Minnesota MoJo

North Shore Paddling - Nov 5, 2010

2010-11-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago there was high winds forecasted for Duluth which means that there was surf waves on Lake Superior. A buddy met me up there and showed me all the good places to go. We checked out the mouth of the Lester River, Stony Break, Boulders, and Park Point. It was pretty foul weather (windy, wet, cold) but you sort of have to have that to get the waves. And with all our paddling gear on we didn't notice it too much.

The following week the North Shore got lots of rain. All the rivers were running that I'd been trying to paddle all year. And with an invitation to join a group of solid paddlers, I was back on my way up to Duluth. Saturday we paddled the Stewart River. It was a little on the shallow but we were able to make it down. The run consists of mostly 3 drops which I ran two of. One is called Plumber's Crack. Here's a video of me running it that a buddy took.

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The really neat part is that you paddle right out into Lake Superior going from whitewater in an intimate woods to open sky and an ocean sized lake. The tradition is that you have to roll in Superior. With the water being probably in the thirties, we all got ice cream headaches.

In the afternoon we ran the Baptism River from Eckbeck campground to Illgen Falls. Nobody ran Illgen since it was pumping at this level. Another great addition. More rapids in between with a few drops.

On Sunday morning we ran the Cascade River. At the first three rapids, I spent a very brief time looking at them before deciding to portage around them. Their names were Hidden Falls (long slide with two big holes in it), Discretion (appropriately named), and Moose Rock (huge rock in the middle of a long slide). The portage on Moose Rock was exhausting but I just wasn't confident about paddling it. Thankfully the rest of the river was much more manageable and I had a riot. It was still challenging and a step up from some stuff I'd been paddling but not so scary. Here's a video of me paddling one of the last slides on the river called Long John Silver. There was a rapid above the eddy I started in but to make things easier I portaged around that and just did the section in the video.

It was two great weekends of paddling up North, getting to see new rivers, and hanging out with good friends. You get a lot of laughs cramming 6 guys into 1 hotel room with a whole lot of stinky wet paddling gear.

-J

Car Repair II - Thursday, September 23

2010-09-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

So the brakes on my car started making enough noise that I couldn't ignore them anymore. I pulled it into the garage and started taking everything apart only to find that one of the slide pins was frozen in the bracket. After a lot of persuasion (first with a hammer, then a torch, then a vice grips, then some liquid wrench and a bigger hammer), it finally came out. Unfortunately the parts warehouse was closed for today so I won't get my parts until tomorrow. Now I know why most people pay to get this done.

After the brake job, I'll have to move replacing the exhaust system onto the to do list because the tailpipe broke off when I was jacking up the car to do the brakes! Although it was long overdue as my neighbor reminds me when I drive in.

Other news: Deck materials are to be delivered Friday. They can't unload in the alley and the forklift won't fit down the alley with 18' boards so they're going to drop it off in the front. We'll get to carry the boards either down the narrow side of the house or around the block to the alley ourselves. My sister volunteered to be at our place when it gets delivered since Megan and I will be at work. Oh and the reason we're getting it delivered is that when they put half of the load on top of my Volvo it sank 8" and the roof rack sagged!

We still have to figure out some spacers to compensate for our footings sinking different amounts. Lesson learned is to tamp the dirt on the bottom of the hole before you pour the concrete in.

-J

Car Repair - Sept 4

2010-09-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

So today's success story was fixing Megan's car. She'd been hearing some noises and took it in to the shop. They told her that the air conditioning compressor was going and would eventually seize up. The repair would be $1000 which was more than we wanted to spend right so we asked if we could just not fix it. No AC but that wouldn't be too bad right? Well yes but the same belt also runs the alternator so that would be a problem.

Given the mileage and age of the car we decided we still didn't want to spend that much money on the repair which meant spending even more on a new used car. We started looking online and even test drove a few from dealers to start figuring out what type of cars we could afford. It was starting to look like to get the age/mileage of car that we wanted was going to cost around $6000 unless we found a steal somewhere. Meanwhile the noises on Megan's car were getting worse so she was getting more anxious that it was going to seize up any day.

On a whim, we decided to call O'Reileys (car parts place) and see if they sold an idler pulley. Basically it would replace the compressor pulley to allow the belt to function but not be connected to anything. They didn't sell such a part for Megan's car but they suggested just getting a shorter belt and not going around the compressor. Genius, pure genius! Jason had thought about this idea but figured it must not be possible since the car mechanic that diagnosed the problem hadn't suggested it.

We got the old belt off with a bit of work and measured the length for the new one with a piece of string. Megan's little hands came in handy since there wasn't a lot of room to work. The new belt slipped in without any problems. We were a little nervous starting up the car afterward but it purred just great. Megan was elated that the grinding noise was gone. No AC but summer is mostly over anyway, right? Of course we still need to do a test drive but we don't expect any problems.

So with 2 hours and $11 we were able to postpone purchasing a new car! Now that's a good time.

Other news: We have our decking on order and today we marked where the footings will go. We're hoping the local gnomes will dig them while we sleep. Otherwise Jason will start them in the morning.

-J

Grape Juice - August 26

2010-08-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

We planted grapes to shade our deck (which is currently demolished) and they were getting ripe.
Megan decided it was time to press them since the raccoons and wasps were eating them. We cut them down and filled one side of our kitchen sink with them. It was more than we were expecting and probably 5 times what we'd harvested the year before.

The first batch we just tried throwing them directly in the small press that we had. Even after cranking it down quite a bit there were some grapes in the middle that hadn't popped. Must be that great spherical shape that transfers the pressure so well.

So on our second batch we broke the skins with a potato masher. (I had suggested we use our feet but since we weren't making wine, Megan didn't think it was such a good idea.) That seemed to do the trick and we got a lot more juice out of them without having to work as hard.

We ended up with about a gallon of juice by the end. It's sweet and a bit sugary. Pleasant to drink but a small glass is enough. You're welcome to come by and try some if you're in the neighborhood.
-J

Deck Demo - August 7

2010-08-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well the deck in our backyard was starting to rot away. There were a few places you could put your foot though it even. So we started demo on August 7. My sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces came to help. Here's a picture of things part way through.

It was a little drizzly which made things muddy once we got the floor up but we finished all the demo in one day. Unfortunately my momentum has tapered a little since and things haven't progressed but there is motivation to finish things quick for our cider party this fall.
-J

Sturgeon Falls - Manitoba, Canada

2010-08-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

So two weeks ago I took a trip to Canada with a few other paddlers (Scott, Scott, Jeff, Danielle, Bill, and Brian). It was about a 10 hour drive the the cities with two stops to switch cars/pick up paddlers. We arrived around midnight and set up camp in the dark. The next morning we got all set by 10AM and went to go check in but the office wasn't open for another hour! With no self check in we had no choice but to wait. And when we checked in we found out we'd set up our tents in the wrong site! So that was another hour delay of carrying tents to our new site. And then there was a slow paddle out on basically a lake with these waves in the distance. They didn't look so big from far away but as we got closer they got bigger. Imagine ocean waves that stay in one place and are in the middle of a lake. That's what it was like.

