para la familia

a little help

2009-11-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

all smiles at fishtop, after two clean (albeit not-so-fast) green race runs:

photo by b a roberts

good afternoon blog fans. during my trip last fall to nepal, i fell into the upper seti river. not a life shattering event, but unfortunately my camera was in my hands as it happened.
as a result, i have been relying on my friends for photo content.

i plan on expanding this post as soon as i can get my hands on additional content.

for now, enjoy the available eye candy:

enjoying the fall foliage on the eastern escarpment

photo by daniel windham

don't get distracted by the color. sending it down the trail at kitsuma:

photo by daniel windham

embarrassing liza at a party:

photo by karen peerson

the leaves have turned and been blown off all the trees now; so the seasons have changed. it's hard to believe that i have been posted-up in asheville for a year straight. time flies...

all the best for now. back with more soon...

get it together

2009-09-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

welcome, welcome to another view inside my exciting life and times here in the blue ridge. asheville has been so good to me, and i have neglected to share photos and stories of all the happenings for a couple months now. for that i apologize.
with my nikon out of commission, i have been recording blog content with a digital point-and-shoot that i happened upon on the side of the road in norway, summer 2008.

the author in some typical hometown action to get things started off:

photo by chris roberts

i left my last post with a parting photo from my truck-totalling trip to chicago. while in the windy city, i had the pleasure of joining forces with my friend john 'bubba' roeder.

photo by mw

bubba and i spent a memorable two days in his hometown exploring this big city in ways i never could have imagined.
stand-up paddle board surfing lake michigan:

photo by mw

visiting famous culinary landmarks:

photo by john roeder

the most memorable part of the trip involved touring downtown in a 10foot zodiac:

photo by mw

running through downtown, the chicago river plays host to a number of pretenders in the tourist boat game:

photo by mw

john "bubba" roeder is by far and away the only considerable choice in boat captains:

photo by mw

literally providing you with water-level views of the city

photo by mw

photo by mw

photo by mw

continuing on in the buddy theme, in july i teamed-up with my cousin bryan monier for a surf and turf adventure tour. having bryan in town was a pleasure, and we wasted no time getting out and about. i even picked him up at the airport, bikes on the car, and drove us straight to the trails of pisgah national forest.

photo by mw

bryan and i spent four straight days two-wheeling around pisgah.

photo by mw

enjoying the flora, blooming mountain laurels:

photo by mw

and fauna, diamond back rattle snake:

photo by mw

for the second half of the week, we outfitted bryan in some borrowed kayaking gear and surfed our way down the ocoee river

photo by mw

mr. b was all smiles

photo by mw

let's see, i have also visited west-by-god virginia with my good friend polk:

photo by mw

where i watched a couple demonstrate the truest form of trust in a relationship on the upper gauley river:

photos by mw

on my birthday i visited a pristine mountain stream: the big east fork

photo by shane benedict

where i found myself in over my head

photo by shane benedict

on more than one occasion

photo by shane benedict

photo by shane benedict

all in all, i would say the summer has been a swashbuckling good time

photo by john roeder

stay out of sword fights blog fans, and i will see you here next time.

enjoy the slide show or click on it to visit the photo gallery

red hot in the blue ridge

2009-06-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

hello, hello all you blog fans. i apologize for leaving you without any exciting tales or photos for the last six months. there has been no lull in activity, however; so i certainly have much to share.

lining it up in the heart of the kayaking leg during this year's baddle:

photo by james ewel brown hall
taking those big, long boats down the river is quite exciting. this spot here, the notch, is the entrance to the biggest rapid on the run, gorilla; so the level of excitement in this photo is peaking.
i don't even remember seeing jeb, who took the photo above, or anyone else in and around gorilla, as tunnel vision was in full effect.

i am very excited to announce that i won the jerry's baddle this april. after finishing 4th in 2007, 2nd in 2008, i am the 2009 champ. a dream come true and a result i trained very hard for.
i spent so many mornings, afternoons, and evenings on my bike high on the parkway or down at the french broad river training in the sun, rain, and snow.
it all paid off:

photo by melissa markis

the event involves two legs: kayaking down the narrows section of the green river followed by a 26-mile loop on a road bike.
my favorite part of this whole event is the feeling at the start line, immediately after the starter has finished counting down from 10. "go" hits your ears and the realization of all that you have in-front of you is fully realized. a solo river run negotiating heart of the green river's steepness, some grovelling through a long flat-water stretch, all before reaching your bicycle.

kayak the green, check. now to the bicycle:

photo by melissa markis

once out of the water, it's hammer time:

photos by shane benedict
the temperature and humidity on race day was intense, oppressive even. just a mile and a half into the race course, riders make their way up and out of the green river gorge via a steep, switch-backed road. that's where the helmet came off, but at the top it goes right back on as the speed picks up quickly.
here's a profile of the race course along the road ride:

getting a majority of the climbing out of the way early in the race is a relief. the switchbacks out of the gorge are daunting, while the descents on the backside of the course are fast, furious, with a couple tight and technical turns mixed within.
such a fun event. until next year...

in other news:
after many road rides together, my good friend tim koerber and i hatched the idea that we should ride round-trip from my house just outside downtown asheville to the summit of mount mitchell, the highest point east of the rocky mountains. mt. mitchell's summit sits at 6,200 ft, 4,000 vertical feet above our starting point.

photo by mw

tim met me at my house in the morning, where i was serving up egg sandwiches. neither tim nor i had ever done this ride, i had never even been to mt mitchell; so we were both anxious to get this bold undertaking started. we kept a good pace on the way to the top, hovering right at the top end of our comfort zone. the excitement of our mission did a lot to keep us focused.
at craggy gardens visitor center, with the majority of the climbing completed, we rolled along the ridge that takes you to the summit road. the road to the summit was 6 miles of sweating and suffering, matched only by the emotional boost of reaching the top.

i brought along the little point and shoot digital i found on the side of the road in norway to document our journey:

three hours of riding to the top:

photo by mw

photo by mw
barely half that time to get back down.

photo by mw

other than that, life has been pretty typical:

stay tuned. same blog time, same blog channel for more exciting adventures, and as always be sure to visit the photo gallery for more by clicking here:

a big one

2008-11-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

photo by mw

i have been back from my most recent trip for more than three weeks now. after summer work in norway dried up, instead of flying west across the atlantic towards home, i made my way east into asia to a small country famous for big mountains and big rivers.
i have been wanting to share all my photos and stories with you blog fans out there but am just now taking the time to blog it all out.

before i get into the trip itself, i want to extend my deepest gratitude to miss elizabeth duncan. all of you blog fans are well acquainted with this photogenic, young woman who has contributed generously to para la familia both in front of and behind the camera.

photo by steve coffman
liza unselfishly put aside her own plans and desires and offered me tremendous support before and after my trip. thank you so much liza.

now let us take a trip to a far away place:

photo by mw

nepal

my journey begins in the country's largest city, kathmandu:

photo by mw
just the name, kathmandu, makes me think of adjectives like mystical, mysterious, and exotic.

photo by mw
after visiting, i remember: dirty, busy, and jaw-dropping. the hustle and bustle of the city, it's constant noise, the touristy quarters full of white faces, the english language, ultra discounted shops with every thing from outdoor equipment to the latest movies on dvd, and any type of western food imaginable all felt like the transit lounge with the real nepal ready and waiting outside the valley to be breathed in.

the transit lounge does have some perks, however, like garden cafes:

photo by maxi kneiwasser

my first peak at a himalayan river, the real reason behind my travels here:

photo by mw
early season sun kosi at a high flow

my first three and a half weeks were divided between two classic river trips: first on the sun kosi river then the karnali. i joined two commercial rafting trips run by ultimate rivers. this year is ultimate's 20th anniversary to be running rafting trips in nepal, and i was fortunate enough to sneak on the celebratory trips.
i also had the unique pleasure of going kayaking with my uncle lincoln, in one of his old stomping grounds no less.
here we are, uncle and nephew, feeling small amongst the high flows on an early season sun kosi river:

photo by maxi

traveling down these rivers with rafts in support to carry your food, beverages, and camping equipment is true luxury. the sun kosi trip took seven days, the karnali ten. you feel like part of a real (to steal my dad's term) floatilla of fun.

photo by mw

spend a beautiful and exciting day on the river, camp each night on the beach, eat a delicious meal, drink by the fire, fall asleep under the stars. i could go on and on. even after being burnt out on raft guiding and safety kayaking all summer, i truly enjoyed these trips.
a wonderfully cool, misty morning while tens of thousands of cubic feet of water go by every second

photo by mw

feeling small again at another sandy beach campsite, sun kosi river:

photo by mw

such enjoyable trips, especially the whitewater.
the author, sneaking in some extra paddling on the tamur kosi, a tributary of the sun kosi

photo by maxi

a rest day for the rafters, an dose of extra excitement for us kayakers

photo by mw

here's maxi on the karnali:

photo by mw

and myself on the karnali, tucking into a "haystack" wave:

photo by maxi

mud huts, thatched roofs, and rice patties:

photo by mw
using the river as your means of travel allows you to see so much of nepal and the beautiful people who carve a life out of this rugged landscape. people who may live many, many miles from the nearest road. people who may only eat one meal (dal bhat) their entire lives. people who despite living entirely without most of the conveniences of modern life are as happy and handsome as any i have ever encountered.

photo by mw

photo by mw

photo by mw

at the end of the sun kosi then karnali river trip, three weeks of multi-day big water under my belt and with my belongings coated completely in sand

photo by mw
i was ready to move on to the second phase of my adventures: pure kayaking pleasure. mmmmmmm....the goods:

photo by maxi
with friends from three different continents, i moved from the big, brown rivers to the crystal creeks under the annapurnas, the promise land, and a more classic view-scape of the highest mountains of the world:

photo by mw

from the modhe kola to the marsayandi, in and out of chisapani and birethanti. i enjoyed the company of new and old paddling friends on rivers and creeks well deserving of the "classic" label.
our first rapid on the modhe khola:

photo by mw

jj enjoying himself on the modhe khola:

photo by mw

mefford on some more modhe:

photo by maxi

more mefford, with sam sutton looking on from below:

photo by maxi

maxi, looking back at some classic scenery:

photo by mw

earning our turns on the marsyandi and nagdi:

photo by maxi

a great way to start the day. our first rapid on the nagdi khola, a tributary to the marsyandi:

photo by maxi

and a great way to end it. with a delicious home cooked meal made of only the freshest naturally organic ingredients with no artificial colors or flavors.
shawn and the author digging in:

photo by maxi

a trip of a lifetime only begins to sum up my experiences in nepal. i left norway heading east already longing for home to the west, challenging me to stay in the moment throughout a longer and farther trip from home.
but my time away was priceless and reuniting with family and friends all the more precious. i enjoy my relationships with family and friends all the more after my extended absence.

thanks again to all you blog fans for staying tuned out there in internet land. be sure to join us again for more adventures from the north american continent. same blog time. same blog channel.

summer images

2008-09-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

i thought i would end the summer sharing some typical shots of what i would see just out my window. some are shots from out my bedroom window itself and other photos are of the scenery i can see from the comfort of my summer room.

here's a typical view of the lake and the low lying clouds which i see as the real locals of the valley:

another shot from the window. this one i took early one morning in may:

liza and i enjoyed a few days over the summer hiding from the cold and rain in the warm comfort of our room

the last couple days in norway were spent in the company of sturla nilsen and his lovely family. here's sturla grilling it up for us:

liza celebrated her 22nd birthday in bergen, looking beautiful with the nilsen family's back-yard view behind her:

vassenden livin'

2008-08-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

a photo bouquet from me to you

sorry to be so tardy bringing another update to all you blog fans out there. the tourist season is in full swing here on the west coast of norway, and the warm, sunny summer has definitely helped to keep us busy.
liza is very greatful, for the "real" summer weather allows her to wear sun dresses:

photo by mw

the long hours of sunshine have warmed up the lake water to the point that we are swimming comfortably, working our way down the river in shorts and short sleeves as long as the sun is shining. earlier i said something about photos of rafting being lame, but i thought i'd share some images from work and how we exploit all the thrill seeking visitors we have:

photo by amos perry shuman

amos having a great time as a rafting guide on another beautiful, sunny day on the jolstra river

photo by mw

our hero ronny "the shrek" loland splashing the customers

photo by mw

we often work as "safety" kayakers on smaller rafting trips to make doubly sure that everyone has a fun and safe experience on the river.
the author, keeping the guests safety in mind:

photo by amos "moose" shuman

although this is the heat of the business season here, we still have a chance to chill out and see the local sights.
the haugabreen glacier offers a scenic getaway from the stress of the workday. our company leads trips up to and on top of this glacier. ice climbing is exciting, and i am glad to have given it a try. although driving the rafting bus up the road leading to the glacier trail offers much excitement, too.
the trail follows the glacial melt water upstream to where the haugabreen spills down out of the mountains in ways and in colors that are beyond description:

photos by mw

liza, hiding from the chilly wind.

