Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

It has been awhile since my last post. So I thought I would write a bit on the latest happenings. Spring has arrived on San Juan Island and I am back to work early this season. Kayak tours kicked off a bit sooner than normal this year. I assume the lack of good snow in the mountains and the early sunshine has something to do with it. So with Spring here we ( Discovery Sea Kayaks ) are open and running kayak tours. This is a great time to visit San Juan Island for a kayak tour. With less people on island there is a very charming small town feel. On the water the wildlife encounters can vary. Some days you might encounter killer whales other days watch as a pair of eagle fly over head. Last season we started renting bikes from our shop in downtown Friday Harbor. Our location is perfect for walking on the ferry and then renting a bike when you arrive in town. Being in the heart of town and close to the ferry makes it easy. I have all the bikes clean and ready to be rented. This se...

For those that read this post I want to be transparent from the start here. I am one of the owners of Discovery Sea Kayaks and wanted to take a moment to share some exciting news about the company. Firstly, the kayak season has started off with amazing weather. Most the days on the water this spring have be beautiful with calm seas. All of our kayak tours are operational and ready for people to join. We offer Half Day and Full Day kayak tours to the west side of San Juan Island. One of the most popular tours we offer is the west side Sunset Kayak Tour. San Juan Island sunsets are truly amazing and there is no better way to experience the sunset than by kayak. To round our our kayak tour offering we have 3 and 5 Day Kayak Tours. Camping on the surrounding islands is the best way to get a sense of the islands. Travel between the islands and enjoy the Pacific Northwest scenery. Our guides are very skilled on and off the water. You are assured a culinary surprise at each meal. When it co...

As fall rolls moves in on us in the Pacific Northwest many start thinking about the snow in the mountains and the upcoming ski and board season.  There are also those that love to ride year round and are preparing for the colder, wet weather.  There is a lot of fun to be had on muddy trails but as much as I love the Pacific Northwest riding in the winter.  I have a destination that offers great single track and warm weather.  Not only is the weather warm but the destination offers the perfect exotic travel that adds up to be a wonderful vacation. So what where am I talking about?  Thailand. Yep it is a long way from the US and you might even have to take a bit of vacation tie from work.  But it is more than worth the effort to ride amazing single track.  We have created a better way of getting you on the trails.  It is not always easy landing on the other side of the world and get on the best single track mountain biking in the area.  That ...

So it has been awhile since I have been updating my Blog.  With Facebook, Google+ and whatever else there is out there I try and maintain for my business Discovery Sea Kayaks , it is hard to do much more.  But I decided I wanted to reopen the use of my Blog to inform readers on all kinds of news, events and even some of my business going's on. I would like to start by introducing Discovery Adventure Tours or DAT as we call it around the shop.  DAT is a new business name that was developed to start diversifying the types of adventure tours we want to offer.  So Discovery Sea Kayak and DAT will be owned and operated by the same good folks, Richard Swanson and Jason Gunter. The new name just made sense to add other types of adventures. The first project DAT is taking on is Downhill Mountain Bike Tours in northern Thailand.  We will be there this winter offering 5 day vacation packages for those looking to get out on steep terrain and get loose on their mountai...

Earlier in the season I was able to spend some time on the water with videographer Chris West.  Today he sent me the video he developed from his time on the water with Discovery Sea Kayaks.  If you have never been to San Juan Island or have been here but not on a kayak tour.  You might want to check out the video. Some really great footage and images of town.   Here is a fun still shot from the evening paddle.

Last year I traveled with my good friend Colin Blevins to Chiang Mai Thailand.  We had one goal in mind, find fast and fun single track.  What we found was a thriving local bike community, great food and the single track we were hoping for. Early in the year Colin and I started riding together frequently and Colin would mention the idea of heading back to Thailand to find more single track to ride.  Colin has been traveling in Thailand for the last several years and had a bit of experience with some of the trails. On many of our rides I would just toss out that I was in for the adventure myself.  Not sure if either one of us was taking me seriously.  Well my kayak season was nearing its end and it was time to make it happen or not.  I figured it out and bought a plane ticket. It felt a little head first since I have never flow anywhere with my bike before.  But Colin had a good plan and I was confident. So we both purchased flights via Korean Ai...