One of the coolest feelings was getting into the waves. You'd turn your back to the wave and be looking at this glassy lake. Slowly you'd start to feel yourself slide down into the trough. This roaring sound starts and gets louder and louder until BAM the pile of surf just hits your back and shoots you forward. The anticipation and thrill made me think of an amusement ride.

Here's a video of me surfing Chameleon (one of the waves). Scott told me to do something cool but I just couldn't perform on demand like that.

There were also surfers there that would get towed into the waves behind jet skis. Luckily the waves they liked and we liked were different so everyone got plenty of surfing. I think we were out there for 5-6 hours just surfing and hanging out. I even had packed a watermelon in my boat to share but we didn't eat that until the 2nd day.

The 2nd day was windy and rainy but with all our paddling gear on it wasn't too noticeable unless you got out of your boat. Here's a clip from that day that also has a 360 pan so you kind of get an idea of what the surroundings were like (beautiful).

WARNING: Make sure to turn your speakers down because the wind noise is really loud!

The wave behind Chameleon where you see people also surfing was called Triple S. It was another fun spot to surf and we even got 4 kayaks on it at once. There was a bit of bumper boats going on but we had fun.

There were other waves we played on too, including one called Big Mouth. It had this really weird pattern of building up (almost like a huge hand coming out of the water) and then crashing down suddenly. The thing to try to do is surf right next to where this mouth forms and just before it crashes slide over into it and get shot forward. Easy to say when you're sitting on shore. A whole lot harder when you're staring at it. There were times where I was just hanging on for the ride. Amazing how much power there can be.

The weekend was a blast. Okay weather, great waves, and awesome company. Looking forward to going back again some time.

"Laser" - August 1

2010-08-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

So I've had three weeks now at Medtronic and things are going well. Lots of training on all the systems and software programs but I think most of that is behind me. I've actually gotten some real work to do and am finally contributing to the progress of the project. What is the project I'm working on? It is a new battery for one of their ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillator). An ICD is basically an implantable version of the paddles that get used to jump start a person's heart. It works by using the battery to charge up a capacitor which can store the energy and then discharge it rapidly (sort of like how flashes work on cameras). If you'd like to know more or hear it from a more credible source, here is Medtronic's webpage on ICDs:

http://www.medtronic.com/our-therapies/defibrillators/index.htm

So it turns out there is a lot that goes into batteries and I'm getting to learn all about it. Anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, electrical insulation, shorting, electrical connections, etc. One of the processes that I'm working on is how the pieces are attached and sealed which involves ... "lasers". There's some resistance spot welding as well but the whole laser thing is really cool! To help me learn the processes, I've been trained to run the equipment and actually helping with the builds. Pretty sweet. I think it would get a bit old if I were doing it straight for 8 hours a day but it's new and exciting right now.

Other news: Our wood patio outside is in need of replacement so we're going to start that project soon. I went to Menards to shop prices and learn about all the options. The garden is doing well and producing more cucumbers than we know what to do with. The tomatoes, peppers, and basil were ready too so Megan made some salsa and pesto today.

Wisconsin Whitewater - July 17

2010-08-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

A fellow paddler in the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area (Brian B)called me to let me know that they'd gotten a lot of rain recently and the rivers were running high. I grabbed another local paddler (Dan M) and drove out at 6am on Saturday. We met up with Brian and some other local paddlers to test out the Black River, Jim Falls @ 8,000 cfs (10x normal spring release), and the Chippewa River.

The highlight was definitely the Chippewa River which was at 24,000 cfs and pouring out of the gates at the downtown dam. The standing waves were all on the other side of the river but still looked big from where we were. After a bit of discussion about planning and safety, we did a flyby to check things out with out committing too much. Everything looked good so we decided to give it a go and actually try to surf some of the waves.

Even though we'd floated past and looked at them, it's still a little unnerving purposefully paddling into the waves and seeing how big they are. Basically it was like having an ocean wave, crashing surf and all, sitting in one place on a river. I'd guess it was 8'+. Turned out to be a riot with great surfing. It was retentive enough that you could spin and stay on it but it would still let you wash off if you flipped or wanted to get off.

Unfortunately the video we took is zoomed too far out to see much but it gives you an idea of the scale of things. Watch how quickly I move once I get in the current and zip past Dan (in the yellow boat). It's hard to see the individual waves but if you look on the far shore you can see some of the ones we couldn't get to because the current was so fast. There's not much to see after the 1st minute but if you bother watching the whole thing, listen for my yell of excitement as I get on the wave (1:40) and the photographer laughing. He wasn't a paddler and thought we'd just end up getting flipped around out there.

Kayaking Out West - July 8

2010-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a week and a half of paddling out west. I went with five other midwest paddlers. We spent three days in Boise, Idaho paddling on the Payette River. This was big water! Huge waves and holes. I stuck to the Class III stuff and had a blast. Here's the group hanging out after Swirly Canyon in a natural hot spring. Great way to end a paddle. The other shot is of Brian below Howard's Plunge which was named after a fellow who drove his car off the road in the rapid, not once but three times!

From there we drove on to Husum, Washington where we knew a paddler working at Wet Planet which is a rafting company. We spent a lot of time on the White Salmon which was right on our doorstep! Lori showed us the lines and gave us all kinds of great beta on other rivers and hikes. She was an awesome host.

A pair of our group ran Husum Falls and Punchbowl Falls (right). My boat apparently was feeling a little left out so it jumped off my shoulder during a portage around BZ Falls (below but w/ Brian and dog Cassidy), bounced twice on the rocks, fell in the water, and rushed right over the waterfall! Luckily it finally lodged on some rocks further downstream and the only damage was a crease in the stern. I emptied out the water in the boat and finished out the run.

I also got to do some hiking and caving with my uncle who lives in Portland. Photo on the right is from the top of Steamboat Mountain which was a quick hike with a great view. There was even some snow to play in on the hike up.

It's feels good to be home now with a few days to recover and be with Megan before starting my new job on Monday.

-J

Jobs! - Friday, June 25

2010-06-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

So it's been about 4 months of looking for jobs since we got back. There were nibbles, resumes, phone interviews, and such but no offers. This week on Tuesday I went in for a 2nd interview with the client of a contract company I'd applied to. As the hiring manager walked me out the door, he told me to expect to hear soon and that I was his favorite for the position but he'd have to talk to the other interviewees. That afternoon they called to say the position was for the taking. Since I'd submitted a rate with my resume and the few benefits that were available were set in stone there wasn't a lot of room for negotiation. After talking it over with Megan, I accepted the position on Wednesday afternoon. It is a processes design position working with batteries for pacemakers. The contract is until December 21st of this year. My start date will be July 12, the Monday after I return from a kayaking trip to Washington. The commute is short (10 min) and I hope to bike it often. This seemed like a good fit since it would let me brush up my skills, try a new position and company, and make sure the balance sheet was in the black.