photo by mw

just around the corner from our valley, through a 7km road tunnel, and past the $35 toll runs the sogndalselva: a wild and scenic river by any definition. we met our good friend jono ramsay at the bottom, loaded up together in one car, drove to the top, and on the way down harvested the goods in what turned out to be an epic day (two swims) on this classic run.

the author

photo by jono ramsay

the moose

photo by mw

the barefoot gypsy, turned ocean going seismic engineer

photo by mw

i hope this blog post finds you all happy, healthy, and enjoying a wonderful summer wherever you might be.
all the best and a good night's sleep,
mefford.

don't forget. just one click on any photo, and you'll be whisked away to a magical photo gallery.

veko

2008-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

welcome back to another segment in the continuing saga of american adventurers in norway. a lot has happened since the last post went up. mostly we have been slaving away guiding rafting trips. it occurs to me now that having a photo of rafting might be appropriate. i know that might be appealing to some of you blog fans out there, but for the most part i think the photos of us rafting are about as exciting as a picture for someone working at a desk.

photo by mw

my brother, philly bear, has come and gone after a two week visit with us. there was actually so much work going around, we were able to toss a few bones his way. philly timed his visit to norway perfectly, as he was able attend the world famous voss extreme sports week.
the epicenter of the festival is a circus tent located next to the town lake, where each night a video of the days action is shown and a concert is put on. the night of the opening ceremony (keep in mind it doesn't get dark here): two helicopters buzzed the crowd outside the tent on their way to an appropriate altitude to drop four parachuters. moments after their landing, an airplane buzzes the crowd, then climbs high into the sky to drop at least a dozen more skydivers: some trailing banners, others smoke plumes. throughout this action packed week the sky over the tent is filled with parachuters, paragliders, and folks bungee- jumping from a platform underneath a para-sail. if you venture out of town you can see athletes from all over the globe competing in mountain biking, free-skiing, BASE jumping, and whitewater kayaking among other gravity sports.

although we came to voss to compete in the kayaking races as well as each night's party:

photo by liza duncan

team racing:

the real attraction comes from all the rivers in and around voss.

photo by jj sheperd

here are some of the highlights of our on-the-water adventures:
amos at the nose-breaker:

photo by philly williams

the author revisiting a drop on the jordalselva:

photo by philly williams

i was very proud of philly. he kept up with us all week, and i am sure really enjoyed the various rivers we dragged him to:

photo by mw

photo by mw

photo by mw

thanks again for tuning in.
mefford.

photo by liza duncan

don't forget to click on any photo to be magically transported to the web gallery where you will find even more photos

fun 'til your friends find out

2008-06-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

jolster rafting has added another activity to the line up: riverboarding. i had never set belly on a riverboard prior to our day of training.
swimming across the lake on a cold, cloudy day i was very skeptical.
but halfway through the first rapid:

photo by liza duncan

amos was similarly apprehensive, but found his river legs as well:

photo by liza duncan

our fellow head guide, ronny got into the mix with much more initial enthusiasm than us two americans:

photo by liza duncan

luckily the river was at a nice high level; so we all were able to find a good amount of action out there:

photo by liza duncan

be sure to click on one of the photos and check out the rest in the web gallery.
more and more adventure to come as the summer continues...

brand new bag

2008-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

hello everyone and welcome to another addition. i've changed things up a bit: you can now view photos in a larger size on a web gallery. just click on the photo itself and enjoy.

things here have been very busy. lots and lots of work. the weather is nice. the company is even better.
i am pretty beat down tired at the moment, but i wanted to send out some photos of this beautiful place. still the scenery just has to be seen to be believed.

we are going to be out and about on some more adventures in our home valley as well as all over the hot spots in western norway, and i will be sure to share all that i document with you blog fans out there.
we have a wireless internet connection in our house; so we are now connected to the world at large as well as all our family and friends far and away.
we are a bit like a camp america, but still manage to blend in with our surroundings.

for now. be safe on the roads out there.

lemonade

2008-05-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

i had an interesting trip on my way here to norway. we of the airplane generations must have a completely different idea of travel complications compared to those of our forefathers who were bound to the earth and sea.

i was delayed by weather flying from charlotte to chicago; missing my copenhagen connection, i was dealt a 24 hour layover in the windy city.

steep walls of unfamiliar territory

while i stood in the airport-hotel shuttle waiting area, steaming about my uncompensated inconvenience, an idea detonated in my head. as the mental shrapnel flew, i dialed up John "Bubba" Roeder's phone number.
you super-dedicated blog fans will remember bubba from the "september wedding" post. those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting the man, the myth, the legend that is bubba roeder will never truly be able to understand the wild and dynamic flux of every moment with this human of herculean character. the world is bubba's stage, and he commands it with the presence of james brown in his prime. "yeeeoooowww"

over the next twenty-four hours i would not only see a giant reflective bean, but would be given a locals' tour of a classic american city: from the original deep-dish pizza restaurant, to landmarks made famous by Al Capone, to the cowboy boots of Andre the Giant.

no kidding. andre the giant's cowboy boots

i should only hope that all the lemons of my future travel inconveniences could turn out to be this sweet.
many thanks to bubba.
stay tuned for more from the great norske land.

mefford

in the summer time

2008-05-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

sunrise over the lake from my bedroom window

i have time to give everyone of you blog fans a quick shout from norway. amos and i are back for another round here in this beautiful country. we've been here about a week and are still getting our bearings. hopefully we'll have reliable and convenient access to the world wide web soon; so i can begin sharing all the news and photos of events as they develop.
i am very excited about my second summer season here and am looking forward to sharing it with all of you. in the meantime be looking for cheap flights to scandinavia, as we would love to have visitors.

get down with your bad self

2008-04-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

feeling neglected and under-appreciated? not getting the attention you need from those important folks around you? have no fear. this underground blog is here to help you through your hard times.
i finally got my act together and pirated some serial numbers and am now taking pictures and processing them for publication principally for your enjoyment.
if you've tuned in before, the faces and places may seem familiar. i am wrapping things up as the adventures are moving east across the atlantic to norway for another summer. so here's a look back on the happenings since before my hard-drive crashed:
i've repeatedly visited the second deepest gorge east of the mississippi, home of the linville river.
a view of the river from wise man's overlook:

jay moffatt getting into the action at babel tower

toby, same

looking in at the last big set of obstacles in cathedral gorge:

caleb finishing off the last couple of steps to the car after climbing out from river level on the conely cove trail

with a flexible work schedule, going to the green river is always a tempting option.
auntie maria noakes, cashing in on the benefits of many years of kayaking practice and searching for some deeper meaning in the "groove tube"

here's the groove tube from below. jesse willenski, setting up for a 'hot left' at sunshine. notice the look of apprehension on his face.

robin betz, all smiles as always, loving the action on the rio verde

here's James Ewel Brown Hall firing off the left side of "sunshine":

life wouldn't be the same without yonton mehler around. here's the man himself with a dramatic background at the bottom sunshine:

although you are sitting on your butt and sliding down-hill, you can still build up a massive appetite kayaking. the best place to fill your belly is in the thriving metropolis of dana, north carolina. when you roll into the center of town, before you get to the post office, turn left at the volunteer fire department, a couple hundred yards down in the gas station parking lot on your right are western north carolina's best tacos.
as a texas native, i know a thing or two about authentic tacos. and these babies are the real deal. thanks to the large hispanic population working the apple orchards in the area.
jeb hall harvesting the goods and washing it all down with some home-made orchata:

stay tuned....

2008-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

this post is going out in addition to the massive "blog fan spam mail" campaign to keep all you blog fans updated and informed, knowing that more content is on its way. for now some seasonal eye candy:

a clouded clingman's. great smoky mountain national park.

little river canyon, alabama

a clear clingman's.

so retro....

2007-12-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

happy holidays and merry merriment to all of you blog fans out there. i know....geez louise it has been ages since the last blog post...i know....i know.
i have a job now, the southeast is still in a drought. i could make excuses all day. i've actually got a green race post in the works. but that doesn't mean much to all of you content starved blog fans waiting for stories and photos to brighten your lonely nights.
the holiday season has inspired me to put together some photos from back in the day. all photos documenting the life and times of this blog star before the days of para la familia
you dedicated fans will recognize some of the same characters, engaging in the usual nonsense:
here's spencer 'spank the wet daddy' cooke. looking for trouble:

photo by mw

we'll start things off with a ol' classic: a little story i like to call, "two hooligans ditch their jobs for a western paddling adventure in a '91 Honda Civic"

photo by mw
no that photo (above) is no photoshop/cut-and-paste trick. i did actually drive my beloved scooter mobile west of the mississippi into the great state of colorado for a paddling adventure with my good friend amos 'the moose' shuman.
the story begins as all good paddling stories do with the main characters neglecting responsibility. in this case, amos was able to talk his way out of coming to work for a couple weeks while i successfully talked my way out of having a job for the summer all together. my boss, the legendary wally leoni of ocoee river fame, wasn't too happy with me when i called the day before i was supposed to show up for work in eastern tennessee to tell him that i was in Albuquerque headed in the wrong direction. oh well, amos and i had a whirl wind 10 day tour of the rivers of colorado. an experience i had never had before and will not soon forget.

amos and i drove straight to the vallecito river from asheville, north carolina (36 hours straight including some "minor" car trouble). this beautiful river is located just outside of durango, colorado.
here's my main man 'mos enjoying the rocky mountain scenery on his way to the river

photo by mw
you hike your way up the committing vallecito canyon, about two miles, then drop in to some crisp, clean colorado action.

'mos on vallecito at the rapid known as "fuzzy little bunny"

photo by mw

our first day in colorado, after three laps on the river, i begged amos to take a picture of me in my euphoric state of happiness.
the author. ear to ear baby.

photo by amos shuman

the next stop after we had our fill outside of durango, another classic near crested butte. a spot known as
oh be joyful

photo by mw

the author, fired, but not disappointed on colorado's classic oh-be-joyful creek

photo by amos shuman

amos at oh-be-joyful, enthusiastically avoiding a log jam

photo by mw

what a great trip. what great memories. what ever. once i got home to the blue ridge the fun didn't stop, because i was still unemployed.
the author collecting on some summer time gorilla:

photo by amos shuman

amos. summer greening as well.

photo by mw

here's amos on the same day at the green, taking it to a whole new level:

photo by mw

kayaking will sure make you a hungry, hungry, hippo:
amos, not taking any s*%& 'til he gets a sandwich

photo by mw

yonton mehler, taking on the challenge for greatest sandwich in human history:

photo by mw

yonton, enjoying the fruits of his labor:

photo by mw

again, mr. mehler, putting that energy to good use on a beautiful sunny, summer day on the ocoee river:

photo mw

see you again next issue. same blog time, same blog channel.

photo by amos shuman

home again. home again.

