, Joshua Tree still ranks as one of my favorite places in the universe. Love it.

Kim and I celebrated a very nice thanksgiving day with her family, and stayed up late talking and playing games. Although some of the family got up silly early (actually, never went to bed) to hit the black friday sales, Kim and I overslept and got a late start driving to Joshua Tree. With a few stops for provisions, we made it to Indian Cove early afternoon, and quickly suited up to climb. We ended up doing a route with 2 short pitches. Fun, but nothing to write home about. Still, it did feel good to be moving over rock. Back to camp, cook dinner, chat and settle in. We were joining Alex, Mara and Bryant, and enjoyed their company a lot.

Saturday we woke to some ominous looking clouds. Went to Crossroads for breakfast, then headed into the park. I started to try and lead F8, but realized I was way to weak, and downclimbed. Oh well. we all had fun trying it on toprope. We also ran into our old friends from the Costa Mesa Rockreation, Jeff and Sandy. (That’s the gym where Kim and I met!). Fun to catch up with them.

It was getting colder, and stormier, but we headed over to a second climb. Alex did a great job leading a 5.8, and dropped a toprope on a 10 (b/c?) next to it. We each took our turns on the 5.8, and Alex and Kim both styled the 5.10. I was cleaning the anchors when I felt the first drops of rain/frozen rain/snow. I sent Kim ahead to the car, and Alex and I packed the gear and enjoyed a stormy hike out. We saw multiple parties still on the rock, which looked unpleasant.

Once in the car, we headed over to Keyes View. Not much of a view, but it was fun to see the snow in the desert. Fun. We decided it was too cold and wet to cook and camp, so we headed to Edchada’s in 29 palms. We’re soft like that. After dinner we went back to camp, and enjoyed a campfire on a crisp, clear (by now) night. Gorgeous.

Sunday we woke to rain. Cold, wet rain. Packed camp and headed out. Fun weekend, even if short on actual climbing.

I didn’t take many photos, so some (the night ones) of these are from Bryant Burkhardt. Check out his cool website at:

http://paddlecalifornia.blogspot.com/2009/11/paddling-in-desert.html

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Tahquitz Climbing Some of you that have known me for awhile may...

Kayaking the Black Canyon of the Colorado River

Geoff — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:21:37 +0000

Kim and I got a new toy a few months ago, a Wilderness Systems Northstar Tandem. I sold a few of these when I worked at Southwind, and I was pleased to see that they had fixed a few issues with the Northstar primarily their predilection for oilcanning. We’d paddled it a couple time locally, but were eager to get it on a multi-day trip. The kind of trip it was designed for.

We’ve had many offers to join Jerry on trips. Jerry is a unbelievably active septuagenarian. He used to do a little guiding for Southwind, but mostly I know him as a regular at San Onofre, where he absolutely rips on a waveski, 3 or so days a week. He’s been trying to get Kim and I to join him on his annual trips to go canyoneering in Zion. Awesome stuff, and truly an example of what good living can help provide.

Anyway, I’m getting off track. Jerry was putting together a group to paddle the Black Canyon section of the Colorado River, below Hoover Dam. Kim and I were eager to join. It was a crazy, crazy week with work and travel, and I found myself on the eve of the trip launch without having even started thinking about packing. I load the kayak, kim packs some gear, I pack some gear, we hope we’re not bringing too much or too little. Normally I’d test pack the boat, but there is no time for that. Everything gets thrown in the truck, we stop by Trader Joe’s for food, and we’re heading east. It’s supposed to be about a 5 hour drive, but we get a late start, I’m tired, and there are lots of coffee stops and a few catnaps. We end up pulling into Willow Beach Marina just 100 minutes or so before our appointed launch time. I catch a few Z’s in the bed of the truck, but am fitful. I rise, and pack.

Despite a less than stellar start, everything else about the trip is stellar. Our group consists of:

Geoff (me), Kim, Jerry, Bob (a amazingly fit octogenarian, who also waveskis regularly), Herb, Cindy and Mike. 60 years from oldest to youngest, but everyone got along great, paddled hard and it was awesome.