The very next day, Megan got a call requesting a third interview. That interview turned into two interviews which turned into two job offers that afternoon. She accepted job #2 and has a start date set for July 7.

It's been interesting getting the feel for job hunting, riding the ups and downs, managing the uncertainty, and having fun all at the same time. Can't say I'm great at it but certainly better than I was before. Actually looking forward to using it again rather than being scared about it.

-J

Garage Sale - June 5

2010-06-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

So the neighborhood garage sale was today. When we'd packed up the house before leaving for New Zealand we had set aside some stuff that we didn't want any more and thought we could try to sell. Neither of us wanted to commit to doing it though and sitting around in the garage all day. So Friday night we went to bed not planning to do anything.

This morning, Jason woke up and stuck his head in the attic. Realizing all the boxes that were full of stuff to get rid of he decided at 7am that we were going to have a garage sale! An hour later we'd cleared a space in the garage, set up some tables, and laid our wares out. Our first customer didn't have any change and neither did we so Jason gave her $1 worth for free. We closed the garage for an hour until the banks opened and we could go get change.

Things started out brisk the second time we opened. Megan just wanted to get rid of everything so she was more willing to take offers. Jason got a little insulted when people wanted to haggle on a fifty cent item that was already cheaply priced.

It was fun chatting with all the people and our neighbors that wondered in. One customer left their car keys behind so Jason tried to find him by running down the alley. No luck but as we were making a sign saying we had keys for sale, he walked by looking distraught so we flagged him down. We also had a lot of people ask about our kayaks that were hanging in the garage.

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and the drizzle slowly drove people away. By 1pm the alley was empty in both directions so we decided to close things down.

All said and done we got rid of half the stuff we no longer wanted and made just under $100. Not too bad for a Saturday morning. So now it is raining and Megan and Tanya are making plans to go shopping for fabrics.

-J

Rejection Letter - May 11, 2010

2010-05-11T07:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for applying to Red Bull Flugtag Twin Cities. We were flattered and amazed at the number of people who applied and overwhelmed by the creativity of the entries. But unfortunately, with so few openings available, we are sad to tell you that we are unable to offer you the opportunity to compete.

What you showed us was full of great creativity and imagination (we would have never thought to fly something like that). You obviously put a tremendous amount of time and thought into your creation and we want to applaud your efforts. These six energy shots may not take away your feeling of disappointment, but it will give you the energy to apply again next time. And we hope you do. In the meantime, we invite you to join the crowd at Red Bull Flugtag Twin Cities, July 24^th at Harriet Island.

Warmest regards,

Red Bull Flugtag Ground Control

Well we didn't make the cut for Flugtag. Guess that means I can return all the hang gliding books I checked out from the library and Megan can stop worrying about me injuring myself.

-J

Hard Work - April 20

2010-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well I was getting a little discouraged with the job hunting so I decided to browse Craigslist for some temporary work. I found one posting wanting help moving a dishwasher, another for a SCUBA technician to remove weeds from Lake Minnetonka, and a third for buck brush removal. A phone call later I was signed up to remove the noxious invasive tree. After seeing the space where he wanted it torn out from, I thought alright a few hours right? Three hours and one broken shovel later I'd barely gotten through a third of it. I realized it was going to take longer than I thought and with the sun setting I called it a day. Next morning I started bright and early at sunrise but six hours later I was bushed and now only half way through (I hadn't figured on the time to cut and bundle it all). So I've realized that manual work is hard and the pay isn't so good (at least for this job anyway). On the bright side, this has turned into a really good motivator for job hunting! -J

Red Bull Flugtag!

2010-04-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Back in May I found out that the Red Bull Flugtag event is coming to the Twin Cities on July 24, 2010. Shortly afterward, a good friend of mine asked if I was interested since he was putting together a team so I jumped at the chance. What is Red Bull Flugtag you ask? Basically it is an event where teams of up to 5 people propel a human powered craft from a platform 30 feet above the river in an effort to a) go for the furthest distance or b) plummet spectacularly earthward. We're not sure which we'll end up doing but it ought to be fun!

If you want to get a better idea of what Flugtag is all about, just do a YouTube search. Here's one example: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeIjasoOiBY&feature=related

Well actually we haven't been accepted yet. There is an application process where you submit your idea for the craft, an outline of a brief skit, and any other information you think might impress the judges. We submitted three concepts with the hope that at least one will be selected. We'd been keeping our ideas under wraps but now that the application deadline is passed I thought it would be safe to share them. In case any of you are on the judging panel, you'll know which ones to vote for. I think we find out in May whether or not we made the cut. If we did, I'll let you know so you can come watch the spectacle. -J

Broomball and Couches in Iowa - April 16-18

2010-04-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a road trip to Des Moines, Iowa for a broomball tournament. The team was a combination of people with a good majority made up of Barons (Jason's men's team). Megan played with us too even though it was a men's division. We won our two pool play games and the semi final game on Saturday. The final on Sunday was a rematch against the Whiskey Sticks, a team from Rochester put together by another Baron. It turned out to be a fast paced, high scoring thriller that ended 5-4. We had successfully defended our title from last year.

The other highlight from the weekend was our foray into CouchSurfing. Basically it is an online community that connects you with people who are willing to let you crash on their couch. We met Nathan and Erica who hosted us for three days. On Friday, we took a canoe down the North River which turned into a grand adventure! Plenty of wildlife including eagles, owls, floating muskrats, geese, ducks, deer, and a mink. But the memories mostly came from dumped canoes. The first was a failed attempt to sneak under a log. Luckily the water was only waist deep so it was easy to empty the canoe afterward. The second was due to an overzealous landing which resulted in a thorough drenching of another paddler. Besides the paddle, we also enjoyed chatting and a potluck with other couch surfers. It was a great first experience with Couch Surfing. -J

Spring Paddling - March/April

2010-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

When I'm not looking for a job I've been trying to get out paddling as much as I can. Here are a few videos of places I've been this spring. Most of them have suitable background music so be sure to turn your volume down or mute it if you're at the library! If you're not, crank it up.

This first one is of the Vermillion River in Hastings, MN. It is a 1/2 mile run that you can do the shuttle by foot. It has a few drops, holes, waves and is generally considered a "play" run. Brian Z shot this video on one of the early runs in the season.

Here is a video Nora shot of Donut, one of the spots to play on the Vermillion River. Other boaters are Paul and myself.

The other exciting event this spring has been my first decent of the lower St. Louis River. Here are two videos with different perspectives (helmet cam by Brian Z vs. stationary camera by Dan F). Don't bother watching for me but they give you an idea of the river. Swinging Bridge Falls is really cool because the second drop puts you in a "room" with waterfalls on three sides.