2007-10-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

sorry for such a long wait for news and photos, but i have been enjoying my time in the blue ridge so much that i have been slacking on sharing my most recent adventures with all of you blog fans. this is by far and away my favorite time of year: the weather is cooling off and the trees are blowing up.

photo by mw

i have been playing my way around the mountains since i've been home with the usual cast of characters.
as a special birthday treat, i went playboating on an old classic with my family. i was joined by my siblings: maggy and philly as well as my auntie maria for a flash-black inducing paddle down the ocoee river. i was a raft guide on this river during my college summers and have been kayaking here since i was fifteen.
here's philly hamming it up on the ocoee:

photo by mw

September 22nd, 2007 was warm and sunny: better than a day at the beach.
philly again, enjoying the tropical southeast on the ocoee river:

photo by mw

the water level was a little higher than usual, and a little extra juice is always welcome on the ocoee.
here's my auntie maria throwing down at the last good surf spot on the river, "hell's hole":

photo by mw

most of my time has been spent in my favorite of cities: asheville, north carolina. where i've been with my friends and on the green river.
here's a sequence of my best buddy yonton styling his way through the rapid "go left.."

photos by mw

i made my way over to the ocoee a second time with another best buddy, robin betz. we are all very proud of robin for her well deserved win at the green race.
here she is shredding it up:

photo by mw

the author, also shredding:

photo by robin betz

the weather being so tropical and all, robin and i went swimming and took a nap on the side of the river part of the way down.
some pre-river nap excitement, robin's front flip:

photo by mw

the author, same:

photo by robin betz

the river was just a stop on our reunion tour for ryan allen and marianne walker's wedding in chattanooga.

many thanks to mark and debbie sue for being such gracious hosts to myself, robin, and john "bubba" roeder

photos by mw

the southeastern united states have been under a record breaking drought through the spring and summer months, but recently some rains have moved through and the kayaking community rejoiced.
here is amos shuman very thankful on the linville river ("the southeast's classic wilderness run"), with erik stritmatter looking on:

photo by mw

we hike in and out of this beautiful gorge, kayaking from where the babel tower trail meets the river down to our exit at the conley cove trail. we couldn't have asked for a nicer day. caleb coaplen refered to it as "the best day of the year."

photos by mw

amos again. thankful this time that his hiking is done for the day:

photo by mw

that's all for now. many happy trails to you all. mefford.

jeg snakke litt norske

2007-09-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

hello everyone. welcome back.
things have been moving along swimmingly here in norway. some cooler weather and typical norwegian rain have moved in recently, adding a fresh dusting a snow among the higher elevations.

photo by mw

we've been cruising around with the usual crew: amos and i with the barefoot gypsies eden and jono. we'd all like to congratulate jono for finding a job. he'll be working offshore doing seismic measurements or some such. sounds like a big boy's job; so we're all real proud of him. in the meantime, we all enjoyed some of the usual adventures.

photo by eden sinclair

photo by eden sinclair

this time to the north and the hornidal river. here's the crew, all smiles as usual at the put-in. eden, amos, and jono (l to r):

photo by mw

some pretty nice ones on this run. here's amos resurfacing at one of the main attractions:

photo by mw

amos going far left at this gross one:

photo by mw

eden found an exciting route back into the river after that particular portage:

photo by mw

amos, same:

photo by mw

we found a real big one on the hornidal, a big ugly one. in amos' words, "death on a stick". here are amos and eden looking into the maw:

photo by mw

one of the uniquely delicious aspects of kayaking in norway are wild blueberries. seems as if every time we are out of our boats on the side of the river, there they are ripe for the picking.
amos and jono, snacking:

photo by mw

eden, same:

photo by mw

energized and back on the river for some more action; amos is in his element:

photo by mw

jono, same:

photo by mw

eden, a kiwi native to the west coast of the south island, in his element among some steep walls on the hornidalselva:

photo by mw

i recently raided eden sinclair's camera; so many thanks go to him for the following moments of excitement. eden carries around a small, waterproof digital point-and-shoot, and he has made good use of it.
the author on the lower myrkdalselva on the second step of the triple combo:

photo by eden sinclair

the author, again on the lower section of the myrkdalselva, lovin' it:

photo by eden sinclair

the crew down at the bottom, bathing in a mix of rain and waterfall mist. it's great for the skin as well as the spirit:

photo by eden sinclair

that's all for now. all the best to you blog fans.
mefford.

photo by eden sinclair

more adventures in the land of brown cheese

2007-08-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

thanks again for tuning in to another exciting episode, featuring all the usual antics. unbelievably, the summer has already progressed into the month of august. the temperatures have been warm and if you are not scared of the rain, it's a wonderful country for playing outside. with only five days away from rafting work in the month of july, recent days of playing have been very welcome.
amos, ronny, and i have been running the day to day operations at jolster rafting, and during a tripless day the first week of august we headed one river drainage east to find the storelva. the storelva river, born from many branches of the jolstadalbreen glacier and the stardalen river, drops from one lake to another forming a section of rapids called the breim.

ronny putting in at the upper lake of the breim

photo by mw

kayakers rely on "beta", a boating term roughly synonymous with information, as a first step towards tackling a section of river. imagine a section steep river as a labyrinth, and just as in a maze, kayakers solve their way down a river, putting together a puzzle of geologic proportion. beta gives you an extra leg up in completing the labyrinth, coming in many forms and many places and often as oral tradition, passed from one ear to another easily becoming hearsay and rumor. primary source material, real ground level information, the good stuff 'locals beta', is always of highly sought after and increasingly important given the river's difficulty.
ronny has a guide book to norwegian whitewater runs and using this source and some vague local hearsay, we guesstimated that the volume of the storelva was somewhat elevated during our late afternoon arrival to the top lake, the 'get-in'.
river volumes, cubic measurements, take in account the flow of the river by incorporating a factor of time. as an american, i measure rivers in cubic feet per second, cfs; here, as well as everywhere else in the world where the metric system prevails, river volumes come in cubic meters per second, or 'cumecs'.
as you might imagine only a small amount of rise in the vertical level of a river translates into a great deal of extra water passing by every second.
"what the hell is a 'cumec'?" was the joke at the start of our day on the storelva as it has been on many occasions so far this summer, but soon the joke would be on us: amos swims at the first rapid, ronny soon follows and is forced to bail, hiking to the road with a rebroken boat.

amos, with the river's source in the back ground, amongst our scenic, "class IV epic" day on the storelva

photo by mw

just the next week, amos and i would find ourselves on the south side of the sogn og fjord again meeting up with eden and jono, fresh and ready to get in some more trouble under norwegian skies of clouds and rain.
adhering to a fatherly moto: "there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing" i found myself in familiar circumstances: with friends, among waterfalls.

photo by mw

the rain did prevent the camera from coming out to document our experiences as much as i would have liked, but i did manage to capture some images from the myrkdalselva.

jono, on sabbatical from a career as an electrical engineer, finding vision for the future among some white-out on the lower myrk...

photo by mw

amos at the same drop, the first below the put-in, excited for what's up next

photo by mw

eden and jono have earned a handle from me as "the barefoot gypsies" for being twenty-something retirees, cruising around in a foreign land half a world away from home almost entirely in their bare feet, and being the principle reason that new obscenities are continually being added to the vocabulary of our cellphone's predictive text.
they are looking for gainful employment in norway; jobs to have as long as it suits them or until it gets cold enough to necessitate socks and shoes.
here's jono surrounded by typical norwegian west coast scenery; pants, sunglasses, rain jacket, barefeet:

photo by mw

eden, currently retired from work as a geologist, finding answers to life's persistent questions on the lower myrkdalselva...

photo by mw

amos and jono, wingmen on another nice section of rapids

photo by mw

amos finishing the same:

photo by mw

jono, eden, and amos (l to r) along with the author following a long kayaking tradition of making oneself at home in riverside parkinglots:

laying gear out to dry and having lunch:

photos by mw

thanks again for staying up to date with the most recent happenings. keep it evil wherever you may happen to be. mefford.

photo by amos shuman

troublemakers

2007-06-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

welcome back blog fans to another installment from the wonderful, wild happenings of your favorite scandinavian adventurers. we are back in voss. for the the extreme sports week: ekstremsportveko.
we made such a such a splash last time we were in town. we even made the evening news. to view that news clip click here the video plug at this site seems to be allergic to macs; so make friends again with someone you know with a pc.
amos and i were able to weasel out of work for the week by promising to represent jolster rafting in the raft race on friday, but our real reason for coming back to voss is, of course, the "hoo-ha" as robin betz would say.

amos eyeing the scando shu-shu:

photo by mw

rolling into town, our first stop was to the voss rafting center to touch base with the homeboys and collect beta for the week. the boys are super busy with rafting work here as a result of the great influx of people into voss for the festival, but mikey had some good news for me, "eden is in town. i'll give you his number." that is good news. all you dedicated and long term blog fans will remember eden and his buddy jono from adventures on the west coast of new zealand
i can't even tell you how nice it is when you are a long way from home on a serious kayaking mission to run into a homeboy you last saw on a successful kayaking mission a long way from home. after some hugs, handshakes, and catching up we were off in search of trouble.
first stop: a relatively chill day on the upper myrkdalselva.
here's jono. a little over-exposed dropping in on one of the first rapids:

photo by mw

amos in the meat at another drop on the upper myrk:

photo by mw

the upper myrkdalselva comes in when the lower section is too high, relatively early in the melting season. a good run. a nice warm-up for this crew. we were late in the afternoon getting to this one, but there were only two major obstacles. and we problem solved our way down, getting to the take-out with smiles all around.

next up: the jordalselva. a great run north of town.
here's amos again, lining it up near the top of the jordalselva:

photo by mw

amos watching his buddy rolf from the american northwest, same:

photo by mw
amos and rolf paddled together in the pacific northwest and british columbia last fall and were hoping to meet up after discovering they were both going to be in norway at the same time. unfortunately, amos spaced on bringing rolf's number along. but as it turned out, rolf was cruising around with jono and eden.

eden has been loving his norwegian paddling trip so far. he quit his job as a geologist in new zealand to come to norway in search of adventure and hopefully some employment soon as well. he has been borrowing that full-face helmet, because he left his behind "with this girl in switzerland".
eden, unemployed:

photo by mw

eden, neck deep. kayaking plenty, working none:

photo by mw

and now to the highlight of the jordalselva, a big one:
amos, in his words "getting dirt nasty"

photo by mw

the author, searching:

photo by amos shuman

the author, at the bottom, announcing the beginning of a hiatus from kayaking:

photo by amos shuman

stay tuned for stories to come of some very special visitors...
same blog time, same blog channel.

action and satisfaction

2007-06-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

i made a promise to myself and thus to all you blog fans: that the next post from norway was going to be whitewater focused. come hell or high water. and lucky for all of us, amos and i escaped in our newly acquired automobile to find just that on the other side of the fjord.
at the end of a busy weekend, amos and i called for all pending trips through the week to be cancelled so that we could get away on a kayaking mission.
on the way, we found that norway is beautiful all over and not just in our home valley:

photo by mw

and the locals are super friendly:

photo by amos shuman
norway has all sorts of legends and fairy-tales about magical and mysterious people of the woods. i was lucky enough to meet one.

on to what we are really here for: some whitewater kayaking.
amos and i made our way to the other side of song og fjord to the town of voss where i have some buddies and where we knew there would be some "shu-shu". norway has a great snow pack this year and warm temperatures have brought the rivers up to full: bank to bank, top to bottom. after hooking up with all the right folks we made our way up to the upper parts of the drainages and found some 'steep creeking'. and the southeastern boys felt right at home.

the author staying faithful but still getting some...

photo by benji hjort

amos at the same drop.

photo by benji hjort
then the exit:

photo by benji hjort

this river is called the urlandselvi, a tributary of the raundaselva. we enjoyed the steep drops and manky boulder sections of this run before lunch and then sampled some norwegian big water afterwards.
i took along a video camera to document our paddling ventures for the homeboys at
Lunch Video Magazine; so i turned to a paralafamilia photo correspondent: benjamin hjort.

photo by mw
so many thanks go to ben for the beautiful action shots from our day. be sure to check ben out at Hjort Media.

back to the action:
one of the greatest aspects of kayaking is the bonds you create with your homeboys and the respect that grows in you for their talents, athleticism, and uniqueness on the river. amos is a very visually distinct paddler. i love watching him paddle and style his way through rapids, narrow hands and all. just check out that grace:

photo by benji hjort

the author's style: up close and personal

photo by benji hjort

our first real steep day in norway and there were some gems on the urlandselvi. the author again with amos looking on:

photo by benji hjort

amos at the same drop from another angle:

photo by benji hjort

after a nice big day in a borrowed boat, there are always some repairs to be made. here's amos at work; don't get distracted with that heat gun in your hand, buddy.

photo by mw

well, blog fans, that's all there is for now. many happy thoughts and well wishes from here to wherever y'all are out there.

whaling in norwegia

2007-05-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

the life and times of your favorite scandinavian adventurers haven't been all fireworks and flag-waving as you might have imagined. at these latitudes the middle of may is the lingering end of the preseason: the leaves aren't all the way out of their buds on the trees, the guests are only showing up for rafting trips on the weekends, and the wood stove is still occasionally coaxed into service.

the author did have the special pleasure of going on an afternoon fishing jaunt with a fellow member of team jolster, maria. maria is on her way to becoming a raft guide, getting in her training runs in preparation for guide school later this summer; she grew up just around the corner of the fjord and played host and fishing-guide in her father's sloop.
maria at the helm:

photo by mw

two monsters of the sea were reeled in during the off and on drizzle of this windy afternoon. here the author practices gentle and precise hook removal from the mouth of the first installment of tomorrow's dinner:

photo by maria

heavy lifting. another couple filets for the skillet at the guide house:

photo by maria

meanwhile back on the home front, amos celebrated some time with the house all to himself...

