Saturday, July 31, 2010

Arches Non-National Monument


Along Deer Creek in Ishi Wilderness, California.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

REI, Premier Tent Supplier


It seemed unlikely when I was young, but now it seems like REI designs the best tents. This season their Quarter Dome and Half Dome are available in Plus versions for tall people like me. Also new is a redesigned Cirque ASL (all season light) based on the original Quarter Dome with crossed poles in sleeves, instead of failure-prone hubs. Rather than mesh, you get a fabric tent body for warmth, and a short pole to prop up the roof vents, all for around 5 pounds. There must be something wrong with this tent, but I can't figure out what.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Great Day on the Arroyo


The weekend before Christmas it rained enough to bring up the Arroyo Seco, so we headed there instead of the shopping malls. It was the usual great day on the Arroyo. Chris and Richard elected to co-paddle a tandem AIRE Outfitter, and it was fascinating watching them maneuver to avoid the many rocks that are exposed at these low flows. The Outfitter-2 is a big boat! It makes this drop look smaller than it is.

The Spanish must have been smokin' something when they named this creek, which has water all year: just a trickle in late summer, but debris in the tree branches attested to the monster flood that had occurred about a week before our trip.
More pictures here.