Back in our own home! - March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend with friends up north near Cromwell, MN. Lots of laughing, stories, skiing, cards, eating, and staying up late. After being gone 4 months, it was fun to fall right back into the swing of things.

We've finally reclaimed our own home. We didn't find any holes in the walls or missing fixtures after the renters moved out so that is good. Pip is acting like his usual self and enjoying all the new smells to investigate.

So if you're in the area, give us a ring or just drop by to say hi. We'd be happy to share stories and pictures of our trip and once we get to the grocery store we'll even offer you a cup of tea in true New Zealand fashion.

Cheers,
Megan and Jason

Visiting the new addition to the family

2010-02-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

We got to spend a few days in Hutchinson visiting Deborah, Kyle, Abigail, and Ellinor. It was our first time seeing our new niece. She was pretty content to sit, eat, and poop but also shared a few smiles and baby cooing.

Here's Mom - multitasking.

It was also a delight to spend time with Abigail who was quite outgoing and talkative. She knew both of us by name and we got to play, read stories, tickle, mix muffins, and go for a walk.

Here's another picture of her. I liked it because it sort of looks like she could be a "monster" terrorizing the toys. Rarrrr!

Finally in MN - Feb 18

2010-02-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well we've made it back to Minnesota. As the plane began the descent, the pilot reported that the weather was clear and currently -2. Megan and I both looked at each other in shock. Then the pilot added "which is 30 degrees F". Much better!

Grandma and Grandpa picked us up at the airport and we've enjoyed hanging out, shoveling the driveway, doing laundry, and eating pie at Baker's Square. Jason's managed to hunt down a broomball game already. We're planning to spend some time with our new niece in Hutchinson and visiting Megan's parents before moving back into our own house on March 1.

We're excited to be back and hope to run into you all sometime soon.

Back home, well almost - Feb 15

2010-02-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

We landed in LA this morning at 6:30 AM. The flight back is quicker than the one out because of the direction of the earth's spin (as Megan smartly pointed out to me).

After several phone calls to Qantas, I was still nervous that I'd have problems at the counter checking my kayaks. To my surprise when I mentioned I had them, the agent just said "Oh yeah, no problem" and that was that! Here's a photo of the guys wrapping one of the kayaks in cling wrap so that the gear I had packed inside wouldn't come out.

A view of San Fernando valley as we drove toward Barb's house. The freeway was practically as wide as 4 Kiwi roads! The other thing that amazed me was how many cup holders the minivan has - I counted 7 just within reach of the driver.

We're spending two nights with Barb and also had a chance to visit with Kelly and Alan again. We fly back to Minnesota on Wednesday morning and expect to be a bit shocked by the snow and cold.

Here are a few photos from our time in Australia:

Jason and Chris enjoying some food at the international festival.

At the museum we got to design futuristic homes and cars and them see them in a 3D world.

At the wildlife sanctuary, there was a friendly wallaby. It was incredible to watch them move around. When hopping they used their massive tail for balance. When "walking", they support their weight on a tripod of 2 front legs and a bent tail and slide their back legs forward. The shuffeling sort of looked like an inch worm moving.

Matt, Hannah, and Megan with the emu.

We enjoyed some art at the gallery in Melbourne and other art we just shook our head at.

Australia - Feb 13

2010-02-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

The flight to Australia was a mere 4 hours or so instead of 16 or so it would be from the states. We spent three days in Canberra visiting Chris, a college friend of Jason. Cannberra is the capital of Australia so we took some bus rides to tour the different buildings. We also visited a toy car collection in the local art museum, stuffed ourselves at a food and dance festival, toured the observitory and offices where Chris works, went to a New Zealand BBQ, played soccer, and watched some movies.

Then it was off to Melbourne via a 8 hour bus/train trip. We were surprised with how much hotter Australia was than New Zealand (yes we know it is further north). The high was around 40 deg C for one of the days.

We made it to the tram stop in Melbourne with no trouble but the tricky part was finding Matt (who Jason hadn't seen in 7 years) or Hannah (who we had never met). Turns out we met on a crosswalk, Matt and I both almost walking by but doing a double take. After a delicious pizza dinner, we went downtown to watch the fire towers and eat ice cream on the boardwak. Over the next couple days we also explored the Victoria street market, took the city bus tour, relaxed at the beach, visited the art museum, and went to a wildlife sanctuary. One of the neat things at the sanctuary was seeing the koalas just before feeding time when they were crawling around and jumping between branches.

The flight back to Auckland from Melbourne was a little bumpy but nothing too bad. We finally sold our car at the backpacker's car market after spending a day being a car salesman. Not too much fun but at least we don't have to worry about it anymore. We're spending the last few days exploring Auckland before we leave on Monday for LA.

Packing Up - Rotorua

2010-02-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

We stopped to visit Buzz and Patsy in Rotorua on our way north. It was a wonderful break from camping with hot showers, a comfortable bed, and home cooking. We went out fishing the first night and caught two trout. The boat we took out was an old wooden one that was all fixed up.

Megan taking apart her new souvenir.

Buzz and Jason with their fish. It was Jason's first trout and weighed 4.5 lb.

Wrapping things up - Feb 2

2010-02-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well things are coming to a close on our holiday. We fly back to LA on Feb 15 from Auckland and then on to MN on Feb 17. We've also arranged to visit Chris O (college friend of Jason's) and Matt O (high school friend of Jason's) in Australia. We'll be in Canberra Feb 4-7 and Melbourne Feb 8-11.

We've found someone to store our gear/luggage while in Australia and today we needed a jump start which a fellow camper happily provided. The people we've met here have been great and made the trip a wonderful experience.

In the meantime, we've been making our way north toward Auckland. Currently we're in Raglan which is the 2nd best beach in the world for left hand breaking surf. Jason tried it out in his little blue playboat. He looked a little out of place with all the surfers but he had a riot. We also hiked to Bridal Veil Falls which was an impressive waterfall. Today we're heading for a walk in the Pirongia forest which was recommended to us way back at the beginning of our trip but we missed it on the way south.

Garage Sale!

2010-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the stuff we're trying to sell before we leave from Auckland on Feb 15. All prices are an asking price but we're open to offers, especially if you're buying more than one item. Items are in Auckland.

Bliss Stick Smoothy (playboat) - blue, used for ~ 2 months in good nick with all the padding and an uncut foot block - asking $950 NZD but open to offers

I also have some other kayaking gear shown in the photos that I don't need to sell but would be willing to part with if the price was right and you were buying one of the above items. ***Paddle no longer available.***

92 Toyota Camry Wagon w/ roof rack (perfect for the Smoothy!) - SOLD!

Email us at mjogdahl at gmail dot com with offers, questions, etc.

Happy shopping.