photo by mw

more exciting adventures to come...
"ha det bra"
mefford

from the scandanavian plateau

2007-05-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

On April 20th, I rode a borrowed scooter through the snow just after 6:30am to meet a smiling Amos Shuman, waiting with his bags at the Vassenden bus stop. Since then we've been working everyday: training on the river one day, guiding guests the next, building, cleaning, organizing: the typical pre-season mumbo jumbo.

with the help of our fellow team jolster member, ronny, we also have set up a repelling site dropping over some nice over-hanging cliffs just up the lake from where the jolster rafting outpost is located.
i managed to get amos to pose for a photo while we were up overlooking jolster lake:

photo by mw

ronny, same:

photo by mw

much appreciation is owed to the owner of the scooter, the glue that keeps the whole company together and makes sure amos and i are happy and healthy: heidi haveland.
heidi posing at the lake

photo by mw

the past two weekends amos and i have been on the water and into some nice high level jolster river rafting action. the jolster provides some great rapids for rafting; so exciting in fact that we believe the river has the potential for being entertaining for the us guides from now until the end of the season.
amos and the author bringing it home:

photo by erik k. steinset

amos loves the meat; so his guests always have a good time:

photo by erik k. steinset

the author:

photo by erik k. steinset

for now we'll be studying our norsk language and enjoying the comforts of a norwegian home in a land where even on the first of May dusk doesn't arrive 'til after 11pm:

photo by mw

many happy thoughts and well wishes from scandinavia to all you blogging friends and family out there.
mefford.

photo by mw

norwegian wood

2007-04-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

not too original of a blog title, but the stuff is everywhere: the spiral wood staircase, the floors, the walls, the fuel for the stove. ya. norwegian wood. isn't it good? et god nei?

photo by mw

my travels were easy, breezy and beautiful on the way to my wonderful summer home here in vassenden (norwegian for "end of the lake").
cozy cottage down by the river:

photo by mw

after a scenic and extremely drowsy ten hour bus trip from central oslo, i arrived at the rugged west coast of Norway (Norge), Vassenden, the home of the Jolster river. slept the sleep of the well traveled and woke to a stocked fridge and wood pile for the stove. i am becoming increasingly more proficient at turning norwegian birch trees into a warm living room.
awaiting amos shuman's arrival on 70's scando lounge furniture:

photo by mw

the jolster river is literally just out the back door. the level is still a bit "low" according to the locals, as the melting season hasn't really gotten underway just yet. i went on a scouting tour with my two principal bosses, erik and knut. we raft a 13km section of the river, from the end of the lake down to the local hydro power station, which hosts a quality selection of class III and IV rapids.
the "pearly gates" in snow:

photo by mw

same:

photo by mw

amos arrives into forde via his multi stop airplane adventure tomorrow; so the adventures are sure to abound from here on out with a partner in crime. the mini bus, our summer wheels, is still under repair at the local garage; so for now, keep your eyes open for a renegade scooter driver:

photo by mw

stay tuned for more. same blog time, same blog channel.
far north meffrowski.

spring is springing

2007-03-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

i had the very special honor to welcome my dad into the narrows section of the green river gorge. the green river falls off the plateau out of the mountains of north carolina into the piedmont of south carolina. this relatively short section of river holds a very special place in my heart. to be there and introduce my dad to a place i love and have visited hundreds of times was nothing short of an honor.

dad, philly, magnolia, and myself. just above groove tube, in the sunshine:

photo by mw

philip williams in awe:

photo by mw

less than two weeks later, this great river was host to another great day in honor of a late local: jerry beckwith; a bomb down the green followed immediately by a 25 mile bike ride, known as "jerry's baddle". Check out the
race results and see how well things went for the local boys and girls.

a big shout out to robin betz the lady's winner. check out her blog at the links on the right side of the page: the "expeditionettes" who've i've labeled in the link's section as "the dirt patch girls and rubes".
here's rubes out and about scouting at the garden of the gods on the west fork of the pigeon:

photo by mw

rubes, timmy, molly. what are y'all looking at?

photo by mw

that's right. the beautiful scenery here in the blue ridge

photo by mw

sticky feets

2007-03-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

home again, home again. jiggity jogg. more than likely a seventh generation texan who refers to the western carolina mountains as "home" is guilty of blaspheming and destined for a lone star purgatory.

photo by mw
i timed my return perfectly for a little outdoor recreation, rolling in mere hours before warm, wet temperatures brought the rivers to levels not seen in months. of four days at home, two have been logging vertical feet: a day boating the various sections of the little pigeon river on clingman's northern back and another in the grand canyon of the south east: linville gorge.

(l to r) caleb and jeb stay attentive to local master howard tidwell's detailed smoky's river beta at the lower west prong take out.

photo by mw

dusk on the linville. downstream of connelly cove, a good bit still left to descend before the get out. "let's get out of here before it gets dark"

photo by mw

sure is nice here....

2007-02-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

Things can sure change really fast in the life of a dirt bag kayaker: with February rolling and my mom’s visit, I have landed a summer guiding job in Norway. That means this week traveling around with my mom will also be my last week in N Zed; then seven weeks at home and I’m off to a Scandinavian summer.
Nancy Coffman, my mom’s formal name, arrived at the Whakatane airport on Sunday morning to wait with her bags outside for five minutes for her tardy son to arrive. That’s me; I got a little lost on the way to pick her up. No worries though, because life is all relaxed here, especially at the Ohope beach house:

photo by mw

Sunday night was a very special evening that we shared with a very special family, the Crawfords. Monique served up a traditional Kiwi lamb roast dinner, which was excellent, nearly as good as the company; who better to welcome mom into the Zealand than Fletcher, Nic, Phoebe, Roza, Luiss, Evan and Monique. Dinner out on the deck overlooking Ohiwa harbor.

photo by mw

We weren’t slowing down despite our relaxed demeanor: next stop the active marine volcano of white island. Not much to really put into words about this trip.

photo by mw

mom running the show inside flight Vulcan:

photo by mw

Helicopter ride out to a very surreal landscape: "an extraordinary place to visit"

photo by mw

Stay with me now, because we are going to move fast through the highlights of this adventure filled week. Next adventure was an evening with Sophe, aka “the doph”, who guided us not only to the best fish and chips I’ve ever had, but also to the glow worm canyon on McLauren Lake. No photo from that paddle, “like floating into the night sky”, but there were some amateur acrobatics at the get-in to kill time waiting for the sun to set:

photo by N Coffman

Next stop, Rotorua. Mom and I enjoyed the cultural and geological wonders of this city, most notably the geothermal public park:

photo by N Coffman

On again we move to the beautiful Coromandel peninsula, a first for me as well. We stayed two nights here in this picturesque costal landscape, where we hiked, surfed, and snorkled (my first snorkling) our way around to the major stops.
Sunset at the overlook:

photo by mw

walking around the cove:

photo by N Coffman

“This one wins the award for most beautiful swimming beach” Nancy. Cathedral Cove:

photo by mw

I got in my last surf of my deep south adventure at Hot Water Beach. Rented a board. Out for an hour. Best surf yet.

photos by N Coffman

I can’t say enough of how excellent a send off this past week has been. I know the sights, sounds, surf, sand, and seriously good times fit all the epic vacation clichés for both mom and myself.
cheers. frowsk.

the latest from the deep south

2007-02-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

my nostalgia for my incredible trip with philly bear has kept me from keeping the blog completely up to date. i mean how can you top the adventures that we had together? not possible as of yet. those times are now the past, though; so let's move on, shall we?
i have been staying busy with a relaxed island stride and am looking forward to my mom's visit to the z land that is now less than two weeks away.
i hope all you blog fans are having a wonderful february, wherever you happen to be. keep the sun off your cheeks and the classic cars off the beach.

photo by mw

Ending the Trip, But Still Flying High

2007-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Meff’s handed over the reigns on this one, so it’s the almost-back-at-school Philly writing…
Well, after running the Arahura two days in a row by ourselves as we waited for the weather to line up, we finally had the chance to get on Kokatahi (in Hoki they call it the cock-ah-tai), which would turn out to be the boys’ last run in NZ—in other words, we ended the trip with a serious bang.
The Kokatahi is a big run, and, accordingly, we were able to bring the big boys off the couch for the day, rounding our crew out at six: the “M&F show” (aka frowsk and Philly), Mikey Abbott (paddling legend), Dave Kwant (same), and James (the fourth ginger) and Matt (both friends of both Dave and Mikey).
Paddling with Dave is a joy, as he knows these rivers like the back of his hand. Dave’s info about what’s-around-the-corner keeps the trip safe and smooth. Dave just finished running the Wet West Film Festival here in Hoki (in which his “Seven Weeks in Tibet” won the people’s choice award), and he was stoaked for the chance to get off his weary prize-winning bum and on the Kokatahi.

Dando (right), Dave (middle), and Mikey (left), getting the chopper ready for the flight

photo by mw

This being our third heli trip in three days, it now seems almost usual to drive up to the take out and not worry about shuttle, as Bruce Dando’s on his way in the helicopter. Flying is an awesome experience, as Dando not only keeps things inexpensive for us paddling folk, but he’s also an awesome pilot who knows heaps about each and every river in the area, which helps to ease pre-kayaking anxiety, pointing out exactly where the big rapids are (a great help in new zealand’s world of deep dark gorge kayaking). He also happens to be one of the nicer, more normal people on this planet

Here’s Dando in action, giving Mikey and Dave a ride up the river. I swear you can see the smiles on their faces through the glass

photos by mw

Another benefit to the heli flight up is that it is downright gorgeous. Though the views can often be slightly nerve-racking—as you see what you’re about to paddle before you’re even wet—it is hard not to be staggered by the beauty of clear blue water rushing between steep mountains.

Here’s the aerial view of one of the steepest sections, a series of three rapids with the middle one being a three meter (plus) waterfall into a small pool that flows directly in the third rapid, which you don’t want to run (unless you like bouncing on rocks…)

photo by mw

Since Dando can only fit two people (and their gear) on the heli at a time, he has to run your team up to the put-in in pairs.
It’s quite snug in the cockpit:

photo by mw

The present author, holding down the fort while Dando does his thing:

photo by mw

Once you’re on the river, things lighten up a little bit once you get the chance to run some of the steep, beautiful rapids that spill into and out of narrow bedrock gorges.

Philly starting out part one of the ‘ski jump’ drop that exits one of the steeper gorges, with Mikey looking on. If you look closely, you can see that the water is coming back on itself, as if the bedrock were almost a half pipe…

photo by mw

Me again on the rapid that exits “carnage gorge,” stoaked to be out of the frying pan and hoping to stay clear of the fire

photo by mw

Me one more time, firing through part two of the ski jump rapid. They call the drop ‘ski jump,’ since part one resembles a bedrock half pipe, and part two is a big, long, sloping ramp into a hole (it doesn’t look this big when you’re racing towards it at 100 k/mh… but that doesn’t make the hole any smaller).

photo by mw

Mikey on part two of the ski jump rapid trying not to look like a character in a Teva video game

photo by mw

I can’t say enough about how much fun paddling with Dave and Mikey can be. They style every move with absolute precision, and are super nice guys to boot

The Legendary Dave Kwant, going for the meat—part two of the ski jump rapid

photo by mw

Well, this about does it for my tenure in NZ, so a last final hoorah for all the people that have gone paddling with us and kept us entertained while we’ve been in Hoki. Here’s to Edan, Mikey, Dave, Marty, and Johno—Thanks guys. Also, a special shoutout goes to Dave for letting us spend the last few nights in his sleep out (I swear that it’s nicer than any hotel room), use his inter-web, and make him dinner.
I’ll definitely admit that I’m going to miss this place and the people I’ve met here a bit more than I’ll miss the spectacular kayaking that I’ve gotten to do… and I know that means something since the rivers couldn’t have been better even if I had dreamt them up…

Oh, and while I have the mic, I can’t forget to let everyone know that traveling and paddling with my brother in New Zealand has been, hands down, the most fun I’ve ever had… much love and thanks to the Frowsk

Signing out,
philly

kayaking is a waste of time

2007-01-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

Philly has only five days left before he begins his puddle jumping tour: Christchurch to Auckland on Air New Zealand January 12th, Aukland to Fiji on Air Pacific, Fiji to Los Angeles, LA to Atlanta on a very long January 13th. In the ATL he gets picked up by Dad and the birthday girl, Magnolia, transported to Bryson City, North Carolina where from he will drive his own car to Sewanee…this extensive travel plan is pretty irrelevant at the moment as there are still five n zed days to work with. And there is certainly work to be done.
We have been enjoying our time so far and look forward to more air and river bound travels in the remaining days. New Zealand is host to locations on this earth and experiences within them which are very difficult to relate: deep schist gorges of dark, smooth, and rather tall rock walls, clear blue water, and very specific route of travel—downstream. This combination of factors leads to a wonderful feeling as if you are walking on forbidden land. Tiny cracks in the earth sealed off by million year geologic processes; barriers and obstacles you have cheated with technology, experience, and daring for a momentary trespass.

stealing time on the upper kakapotahi:

photo by mw

philly mid-trespass during a day trip on the lower kakapotahi:

photo by mw

a team portage effort, the last major obstacle on the upper:

photo by mw

Our Auntie Maria told us that her favorite all time river run was the Hokitika. Philly and I liked it so much we’ve been twice: once for a day run from the middle put-in about 4 kilometers upstream from the Serpentine Hut, and a second time putting in father upstream at Poet Hut (a trip we did in two days, with a stop over in the Serpentine Hut).

