Groundhog Day!

Ever seen the movie Groundhog Day?

For those that haven't, Bill Murray is a meteorologist that gets stuck in a time warp.  He is on a dreaded special assignment covering Groundhog Day in Punxatawney, PA.  Every morning - 6:00am flashes on the alarm clock followed by the radio announcer "Good Morning - It's Groundhog Day!!!"

Working seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, I kind of get that time warp feeling.  Getting up and doing bookkeeping and sending email confirmations followed by answering the phone, renting out kayaks, teaching kayaking, and guiding tours.


In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray was stuck in Groundhog Day until he got things right.  It is fun guiding some of the same trips a little differently each day.  Of course the wildlife is wildlife and varies.


We also get to mix things up a bit guiding quiet wildlife watching tours on the Noyo ,

 (wildlife watching people or people watching wildlife?)

teaching whitewater of the sea (rock gardening in whitewater kayaks),


and guiding sea kayak rock gardening and coastal exploration trips along different stretches of the Mendocino Coast.

And getting to play in the surf zone.  Perhaps my time warp is improving my surfing skills.

It's not a bad thing, but I am definitely looking forward to September when I might get a leisurely morning at home with a cup of tea, a good book, and Tom Cat in my lap or maybe even a multi-day kayak surf safari.

If you call Liquid Fusion Kayaking after Labor Day, don't be surprised if you get a voicemail message - "Gone Surfing."

Women on Water

It was a Monday night in April 2008.  Liquid Fusion Kayaking on the Mendocino Coast was in its infancy.  Jeff was on the American River doing an ACA whitewater training with Mary DeRiemer of DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking.

We had started doing Monday Night Social Paddles in the Noyo Bay so I went down with my sea kayak to see if anyone showed up to paddle.  Angie and her mom Karen were there.  The 3 of us went out for an evening paddle along the Fort Bragg Coastline.

After the paddle, we enjoyed some TOB's on the beach and Karen offered up a toast to Women on Water.  This was the evening that inspired my Women on Water blog.

Karen returned to Ohio the next day.  Angie remained in Fort Bragg.  (We had many adventures and misadventures kayaking and diving on the Mendocino Coast until she moved to Colorado in December.)

4 years later in April 2012, Jeff and I were at Lees Ferry helping our group rig rafts for our trip down the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.  As we were rigging, another group was launching.  We saw two familiar women on the water paddling their whitewater kayaks.  Brief hugs and hellos were shared and they were off.  We passed them briefly several times during the trip.  Here they are running House Rock Rapid.



We passed them several times on the river.  Finally, Angie and I had time to catch up on the patio of Deer Creek.


And the tales of  women on water continue . . .