Back in Christchurch - Jan 18

2010-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

After Pukaki, we went to Mt. Cook and hiked around there for a day. There were several glaciers and lakes with small icebergs floating in them. We decided not to go swimming. We then went to Waimate (little town on east side of island) and spent a few days relaxing at a holiday home of Neville who we met at bowls in Diamond Harbor. We enjoyed showers and sleeping in a proper bed while baking.

We got to enjoy a 20/20 cricket game (shorter version than the 5 day w/ tea breaks type). The spectators all sat right next to the boundary rope and we were quite close to the action. Kids would line up by the fielders that were in the "outfield" and get autographs between bowls. There was also a streaker who sprinted across the field and hurdled both wickets so we got the full experience.

We stopped in Geraldine to see the world's largest jersey (sweater). It weighs 5.5 kg and was made on knitting machines. Megan had bought 6 kg of roving so I suggested she start knitting a bigger one to steal the record away.

One of the great things about New Zealand driving is the custom road signs! We saw this one and had to get a picture of it.

We stopped into a small town of Fairlie which is in the McKenzie region. It was named after a Scotsman, James McKenzie, who was a sheep thief. He used some unknown mountain passes to take 1000 sheep from one of the wealthier stations in the area. After being arrested, he escaped multiple times until being granted a pardon just because it was so much work trying to keep him in jail. This the statue of him with his sheep dog Friday.

Unfortunately the Tekapo Whitewater Course release did not go as scheduled on the weekend. They had too much water (also the reason for the crazy video in the last post) and were not able to open the gates to let the water in. The gates are basically like a miniature version of the dams on the Mississippi River where the water pressure keeps them closed. Too much water and there is too much pressure to overcome. A few other people from Dunedin (Harry, Ian (who was hairy too), and two other guys I didn't get names for) showed up and we paddled down the Tekapo river which was in flood but very tame (Class II).

We've driven to Christchurch now and are staying with Becs and Dave (paddlers we met). Sunday was another paddle on the Huranui river which was fun and there is a BBQ/slideshow from the kayaking Christmas trip tonight. We're planning to head north toward Nelson to pick up Megan's spinning wheel next.

Whoooopie!

2010-01-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

We drove to Twizel yesterday since there was free camping and it was close to Mt. Cook. After setting up the tent we went to check out the spillway where there is a short kayaking run that requires a dam release to be runnable. Usually these are scheduled but there had been lots of rain and they were trying to drain the lakes. We also happened to bump into a kayak club from Auckland and 4 of their members (Martin, Katalla, Jen, and Eric) wanted to run it so that worked out perfect. Here's a picture of the spillway at the put in (no we didn't slide down that).

Meg took a short clip of me running the first drop which was a big tongue of water into waves crashing from both sides. Scouting it from shore and even paddling up to it, it didn't seem too bad. Just hit it down the middle right? Well once I was dropping down into it I realized how massive it really was!

That first drop was by far the hardest part of the run (I actually went back and ran it again it was so much fun). Most of the rest was big wave trains and avoiding a few scattered holes which Martin did an excellent job of guiding us around. The water was so high there were small pine trees underwater in the eddies. The run took all of 10 minutes since the water was moving so fast (usually 30-45 minutes I think?). The next morning we asked what the flow level was and they were releasing at 342 cumecs (cubic meters/sec). Normally they do 100-120 cumecs for scheduled kayak releases.

Today we're off to explore Mt. Cook. We won't be climbing it but we'll be in the park at its base. It is in the background of the picture below.

Away in Alexandra

2010-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well we finished the Christmas paddling trip - 14 days, 10+ rivers, 2 lost paddles (not mine luckily), multiple swims (not mine either), and a roaring good time. We're in Alexandra now at a wash and surf where you can use the internet while you do laundry. We'll try to post some pictures of the kayaking trip later.

We're hoping to spend a few days in Waimate at a rental house of Neville (a lawn bowler we met in Diamond Harbor) to recover and relax in a real bed. The whitewater park in Tekapo has a release next weekend which we're hoping to go to. There is free camping!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (almost)!

2009-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

Our friend Tanya back home in Minnesota sent us this picture of her house around Christmas time (it hadn't even finished snowing yet).

Quite a contrast to here where we spent Christmas walking through a botanical garden and kayaking in the ocean surf. We left the farm on Dec 24 and went to Dunedin (south east coast on south island) where we rented a cabin at a campgound for two days. We baked a veggie lasagna and more kringler for our Christmas dinner. It was a little lonely being away from family on such a holiday but we called and talked to our parents and siblings.

Here are a few pictures from the farm in Roxburgh where we were before Christmas. This is Megan teaching Mariko (another WWOOFer) a knitting pattern. They both did a lot of spinning and knitting. Before we left the farm, Megan bought 6.5 lbs of roving (carded wool) since it was so inexpensive and meant a little more coming from a place we'd stayed. We're starting to realize that getting all these things home will require a little creative work packing!

I even gave in to the peer pressure and tried my hand at spinning. Here's my first ball of yarn. I tried crocheting a hat with it but it turned out way too small and not nearly as pretty (hence no picture).

One of the fun chores in the morning and afternoon was feeding the ducks. You'd come out the door with a bucket of grain and start saying "Duk, duk, duk, duk". Before you knew it there was a line of 10 ducks following you and quacking their heads off.

On our way from Dunedin after Christmas, we went through Miller's Flat on Boxing Day where they were having a rodeo. We watched barrel racing, roping, bareback and saddle bronc riding, and even a mutton buster which is where a tiny kid gets put on the back of a sheep and hangs on for dear life. Some dads were running after the little tykes holding them up by their collars.

One of the beaches we stopped at had some really interesting stones that looked like marbles. Here's Meg giving one of the Moeraki boulders a hug.

We're over in the Otaga/Fiordland area now on a kayaking club trip. One of the Kawarau River sections was called Roaring Meg so we got an appropriate picture for that one. The paddling on that section was some of the boiliest water I've ever been on (pushes you all over in an unpredictable way).

This is a photo of Skippers Road which we drove up (slowly!) to get to a campground for the Shotover River. It was only one lane wide with a steep cliff on one side and a drop off on the other. We ran that river twice it was sooo much fun with all the waves and holes for playing on. Megan did some of the shuttle driving one day and got to take our station wagon on a bumpy bumpy road with multiple fords (stream crossings). On the way back it had started raining and water splashed up on the hood on one of them.

Unfortunately there aren't too many pictures of me on the river but here's one of me getting out. This was after the Dog Leg section of the Kawarau River. Another of the biggest paddles I've ever done with enormous waves (8ft+) and minimal eddies to stop in.

Recipes

2009-12-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

Well we got rained out this morning so no Builder Bob for now. In the meantime I thought it would be fun to share some of the recipies we'd been using here in case anyone wanted to try them back home.

