Hey gang,
So close and yet so far! Arg! I was flying back from a paddle trip off of Vancouver Island. My route home had me flying Seattle to Boston and then on to DC. (kids at Grandparents) I brought my GPS unit which I plastered it to the window.

Well, on the Boston to DC route (as I told Nick feared I would) I flew nearly right over you all having such fun. (just west at angle of about 15 degrees if you looked skyward. at 24 442 feet. I even took out my the binoculars, I Keep on my life jacket. I could see boats and fun, but not much more. Next time I'll have to pack a chute! I guess I'll have to catch up with you all at Rendezvous in hte fall.

Hard to miss the meet at da Beach, but all you North Westers have a real Jewel to paddle out there.

Chip and Darren Thanks for helping me find rentals in the NW. I ended up using a group called Boundary Bay in White Rock BC. I recommend them. They have a web site WWW.boundarybay.com They had a great assortment of boats and great service.

I saw several fantastic wooden boats out there. Mostly Pygmy Ospreys and Terns. Great craftsmanship. Its not my next set of builds, but eventually a suitcase packable SOF is going to have to go on the list of boats to build. Renting Tupperware is fine, but I found myself envying my buddy's Dyson Bidarka and all the wooden boats I saw.

Here is a slice of life for ya. On the last night the bioluminescent Noctoluca was really intense. I couldn't keep myself on the beach, so I went for a huge night paddle enjoying the bioluminescent glow in our wakes, on our bow waves and with each dip of our paddle. The biolumincense was so thick that our paddles glowed on the return parts of our stroke.. out of the water! The fish startled by the boat darted off like fizzing fireworks or missiles under the boat. The Moon Jellys were like light bulbs turning on and off. Through all of this, a pack of coyotes was howling. Mars nearer then ever right now was so bright that it was leaving a red trail across the water. There is truly magic in this universe. And a Yak is a great way to be a part of it.

Ah well I thought I'd give you the Aerial view of the meet at da beach. See ya all on the board and at Rendevous

Paddle on

!RUSS