Years ago when I started this blog my intention was to explain my journey from being a kid raised by two parents from inner city Chicago to living in Bend, pursuing the Bendlandia experience of constant outdoor recreation. That meant that instead of growing up on mountain bikes and in kayaks I hung out at the mall and “cruised the gut” as a teen (Bend kids are SO fortunate!!) Ironically, the real change started after I got into a whole bunch of trouble as a 15-year old, rebelling against my parents, pushing my independence and having “too much fun”. Finally, my actions caught up with me and I was “grounded for life” which ended up being just a month, and the exception was that I could do anything with the family. At the time my dad hadn’t been super present, either traveling or working a ton and subsequently hunkering down after work for some much-needed quiet-time. I have to credit my dad…maybe he realized the gap in our relationship but he showed up then, and the most impactful activity we did together was a private raft trip on the McKenzie river–just the guide, my dad, a family friend and me.
It was a full day trip and it was in the forest on the river. Duh. I explain this because that was kind of foreign to me. It’s not like I’d never been to the forest or seen a river, but this was “out there” and the river was so beautiful, the rapids were really fun and then we got to swim in the river!! The experience of being on/in the river WAS entirely new to me. I had so much fun and I just wanted to do it again.
You might think I fell in love with paddling right there and then, and chose to pursue a life as a guide. Nope. Not even a little. In fact it wasn’t for another 6 years that I’d make my way onto a raft again. But the experience and feeling of joy stayed with me, and when I made the decision to leave Salem a few years later it was Bend and living that lifestyle that I was chasing (finding and working a job at the Inn of the Seventh Mountain, which offered raft trips). From there, the rest is history.
I’ve spent the last 6 months spreading my dad’s ashes at various important places and yesterday it came full circle. I wanted to honor him on Father’s Day at a place so poignant to both he and I. I paddled the McKenzie river and was able to leave a “bit of dad” there. At the takeout, I released his ashes while two butterflies flew around as if to accompany him on the next step of his journey. These butterflies (the yellow and black ones that I lovingly call “yellow-tail swallow tiger somethings”) have special meaning to me and it was an emotional moment–in a very happy way. Be free dad…swim in the river and fly with the butterflies!
This year’s snowfall has really led to some great skiing AND some increased flows in the Deschutes. Last month that resulted in some flows higher than I’d seen in years. So when I got a text from my fav adventure girlfriend that a crew was headed out last minute and could I meet them…well…now?… I said “Hell ya!!” I downed my breakfast, threw my SUP on my “gear car” and met them at the put-in (shuttle already being run…big thanks for that!!). We had a couple from Eugene, two pack-rafters, some hard shell’ers and me. At 980 CFS the rocks are covered!! Stoke was high, laughs were prevalent and the rain waited just long enough for us to paddle, load up and say our good-bye’s (til later when we reconvened for a celebratory retirement dinner). Likely we have to wait until fall for this run to be in again, and early spring to (maybe) see levels as high as we enjoyed.
Lesser known Crooked River Run:
When paddlers talk about the “Crooked being in” they’re typically talking about a pretty stout section of Central Oregon’s Crooked river from Lone Pine to Crooked River Ranch, or even Ranch to Lake Billy Chinook. The Crooked River in its entirety is gorgeous, running through Smith Rock and various canyons less developed and less trafficked by people–tourists, hikers, RV’ers etc. Because this river is dam-controlled above Prineville Reservoir it is rare, with historic drought, for the dam to release. When it does, paddlers are quick to get out there for fun rapids and gorgeous scenery.
There is a run directly below the reservoir that is beeeeautiful, easily shuttled and absolutely perfect for the beginner boater and a fabulous “next step” to the aspiring whitewater paddleboarder, after the perfect FIRST-step Lower Deschutes Warm Springs to Trout Creek. It’s relatively close to Bend (under an hour), and the views don’t disappoint. Overall, it is Class 1+ with a single rapid just above the takeout called “The Rapid” which is a friskier ripple. At around 1450 CFS, this rapid is a Class 2- with a single hole the river is pushing into, that could topple a sup-er or novice kayaker. All flowing into run-out. Super friendly.