The first is the Melting Moments - Buttery Cookies with Icing Sandwiched from Edmonds Cookery Book

200 g (bit less than 1/2 lb) butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 cup cornflour (corn starch)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Butter icing or rasperry jam

Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour, cornflour, and baking powder together. Mix into creamed mixture, mixing well. Roll dough into small balls the size of large marbles and place on a greased oven tray (we used baking paper and make sure to leave plenty of space between them as they will flatten out to be ~ 2" in diameter). Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes or until cooked. Cool and sandwich two biscuits together with Butter Icing or raspberry jam. Makes 16.

Butter Icing (for filling)

100 g (~ 3 ounces) butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons hot water

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in icing sugar, beating until smooth. Add sufficient water to give a spreading consistency. Can flavor with cocoa, lemon, strawberry shake mix, tummeric (tried this to color the lemon flavor but it didn't work - grin ).

Now you have an idea of how buttery these cookies end up!

The other was for Cockeyed Cake from "I hate to cook book" by P Bracken. It is quite easy and fun to make and results in a delicious moist chocolate cake.

1 1/2 cups sifted flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspooon Bicarb of Soda (baking soda)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cold water

Sift together flour, cocoa, soda, sugar, and salt right into greased cake tin (9x9x2 - we used a smaller one and it was fine, even a little thin). Now make three grooves or holes in this dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next the vinegar, into the next the vanilla. Now pour cold water over it all.

You'll feel like you are making mud pies now but beat the mixture with a spoon until nearly smooth and you can't see the flour. Bake at 350F for 1/2 to 3/4 hour.

Tally Ho Ho Ho - Dec 19

2009-12-19T02:40:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is nearly here so we baked kringler, traditional Norwegian cookies Megan's family often makes. The Kiwis weren't too keen on the smell of cardamom but we don't mind because there are more for us. We also made a moist chocolate cake and melting moments (buttery cookies sandwiched around icing) so there are lots of treats around. Barb and Stuart have been very welcoming and really made us feel like their house was our's too. Barb said "We may be hillbillies but we're happy hillbillies."

They'd made a batch of ginger beer with a previous WWOOFer and it was "aging" in the pantry. We came home and one of the glass bottles had exploded! We quickly opened the others to release the pressure.

Megan and I helped pick up some calves from a neighbor yesterday that Barb and Stuart were letting graze in their paddocks. It was interesting learning how to "work" the animals by trying to steer them. It took a few tries but the six of us finally got them into the pen and then into the trailer. We went to bowls (lawn bowling) afterward and then pub night which was fun as well.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I was asked to be "Bob the Builder" and help Stuart repair a sheep yard. I think Megan may be helping thin apples. There's been a lot of spinning going on between the three ladies (Mariko, Barb, and Megan) and the yarn is piling up. Sorry there aren't any pictures but uploading is slow with the dial up connection here.

Tally Ho Farm - Dec 17

2009-12-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well you know the old saying "Be careful what you wish for"? It's true. We were driving to Roxburgh on Monday and got sleet/snow that was enough to cover the streets. It melted quick enough but it was white for a bit. Megan liked it because it made for cool sleeping that night in the tent.

We've arrived in Roxburgh at Tally Ho farms. The hosts, Barb and Stuart, are extremely laid back and apparently they enjoy having WWOOFers for the company more than the work. I was feeling guilty about not earning my keep so I put in a day's work even though I'd been told I could do as I pleased. Payed for it with blisters on both hands too. Friday is "Pub Night" since Barb doesn't cook tea (aka dinner) that night so we'll all go down and have fish and chips or whatever we like. I think there is also bowls (lawn bowling) on Friday since Don (Stuart's father) sets up the local club and likes to have people to play with.

They have a bigger carding machine here than the one at Rotocard and Megan got to help with that today. Apparently she's good luck and gets rid of the static. With some fibers, alpaca especially, there can be a lot of static and it gets difficult to keep it going the way it is supposed to. Megan's been spinning here as well and has picked up a new technique called the "long draw". I'd try to describe what it is but I think I'd even confuse myself.

There are ducks, chickens, miniature horses, pigs, and sheep. Morning and afternoon chores involve feeding them and moving them around (in and out of pens). There is another WWOOFer staying here as well, Mariko, from Japan. She's a nurse and is here to improve her English.

We went on a hike yesterday and walked across an old suspension bridge that used to be the only way across the large Clutha river (~ 70 m wide). Originally all crossings were done by boat but the childrens attendance at the school was spotty so they put in a chair on a cable. You had to haul yourself across hand over hand and it was 60m above the river and had a slant to it (one way was uphill). After more complaining, they finally put in a bridge but only one person could walk across it at a time. More complaining and the one we walked on was built so that you could walk sheep across and even lead a horse. Interesting to learn the history behind the little mining town and the troubles they had.

Abel Tasman Coastal Trail

2009-12-13T13:09:00.000-08:00

We just finished 6 days hiking the Abel Tasman Coastal Track on the north end of the south island. We took a water taxi to one end of the track and then carried our 40+ lb packs for 50km back south. Most of the campsites were in bays with golden sand beaches but to get from one to the next you had to hike over spurs. Here's a rough picture that shows the elevation profile of the trail.

For a cleaner version check out: www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/nelson-marlborough/abel-tasman-track-profile.pdf

One of the amazing things was the variety of terrain. Here's Megan pointing out where we have to climb to on one of the spurs. This was Gibbs Hill and we made the mistake of making our first day our toughest (6 hours with packs that had 1 weeks worth of food in them!).

In several spots the trail went through estuaries. For two of them there was no alternate route on higher ground so the crossings had to be done near low tide. Here is Jason during one of them carrying his fishing rod. There were millions of little crabs scuttling into little holes in front of us.

There were lots of gorges and ravines to cross, some by foot and others by bridge. This was the one and only swing bridge on the trail and had a sign limiting the load to 5 people at a time.

The beaches were amazing. Golden sand, gentle surf, and rocks. We had gorgeous weather the first 3 days and really enjoyed lounging around. Here is one of our campsites that was just off the beach.

Since we were only hiking 2-4 hours per day there was plenty of time to relax. Jason decided to make a sand angel on the beach. Without snow around it was the next best thing.

He also did some snorkeling (water was COLD!) and even caught a crab. It looks like he is excited but he's really grimacing (the crab was finding a way to scratch him with its legs).

We're headed south to Roxburgh now to WWOOF on the Tally Ho farm (alpacas and wool processing). It doesn't seem like Christmas with the weather the way it is and the lack of white stuff but there are some decorations and carols to help get us in the mood.

West Coast Continued - Nov 27-29

2009-12-04T00:19:00.000-08:00

Again catching up on some old photos:

We stopped in a little craft town of Hokitika and puttered around for half a day. Just as we were about to leave I spotted Sock World and asked Megan if she wanted to stop. Did she ever! She asked why it hadn't been in the tourist guidebook in big bold letters. Turns out the owner is semi famous - at least with sock knitters. She collects vintage sock knitting machines (largest collection in the world) and also sells a replica version. Megan knew all about her so it was fun to chat with her a bit and see how intricate the machines were. Megan also picked up a few skeins of felted marino yarn for some future project.

