Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

The weather here has been amazing. Most days I am still in short sleeve shirts and enjoying the warm temps. I know it will soon be changing, the Pacific Northwest always changes to the gray and wet. But for now I am happy to soak up the nice weather. On Oct 7th we headed off island on the 6 pm ferry. The sunset on the ferry ride was amazing. It felt a little silly leaving such a beautiful scene. But we were headed to Seattle to spend some time before heading off for a weekend of fun. I have included a picture of the sunset below. The weather has been nice here in Seattle the past couple of days. Oct 8th was my birthday and I spent it being pretty low key and then we went to Richard Dawkins lecture on his new book, The Greatest Show on Earth. It was the first time I have seen him speak. It was a pretty funny scene, but none the less it was fun to be there. A short stroll through campus and we were headed home. Our weekend plans are up in the air as of now. We had planned on ...

Yesterday I was happy to get out on the water for a few hours with friends. Robin had a childhood friend in town. They just got back from backpacking in the Olympic Mountains and wanted to go out for a short paddle. It was a beautiful day to kayak on San Juan Island. The heavy grey clouds loomed over head with a bit of rain falling. It was the perfect temperature out and we were ready to enjoy the smooth waters. We had a blast laughing and paddling the coast looking for sea stars and other creatures at the waters edge. Bald Eagles perched high in trees looking for an easy meal. Dall's porpoise were everywhere. Some groups were moving slowly along the surface making shallow dives and others were speeding along throwing a rooster tail of water forward. Drifting back home in the flood current was nice and easy and we just bobbed along with smiles. It was really nice to meet Robins friend Melissa. I hope she enjoyed here short stay on San Juan. OPEN YOUR EYES!!! LOL Robin en...

In the below information please understand that KAYAKS are included in the no-go zone! Please make a public comment to NOAA. orca.plan@noaa.gov NOAA states that public comments can have a major effect on the decisions made in this process. There is a limited time period of 90 Day for comment. You do not have to be a resident to make a comment. Please comment now. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) recently released a proposal on Vessel Regulation in the presence Killer Whales in the San Juan Island region. In the proposal they have set a closure zone that would prohibit most vessels (power, human power or sail) from entering the area. Exception Vessels will include Treaty Vessels engaged in commercial fishing, research vessels, government vessels, cargo and rescue vessels and private land owners with beach property in the closure zone. The proposed regulations would prohibit vessels from entering a no-go zone along the west side of San Juan Island. The area wou...

I took a couple of days off to hang out with some friends and doing some kayaking. Last Friday we headed down to South Beach and launched in the fog. We set up a shuttle so we could paddle one way to San Juan Co Park. The water was calm and sea birds and gulls were everywhere. As we made out way along the shore enjoying clear water and a wonderful low tide, there were lots of Harbor Seals. It was fun to see so many of them messing about the kelp beds. As we headed north the fog started to lift to blue skies above. There were five of us on the paddle and most of them I had just met. It is always fun being on the water with new friends. We stopped for a quick bite on a little pocket beach and then hit the water for some more fun. We were getting a nice push from the current as we headed north but soon we lost the push. Shifting gears and paddling a bit harder out pace slowed. Which was not big deal to slow down. We really were in no big rush to get off the water. We finally...

Sorry for not getting around to posting. I have been busy with work and some personal life issues. Things are starting to even out a bit. So the season has been busy, a bit down compared to previous seasons, but we are doing ok . Guides are busy but not over worked as we seemed to be in the past. So given that, spirits are still high as we approach August. I was out on a multi day with a great family and on my return I was hit with bad news all at once. First on the plate was Tayrn (Guide) freaking out because one of our trailers had a metal failure on the frame of the trailer while driving down the road. No one was hurt and that we just luck. But some kayaks were damaged and the trailer is a loss. So operations are going on with the normal loads of guest. It just takes a bit more logistical detail. We are awaiting a response from the company that custom built the trailer. Sandy and good friend who is a master of fiberglass has been working hard to get the damaged kayaks back...

The past week was really busy for us here at Discovery. But we are seeing a bit of a slow start to this week. I unfortunately have a cold now and I am not too happy about it. It is never fun to have a stuffy head when the weather is sunny and warm. The weather has been pretty good for us over the past week. We had a bit of wind but over all it has been pretty nice out. Between getting on the water to run a Day Tours I was busy getting vans to pick up locations and back to be unloaded and back out to get others. It was a fun week of musical vans! Yesterday I decided to head out and have a little kayak time without paying guest. My roommate came with me and we had a nice day messing about on the water. It was really calm out, which is not always the best when we are out looking to have a little fun. Though a few large cargo ships passed by and we were able to play around in a some rock with the waves hitting the shore. Last night I went out to a buddy's birthday party with...

