East Side Flyer!

 Had a belated birthday blast recently with a quick run to the east side for some fly fishing on the Lower Owens River.  Middle of February and the forecast was 70 degrees with little wind.  Yep, that is exactly what we got till late in the day and Saturday night when some fercious winds churned up.  Still had a blast nonetheless and enjoyed the shelter and comfort of our year old Lance Camper travel trailer. 



Dad, Seanyboy, Korndog, and yours truly for a quick photo leaving the house.  6 hour drive ahead Friday afternoon...

 

Seanyboy on the Lower O on the first day getting his game on chucking bugs.  Very quickly he landed a typically beautiful Lower O brown trout.  This never gets old to him...

 

Like I said, this never gets old and its like a wonderful surprise ever cast and land...

 

 Korndog, Seanyboy and Johnny O grooving...

My dad in the honey hole with John just below in another pocket.

Sunny wading in February.

Crazy landscape on the east side.  The backdrop just begs watching.  Gods handiwork in living color...

 

Love these trips even if short and exhausting.  Big thanks to my dad for sharing this wonderland with me as a child and placing this seed in me at a young age.  I hope to do the same for my son and friends as they experience it with me.

 

Thanks for reading friends and family.  We love you much.

Martin Family Surfing

My brother and I have always loved the water and surfed since a young age.  We just loved being in the water, and every kind be it rivers, lakes, and ocean experiences.  We hope to pass on the baton to my kids and have them enjoy it and make it part of their life experience.  Here is a long overdue post and photograph back in early summer in Ventura.

I promised the kids some level of safari this summer which now includes Ventura this weekend and then North San Diego in August.  Looking very much forward to the times...

(Seanyboy, Amber, yours truly, and big Sean)

Praise God for these experiences and family times.  Hope you all are having a great summer...

Seanyboy's First Rifle

This past Sunday, Seanyboy and I had a moment to go fire his new rifle.  What a great time at the Hogue Gun Club in San Luis Obispo.  Spent the first 30 minutes calibrating his red-dot scope.  Got it close enough for his range of shooting.  We had a great time as men together...

Seany boy in action on his Marlin Model 60

A viewpoint on range...

The tools of the day...

This experience of gifting my son a firearm provides much good.  Not only will he learn how to expertly handle his rifle, he will experience extremely important lessons in safety, discipline, respect, care, and humility.  My upbringing was much the same way and the tradition will be shared as best I can.  In time he will also grow to understand the important freedom and the stewardship that it comes with.

Much thanks to my dad for his training and care for me in these areas.  I look forward to continuing that same family tradition with my children.  

Great time with my son this past Sunday.  He was glowing with excitement of the experience and really did well with the instruction, safely and respectfully.  Looking forward to more together...

Thanks for reading...

14 Degrees on the Lower O

During a recent Eastern Sierra visit and family vacation, had an early morning moment to cut loose on the Lower Owens River for a little fly fishing.  Had a least 6 lands and several other hook ups.  Beautiful scenery, great time with Johnny O, and fun just enduring the 14 degree temps.

A little video to show the landscape and experience...

2012 L3S ADVENTURE

2012 L3S ADVENTURE, a set on Flickr.

This post shares Lukes 9th birthday and the fun all of us men and our sons had. We had the great fortune of having 4 cousins and their fathers camp together and Lopez Lake. Mike Easter and had a special experience for the boys in store and our pre-planning did not dissapoint.

We designed an adventure race course for the boys complete with compass navigation, map reading, mountain biking, trail running, swimming, special tests, weapon shooting (sling shot) and generally working as a cohesive team.  They had a surprise challenge at the end to "leave no injured men behind."  The course had 7 check points (CP's) and covered much ground that took these young men nearly 2-1/2 hours to complete the course.  They were rewarded honorably by Mike Easter in a ceremony and were each given a personal "dog tag" complete with their name, date of birth, and instead of blood type, their favorite scripture on the tag.  Mike gave them a knowledge of the history surrounding the dog tags.

We had a fine time as men that weekend.  It was sad to see it come to an end.  We ate together, told stories, laughed, shared life, and simply enjoyed being the men God designed us to be.  We truly hope we are giving our boys experience and skill to be adventurous with basic skills in working in community with other men, especially in the outdoors.  It reaches them much, and provides a desire for fitness and athleticism outside conventional sport formats.  We hope they got a glimpse and a building passion for the outdoors.