Philly boofing his way in to the beginnings of another gorge on the Hokitika:

photo by mw

eden same:

photo by mw

the nice real estate on the banks of the hokitkia: serpentine hut:

photo by mw

another surreal location: the gates of argonath. the last major gorge on the hokitika.
philly bear, stoked

photo by mw

jono in the foreground, eden just passing through the gates in front:

photo by mw

that’s all for now.
peace in the middle east. frowsk.

rainy days in hokitika

2006-12-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

through my experiences so far traveling in n zed, i have learned never to believe a forecast. more than likely the weather man is close, but if you watch channel 3 six o'clock news and weather then switch to channel 1 afterwards, you may hear two different meteorological predictions.
over the past few days, philly and i have enjoyed a wonderful christmas here in hokitika, the local crowd we have fallen in with due to kayaking connections has been more than hospitable in welcoming us and our foreign holiday recipes: jj's pumpkin pie and the collaborative effort at sweet potato (kumara substitute) casserole were both big hits.
the windy and wet weather spoiled plans for multi day heli adventures for just after the holidays but opened a window of opportunity for a river with road access: falls creek. falls creek is a tributary to the hokitika river; just south of town turn off on a rough gravel road, drive deep in the bush, check the level at the bridge, suit up and you're off on one of n zed's classics.
philly and i were the two "falls creek virgins" in our crew of five: marty, local legend and first decent team member; jj, transplanted local; and eden, kiwi paddling legend in the making. the run features some great gorges that we found in on and off drizzle from the consistently grey clouds over our heads.

philly, exiting the first major section, the bridge gorge, with eden and marty looking on

photo by mw

further down the river here's jj firing into "chernobyl"

photo by mw

eden on is way to avoiding a meltdown at "chernobyl"

photo by mw

the excitement didn't end in the flow. just near the end of the run, we were out with our ropes, locking carabeaners, and webbing for a repel

photo by mw

after that portage, we were just a few rapids above the final drop of the run, "bellaflop": named after Dean Arthur's dog, Bella, who accompanied the scouting mission prior to the first decent, and like all members of that hike jumped this waterfall:
marty, committed

photo by mw

eden same

photo by mw

philly, still glad to be in new zealand

photo by mw

jj same

photo by mw

stay tuned for more exciting adventures. same blog time, same blog channel...

motu river

2006-12-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

welcome to my coverage of last weekends trip down the motu river.
the motu flows out the of east cape of the north island of new zealand, a rugged wilderness area just down the coast from the beaches of the bay of plenty.
the motu crew consisted of two parties: downstream and upstream, who would meet up on the second official day of the trip.

here's downstream enjoying their second day of excellent weather still inside the lower gorge of the motu:

photo by mw

sophe hastening the cooking after her long day catching up from her and brendan's put-in above the upper gorge

photo by mw

nick and evan bedding down at first night's camp:

photo by maria noakes

the downstream crew travelled first via helicopter to a suitable put-in below the upper gorge of the motu, then by raft and kayak through a day and a half of blue water, steep canyon walls, sandy beaches and lazy lunches to meet the upstreamers who hired a x-special forces jet boat driver to bring them up river.
the resulting camp was like nothing i had ever seen before: no age groups excluded, family friendly atmosphere, refugee camp decor...

photo by maria noakes

on the third day parents and young ones stole away in a raft, claiming a jar of peanut butter and a triumphant escape from a beach of chaos to a floating rubber island of chaos.
nick relishing the excitement and easy travel of a rafting trip:

photo by mw

the scene on the beach prior to their departure: "has anyone seen my...."

photo by mw

a last look as raft day care descends into the unknown

photo by mw

i am down on the west coast now with philly bear, who yesterday experienced his first heli-supported river trip.

photo by mw

we are enjoying the scenic sights...

photo by philly williams

and wish the sun well as it leaves here on it's way west to our friends and family.

photo by philly williams

left is right

2006-12-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

photo by wayne crawford

just a quick note to say that the "right" side of the road isn't always what it seems, but stay sharp and you should find the way.
lots of happenings here in the southern hemisphere: adventures of all sorts in an extraordinary place.
i have thought much of my family and friends while i've been here and look forward to putting up a nice long proper blog post; so stay tuned for tales of the exciting motu river-three-day-many-children adventure.
many happy salutations.
deep south frowsk.

photo by mefford williams

out of asia

2006-11-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

on my last day in korea, after organizing my bags for the final plane trip towards my southern hemisphere summer home, i headed down underneath the streets to travel in style on the seoul subway.
with my frequent rider's card, i cruised all around during my visit: east seoul, west seoul, north and south of the han river, holiday backpackers, traditional restaurants, buddhist temples, and the yo young spa (twice).

user friendly public trans:

photo by mefford williams

my lonely planet guide book (choice birthday present aunt amy and uncle jules. thanks much) had a subway map, and that was pretty much all I needed to get anywhere within the city my heart or stomach desired. 800 Wan per ride < US $1, and you're off. the trains come by each stop pretty frequently; the most i ever had to wait was four minutes; so it's super ADD friendly. with cell phone translators inside the subway tunnels, every other korean on the train would be chatting it up, while the rest were just thinking of who to call next.

on my last day i set off to visit the top of the many peaks that surround and divide the city. seoul is asian for smog; so the granite hill tops loom around the city like grey shadows behind the skyscrapers
up close their natural beauty contrasts that of the noisy metropolis just below:

photo by mefford williams
you can just see some of the trail's railing on the right at the top of the ridge.

access to the hilltop hiking trails comes from various locations around the city, i walked up through a small buddhist temple community off of the "dongnimmun" exit from subway line 3. no photos as i wasn't sure about how respectful whitie photographer would be in this sacred neighborhood.
once beyond the religious quarter, you begin to climb and traverse your way up and away:
stairs and rails make up the steep sections of the trail; helpful signs remind you not to fall off the side:

photo by mefford williams

getting a last look before a hike down to my rapidly approaching departure flight:

photo by mefford williams

i really enjoyed my time in seoul. quite a hustly bustly big city, but an extraordinary place nonetheless.
even in a city of over 10 million, the friendly locals go out of their way to make you feel welcome. so don't think that they don't notice or care as they bump you out of the way getting on or off the subway or ignore your "annyeoung haseo" while cutting you in line at the bakery.
i was even thrown a nice little going away party. cheers guys. pour the saki.

photo by mefford williams

i followed up my last day's hike with a visit to my favorite korean establishment: the yo young spa for the frowski quad: shower, sauna, hot soak, cold soak.
many happy thoughts and best wishes to all members of the blogging family.
more soon from the far south.

annyeong haseyo

2006-11-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

gyeongbokgung palace, seoul.

photo by mefford williams

the title of this blog post "annyeong haseyo" is my korean pick-up line. it's a good one. it means "hello". one of the four things i know how to say in korean.
i don't really know how to judge my line's affectiveness yet: so far if the korean women folk are able to return the greeting over their own laughter, i am pretty darn pleased.
ashley strickland was right: I stand out here. i have noticed the locals doing a bit of a double take when they see me walk by, and that's what i have been doing with most of my time in korea. walking. relaxing in the big city of seoul waiting for my bags to show.
well, they are finally here. i have my korean electrical plug adapter, and now a blog post as i prepare to bolt out of the big city and onto adventures elsewhere in this very new place.

in my cruising around i had a chance to stop by medieval korea to watch a parade. these festivities were taking place within the gyeongbokgung palace: this huge palace takes up about three city blocks right in some of downtown's most valuable realestate. the grounds have quite a storied history, and at virtually every major period in korean history since their middle ages (1400's), this palace has been torn or burned down and subsequently rebuilt.

photo by mefford williams

while touring the grounds of the castle i had a chance to practice my line with the woman in the background. after "annyeoung haseyo", she started to talk rapidly to me in korean, with a smile; encouraged, i spoke back in english. i was gesticulating with my camera in my hand, and a korean man grabbed my camera and gestured. i guess he assumed that i was propositioning the women to take my picture for me.

photo by korean dude bra
gamsa hamnida (thanks) for the photo and good block buddy.

koreans have different rules about personal space than westerners. if i get into a conversation, in english or korean, that goes beyond three interchanges, i get touched on the forearm or shoulder. alot.
the first couple of times this took place i thought i was going to be pick pocketed, but that hasn't happened yet; so i gues i'm touchable.

the other korean adventure of note so far was a trip to the demilitarized zone between north and south korea. a nice touristy field trip in a very up-tight military environment. to make a long story short, that far building and small but serious looking communist dude are as close to north korea as you can get:

photo by mefford williams
notice the south korean soldier on the right, hiding halfway behind the wall; so he is harder to shoot.

that's the love for now. i'm off to the spa and to enjoy some local brews. stay tuned for some pictures of food and life outside the big city.
bring your big won.

photo by mefford williams

el segundo

2006-11-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

photo by rock and roll magnolia

welcome back. it's been quite a blogging long time since a new post was up. after a hiatus, the adventures continue in new and familiar places.
alot of blog soul searching took place after my last post and time spent in asheville. to blog is to create, and most of all i missed creating a format to share my pictures and my words.
be sure to stay tuned. same blog time. same blog channel.

vote for my mispelled name.

dwd

2006-03-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

photo by nate elliot

yesterday ashley strickland and i charged through penstock production's first day without daniel wright delavergne: a boss, a friend, and our inspiration. The work has just begun, and we look forward to the future excited, hopeful, and determined. The majority of my experiences with Daniel were not on the river, but in his living room: the penstock productions office suite. So as always, I hope to make him proud.

photo by mefford williams

the last of this new zealand adventure

2006-03-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Our New Zealand adventure is over.
Looking back.

NICE! (with a kiwi accent)

photo by Shanna Powell

SWEET AS!

photos by Shanna Powell

I had a great time everyone. Thanks for coming along. I miss you Mefford!
Maybe more soon.

get into it

2006-02-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

So much has happened and no blog update. Away from the computers, but images and stories are ready for sharing. Hope everyone is doing well and stay tuned for an update soon.

photo by shanna powell

getting around new zealand

2006-01-25T01:05:00.000-08:00

Our New Zealand adventure is in full swing. We started our trip in Christchurch picking up a car from Beth and Albert, a very nice couple who let us spend the night.

Car number 1

photo by Mefford Williams

From Christchurch we drove over Arthur’s Pass to Hokitika to meet up with Nick, Maria, Dominique and Mateo. Here is Dominique in action.

Nick…What now?

photo by Mefford Williams

Our first car blew a head gasket so we sold it to the automechanic and bought this one in town. Guess who took that photo.

photo by Mefford Williams

Maria took us kayaking on the Arahura, this was our first New Zealand heli-run. Well, our first ever heli-run. It was awesome!

fully loaded

photo by Mefford Williams

unloading

photo by Mefford Williams

on the river…

here is the crew scouting. Wow! 3 ladies, 2 men. Bizarre

photo by Mefford Williams

Here is Maria in action.

photo by Mefford Williams

This is me at Curtain call.

photo by Mefford Williams

Alan our guide running a big one.

photo by Mefford Williams

Mefford had awesome lines everywhere but he was holding the camera so no photos of him.

Here is Mefford on the first rapid of the upper Kakapatahi. Mefford’s kayak photo moment.

photo by Shanna Powell

We spent almost 2 weeks in Hokitika and paddled many days, getting on quite a few different stretches of river. Everyday was an adventure whether it was…

driving…through mud

photo by Mefford Williams

hiking…with kayaks or not

photo by Mefford Williams

or farming…cows?

photo by Mefford Williams

We would drive until the mud holes got too bad, then hike our boats to the river, paddle and “LOOK OUT FOR THE COWS” on the way home.

From Hokitika Mefford and I drove south to Queenstown to do some kayaking, but mainly trekking. We hiked the Caples-Greenstone track that was a 4 day loop with New Zealand’s famous huts to stay in.

