I’m not really sure when the idea became a goal, but the idea came about while sitting on the couch discussing our respective pasts. Sarah grew up in Salinas and always had a romantic interest in Monterey Bay and the ocean. I grew up in Kodiak and spent my youth and into my 20s commercial fishing. The conversation spiraled and pretty soon we were discussing water born adventures that would take us around the world.
Pretty quickly the discussion went from romanticizing about waking up in a secluded cove to the practicality of leaving our jobs and creating a vagabonding lifestyle. What to do with the house? What do to with the van? We don’t want to sell all our gear, so that will need to be stored somewhere, and of course we need money to buy a boat.
At the time Sarah was living in her house on South Hill in Spokane (The Sumac House), and I was in the home we share today (Princeton Manor or The Dick House depending on which street you parked on). We knew we were going to consolidate to a single home, and so we set about getting her house ready to sell. This was our first time taking on a project like this together and in the past both of us had become accustomed to home projects as solo endeavors.
The Remodel
Didn’t take a lot of looking to realize we had a bit of work ahead of us to have the Sumac house ready to go on the market. The project included new siding on the entire South elevation and part of the East elevation, completely rebuilding the deck and replacing the deck stairs, remodeling the downstairs bathroom, and trim pretty much everywhere.
We were able to carve out a long weekend over July 4th to do the siding and while it meant day time highs in the 90s, it also meant early sunrise and late sunset, so we were able finish the siding in one 4 day weekend.
The deck was completed over a few weekends later in the summer, and the balance of the work was done over the winter with the plan of getting it on the market once things picked up in the spring.
Well, spring came, and we listed the home with friend Rick Richard, and it sold in one weekend!
Finding Balance
I have a tendency to obsess over the new thing…
If it’s a project I start, I’m all in, and all other things are swept aside. When I was racing motorcycles and mountain bikes, everything was about the next race. The fun I had just riding with friends lost in the excitement of the next start line. When remodeling my house, I will tear into the project. Every evening, every weekend, every spare hour spent working. Eventually burnt out and detached from the things I actually enjoy.
Now the goal of finding our way onto the ocean and exploring new coastlines from the deck of a sailboat is never far from the front of my mind. Of course there are countless projects to complete, and things that need to happen to attain this goal. However, amidst the focus and drive to make this new thing happen, a goal of mine is to maintain my engagement and excitement without losing sight of the present.
The answer? Finding balance!
SOOOOOO WE:
Bought Kayaks and took a road trip through British Colombia!
Well, not exactly like that. We knew we wanted kayaks, but after much research, we settled on Delta, and since they were made in BC, there is no import duty, and the US dollar is worth about $1.30 CAD, we decided to buy them in Canada.
Bikes in Rossland, paddling in Arrow Lake, camping on Oyama Lake with a lake front spot and fresh caught trout for breakfast, checking out the trestles and tunnels on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, more bikes in Penticton, the famous Half Nelson trail in Squamish, our first open ocean paddle across Welcome Passage and around South Thormanby Island, a final ride exploring the B&K trail system, and a stop off at the Big 4 Ice Cave on the way home.
We decided that paddling on Lake Powell would be a grand idea!
All indications were that October is a wonderful time of year to be in a kayak on Lake Powell, and the idea of exploring the long wandering slot canyons by kayak was more than we could pass up.
Our experience is a story for another day, but our 6 day trip ended up being three and we found ourselves exploring Brian head and Lake Tahoe with the days not spent on the water.
As is often the case, it ended up being one for the books. Brian head in the fall is incredible with the groves of white aspen with bright yellow leaves. Cedar Breaks Monument was a completely unexpected surprise and Lake Tahoe’s Flume trail is short and not especially challenging, but the view makes the climb at elevation worth it.
Desolation Sound was on our list from when we first started looking at kayaks.
Details were thin, but we hatched a plan that would have us on the Curme Islands for week in July. It meant a day and a half of driving, an early morning departure from Okeover, and a 12 mile paddle to “home” for the next four nights, day paddles exploring the area, and a 12 mile paddle back to the van. The trip was incredible. Every day was sunny with highs in the 80s, there was no wind to speak of, and boat traffic was only in the distance. We did have the constant company of yellow jackets, but they were after our food, and paid us little attention. One day, we even ventured across Homfray channel to Refuge Cove and treated ourselves to frosty cocktails and lunch.
Stay tuned for a detailed write up as well as all the details you need to explore the area safely.
We managed to squeeze in one more fall trip back to the Sunshine coast with friends and a focus on mountain bikes.
Having done one loop at B&K previously, we knew we need to go back and that we had barely scratched the surface of what was there to ride.
We threw the idea out there, and three close friends bit. we would all congregate in Porpoise Bay campground. from there, we did day trips to a couple local riding areas including B&K, got in some incredible paddle boarding on Welcome Passage with a surprise visit from a pod of Orca, and got to see the wave form at Skookumchuck Narrows.
We will have a full write up on B&K coming soon with suggested routes, and all the details.
But what about the sailing?
Well, it’s been a work in progress. In the coming weeks, we’ll walk you through it. From cats to monohulls. Aft cockpits to center cockpits, and deck salons. Keels, rudders, masts and transoms – the list goes on. Hours of watching YouTube videos, visits to yacht brokers and asking every question we can think of. It’s a process, yes—but it’s also a journey. We’re loving it, and we can’t wait to share it with you.