The west coast is known for its kayaking but much of it is steep creeking and requires helicopter shuttles. The Styx river is one that you can hike into (45 minute hike carrying your boat so still not easy). I didn't have a boat but we decided to scope it out just in case I made it back some time. A little more my size than the last one I scouted.

Lots of short little hikes to waterfalls throughout the area. Dorthy Falls was this one.

In Greymouth, the main attraction is called Pancake Rocks. They've been weathered by wind and water and look a bit like a stack of hotcakes.

Megan snapped this photo showing the sun just peaking through the clouds off in the distance.

And this photo of some goofy tourist.

We took a hike in Tauranga to see another seal colony. The terrain undulated a bit but was easy walking and offered up fantastic views. Along the way there was a light house, shipwreck replica, and an astrolabe (deivce for determining latitude while at sea).

And this time there were actually seals at the seal colony! Most of them were just laying around sleeping but we did get to see a few get in and out of the water. Quite a contrast watching them buck around on land and then seeing them slicing through the water.

Up at the end of the road on the west coast in Karamea, there were some more caves we explored. These had some special formations on the floor that looked like dried up mud but were actually sediments. They also had weta (large crickets) and spiders (6" in diameter). We saw both.

It had been pretty wet lately so we used the wind to help dry out our tent at one of the stops. Reminded me of playing with the parachute like we used to in elementary school gym class. Traveling around as we have been, you start to get an appreciation for the finer things in life ... dry socks, comfortable bed, and clean underwear.

In one of the small towns I popped into a tiny hole in the wall bar. I was greated by a little 8 yr old girl who proudly told me she was running the bar today. I ordered a whitebait patty (local delicacy) and she promptly took me back in the kitchen and started handing me bag after bag of frozen whitebait. Now I've never had whitebait so I didn't know but it seemed like more than we needed to make a patty. Luckily her mom ventured in and got it all straightened out. Whitebait are tiny (5mm long) transparent fish cought with a net or screen. They're the young form of fish that migrate back from the sea up rivers to spawn. There's about a month long season for catching them and they can sell for more than $75/kg. Luckily my patty wasn't that heavy.

Motueka - Nov 30 to Dec 7

2009-12-03T11:19:00.001-08:00

After traveling up the west coast, we've been staying in Motueka which is a little town north of Nelson. We're WWOOFing with Maria and Gordon, a wonderful couple who have sheep, chooks (chickens), alpacas, cattle, and a nut orchard. The farm is only a 5 minute drive out of town, sort of a hobby farm that they're working to turn into a business. New Zealanders call these farms "life style farms" but Gordon says thiers is a work style farm since it is so much work. He actually runs an irrigation/equipment hire business and Maria does a lot of the farming.

When we arrived, Maria put us to work right away cracking nuts - macadama and hazel. I got a kick out of putting the nuts into the cracker which made a big "KE-CHUNK", shook the table it was bolted to, and spit out the cracked shell and meat. Sorting the shells from the nuts wasn't as much fun - much more manual. The next day was roasting the nuts at a kitchen in town and bagging them for the farmers market on Friday which we went to too. Different perspective than going as a shopper though.

Besides the nuts, we've also had the chance to do some wool processing. Megan is running the carder here while Maria looks on. It was interesting to start to learn about the different fibers and how to identify the guard hairs which are staighter and need to be removed.

Megan also did quite a bit of spinning and plying and received high compliments on her skills. She's been sort of the star WWOOFer, getting a lot of the processing done that Maria wanted to do but hasn't had time to do. I've been scooping up alpaca poo, spreading it in the garden, and driving the 4 wheeler around the farm. The work has been a little lighter than the last place we WWOOFed so we've almost been asking for things to do to feel like we're doing enough.

Maria has been great, taking us around and showing us things. On our trip out to pick up a new chook house, we stopped at Hallblacks. They sell wool yarn, knitting things, and spinning wheels which is what Megan was the most excited about. She tried a few out but the one she was the most interested in wasn't working quite right. So we left a request for them to keep an eye out for a used castle style spinning wheel which Megan things would be a great souvenir to bring back!

Another stop we made was at Rotocard which is a small scale carding business that is run out of a garage. They take fleeces, wash them, and card them for small orders which the big places wouldn't bother with. The photo below shows the carder running which was quite impressive. Just don't let your tie get sucked in!

The local A&P show (equivalent to a county fair back home) is this Sunday and Maria is actually the president. That is part of the reason she's been a bit distracted and really liked our ability to work on our own. They'll be bringing alpacas to the show along with some vintage engines which Gordon restores (he's got a whole double garage full of them!). Megan agreed to demonstrate spinning and weaving and just got the primer on weaving tonight. I'm looking forward to getting to watch the alpaca shearing - apparently they get put in a sandwich table, tipped on their side, have one half sheared, and then are flipped over for the other. A lot more complicated than the sheep shearing I've seen.

Gordon's garage of vintage engines (more behind me too!)

Monday we're off to hike the Able Tasman Coastal Track (north of Motueka) for a week so hopefully the weather will be beautiful and sunny for us. Our next destination will be Roxburgh which is at the southern end of the south island on Dec 15. We'll be WWOOFing there at Tally Ho Farm (www.tallyhowoolcarding.webs.com/) for at least a week.

West Coast - Part 1

2009-12-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

To begin our West Coast trip the week of Nov 23rd we camped by Lake Hawea north of Wanaka. It was gorgeous but windy.

We crossed over Lindis Pass where there was a roaring river, the Haast maybe, that Jason proceeded to scout as if he were going to someday paddle it. It looked a little big for paddling, but he still went through the motions.

The West Coast is notorious for wet weather, and we were welcomed with it. It was rainy and foggy nearly the whole week. Visibility was low, which didn't mix well with steep, winding, cliff-on-one-side roads that never seem to have a shoulder. At least they weren't gravel roads, although we've had our fair share of those. (Meg's favorite being the ones that are already barely wide enough for 1 car and then there's a sign indicating that the road narrows. Fun.) We're learning how to use 2nd and 1st gears in the automatic transmission as well as when it's appropriate to engine brake. New Zealand driving has been a steep (no pun intended) learning curve for two flatlanders like us.
Thanksgiving was a busy day. We camped at Gillespie Beach the night before and then got up for a 3 hour hike to the Gillespie Beach gold dredge remains and Galway beach seal colony. There weren't any seals, just a great view. Of the nature...

and the naturist!

Then after lunch we headed to the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers.

After the glaciers we pulled in to a campground at Lake Mahinapu and made Thanksgiving dinner. With only one burner we had to plan carefully what order to make everything so it would all be hot at the end. Our great plan included making the gravy and then pouring it into an empty peanut butter tub while we used the pan to make the next thing. We didn't think that boiling gravy would melt plastic! Oops, but we saved enough to cover our potatoes.