Relaxing after a long day.

photo by Mefford Williams

Mefford on the saddle.

photo by shanna Powell

Moving along on the saddle.

photo by Mefford Williams

It was awesome with quite a variety of terrain and beautiful weather. Just what I needed.

photo by Mefford Williams

Confluence of the Caples and the Greenstone rivers.

photo by Mefford Williams

From Queenstown, your fearless crew made their way up the east coat to Christchurch.

It’s a long drive.

photo by Shanna Powell

yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is our laundry drying.

Mefford wasn’t as into the car photos as I was.

photo by Shanna Powell

We stopped off at the Rangitata river which is in the Peel Forest area, a little detour before Christchurch. Mefford was pretty insistent that he paddle that day so we put on with the plan that he was going to “run” shuttle, but not with the car. From the takeout to the car was like 20 kilometers, which converts to somewhere around 12 miles. 4 hours and 12 miles later, Mefford showed up with the car around 9:00pm. I was beginning to think I might spend another night out on the river. The interesting thing is that while I was waiting for Mefford, a raft guide drove down to the takeout with his parents and asked why we didn’t just paddle up to the rapids from the takeout. I was amused by the incident, and have an idea for a book of sorts. The things some paddlers will do.

Me waiting for my knight in red to arrive.

photo by Shanna Powell

We spent that night in the campground in the forest and went to hike the big tree trail after Mefford hiked his morning kayak session from the takeout up.

1000 year old Totara tree.

photo by Mefford Williams

Hugging another tree for dad.

photo by Mefford Williams

playing footsie?

photo by Mefford Williams

Now we are in Christchurch for a few days to see the city. It was only supposed to be 2 days, but the car broke down. The story of our life. I changed the sparkplugs today and Mefford is still working on the back wheel, brake fluid leak, problem.

That’s the one, under the thumb.

photo by Shanna Powell

“The best part about owning your own shop is you get to wear whatever you want.”- Mefford Williams self proclaimed “In house automechanic” He borrowed all of the tools.

photo by Shanna Powell

We are really appreciative of Linda and Phelpsy for letting us work on the car in the street, use the phone, facilities, the house as an office and sleep here. January 28, 2006 we will be boarding a ferry at 10:00pm for the North Island. More again soon.
Cheers!

neck deep at the end of the first week

2006-01-12T02:47:00.000-08:00

photo by mefford williams

alot has happend in this past week; so a fabulous blog post is in the works of course. this post, in true procrastinator fashion, is just a preview for the big one. adventures have been a daily occurance; so be sure to pack your lunch, some cash for the heli pilot, always check the car fluid levels, and never seperate yourself from your sunscreen (the kiwi sun offers twice the burn in half the time).

photo by mefford williams

life is good on the west coast of new zealand's south island. lots of time to work with lots of options. the $10 campsite by the beach is worth the money, taking full advantage of course. gas here is NZ$1.45 a liter; that's US$4.50 a gallon. a four wheel drive station wagon: NZ$900. forget that mess because you can eat meat pies and watch the sun set over the southern pacific after a day in the mountains flying on helicopters for your shuttle at the river.

stay tuned for full details in text and photo shortly, unless something too good to miss goes down somewhere far from internet access.

photo by mefford williams

say who?

2005-12-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

magnolia budolia has been deserving a staring role in a blog post for a long time comming. this post is the first of a series of tributes to maggie and her superiority above all other homo sapiens.

notice how maggy commands your attention in this photo as she looks skeptically at her brothers and their futile attmepts to look good in her presence.

photo by mefford williams

maggy also has a way of explaining and gesticulating that allows her to convey thoughts of great depth. here she is explaining buddhist philosopy to philly and i amid a christmas brunch. what a girl!

photo by philly williams

magnolia is also a brilliant cook. the complexity of tastes within the dishes she cooks go beyond all explanation or even the most powerful imagination. here's the heavenly christmas cake she made for the family.

photo by mefford williams

beauty, class, style. magnolia budolia williams is hands down my favorite sister. philly bearski agrees whole heartedly. i miss you already maggy. good luck in your last semester at rhodes. slay them all with your wit, bravado, and natural partying abilities.

photo by mefford williams

rick maas

2005-12-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

I heard the news today that my academic advisor at UNC Asheville, Rick Maas, passed away.

photo by mefford williams

Dr. Maas or "Big Rick", as a result of being my advisor, taught over 17 hours of class and labs of my major. Enough time together in small, pollution control specific courses that we could play off each other, laugh, and joke our way completely off topic. I watched, Rick might argue that I led him, as he backed the van and trailer into a fence at campus. Dr. Maas told me that he would rather jump off the cliff into Wolf Lake during our Limnology Lab before me, because "It's best not to think too much about it." My last day of school, he handed me a note and a hug, "...Your humor, joy, playfullness and overall positive energy is a tremendous gift to this world. I feel honored to have been able to share these with you...(I think that you realize how much we have in common in this regard, even though I sometimes have to act a little more serious/mature/responsible than I really am inside.)" I couldn't have described you better, Dr. Maas.
I miss you already. I just can't believe you're not around anymore. I keep expecting to walk upstairs into Rhodes Robinson, across the breezeway, look in your always open office door, to see your feet on the desk, phone to ear, free hand waving or holding a half eaten sandwich.

That's the Man, in the middle, white shirt, and smiling:

UNCA photo

p bearski's southeastern tour

2005-12-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

philly's out of school and came over to the asheville area to spend some quality time with his brother: quality time on the river. i've done my best to take him around to the spots. mom was giving him are hard time for not comming home earlier; so here's some photo evidence of his reasons for staying:

philly at the culasaja:

photo by mefford williams

philly getting his portage on:

photo by mefford williams

philly at the little T wave:

photo by mefford williams

we used to call the bearski "philly beep", but i'm proposing that be changed to "philly boof"

photo by mefford williams

hey philly, what's over that horizon line? next week in dallas, that's right.

photo by mefford williams

here's philly enjoying his quality time on the rivers

photo by mefford williams

maggy just arrived back from her trip yesterday; so we'll be sure to have a fun-filled sibling week before returning to the birthland of Texas. more love later.

a long december

2005-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

photo by mefford williams

well, shanna has made her home in maryland again; while i've stayed in ash-vegas. each of us have been pursuing our own paths towards boosting respective bank accounts in preperation for our trip. shanna is once again a proud employee of powell's auto-parts store, while i've been laying tile and acting as general errand and task boy for penstock productions.

scanning slides at the office, awaiting daniel's return from a business trip:

photo by mefford williams

we had quite a happy thanksgiving with the Meffords. these photos are a long time in comming...

welcome to the family photo shoot: we took things very seriously...

photo by mefford williams

pa and ferrell kept their grins going for the camera while being heckled by family members outside the frame:

photo by mefford williams

philly and i have an incredible sense of humor, especially when family members are posing...

photo by mefford williams

i'm looking forward to seeing all the families in locations in Texas and Maryland later on this month.
i know this may be a photo-centric post, but that's what you're gonna get. if you feel the need to be regailed with stories, give a call.

i will end this post with some kayaking photo love from the extraordinarly mild temperatures of earlier this week:

photo by mefford williams

close-ups at the tallulah

2005-11-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

it was a family affair this last weekend at the tallulah. with maria, philly, shanna, and myself making up the kayaking crew while mateo held down the fort in the shuttle vehicle.
i just brought along the big camera lens on the river this time; so we've got some close-up action.

Here's philly in the mix of the action at the biggest rapid of the day:

photo by mefford williams

Maria impressed us all by firing-it-up with as much grace and style as the boys:

photo by mefford williams

I had the opportunity to get two good shots of Philly, because he, like myself, likes to hike-up and run the big one twice. Here's my little bro putting his shoulders forward for the big hit at the bottom:

photo by mefford williams

I look forward to having some holiday photos up soon. Much love and Happy Thanksgiving.

nearly thanksgiving

2005-11-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

the holidays are stomping their way ever closer, as is our launch date for new zealand. we still manage to fit in some good times on the river of course.
this past weekend shanna and I met up with philly, adam red beard, and john bubba roeder for an enjoyable, but overcast tallulah sunday.

Here's shanna leading the boys into the mini slotter:

photo by mefford williams

Shanna was firing it up as usual; here she is dropping into Oceana with Adam Red Beard looking on:

photo by mefford williams

I made a pass at "the thing" in Oceana as well. Here I am about to whited-out:

photo by philly williams

Here's philly comming out the bottom unscathed, with the crew in their boats awaiting his post-slide-smile:

photo by mefford williams

Stay tuned for another exciting episode. Same blog time. Same blog channel.

back home in the southeast

2005-11-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

we made it. a cross-country drive with little if any trouble. shanna's working with nick, maria, dominique, and matteo while i've headed over to asheville to work with daniel and lvm while waiting for some construction gigs to come in.
We made straight for the river of course; so here's Shanna firing up a slot on the beautifully scenic Tallulah river in Georgia:

photo by mefford williams

Stay updated we should have some more updates and pictures soon. Thanks much to all the family and friends who put us up on our way across the states and much love to all the family and friends we have yet to see.

photo by mefford williams

birthday love for philly and california's last days

2005-10-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

photo by mefford williams

Just a few days away from leaving california, I'm focused on enjoying my time. Although most of work has been in the desert of Central and Southern California, no kayaking here in September and October, I have had the opportunity to see and experience alot of this state that I may not have seen otherwise. So here's a big shout to this summer and fall's adventures and the excitement of heading home.

shanna in resort-pose at bear creek earlier this summer:

photo by mefford williams

Shanna and I have been split-up for our second to last week of work. I'm in So-Cal at a resort and Shanna's in Sequoia National Park at a resort. Tough times, tough times.

On another note, I'd like to send out my love to now 19 year-old brother Philly: you a crazy b#$% but I love ya.

photo by mefford williams

I look forward to seeing you soon Philly. Much love and all the best on your birthday.

a visit with linda in san franisco

2005-10-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

over the past weekend shanna and i had the opportunity to visit linda in the lovely town of san fransisco. san fransisco is a city of vast uniqueness. with a good friend as a guide, we carefully sampled the city atmosphere. hippies, wanderers, and many other types of liberals abound in this fair city; so we felt reasonably safe.

breakfast with linda, still safely out of the range of the trains.

photo by mefford williams

after breakfast we made tracks for a free street festival. our first show: two layered circus children.

photo by mefford williams

the public transportation in the city is great and user friendly if you happen to be traveling with a local. thanks much to linda, we were more effectively mobile than the other tourists.

photo by shanna powell

we saw the sights, traveling by foot, train, and bus looking for a reflection of ourselves in the dizzing metropolis.

photo by shanna powell

we didn't make it to the botanical gardens until after the sun went behind the hills; so no fabulous photos from that worldly garden.
only two more weeks of work, now before the long drive.

birthday at mono lake

2005-09-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the absence of posts. things are busy as usual; probably the same story for everyone. this week we're in the magnificent yosemite valley after a picturesque week in mono lake. Next week is an off week, which hopefully means some kayaking. More than likely i'll be fixing the car for the first half: need new calipers and pads on the front brakes again.
Fixing the car isn't so beautiful, but I did spend my birthday in quite a beautiful location. Here is the serene and mysterious 'Dead Sea of California', Mono Lake:

photo by Mefford Williams

Then it was a short drive over Tioga pass and into Yosemite for a week; Shanna working as a naturalist, myself as the cook.

Here is the screaming facial profile of the legendary Miwok Indian woman, Tissiak, known to pale face as Half Dome:

photo by Mefford Williams

I hope to have more up some, especially some shots of the upcoming car maintanence. Lots of love to everyone.

a happy birthday card for dommy

2005-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish my cousin Dominique a happy 2nd birthday. I hope you have a good party; maybe we'll get some photos up from the festivities. For now all the best from me in California to you in North Carolina. I look forward to seeing you again in November.
Much love, Mefford.

training in the dirt

2005-09-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

photo by Mefford Williams

Well, we've been on big training missions for Naturalists at Large. Part of which included some high ropes course training.

Shanna racking up the resume points for that dream job with the phone company.

photo by Mefford Williams

I also spent some time up high after clambering around on similar phone poles.

photo by Shanna Powell

Our views from up high were quite nice even in the blasting hot California sun.

photo by Mefford Williams

Stay tuned for a more substantial update on resource and training days, soon.

in the big "D"

2005-08-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Just recently we took a quick jaunt to Dallas to hang out with the fam.

photo by Mefford Williams
That of course was not the fam.