Earlier this month, a small crew of us headed to this stretch. A packrafter, an IK’er and a hard shell kayaker (recovering from a broken collarbone) and myself on a SUP. Originally we chose this day because it was supposed to be mostly sunny and about 60 degrees. Instead, it was cloudy, windy (occasionally strong gusts that challenged my forward progress) and rain, occasionally pounding. That didn’t deter us and everyone enjoyed the gorgeous views complete with kingfishers, a blue heron and a special sighting of a river otter.
This run is still in (last checked at 1280-ish). Sometimes it drops out though, so do your due diligence before you head out.
North Santiam, Mill City to Mehama:
Ok, so not “around town” Bend but I consider it my back yard having grown up in Salem and then spending 3-4 days a week in MC/Gates for years. I adore this run, and our small crew enjoyed the entire experience. Personally, I think 1600 CFS is a really fun, friendly level for the North Santiam before it drops to lower summer levels. Not pushy like winter flow and not so boney you’re worried about catching a fin. I’d spent the night with my family in Salem and met my two fellow paddlers who were driving out from Bend, at the put-in. We weren’t in a hurry which really emphasized that I love the whole experience of paddling. I was joyous throwing my SUP on my car, making sure I had my gear, driving the 30 minutes to put-in, talking story while we all outfitted and dressed.
Looking ahead, excited to get on the NF of the John Day, the MF of the Willamette, and hopefully the Trinity (a new river for me) later next month, fingers crossed. Hit me up if you have any paddling questions, comments or trip shares!
Some of my earliest memories are fuzzy yet profound…me waking in the morning and “getting to see dad”, post trip. We (my sister and I who were inseparable) couldn’t bug him before he woke, and he’d been gone for some amount of time (I was younger than 5 years so time was mostly irrelevant–it seemed “long”). But the first morning was always magical because that’s when we’d receive the “loot” from his travels. I remember a beautiful fan from Japan adorned with a painting of Mt Fuji and a coveted cloth doll from the Carribean–black fabric with a bright head scarf and huge gold hoop earrings. SO exotic, especially for me and my sister who never got presents except for birthday and holidays (this isn’t a “we walked ten miles in the snow both ways” comment…that’s just how things were). And after we got our gifts he would share stories. Fascinating and other-worldly, since again, we grew up differently. We DIDN’T travel all over as a family like so many kids I see these days. It was a quaint little life in unnoteworthy Salem Oregon. Big trips consisted of many visits to our family in Puget Sound area, or out to the Oregon coast (which is awesome).
But this. This was stuff out of the movies. Volcanoes and deep-sea diving, dancing and music, jungles and experiences that only someone like my dad–capable, adventurous, and a splash of rule-bending–could recount. *Note here, when I say rule-bending I mean ignoring signs like “Do not go beyond this sign” or “Danger”, not law-breaking. He was specifically moral in that sense.
It was exhilarating and it’s because of these memories of such tales, that both my sister and I have an inner wanderlust that is so fundamental to our being. Over time, I’ve realized I travel for NEW experiences. I’ll return to a location almost never, unless it’s for work. Or in this circumstance, to bring dad back.
My dad passed away with Alzheimer’s about four years ago. He battled it for quite a while–11 years which is far longer than average. The most heart-wrenching aspect of this horrible disease is that it steals the very essence of who the victim is. My mom says dad “faded away” which is true, and a very benign description of what actually happened. We didn’t have a memorial for dad and we blame Covid, but the truth is that none of us could really grasp it. My sister and I vowed to bring his ashes with us on travels but it wasn’t until now that we were/are ready. And we are. In a fun way, which is what dad would have wanted. I have a small, non-script jar and one of my favorite photos of my dad. We bring him with us unceremoniously in my back pack (I have it sitting next to me on the table as I write). We’ve shed no tears. In fact, I say “common dad, we’re going for a hike”. Again, this is how dad would have wanted things.