Day 1 was fun and pretty. We launched from Willow Beach, and paddled miles up the Colorado River. The water was crystal clear, and the canyon got prettier and prettier as we got further upstream. The water was moving, but it wasn’t too hard to paddle against. In a few spots it required some fast paddling, but we made decent time moving up to the Arizona Camp. We landed there, and set up camp. After a delicious lunch, we hiked up a short way up a narrow canyon to enjoy the hotsprings in the narrow canyon. After a long soak, it was back to camp. We hung out, talked, and most wandered off to bed pretty early.

Day 2 - We rose, packed for the day, and headed upstream. The canyon get getting prettier and prettier. There were a few more spots that were challenging to get through in the kayak. A few hours later, we were at the base of the Hoover Dam. As big as it looks from the top, it looks even bigger from the bottom. Impressive. We visited the Sauna Cave, one of the more unique features on the river. It is long, deep cave. Just tall enough to almost walk upright, and as wide as a hallway. There is a hotspring flowing through it, and it creates a crazy, neat, almost natural sauna. Very cool. This is the turn around point for the paddle, so we started heading back down stream, with stops for some more cool side hikes and more hot springs. Including one that was a waterfall. A waterfall hotspring. Too cool.

Back to camp. Another pleasant evening. Day 3 we rose again, and it was a quick paddle back downstream to willow beach. Such a great weekend.

After we loaded the kayaks, we drove towards Vegas. Kim and I decided to stop and tour the Hoover Dam, which was interesting, and stopped for a meal in Vegas. A fabulous weekend, great paddling and great company.

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Middle Fork Of the American River Friday night we had Kim’s mom, aunt and Grandma over...
Monterrey Bay Anniversary Weekend – Kayaking, food, and the Aquarium Kim and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend (April 9)...

San Diego Wild Animal Park and Zoo

Geoff — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:11:38 +0000

I (Geoff) love taking pictures, and really enjoy taking pictures of animals. Kim surprised me this year for my birthday with a membership to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Zoo. Incredible place. Truly the finest zoos I’ve ever seen. Really nice. Educational and well done. In many places, you have to look closely to even figure out where the barriers are, and you can get really close to many animals. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to going back. I wish Katy’s kids (my nieces and nephews) were closer, they love the Dallas zoo and I’d love to show them these.

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Weekends around Southern California

Geoff — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:59:27 +0000

We’re lucky to live in an incredible part of the country. Within a few hours drive of house, we got the ocean, mountains, lakes, forests, deserts and a big city. We try and keep pretty busy, and have some great adventures around here. In the pictures, you’ll see sea kayaking, a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert, riding our tandem bike, etc. Everything in this album is within 2 hours of house.

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Tandem Bicycle Tour of Lake Tahoe Last weekend, Kim and I drove to Lake Tahoe, parked...

Davenport Surf Kayak Contest

Geoff — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:38:42 +0000

We got a super late start Friday night, and it was an all night slog to Davenport, with just a few hours of fitful dozing alongside the highway. But I made it to the contest, and had a great time. Didn’t surf as well as I would have liked too, and was eliminated before the finals. Disapointing, but oh well. Next time. Thanks again to Kim for taking so many awesome photos.

Awesome food and party Sat afternoon too.

Many thanks to Marc and Buck and everyone else who helped put this together. Fun times.

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Pismo Beach Surf Kayak Contest Thanks to Dave for setting up the Pismo Beach Surf...

Pismo Beach Surf Kayak Contest

Geoff — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:16:30 +0000

Thanks to Dave for setting up the Pismo Beach Surf Kayak contest. Due to permit issues, low turnout, and predictions of small waves sunday, the contest was condensed to one day. That mean I was surfing 9 heats in a day. (High Performance, International Class, and Waveski, 3 heats each. ) Wow!

I swam in my HP heat when my skirt imploded, and didn’t make it through, but did pretty well in IC and waveski, getting a Third (IC) and a Second (Waveski). Pretty cool. It was a great contest, and hopefully we can get it to become an annual event.

Thanks to Kim for taking so many great pictures.

Geoff

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Davenport Surf Kayak Contest We got a super late start Friday night, and it...