We cruised around with family:

photo by Mefford Williams

photo by Mefford Williams

We also had a nice visit at my mom's new workplace, Scottish Rite Hospital:

photo by Mefford Williams

Quite a special hospital for children, mom gave us the full tour:

photo by Mefford Williams

She also introduced us to her lovely co-workers:

photo by Mefford Williams

Before our lunch with Mom, we saw Dad for a moment on Friday morning. He was moving at characteristic speed and needed a ride as a result of a broken car. Here he is: coffee and briefcase in hand, phone to ear, traveling at lightening speed.

photo by Mefford Williams

Back to Mom's we enjoyed lovely dinners outside:

photo by Mefford Williams

And the company of Joe and Ziggy:

photo by Mefford Williams

A trip to Dallas wouldn't be anything without a visit to the farm:

photo by Mefford Williams

where we enjoyed a nice porch lunch with Dad:

photo by Mefford Williams

After lunch, I couldn't help but challenging myself to jumping the hay bales which lined the length of the entrance road.
Philly coming along for the fun:

photo by Shanna Powell

Philly gapping a big one:

photo by Shanna Powell

Mefford, same, only a lesser gap:

photo by Shanna Powell

Later on Philly began to regard our activity with some dismay:

photo by Shanna Powell

Philly, knowing this was a bad idea:

photo by Shanna Powell

Even without the hay bale shinnanigans, we really enjoyed ourselves during our short stay in Dallas and look forward to a more lengthy visit soon. Much love to each and every family member: Mom, Dad, Philly, Steve, and Mari. We hope Maggie will join us next time, too.

summer's end

2005-08-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

My shoes (right) carried me over bishop pass and down the middle kings as their last service in a glorious career spanning east and west coasts with more than 200 river days. Bo's, to the left, are the same model only two weeks old.

photo by Shanna Powell

Over the summer I became even more worn-out than my shoes regarding a couple of things:
1. summer sausage--a nice fat and protein source for the river as the meat doesn't seem to go bad over multiple days of in-kayak storage. I am over "meat stick" as we called it, especially after eating 2 lbs in 5 days on the middle kings adventure.
2. instant oatmeal packets--strawberries and cream, blueberry, banana, peach, raisin, maple and brown sugar. I wouldn't be disappointed if I never saw let alone ate this breakfast again.
3. tuna--another great source of protein for river trips. I have, however, gone well over my recommended 1 can per week; so my mercury levels need to be allowed to come down by avoiding this fish.
4.cheap bagels--great for making your lunch and breakfast sandwiches. only good in moderation as soon you loathe their characteristic flavorings.

Although I had a lot of exposure to my friends Robin, Amos, and Toby, I am not tired of their company and already miss them. Here's a sentimental tribute:

To Toby, the captain of the "summer of terror with toby":

photo by Mefford Williams

photo by Shanna Powell

To Robin, often the only girl on our missions, never the weakest member:

photo by Mefford Williams

photo by Toby MacDermott

To Amos and his epic struggle, sharing his car with Robin and Toby:

photo by Mefford Williams

To Amos and his majestic, narrow-handed rudder that leads him through all manner of class five burliness:

photo by Shanna Powell

Here's the love to ya'll for a fabulous Sierra season.

middle kings

2005-08-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Middle Fork of the Kings River adventure is over, and , the morning after the last day of the trip feels like Christmas, as I sit here writing about our experience. Essentially we batted 1.000 as there were no swims, no pins, and as Shuman put it: "no marginal situations."
Shanna has told the story of the epic two-day hike into Kings Canyon, our 9,000 ft. elevation put-in (our take-out, five days later, 2500 ft.), and needless to say after hiking our 45+ lbs kayaks into the river with 40+ lbs of gear, we each put on the river tired and sore.
One piece of gear that I personally left behind while on the river was my camera; I am just not ready in my head to carry it in-between my legs. Fortunately Toby and Bo brought theirs; so we have some shots to share.
The first day was the lowest volume day on the river, of course, but the rapids we encountered were better than expected.

Some be-bopping on the first day:

photo by Bo Wallace

We also passed through some spectacular mountain meadows, weaving our way through the oxbows staring with our dropped jaws up at the granite domes surrounding us.

photo by Bo Wallace

Each river day we stop for a "California lunch". With the dry air and blasting hot sun of the Sierras, one has the opportunity to completely dry out wet paddling gear while enjoying some food and scenery.

photo by Bo Wallace

The highlight of day one was certainly: the devil's punch-bowl, a big rapid we each enjoyed dropping. As we all got out of our boats at the top to scout, Amos announced the name of the rapid by yelling, "Satan has created this rapid."
Here's Ms. Betz lining up at the top for the big last drop of the rapid:

photo by Bo Wallace

Polk, same:

photo by Bo Wallace

Here's Bo about to land the last drop of the punch bowl:

photo by Toby MacDermott

Amos, same:

photo by Bo Wallace

Day two was a day of gorges. The Pacific Crest/John Muir Trail was still following us along the river right; so we scouted and paddled our way down the river. Peering over the edge of the granite walls into the river, we would scout the rapids from bottom to top memorizing the drops. Once you drop into the top of each section, you were 'in it to win it'.

Here's Polk and Riley, the purple boat duo, winning it:

photo by Toby MacDermott

The author finishing of the same gorge with Fuzzy pealing out in the background:

photo by Toby MacDermott

We utilized the trail not only for scouting but for portaging as well, since some of the gorges asked for more than we were ready to give.
Riley Cathcart enjoying some hiking with his kayak.

photo by Bo Wallace

The best part of our second river day lay within a dark, vertical walled basaltic canyon. As we locked ourselves in, the whole team trapped inside rock and falling water, Bo turned to Amos and was heard saying, "Now we're f---ed."
Climbing around, shouting instructions, pointing, waving, signaling, boofing and plugging we found our way to a large enough out-cropping of broken rocks on river right, that we could get out and scout all at once. Happily greeted by Amos's shouts again, "Last drop, last drop, last drop."

Polk, Mefford, and Robin scouting as Amos gets in to drop the last:

photo by Toby MacDermott

Mefford dropping the last:

photo by Bo Wallace

Robin same:

photo by Bo Wallace

Polk same:

photo by Toby MacDermott

Robin's fist found her face on one of the plugging missions of the last gorge, resulting in this nice shiner:

photo by Bo Wallace

Day three can be described easily as the day of the mad bombing mission. In our boats for nearly the entirety of another eight hour day, we didn't stop for many photos as we ran rapid after steep rapid into another steep rapid.

Toby in the meat:

photo by Bo Wallace

Riley showing his day three smile:

photo by Bo Wallace

The night of the third river day we stayed in quite a beautiful camping spot with Tehipte Dome keeping guard just over our shoulders.

photo by Bo Wallace

Fuzzy, our team Kiwi, found a good fishing hole and brought in four nice sized trout with his hand made pole.

Bo Wallace

The team was also treated to a beautiful rainbow crossing a red, sunset sky between the granite walls.

photo by Toby MacDermott

Day four on the river was a long one, the infamous bottom nine: nine miles of class five + that seems to gone on forever.
Amos wide-eyed in the bottom nine:

photo by Bo Wallace

We were in and out of our boats all day, scouting and bombing:

photo by Bo Wallace

Amos and I in and out again:

photo by Bo Wallace

Polk and Robin portaging:

photo by Toby MacDermott

The coolest portage/sneak of day four, not to say that we didn't run a whole lot of big rapids, was an exit through a sieve at the "cave rapid."

Mefford dropping in to the sieve:

photo by Bo Wallace

Robin same:

photo by Bo Wallace

We camped just below the confluence of the Middle and South Fork on the Kings River proper. Our last day was another bombing mission with double the flow we had on the Middle Kings; so not a lot of pictures for all the rapids we ran on the day.
Here is Toby dropping in to a goodun':

photo by Bo Wallace

All in all the trip was an incredible experience for each of us. Two days of hiking, five river days, and too many rapids to count.

That's the love for now.

middle fork of the kings begins with ground support

2005-08-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

The crew (from left to right) Mefford, Riley, Bo, Amos, Fuzzy, Robin, Toby, Polk, and I (photographer) hiked into the John Muir Wilderness area in the Inyo National Forest on Monday after deciding to hike gear the 12 miles or so into the Middle Fork of the Kings river instead of using mules.

photo by Shanna
Whew, it took two grueling days, but it happened and the crew was able to put on the river on Wednesday. This is Amos hiking in the Dusy Basin.

photo by Shanna
We hiked up and over Bishop Pass (12,000ft), down into and past the Dusy Basin to the Middle Fork of the Kings river. Some of the crew hiked all of their gear in one load, and some did two loads. There is no concensus yet on which way is better.
Dusy Basin

photo by Shanna
With three going back for round two, one ahead, and one behind, Mefford, Amos, Polk and I decided to stop just inside Dusy Basin and camp. As you can see from Mefford's bug net, the mosquitos were brutal here. DEET doesn't even work, I broke down and tried.

photo by Shanna
This marmot was very curious of the crew at camp one, I didn't even need the big lens.

photo by Shanna
This photo of me was taken just below where the river crew put in on the Middle Fork of the Kings river.

photo by Mefford
I had the pleasure of hiking to the confluence of the Middle Kings and Palisade Creek. The water in Palisade creek was too high to cross safely so I decided to camp at the confluence for the night. What a great spot. The mosquitos were the least terrible of the whole trip. I had a fire, read a lot of my book, did some yoga (on a rock overlooking a great slide rapid that the team had run earlier) and just relaxed.

I was visited by a doe and two fawns this evening, the animals here are very curious of people, not afraid or a nuissance, but curious. Pretty awesome, gives one the opportunity to co-exist with the animals in their own habitat, I was only a visitor after all.

The trip for me was 5 days of backpacking. I had a great experience, I will never again carry 8 backpack systems for 15 miles in 2 days though, too much weight. I have also never had such bad blisters on my feet. I am glad I could help though.
Blisters (interesting photos to take by yourself)

photo by Shanna
SWWEEETTTT FEET!

photo by Shanna
Me with a backpack full of....backpacks?

photo by Mefford
I was able to slow down and enjoy the moments. I was also completely present in what I was doing and would have rather been no where else.

Wildflowers on the north side of Bishop Pass

photo by Shanna

Now I am slowly making my way to the takeout at Pine Flat Reservoir. I posted some blog stuff in Bishop yesterday, slept in Polks van at the Tenaya Lodge south of Yosemite last night and now I am blogging in Oakhurst north of Fresno. It's hot out there, no reason to hurry.
Blogging

Please leave us comments on the blog and let us know what you think. Please make all comments PG.

the yo-yo effect

2005-07-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

After deciding to adventure on our own following the West Cherry Creek Expedition, Shanna and I set out towards Ventura, CA to start some preliminary odds and ends work for Naturalist at Large. Although our jobs don't start officially until August 25th, we called in to the office and were granted some work in the warehouse--restacking, packing, and resupplying for the upcoming season.
Ventura is a small town far enough outside of LA that the town hasn't assumed the hectic insanity which cities of LA's size inevitably have. The cool sea breezes move in to drop the day and evening temperatures to very comfortable mid 80's highs and 60's lows.
Our time in Ventura was enjoyable, the work not too mind numbing, but we were on the road again as a late night call from Amos Shuman changed all plans with the words: "Middle Kings is dropping in."
The Middle Fork of the Kings river is an epic trip: a day-long 15 mile hike in to LaConte Canyon over 12,000 ft. high Bishop Pass, followed by five days of continuous whitewater.
Polk Deters has joined the usual crew of Mefford, Robin, Toby, and Amos with Shanna running ground support, and Mr. Deters is more than fired-up as he has been pursuing this particular river unsuccessfully for the past eight California whitewater seasons.
The unpredictability of the river's fluctuating flow that has resulted in Polk's frustrations until this year has the crew chilling and killing time in Bishop waiting for our adventure to drop into the perfect water levels.

Until those levels are reached we will be pursuing all possible mischief in the area.

photo by Robin Betz

south silver

2005-07-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Left off the blog completely we didn't tell our story of the often paddled south silver creek.
The put-in slide, Autobaun. Shanna enjoying her ride down in a borrowed boat.

photo by Mefford Williams

Still sliding.

photo by Mefford Williams

Still Sliding

photo by Mefford Williams

Further down the river we found our way into the tea-cups. Shanna enjoyed the tea-cup section more than Amos, Toby, or myself. (Upside down in the wrong spot is always ; ) fun.)

photo by Mefford Williams

The day before we hiked-in late in the evening to high water levels, which ended in a hike-out immediately following autobaun, the put-in slide. This day the water was still a little high, but we pushed through 'til past the portage after sky scraper rapid(not pictured).