Beth and I chose this trip to begin memorializing him, because my dad came here for years to dive and fish with a group of close friends who called themselves the “Brothers of the Baja”. Now looking back as a 40+ human myself, I realize he was young and in the prime of his life…which lends toward some of the stories we heard (not the least of which involving tequila and why he never drank it again even before he quit drinking altogether) **. I recall him describing marlin fishing…also when he quit fishing altogether. Dad told us that they were observing the gorgeous marlin–stunning in color, up until the moment it was fished and died at which time it turned gray. That was the last time he ever fished.
This is my second trip to Baja and in the time spent here I have seen marine life to rival no other. Having lived in Maui for three years when it was still pretty undeveloped, I’ve seen some really cool stuff…beautiful sea creatures! But here in Baja, I have swam, snorkeled and sup’ed seeing sooo many amazing things just out the back door (literally–it’s about 30 steps down to the water). It’s really quite mind-blowing!! I can only imagine back then it was even more prolific.
So with all that said, we made the decision for this to be the first of many trips to take dad. We’ve already found a couple great places to free his ashes and there will be more. Welcome back dad. Welcome back.
**Dad quit drinking alcohol entirely when I was in my teens with one glaring exception. He was hiking in the jungles of Borneo the year after it reopened to American citizens. They hiked into a location inhabited by a tribe who believed that my dad and his traveling buddy Sam, were semi-deities. They hosted a dinner for the two of them and offered a ceremonial drink to them, in honor of the “friendship”. He clearly didn’t refuse.
Maybe it’s a little over-done to write a post looking back at the year around New Year’s, but 2024 has been a big year for me with profound change and transitions. The first full year, of rebalancing my personal and professional life. A full year answering only to myself, and a year when I took my “side hustles“ (as I like to endearingly call them) more seriously. It was a year that helped me reveal the imbalances I had been living, and with restructuring, let me see what living IN balance looks like…Balance in work, health (SLEEP!!), and personal time. OK, there was a lot of travel last year too, but I had some destinations I’d put off going to for many years and had the chance, so I ran with it.
It began with a trip to La Ventana, Baja, Mexico, where I stayed for most of the trip solo. I met some awesome people, experienced incredible beauty in the ocean and surrounding mountains, and simply took stock of my life. It gave me the space to ask myself “what do I do with more time and resources”? I am a human that loves to travel and play, but crucially important that I’m also productive, and for me that requires (some) structure…hmmmm.
Within the first few days of arriving in Mexico I made a friend–a woman from Fernie whose husband and she live part time in La Ventana down the road from “Casa de Jeffe”, and after chatting on the beach for 15 minutes, swooped me into her group of Canadian friends. Sarah is a rare and wonderful blend of wildly compassionate and no-bullshit kind of person. She puts you at ease and doesn’t mess with small talk–my kind of friend!
The trip was nothing short of transformational, and it set the stage for the additional excursions I took in 2024. It also helped me envision how I want to spend my “not travel and adventuring” time. (I’m highly aware that is a very First World, privileged Bend-bubble statement to make).
After La Ventana, I went to Washington DC where I met up with my scientist friend Kirk, who had invited me out to tour the private collections of the Smithsonian–really an incredible opportunity. I’d gotten into the study of Deep Time and paleontology, so this was somewhat of a dream trip. I absolutely adore DC–a city I’d been to a few times but only really seen the suburbs. Now, having had the red-carpet tour I’m a big big fan. What was my key learning take-away from this trip? If you put your mind to something, you can make it happen. Looking forward to 2025 I want to get back into my sciencey-nerdy activities again, which I’ve somewhat put on the back-burner this last year. I mean I have the lingo and everything with terms like “sciencey-nerdy”…Ha! (Full disclosure, Kirk agrees I’m really bad at identifying fossils). Ah well. Another learning moment!! You don’t actually have to be good at something to enjoy it.
