I like to celebrate my birthday with a ride up and around Waterline to the Inner Basin on the San Francisco Peaks. It’s almost always the perfect time to see the aspens at their golden best, and this year was no exception.

The only thing that could take our minds off the beauty was the sharp cold that sunk down to our bones, especially on the long (longer than ever this year) and winding ride back down. Dave accompanied me, of course, as well as his friend Rod from Southwest Windpower, and my friends Wayne and McKenzye joined us as well.

It’s all I wanted this year, ad it’s a gift I treasure.

Dave and I are enjoying our camp spot in the woods. We’ve been hearing an elk bugling through the night lately and it’s quite magical.

After a nice sleep-in on Saturday, we got out and had coffee at the Ft. Valley Late for the Train (LFTT) and then we headed outside. Dave needed a long, fast, furious bike ride to work his wiggles out. I wanted a nice long hike. We left from the Schultz Creek trailhead parking area–Dave rode towards Eldon and I hiked up Schultz Creek. We met again about three hours later, both coming down Schultz, as we were both wet and freezing from the rain and wind. It was a bit much.

The sky was mostly clear and it was warmer for Sunday’s ride up Schultz and Waterline. The aspens are showing their golden glory right now in the inner basin. This was my first mountain bike ride since I separated my shoulder at the end of the Great Divide last year at this time. It felt pretty good. I thoroughly enjoyed my light, flower-painted single speed too–such a different feel from my touring/commuting bike.

The weather’s been extra-warm and nice so far this fall, but cooler days are coming–as early as this weekend. So I got out for a nice lunchtime run/walk and went about ten miles. It felt awesome, even though I’m still not in good running shape after spending the summer sitting on my bum in a kayak.

I went out the urban trail to the Fisher Point trail, and I practically had the entire trail to myself. I saw one biker and a couple of random wandering dudes and that was it. Two hours to to think and enjoy some time by myself, much appreciated because I spend most of my time on my computer in public spots like coffee shops or bookstores working.

It’s supposed to rain this weekend, but I really want to ride up Waterline in the Peaks and check out whether the aspens are changing color yet.

Dave and I are back in Flagstaff for a few months to enjoy the fall beauty and pad the bank accounts again–Dave’s doing some contract engineering and I’m building websites. We both love our work and we are glad to have the chance to spend time with our Flag friends. We’re also enjoying this time living in the woods

This is a whole new way of living in Flagstaff for me. I’ve spent most of my time here employed full time and going to school at the same time. I’ve never had so much time to get out and enjoy the area, which has a lot to offer for people who love to be outside: trails to run, friendly roads to bicycle, mountains to climb, disc golf courses to inspire humility.

I’ve also enjoyed doing my work in various coffee shops and book stores around town, which gives me the opportunity to bump into old friends and catch up on their lives. There are growing babies, new jobs, fun degrees, remodeled houses, new houses, countries explored, and so much more to hear about.

It’s been a busy year for all of us.

Along with an introduction and route overview on the main Alaska Sea Kayaking page, we’ve also uploaded a Route Map with all of our camp locations marked and trip photos!

More trip info is coming soon, including bear stories and other wildlife encounters, a comprehensive packing list, and highlights of the trip that still make us smile.

Dave and I have returned to Colorado after spending some time visiting friends and family along the drive from Bellingham. It’s been wonderful to have the time to visit, but we are glad to be able to unpack, sort, clean, and put away our stuff. We also now get to work through colds as well, as each of us woke up aching with sore throats. Oh well, at least we didn’t get sick while in Alaska!

We have much to do, including sorting through and posting pictures, writing up some stories, posting info on our packing list and food, and posting some gear reviews from some things that worked (and didn’t work so well) on our trip. We’ll be getting right on that starting tomorrow…

For now, I can tell you we had a great time enjoying the beauty of Southeast Alaska, including whales, bears, snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, and much more. I don’t know how we’ll capture even a small bit of the fun and beauty of our trip, but we’ll try.

Last weekend, we landed in Sitka and ended our circumnavigation of Baranof Island. We then spent a few days in Sitka staying with our new friends Matt and Naomi, whom we met with their two small boys around the island in Baranof Warm Springs a few weeks ago. They were incredibly generous in offering us a warm, cushy bed, hot showers and yummy dinners. We enjoyed getting to know them more and resting after our expedition in the beautiful town of Sitka.

On Tuesday morning we boarded the MV Columbia ferry and arrived in Bellingham today. We are re-entering the busy world and it’s a little overwhelming (think driving I5 from Bellingham to Seattle in rush hour) though we’re glad to be able to get back in touch with friends and family.

Tonight we’re staying in Seattle with our friend Joe, who just returned from his own Alaska paddling adventure and we are swapping stories. One of the great things about traveling is the wonderful people we meet.

We will be getting stories and pictures up on the site starting in the next week or so, so check back soon!

Dave and I have enjoyed a great visit with my family here in Yakima, WA. We are now heading to Seattle to meet up with Kris and Leslie for a final gear check and to make our way to the ferry terminal in Bellingham by Friday morning.

Yesterday we headed up to Mt. Rainier National Park for the day, a family favorite.

Dave and I are in Yakima, Washington visiting my family. We’re staying with my brother and sister-in-law and having fun with my nephews and niece.

Saturday we built up the boat on the lawn out back, and Mason (in front) and Kurtis (behind) tested it out to make sure everything fit right.

Yesterday we took the boat up to Bumping Lake, about an hour from Yakima, to check out the boat and get some paddling in. Dave and I had a nice paddle on our own to loosen up.

Then we swam out in our dry suits so I could get a fell for what 49 degree water is like when you’re fully protected. It was cool, but not cold, and my confidence was boosted.

Then Dave and I swamped the boat a couple of times, turned it back over and got ourselves in. We don’t have pictures of that, but it worked well. Then Dave took out my nephews and niece for a paddle across the lake. They each did a great job paddling and had a lot of fun out there. Mason went first, then Kurtis and Makayla.

We’ve got another day of visiting here, and then we head to Seattle on Wednesday to meet up with Kris and Leslie. We get on the ferry to Sitka on Friday morning!

I noticed a jump in visitors and looked to see where they were coming from in Google Analytics. It seems the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is ten years old this year, and it is the feature on Adventure Cycling Association’s front page. We are listed with two other bloggers under “Civilian Style Adventure” – go check it out at Adventure Cycling Association.

Of course I read back through my Great Divide pages and realized I needed to update some thoughts on Riding the Great Divide.

I hope this site encourages more people to ride the Divide. Not only is it a fun and beautiful bike tour, but I think it’s important for us to see our wild places and consider what it might mean to save them or lose them. This is a perfect way to see 2,500 miles of our public land as it stands right now.