I just wanted to post a quick note that you can see Discovery Sea Kayaks highlighted in Backpacker Magazine. http://www.backpacker.com/may_09_top_3_glowinthedark_trips_/nature/13087

Last night I got a chance to get out for the sunset. I arrived just as the sun was making its way behind the western landscape. Though I missed the sun I did not miss the beautiful show that followed. The clouds were looming with amazing color and contrast north to south. The light breeze was enough to add a comforting chill to the air and the water was jostled enough so you could hear the sea releasing energy at the shore. This time of year people migrate from town the west side of San Juan Island to enjoy these peaceful scenic moments. Sometimes it can be hard to sneak away once I am off work. But I am happy that I made it out there last night. The view was more than wroth it. Let me know if you agree. No captions needed on the above images. Simply a beautiful sunset. I hope everyone finds time to enjoy a few before the summer is over!

It has been a pretty nice week. But today we have a few clouds and showers in the area with wind moving in over night. That will soon pass and give way to sunny skies and warm temperatures. Wednesday we had a meeting with all the guides. Now that everyone is here it was time to get us all together in one place and cover some topics for operations. After the meeting we treated to dinner at my place. We cooked out and had a great time. We have a busy week coming up. I am sure I will not be able to get a post up until some time after the 27th. But I will do my best to get some images and info posted. Here are a few pics. AH! Beautiful! The crew on my front deck! Relaxing over a few beers! Well I know it does not look like your normal executive meeting room. But I will take it any day over an enclosed closet for a meeting room!

Well I am really sorry that I have been behind in updating the blog. I have been busy training new guides, running kayak tours and setting up new ideas! I will update you all on that at a later date. The island has been really nice, so we have been pretty busy running tours. Next week we kick off a couple of weeks on insanity and I think we are all ready for it! All in all things could not be better on the island. So far it has been a great summer for me and I hope for it to continue! I have some pictures to share with you all and I hope you enjoy them! Getting on the water for the day. Just off Lime Kiln State Park. Doing a bit of rescue practice with tandem kayaks. This can be pretty tough. The tandems are heavy. Kelly is doing a wonderful job! This is from my perspective in the water. Taryn and I floating around in the cold water! That is it. Well I know it is not much and sorry I do not have more time to post more information. Things are just a little busy and will only ge...

Today started early with a few clouds hanging around the sky. But by the time I was to pick up my clients for the day, it had cleared. A nice breeze mixed with strong currents made for a fun day on the water. I was doing a half day trip today as a training trip for our new guide Taryn. It was her first time to tag along on a tour. Yesterday Taryn and Lyle, both new guides, went out for some rescue training. So I wanted to get her on a tour so she could start to get the flow of how things work. The day was nice. We saw a couple of Bald Eagles and Harbor Seals. A few sea birds were hanging out as well. The Orca Whales have been gone for some time now and not sure if they were spotted anywhere near the islands today. There is a female Elephant Seal at SJCP beach. The rangers there are busy keeping people away from the animal. She sure picked a busy beach to hang out. Yesterday she was making friends with a tandem kayak on the beach. But we do our best to stay away and keep c...

I was on the water yesterday running a West Side Day Tour. It was a great day to be on the water and the group I had out was wonderful. Flat calm conditions with unseasonably hot weather. Truly a wonderful day. On the tour when we reached Dead Man Bay there was a dead Harbor Porpoise. I called the office to have them reach the stranding network as the animal was in good condition and could be of use for getting some data from. I have plenty of pictures to share so enjoy. A dead Harbor Porpoise. The Porpoise being taken away. Another view. Smooth waters. Ah I was in a double. I was lucky to have a good paddle partner. That is me at the bottom. Wearing one of the new Discovery Sea Kayaks hats. Paddling home. A nice day. Sorry I did nit have much for image comments. But it is getting late. Night

Recently Discovery Sea Kayaks was mentioned in two local Seattle publications. First was in the May 2009 Seattle Magazine under Island Getaways. List with The Big Attractions to San Juan you can find information about us under the heading "Being One With The Orcas" Read the article HERE! Second we were mention in Seattle Metropolitan June 2009. They have a segment written by local from each island. Detailing the special things about each island. We were most happy and thankful to see that we were mention. Read the article HERE! I would like to say thanks to John Boyd "JB" for the kind words! I just wanted to share some of the exciting news with everyone. I was on the water yesterday and plan on posting pictures later today. So please check back for some nice kayaking images.

Yesterday I was on the water with a nice guy writing and article for Sierra Magazine. Mainly about Orca Whales. We spent the day on the water enjoying the sunshine. The currents were strong and a stiff breeze out of the west. There were no signs of the Orcas, but the day was still amazing. On our way back to the beach to go home the tidal exchange was in effect and the sea was choppy and confused. Once off the water we all headed for South Beach. Another night where there was live music and good food. The wind gained strength and the water was beautiful. I have some pictures to share with you. A little slice of island life! The band set up to play at the beach! People having a great time. Olympic Mountains are in the background! PARTY! LOL. It was more chill than that. More people! Chickens on the rotis. YUMMM! This little guy was making quick work of this ear of corn. Jamming! Ah, looks like trouble to me. LOL. The set up. It takes a moment, but worth it for slow roasted ...