After Washington DC I ventured out on a road trip with my sis, to the Oregon Coast for her birthday and not too long after flew to Missoula. Both of these experiences reminded me the awesomeness of family/chosen family. It’s incredibly grounding to be with people who have been through the good, bad and ugly with you, and still choose to include you in their forever-life. Friends and relationships come and go–“family” for me is defined as those people who decide to be in your life regardless of blood, even when it’s “hard” or uncomfortable. I got to hang out with two of those people in Missoula! Yay!!
After Missoula was a trip to Northern California, where I paddled the South Fork of the American with River SUP Guy, Davide Sartoni. My intention was to paddle a river that made me slightly uncomfortable with someone I know has a higher level of paddleboard skills than me. For the majority of my years doing whitewater SUP, I’d paddled with someone who I felt extremely comfortable…maybe even too comfortable, and became lazy reading and running rivers myself–kind of like “mental training wheels”. Davide and I had a heck of a good time and while the river stretch itself wasn’t intimidating, it was fun seeing a new river and paddling with a rad guy. I’d also turned the trip to Cali into an adventure with my sister, doing lots of hiking and sightseeing along the way (and eating great food…always a plus when traveling).
I stayed put in Bend all of August, largely to paddle some local rivers, and then September took me to Lake Tahoe to co-teach a SUP ACA certification, and then to Stevenson, Washington for my cousin’s wedding, and finally a trip to Vermont in October for (co-worker & friends) Topher and Michelle’s wedding. A crew of us from Bend made the journey and it was FUN. Site-seeing, parties, ceremonies, more parties. Not a lot there to unpack…just a whole bunch of love and joy all the way around.
Which brings me to now.
For me, when I reflect on where I’m “at” and the pursuit of self-development, I believe the real growth doesn’t happen in the adventures, but rather in the mundane. A wise man and spiritual mentor of mine once told me that it’s easy to meditate on a mountain top. In other words, when conditions are perfect, it’s a lot easier for things to feel hunky-dory. Meditation with interruption, noise, overstimulation and adversity is the challenge! This is probably the same with life. Having “epics”, traveling and doing all the fun things is… well, really fun! So fun, in fact that we can confuse the immediate emotion for overall happiness or joy. Don’t get me wrong, I love the hell out of my travels and excursions with friends. Paddling. Biking. Theater. Dinners out. But what happens when you sit home alone? What happens when you’re not traveling? Maybe you get sick, have an injury, run out of money, run out of time…. or just simply sit still for a minute to figure out who you are and what you want to make of your life.
After returning from Vermont, I made the decision to stay home. To dig in deeper. Dig in to my community which I’d felt somewhat disassociated from, having spent so much time outside of Bend for the previous 8 years. Dig in deeper to my professional life–my team with Tumalo Creek and my clients with Happy Well and private instruction. I gotta say, I’m loving it. So much so that I’m rolling with staying put (mostly) until I head out in the spring.
Looking forward…what’s ahead? I’m really excited to begin offering “Happy Well” workshops in a group setting. My sister will be joining me on some of these events– without her the HW accountability approach wouldn’t have coalesced and her journey is both admirable and inspiring. I’m really proud of what we’ll be offering and I’m excited to share it.
The winter will be over in about 3 seconds, so I’m also looking beyond to the summer and a fuller paddling schedule. So much joy getting on the water and supporting people who are new to the sport of whitewater sup! And there will be more work with my mentor to complete my process of becoming an ACA IT.