Stay tuned for more adventures. Same blog time. Same blog channel.

success monkey

2005-07-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

After a long and hard fought struggle the photos are once again working.

photo by Mefford Williams

shanna's epic south fork merced adventure

2005-07-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

Happy to be back safe and sound! The South Fork Merced proved to be an epic overnight adventure. The crew (Robin, Mefford, Amos, Toby and I) put in on July 7 for what would prove to be one of my lifes most challenging adventures so far. July 7 was a typical California summer day...Freekin Hot and sunny. We put on and paddled 8 miles of the most challenging whitewater I have experienced with everyone boat scouting. It was an awesome day with lunch on a beach a really long slide called superslide and an eddy I couldn't paddle out of. After drying and organizing gear, eating dinner and setting up home for the night Mefford and I called it a good day and slept comfortably on our little sand dune. Bright and early the next morning we awoke to a feeling of tension and stress. Three of the 10 or so kayaks that were parked neatly behind a rock, had floated down stream in the night when the water came up. My brand new Jefe was part of that band of fugitive kayaks and had taken all of my gear with it. This left me with one option. Have myself a pity party, grab some supplies(chosing not to take a sleeping bag) and start hiking the 8 miles upstream to the put-in. I hiked, climbed, scrambled, jumped, cried, swam, yelled and fought my way as far up stream as I could until it got dark. I encountered 2 rattlesnakes, 1 lizzard, 2 piles of bear poo and some bear tracks before building a fire to keep warm by at night. Should have taken the sleeping bag.
Mefford and I ended up resting about 200 meters away from each other for about 2 hours before dawn broke when Mefford found me and walked with me back to the put-in where we called the forest service to call off the missing person search that would begin for me at 6:30am. I was well other than being exhausted, aching, and knowing I had romped through lots of poison oak. It was a challenging adventure in that I performed many feats without gear that I would have been scared to perform with gear and I spent a cold night in an unfamiliar place by myself. Very invigorating and confidence inspiring in afterthought. I would like to thank Robin for her generosity of letting me borrow her Nike ACG booties. I couldn't have done it so safely without them. Thanks Robin, I love ya girl! I also want to thank Amos for paddling my new slightly modified Jefe out of the gorge and the crew for also recovering my sprayskirt and an elbowpad. Don't have any photos of this adventure...next time.

south fork of the merced preview

2005-07-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Adventures have been left and right since the Royal Gorge, from vacationing at Ed and Suzanne's in Sacramento on one end of the comfort spectrum to our epic on the South Fork of the Merced.

The Merced River drainage falls west out of Yosemite on it's way to the Pacific Ocean. We drove in to the area and spent an afternoon swimming and playing around in Bear Creek, the site of my epic adventure earlier in the summer.

Smiles had by all:

photo by Mefford Williams

photo by Shanna Powell

The much lower water level allowed us to literally crawl into the waterfall and climb up inside a pothole behind and to the right of the veil.

photo by Toby MacDermott

On July 7th we set shuttle and drove into Yosemite to put-in at the only legal put-in within the park's boundaries, leaving one car down at the take-out: the confluence of the South Fork and the Main Merced.

Our trip down the South Fork would turn out to be quite an adventure. Stay tuned for Shanna's version of this overnighter turned double overnighter extravaganza.

disaster monkey

2005-07-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we are currently experiencing technical difficulties with posting photos. We've been hesitant to put up the stories we've finished writing and photo-ing but have decided to post sans photos until we solve our problems.
Just think of it as extra incentive to read. Thanks for staying tuned-in; we have our best staff working 'round the clock to bring only the best to you dedicated subscribers.

royal gorge-the paddling perspectives

2005-07-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American is not the section most California map readers know; we put-on far upstream in illegal territory.
Robin, Amos, Toby, and I have just finished our three day river adventure which featured among other excitements: trespassing, boofing, plugging, seal-launching, and general river schinanigans.

photo by Mefford Williams

Our first day featured beautiful box canyons in dark basaltic rock in the early morning cold, emerging into white granite and the hot California sunshine by mid-day. Around two-o'clock we arrived where Shanna hiked in: Rattlesnake Falls, and set up shop for the night. After putting on at 6:30am, we were ready for some serious chillin' time.

photo by Toby MacDermott

One of the previously mentioned river schinanigans included a first day broken boat. My well traveled blue GUS had seen better days and needed to be held together with duck tape and zip-ties to handle its eight inch crack in the hull. With good impromptu repair skills and a little imagination we held her together for the three day trip:
Here I am breathing some life into the old girl:

photo by Toby MacDermott

For the second day we had some quality rapids with a clean twenty footer for breakfast and a mandatory twenty foot plus plugger for brunch, that we each enjoyed greatly.
Amos, brunch:

photo by Toby MacDermott

Robin, same:

photo by Toby MacDermott

Stopping for a group photo to signify our first multi-day river expedition, we set the timer on Toby's camera:

Goofing off, of course, was impossible to avoid as we mocked an IR add by another south eastern local:

photo by Toby MacDermott

That's the love for now. Look forward to more adventure stories and pictures later.

california class-five ground support

2005-06-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

What is she doing with those huge pinecones?

photo by Mefford Williams

Onto California, we met up with Robin and Becky at Lake Tahoe. Strange little tourist town with good, happy hour, 3 year anniversary sushi. The four of us headed over to Coloma where we paddle a few sections of the American river in a sort of scattered manner. From Coloma, Robin joined us in the van and we headed over to Yuba Gap where we met up with Amos and Toby.

Yuba Gap put-in

photo by Shanna Powell

I hiked in and shot some photos before running shuttle.

Mefford running 2nd big drop on Yuba Gap

photo by Shanna Powell

Robin running rapid after 1st portage

photo by Shanna Powell

Once into the gorges, the boys and Robin found many big rapids, slides, and other enjoyable aspects to the 10 1/2 hour long day.
Mefford running the first slide of one of the inner gorges of the run.

photo by Toby MacDermott

Heading Andrew Holcombe's advice, we were "weary of the bolder gardens." The crew on one of a few portages on the day.

photo by Toby MacDermott

For the next few days, I'll be ground support for the Royal Gorge of the South Fork of the American. After dropping the crew off on Monday, trespassing on private land, I hiked into Rattlesnake to meet up with the crew before running shuttle. I waited for 6 hours after I dropped them off and when they didn't show, I shot some photos and headed for the 2.5 hour hike out. (Note, when hiking into Rattlesnake, take 3 waters and a good lunch). I was wasted when I got to the top, and hoping they hadn't been arrested. As of Tuesday at 1:30pm, no call from jail.

Drops above the bridge.

photo by Shanna Powell

Rattlesnake Falls

photo by Shanna Powell

On a different note, since this blog is para la familia, I will be spending the night with relatives who live near Orange Vale, California. I really appreciate the time I have running shuttle to spend with them, and look forward to seeing them for the first time in California as well as for the first time in probably 10 years or so. Thanks a bunch Cousins Ed and Suzanne.

wild west adventuring and the long awaited reunion

2005-06-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Teaching took me all the way to my first view of the Pacific Ocean. I spent one week outside of Santa Cruz in the beautiful costal redwood forests.
A walk on the Pacific beach of California.

photo by Mefford Williams
After my teaching obligations were finished I was ready to hunt down Shanna and rescue her from the "Lealandria" mess that her post Salmon River road trip had become. Shanna spent a long week in the back of Leland and Andria's van, sharing her space with Hudson, the dog, who at one point had a fragrant showdown with a skunk.
Needless to say I was on my way to pick up my baby quickly. The drive from Yosemite to Boulder, CO was long (31 hours) but scenic.
Some where in Utah.

photo by Mefford Williams

First stop was Salida to meet-up with Philly, Yonton, and the in town whitewater playpark.

photo by Philly Williams

From here we cruised toward Crested Butte, CO and the amazing whitewater of Oh-Be-Joyful Creek. Free camping at the take-out of a one mile run that drops a total of 400 vertical feet: we were in heaven. The only downside being that unless you have a four-wheel-drive rig, you're walking to the put-in.

Shanna making good use of the back-yak system. Thanks JEB Hall for Mefford's fabulous graduation gift.

photo by Mefford Williams
The run starts off with a clean fifteen footer, only 4 meters from where you put your skirt on. Other highlights include a clean 25 footer and the bottom slide section called: "Avalanche".
While in Crested Butte, we met up with a hilarious duo from the east coast: Will and Mark. Will is a Green River boater and Mark is a familiar face from all over the southeast's rivers. The two are spending the first half of the summer cruizing in Will's '89 diesel Mercedes wagon, following the whitewater and teasing each other and anyone they boat with.

Here are the super heroes getting ready at the Upper East put-in, another Crested Butte local run we combined with a double on Oh-Be-Joyful to fill a long summer day in Colorado.

photo by Mefford Williams

Unfortunately we were having too much fun to take photos on the rivers, themselves. Oh well...maybe next year.
From Crested Butte we made our way to Durango to visit with Toon and Dunbar and try to get the car fixed. Hanging out was a success, fixing the car was not. With an estimate from the Durango shop, "Affordable Automotive", of $1200, we decided to take our chances with the car and wait for a less expensive fix.
In Durango we enjoyed some quality mountain biking as well as a tricky wave we surfed in this town's playpark.

photo by Toon

Also near Durango is the classic, Lime Creek. We had quite an adventure here with a team swim and of course the fabulous "Adrenaline Falls". Adrenaline is a great name for this 2 and a half foot wide, 25 foot tall waterfall.
Shanna got some great shots of me dropping in:

photo by Shanna Powell
So much fun, I had to run it twice.

photo by Shanna Powell
But of course Shanna's silly boyfriend missed her run. This, however, is what you feel like at the bottom of Adrenaline Falls:

photo by Mefford Williams
The last rapid on Lime Creek is called "Dragon's Back": a fourteen foot waterfall with a tricky entrance, and as Shanna, Will Lyons, and Jason Eights found out, a hole at the bottom worthy of swimming away from (especially when your surfing along with two other boaters and their boats).
Here are the three proud members of the Lime Creek Swim team:

photo by Mefford Williams

Shanna and I then revisited the playpark scene in Buena Vista, CO. on our way toward Evergreen and eventually Shanna's fast approaching work date.
Shanna throwing down as usual:

photo by Mefford Williams

While she wasn't killing it in on the wave, Shanna also took some time to snap some of me, also killing it:

photo by Shanna Powell

In the parking lot of the whitewater park, we cooked up a mean dinner while the sun set behind the rocky and still snow covered mountains:

photo by Mefford Williams
From here we fixed the car in Evergreen, CO much thanks to the hospitality of Shelley and Brandt Swankey and their 16 month old, Julia. Only $300 to fix the van here, and we exited the garage with T-minus 3 hours before Shanna officially started work with The Road Less Traveled.

We packed our summer storage unit and said our sad good-byes in Monument, CO. Shanna heads on to unknown adventures, for an unknown amount of time, in an unknown place while I head to California for the much less mysterious High Sierra whitewater.

Stay tuned for more stories and images from your favorite traveling pair (even while they're apart). In closing here's a shot of the great blue heron we happened upon near O-B-J:

photo by Mefford Williams

california for meffordia

2005-06-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

The beautiful river valleys of eastern California:

photo by Mefford Williams

On the way to work in Yosemite I had the chance to run two sections of the Kaweah River near Three Rivers, CA: the North Fork and the Upper North Fork. The Upper featured a fabulous uphill hike; the breathtaking views more than made up for the breathtaking hiking.

photo by Mefford Williams

Also in this area of california is a tree (the name of which is still unknown to me) that I became enchanted with and had to share a photo:

photo by Mefford Williams

One of the days of paddling featured some Irish youngsters who are over in the states to kayak, kill time, and generally expand their horizons. Quite talented in this kind of yo-yo-ing as well; some very entertaining take-out antics.

photo by Mefford Williams

My travels then finished in Yosemite where I began teaching outdoor environmental education for Naturalists at Large in the most beautiful place I've ever been:

photo by Mefford Williams

photo by Mefford Williams

That's the love for now. Stay tuned: same blog time, same blog channel.

photo by Shanna Powell

the beginning

2005-06-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

photo by Mefford Williams
Welcome to the travels of Mefford Williams. In May of 2005, I left Asheville, NC to embark on an excursion of limitless possibilities first to California to begin teaching. This blog was created and will be maintained as a journal of my activities. My purpose and driving motivation behind the blog is to allow my families to have easy access to stories and photos of each and every one of my adventures where ever they may be: hence the name--para la familia.