Big thanks to Mike Easter for bringing the idea together and giving the boys a very special weekend.  It had a profound affect on my son Sean who loved the time of adventure and spending time with the men and boys.

The Men and Their Sons (from left to right: James and Levi, Mike and Luke, Greg and Liam, Jeff and Sean)

Praise God for these men and boys.  By His grace, we will finish the job he gave us in raising these young men.

Korn Dog's Toad

Fishing is brutal at times when around your buddies.  We all encourage, laugh, and have fun together when enjoying this special past time.  But when it comes to the record keeping, the contempt and questioning attitude comes out.  Language, "I don't recall that fish you speak of, do you have a picture?"

Poor guy had no reminding evidence of one of the biggest lands of the trip.  Well here we go - evidence landed!

All smiles.  20" German Brown Trout on the East Walker. Nice job Korn Dog.  We really enjoyed having you out there!

Family Mountain Bike Video

This video kind of cracks me up...

New MTB Trail - Lopez Lake

The newly opened trail and Lopez Lake is awesome.  Switch backs, quick climbs, great descending and banks all in tree cover to being over the water at eleveation.  This picture is the treat at the turn around looking at Pismo Dunes and the ocean in the distance.  So cool.

Be careful though, PO factor is tough and it will take a while for them to trim it back...

Easter Break 2012

Crazy how each Easter Break is starting to connect.  Many have passed, and perhaps a half dozen to experience until the kids have different interest and responsibilities.  Not that many left...

I am sitting at home reflecting and journaling a few things.  We recently planned to go to Sycamore Canyon Campground and then to Refugio Campground.  Because of the recent late season storms, we only experienced the first and decided as a family not to set up at Refugio to a muddy and soggy mess.  We came home two days early and will remain on vacation, even if only in spirit.

The couple of days we enjoyed were jam packed and fun.  Here is some of the story.

Day 1 - packed early and headed south to Sycamore Campground.  After getting set up, the kids wanted to go to our family surfing beach, aka Zeros or Nicholas Canyon State Beach.  For some reason, each time we visit, a southwest wave pulse arrives and get to enjoy this place.  Warm sun, surfing, and just some fun before heading back to the camp for dinner preparation.  We ended the night, by fire, with open cooked burgers.  We hit the hay just as an intense rain storm arrived and made havoc through the campground.  Woke to a soggy and very wet campground and ready for day 2.

(Nicholas Canyon aka Zero's - pumping SW Swell)

(Under the Sycamores)

Day 2 - Enjoyed breakfast together, packed the bikes, and headed south to Santa Monica to spend the afternoon on the bike path and see where Mom arrived on the west coast ala Venice Beach, CA.  Had a blast tooling around, remembering places my dad took us when I was a kid, and then hit the pier at the constant request from my children to try a ride, and then the treat of the day - lunch at Lulas.  Jenn took us to a place she worked while early in college.  Truly the best mexican cuisine I have ever had.  Jenn said hello to several workers who remembered her from 18 years ago!  We returned to the campground and the girls watched a movie together while resting.  Sean and I took on adventuring up the canyon after some of the trails finally dried out.  At the end of the day, we prepared a camp roast to simmer, and then I took a road ride for an hour and climbed Yerba Buena - dang steep and tough descent.  Fun active end of the day and returned back to get the camp ready for dinner.  Awesome day indeed.

(Santa Monica Pier)

(Lulas - Santa Monica)

(Seany boy scrambling the mountains)

Day 3 - Woke early and got breakfast going to prepare the kiddos for a ride up the canyon.  The mud was mild and doable but still presented some challenges.  Nonetheless very fun and the kids rode very well.  Amber was throttling it on the way in and I think I have her talked into a mountain bike race!  We packed up and hit the road to head to Refugio Beach.  We arrived to standing water 2-3" deep in pouring rain.  After tearful disappointment from the kiddos, we pulled the plug with the looming forecast of no improvement and headed home.