As I reflect back, plan forward and most importantly sit in the present, the biggest emotion I’m feeling is gratitude. For what has been (2024 and prior) and what might come (nothing is guaranteed and every day is a gift). SO much gratitude for my community–my family and my chosen family. My co-workers (who are family). My “things”–it isn’t lost on me how many people do without the necessities let alone the prevalence I live with. My experiences!! How rich do I feel having been able to do the various things I’ve been lucky enough to see, touch, taste and do in my life!!! Lucky lucky lucky and soooo thankful.
Sorry for the “gush”. Thanks for listening….see ya out there on the frisky ripples!!
This summer was pretty dang cool and as usual, when I’ve got the most to write about I’m too busy so I’ll hit some highlights…
A visit to “Zoo-town”!! It had been waaaay too long since I’d visited Missoula and some of the most important people in my world, having lived there for almost a decade. It was with a ridiculous amount of luggage that I flew into the now remodeled airport to get entirely laughed at by my BFF Deirdre. She wasn’t wrong…it was pretty silly how much I brought, considering the relatively short duration of my visit, however I had to bring my Atcha SUP so I could paddle the Blackfoot. And my bike stuff. And “go out to eat/drinks” clothes. And hiking clothes. And hanging out comfy clothes. Honestly, I ended up doing (and needing clothes/gear) for ALL of those things. We packed a lot into a relatively short time. It was great to see old stomping grounds and catch up with friends.
During this visit I said so many times “I don’t remember Montana being so beautiful”! It truly is, and I’ll be visiting more in the coming years. This visit, I stayed with Deirdre which worked great considering her location in the University district. Per the usual, Deirdre’s schedule was pretty full, but she was able to set aside blocks of time for us . When she had appointments, I was able to venture out to meet with other old friends. About the time when Deirdre got really really busy, Andre had finished up with his trial, and was able to dedicate some paddling, biking and hang out time (Andre is my ex of 8+ years and longtime friend ever since). We paddled the Blackfoot where I was able to finally confront Thibedeaux “falls” (it’s not really a falls but a class III rapid which had been my nemesis way back in the day when I was largely clueless to rivers and was beginning to learn whitewater kayaking…which did NOT go well. This time, I cleaned Thibedeaux on my SUP, and Andre and I shared a big “yeeehaw”, knowing what it meant to me. After the paddle, we met Deirdre for dinner and the two of them proceeded to tease me to death (like old times) which I absolutely adored. It felt like “home” regardless of how we’ve all changed and grown (I specifically leave out the word “mature” here). Ha! Andre has a lovely partner and daughter, and a thriving practice he opened. Deirdre is in high demand professionally and personally and owns a lovely three-story house, truck and camper–quite a leap from when she and I rented a few blocks from each other in humble dwellings (hers small enough so you couldn’t actually close the bathroom door all the way). The three of us have all suffered traumas, and also had huge wins, and the mutual love remains to this day. I can’t tell you how awesome that feels. Like coming home to a place where people who are chosen family accept and support me unconditionally.
The whole trip was surreal, to be in a place I’d lived, to the point of monotony, but to revisit with so much “new” to experience. Missoula is gorgeous with much vibrance and opportunity. Really enjoyed my time.
California Dreamin…. About two weeks after my trip to Missoula, I left for the South Fork of the American river to paddle with Davide Sartoni (River SUP Guy). I’d asked my sis to join me, and we planned to drive the 9-ish hours over three days. That was a leisurely and fantastic approach, exploring whatever caught our interest, spending the first night in Ashland. Our cute little Airbnb was perfectly located, just blocks from the historic downtown. We tootled around, had a nice dinner next to the creek and walked up through Lithia Park. The next morning, post balcony yoga session and an extra cup of coffee we continued south, with the majority of our day spent in Dunsmuir. Here we did two hikes. The first up Castle Crag where we viewed three separate formations of entirely different geologic eras, the most recent, Mount Shasta. It was an amazing view, and a fun (hot) hike so we were ready for our second riverside hike, where I introduced my sister to the “cold plunge”. Skeptical at first, she embraced the idea, and I think I might have another convert!! The plunge definitely helped cool and re-energize the both of us and were very ready for an earned cheeseburger and beer at Dunsmuir Brewery. Thoroughly exhausted and well-fed, we drove the 90 minutes to Red Bluff which dropped us out of the beautiful Shasta-Trinity National forest into the dry, rolling-hills landscape speckled with oak trees–very California-esque.
The next day was the final drive to our destination of Placerville, just outside of Coloma where I’d be meeting up with Davide. On the way we had a very spontaneous and delightful stop in old-town Sacramento. It’s over-the-top touristy but in the best way. Enjoyed drinks at Finnegans Irish bar making friends with the bartender who gave us some local beta, shot a round at the skeet shooting booth and got a sugar high simply walking into the huge Old-Fashioned Candy shop. But onward!!
I’m SO glad we chose Placerville which we both adored. This cute little town, the location where gold was first discovered in the California Gold Rush, has a historic district with boutiques, random shops, the oldest hardware store in the US and awesome restaurants. I won’t gush with details about our time there, but there is plenty to rave about. I was also really ready and excited to get on the river!!
The first day on the South Fork of the American was just Davide and me. Such a great day! Fun river, friendly rapids and an opportunity to paddle something new. The second day I ran sweep for his whitewater SUP class. I always learn a ton when seeing others instruct, and I’m really impressed with Davide. He’s an awesome paddler, teacher and all-round great guy. I’ll be hitting him up to do some other trips in the future for sure. Soca 2025? A gooooood possibility. He also leads SUP trips on the Pacuare in Costa Rica, Tara river in Montenegro and the Rogue.
I chose to stay local in August because I knew I’d be leaving for much of September and October. I wanted to paddle the McKenzie and Santiam rivers which I truly love. I had a chance to paddle with old friends, and also make new ones, hitting both locations multiple times over the last couple months. Regardless of who I’m paddling with, I never seem to tire of these two beautiful stretches. Now the fall is winding down and the snow is starting to fly which means I’ll paddle way less and focus on winter play, but I’ll still sneak a paddle in when I can.
SUP on Tahoe… Ok, it’s not a river, but I had such a great time with this crew of people it book-ended my water travel for the summer well. My mentor Steve Scherrer and I flew out to Tahoe, via Reno to certify a group of employees and volunteers with Achieve Tahoe (an organization similar to Oregon’s OAS). Achieve works with adaptive folks all seasons of the year but has a strong presence on the lake…kinda for obvious reasons. Tahoe is beautiful and accessible, and it had been decades since I’d been there so I was excited to see the lake and meet these incredible people. They didn’t disappoint.
Because this was an ACA certification course, we were homestay’ed at one of the volunteer’s homes just 4 minutes from Alpine Meadows–gorgeous. The couple that hosted us were super people (and both gourmet cooks/bakers which didn’t suck either…home-baked sourdough bread and macaroons as two glaring examples!!!). They really went above and beyond to make our visit awesome. We were out of the house every morning by 7:30am to be at our meeting spot by 8am with at least a couple of the Achieve team already setting up. Because their group had worked together for years they had an existing dynamic, based in compassion, support and strong communication skills. They’re all teachers themselves so they “got it”. I’ve never worked in a cert course, with a group of people like them. Really fun–energetic and engaged. Tuning up their SUP skills was simple too as they were athletes. I look forward to going back this spring when they do their next cert.
So that wraps up a few of the summer highlights. What jumps out when writing this post is the profound impact people have on our experiences. From all different walks of life, views, and backgrounds. I had a lot of really fun adventures…admittedly an incredible summer. I’m so fortunate! Yet it’s the people that stand out when I think back. In this time of what I can only think of as “separation” I hope that people can put aside the negativity and look toward what is similar in us, and not what our differences are.
Thanks for listening…see ya out there on the frisky ripples!!
Frisky Ripples 