(heading up the canyon)

(My little proteges)

Some special observations:

• Sycamore Canyon has no electronic availability, cell coverage, or wifi.  You are forced to go old school.
• Many things to do.  Mountain biking, surfing, hiking, and scenery. 
• Parrots everywhere!  They must have been imported many years ago.
• Let your kids see the City so they can see other lives, and so many different lives in general.  San Luis Obispo, for better or for worse, limits experience and life perspective.
• Camping makes families engage and this experience was no exception, even if only a few days.
• You can see why the Chumash called this their home!

Great time indeed and grateful for Gods blessing in this family time.

Central Coast Adventure Race

I recently thought that All Out Events cancelled the local sprint events.  After some quick research, it appears the Lopez version is still on in August and the former Santa Margarita event is limited only to the 12 hour event.  My daughter expressed the desire to complete an event, and we plan to complete the August sprint course together.  So cool...

I already thought of our new team name "the daddy daughter dance."

To call this a race, maybe correct.  But a better description is an event.  While in the early days of adventure racing, the participants were highly competetive, the majority of the participants these days are doing the event for the experience and not for the win.  Nothwithstanding there are many teams there to compete, and excellent athletes to compete with, the majority are not.

I think this video shows the spirit and fun of these events and actually shows a lot of action with the team consisting of me and Korey last year.  Watch it and join, get excited, and join us this year...

Important Note - Unless they can get 200 participants by April, the event will be cancelled.  Here is the website if you are curious.  http://www.ccadventure.com/llsprint/

Outdoor Fun in the New Year

TJ, Seany Boy, Papa, and yours truly went target shooting this past Monday.  What a blast.  TJ sported his new shotgun and we brought a quiver with us.  Dad was the best on the pistol.  TJ was ruling the shotguns.  Seany boy nailed some targets as well...

What a great time indeed.  I love that we get to experience our rights to bear arms and train our children in that tradition.  We should not take these freedoms for granted.  We must maintain these freedoms with good will and stewardship.  When we were done, we left no trace of being there...

Praise God for these times...

Lopez Pedalin

Desert adventure fun...

This is how we roll...

Fathers Day Fun 2011 - Lopez Adventure Challenge

Got to experience the 2011 Lopez ARS with my good friend and boss, Rudy.  The weather and race did not dissapoint and the race directors added a new special treat to the format - a zip line!

We entered the event with no expectations except to work as a team.  For the first time, Rudy and my age totaled 90 years which through us into the Masters Men mix.  Don't let the age bracket fool you, there was another very competitive team who was primed and ready to win the division.  To our surprise, we beat the other team and won the Masters Male division and hit the 2nd place spot overall...  So cool.

Rudy did a fine job and pushed himself on the MTB.  He was even kind enough to talk me through a quad cramp on the run.

It was fathers day that day.  A fitting day to exercise and take on a treat as men!  The kids and our wives had a blast and we are grateful to them all for their support to our madness.

(Yours truly going Tarzan!!!)

(The kiddos in their groove.  What a blast!)

(Rudy and Jeff 2nd Overall and First Place Masters Male)

So grateful for these special times.  Praise God for Rudy and my family for the enjoyment on this years fathers day.  Hope more of these adventures are in the future...

Central Coast Adventure Sprint - Santa Margarita 2011

Our team, "you shoulda seen the other guy," took first overall and mens division on May 15, 2011.  This picture was taken before the race and we looked all serious tough.  Truth be told, we were cold, and simply standing away from the pre-race instruction in the sun to simply get warm.  Our pre-race plan was simply go hard, have fun, use teamwork and make good decisions along the way.  We got the first three right, and suffered mild time loss in the latter - but that is exactly how adventure racing goes.  Everyone has issues along the way, you just continue to do your best.  My team mate Korey was simply on fire.  We paddled hard, rode hard, and ran hard (if you call it a run?).  It was more of a mountain climb up a waterfall canyon.  Simply amazing...  In the end, it was good enough for first overall.

I've been involved in various multi-sport activities since 1992.  Adventure races never dissapoint in the end, but you may go through the post race " I should done this or that."  No matter your placing, they are a blast, and you will be glad you did it.  I hope to do this one day with my children and set an example of a very rewarding activity.  These races are not overly selfish, as many individual sports become.  You complete the task with a person you choose to finish with - good or bad, you must complete it together as a team.  So much to this concept that words cannot explain.  Go find out for yourself.  I am thankful beyond words for this young man in my life and these experiences together.  It was truly a blessing to enjoy this day with him and see his training pay off.  Praise God for these experiences and and this special friendship.  Looking forward to more of these...

Cannel Plunge 2010

Before playing the video, hit the expand video button for full screen...

This is video of Sean's organized 2010 Cannel Plunge Ride in Kernvillle, CA.  See other posts for the survival ride on the same course in 2008.

Good job Sean and the rest of your crew!

Watch it all the way through with the music and still photos...

Junior Lifeguards - Avila Beach

Amber's hard work in early summer paid off.  She trained for the swim test, and passed it exceptionally.  Her reward was 5 weeks of junior life guard participation in Avila Beach. 

For approximately 5weeks this summer Amber woke early and participated in beach fun, fitness, and beach guard training.  Her mornings were filled with fun activities, a one mile beach run, and various other lifeguard based activities.  Her participation and enjoyment made her father and uncle very proud and she is the fourth lifeguard in our family following in the footsteps of her Uncle Sean, Aunt Donna, and her father...

She competed in many regional lifeguard competitions and I had the joy to watch her in action in Santa Barbara.  She had a blast with 250 of her buddies and nearly 2000 other competitors on the beach and I praise God for the instructors and staff that made it safe, fun, and learning for the kiddos!

Warm up in Carpenteria.  Amber in the center!

More warm ups and showing a little strain!

Amber in action ready for the long swim in SB!  Amber learned the trick for swim starts from her dad - the inside edge. 

What a blast for a ten year old.  I hope these experiences and fitness instruction sets a early desire for the outdoors and adventure.  I thank God for His creation of our oceans and these wonderful and powerful playgrounds and landscapes.  Amber - your family is very proud of you and your dedication to JG this summer and look forward to more together!

Adventures in Marriage

team  It's Bizness Time - the ultimate team - 3rd place

Jenn and I had the pleasure to recently celebrate our 13th year of marriage in participating in this years Central Coast Adventure Challenge sprint course at Lopez Lake. Korey and TT joined in the fun and it did not dissapoint and we planned to complete the course together in unison - it was aweseome the wifey did amazingly well...! 

The course consisted of kayaking, mild orienteering to each check points with map navigation, mountain biking, and a run/mountain climb complete with ropes and some minor team tests... 

A little test of teamwork, balance, thinking - the old(er) guard and the new guard.

Team It's Bizness Time with the Faciliators - along with the kiddos and nanna/papa.

Great time of fellowship, suffering, team work, and pure gutteral fun.  So proud of the wifey in her efforts.  Life and marriage is an adventure and this day was a blessing.  I praise God for our marriage "oneness" and His amazing and mysterious gift.  Looking forward to more marriage and adventure together!

Thank you Korey and TT for your friendship in all of this.  Let these experiences illustrate some of the realities of marriages - challenging, tough, messy, exhilirating, joyful, and utlimately a great gift...  Thanks for the grandparents and kiddos for giving us this moment of fun as well...

Black Canyon Adventure

The crew (Brendan, Jenn, Amber, Seany, Mom, Dad, Tim(our guide), and yours truly adventure kayaked the big horn tour up the Colorado River and the Black Canyon just below Hoover Dam. It had all the elements of our kind of trip. Adventure, challenge, good food, exercise, family, fellowship, beauty, and even some occasional rest. This trip did not disappoint and suggest you see for yourself.

CLICK THE RECENT PHOTOS VIA FLIKR TO THE RIGHT TO SEE SOME OF THE GREAT PHOTOS OF THE TRIP!!!

Pacific Coast Trail Run - TT and Big Seany Boy

Christina signed up for her first trail run at Montana De Oro State Park. The event ran today and her running pal was a no show. Her Uncle Sean decided to run along for company and to record the event. The coarse was exactly what you can see in the background - mountain goat climbs on coastal mountains 12km and 1700 feet of vertical. Very impressive run TT!

TT running towards the second ridge below Valencia Peak.

TT showing smiles with gritty determination!

Sean and TT atop Valencia Peak at a bit more than half way. You can see the rock in the background. Gods handiwork on display!

Love to see the family enjoying Gods creation and pushing the athletic endeavors. Praise God for these special times!