Here's our Thanksgiving meal...typical midwestern fair...high in starch. Unfortunately no turkey present, except Jason. hehe.

Kayaking and Rock Art ~ Nov 21-22

2009-12-03T01:18:00.000-08:00

Trying to catch back up on photos and notes:

Jason did another paddle with the Christchurch club on the Hurunui River (Jollie Brook & Maori Gully). We camped the night before at the put in and got devoured by sand flies but it was free!

There was quite a group on this paddle again (few beginners who'd just completed the intro class). More water too so the features in the gully were bigger/pushier and there was a wave or two with fantastic surfing. I'd borrowed a new boat for this trip from George but I've still got the green dry top and orange helmet (center of picture). Everyone seems to give me a hard time because the bill is in the back.

After the paddle we camped in Waikari at the town campground. It was empty though so we had it to ourselves. There was a short hike to some Maori rock art which was fun to do. The hike was through several paddocks (pastures) and quite windy at the top of the hill. Megan almost lost her hat.

After the hike we checked out a 2nd hand store in the same town and bartered some books we were done reading for some more cassette tapes. Jimi Hendrix, U2, and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince have now been added to our collection!

We've had several people ask if we were Canadian. At first we thought it was our MN accents (Jason's is pretty thick) but then we were told Canadians have soft skin about being called Americans. So some Kiwis play it safe and guess Canadian first.

North

2009-11-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long break, but we haven't had access to internet to update the blog. And now our online time is limited, so we'll have to upload pictures later when we get a chance.

We are currently in Motueka, on the north end of the South Island. We've spent the last week driving over the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Wanaka, and then up the West Coast to Haast, Hokitika, Greymouth, and Karamea before heading east to Motueka. The West Coast is typically more rainy than the East Coast, which has made camping more difficult and not so fun. Also, the sandflies haven't helped. But we're still doing some wonderful hikes everyday. We saw seals, and tried to see penguins, but they didn't show up on the beach while we were there.

For the next two weeks we plan to work on an alpaca farm for one week and hike the Abel Tasman National Park coastal track. And then on to Murchison for another kayaking trip before heading south again.

J has had a cold for the last week and M had a migraine one morning that cleared by the afternoon. Other than that, we're doing great, if a little soggy.

Hello, Baby!

2009-11-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

Firstly, Welcome to the world, niece Ellinor. We can't wait to meet you! It's hard being away from family at times like this. Sigh...feeling just a little homesick.

Jason went kayaking in the ocean near Christchurch with a new kayaking friend, Adam. They were catching waves and surfing in to shore. They had a blast.

(Adam and Jason trying to scooch out to sea. Pretty funny watching them inch along like crabs.)

(Jason's in the middle. Adam is off to the left.)

We travelled back out to Diamond Harbour to stay one night with our new bowling friends, Morris and Christine. They have a rental cottage that we stayed in that was wonderful. We bowled the next day with some other bowling club members and had a great time.

We left Christchurch for a few days to visit friends of friends, Colin and Hilary, on their farm near Rakaia Gorge. They have 1400 deer, 9000 sheep, and I don't know how many cattle. It's a big place. We helped Hilary clean up the shearers' quarters (a 19 bed complex where the shearers sleep and eat when they are here that also gets rented out to various clubs or family reunion groups when not being used by shearers). It was a lot of work for just one person, so we volunteered to assist. There is another guest at the farm while we are here, an Englishman who comes to NZ every year to go fly fishing. It's been fun getting to know some new people and seeing a beautiful new place.

Rakaia Gorge is near Ashburton, the home of the Ashford spinning wheel factory. We popped in this afternoon to check out the wheels and tried unsuccessfully to get a tour of the factory. But I (Meg) did get a chance to test drive some of the wheels. No "souvenirs" were purchased at the Ashford store, but there's still plenty of time to find a spinning wheel to cart home.

Chasing a rainbow

2009-11-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Driving back to Christchurch after paddling this weekend we saw a vibrant rainbow spread across the sky. The cool thing was that it seemed that the end of it was only a ways up ahead on the road. We joked about finding a pot of gold and a leprechan but as we got closer, the end kept moving so now it was still just ahead and now it ended in the river. It made me think how it would look to be standing in the end of the rainbow bathed in all the colors. It also made me reflect a little about how it can sometimes be way more rewarding to sit back and enjoy the "rainbow" rather than racing ahead to try to find the pot of gold.

Anyway, enough philosophy. Here are a few pictures from the past few days:

A view of Diamond Harbor from the farm in Purau where we

WWOOFed for 4 days. Not a bad sight to look up to as you're weeding.

Surfing in New Brighton (suburb of Christchurch). That's not actually either of us but since we couldn't take our camera while we were surfing Meg snapped a picture of someone else's lesson. Meg did way better than I did and even got to standing up a few times. At the beginning she got pounded by a big wave and I was worried she was done but nope - she toughed it out and even ended up having a good time. I spent most of my time trying to paddle and catch waves and ended up with the nose of the board diving into the water!

This is really us (no stunt doubles for this shot) in

front of the surf shop where we took the lesson.

The stands erupt after Canterbury scores a try at the rugby union finals.

The campground at Pelorus Bridge (NE of Nelson) where this last weekend's trip was. There were 24 paddlers on several of the trips which is quite a big group to keep track of. Several had just finished the beginners course that the club offered but they all did smashing! It was a great opportunity to meet some more paddlers, tune up some skills, and have a good time. I paddled the Pelorus, the Rai, the Buller (Owens to Claybanks Creek), and the Middle Matakitaki (favorite by far). Also got to watch a group do the lower Matakitaki which I wished I would have asked to paddle on but with the new boat and unfamiliar rivers I'm still trying to get a feel for when I should and shouldn't paddle.

Some of the kayakers paddling on the Rai river near Pelorus (NE of Nelson, NZ). The Pelorus river is in the same area but the Matakitaki and Buller are by Murchison (SW of Nelson).

Myself, Stuart, Colin, and Meg (behind the camera) who all carpooled on the trip together. Meg didn't do any paddling but was the shuttle bunny which is always appreciated (saves on driving cars back and forth). Colin graciously let us stay at his house Sunday night after we arrived in Christchurch late so that we didn't have to find a campground. He's training for the "Coast to Coast" which is a big race over 1-2 days in February where participants run, bike, and paddle from Kumara to Sumner (~110 miles). And this isn't Minnesota so there are plenty of altitude changes along the way!

In Diamond Harbour we watched lawn bowling and met the local "mayor" - Morris. Morris explained the game to us and even let us have a bowl afterward. We're hoping to go back this Tuesday to play a full game and take Morris and Christine (shown in photo) up on their offer to let us stay at their place.

We went to a bee club meeting (Sat, Nov 7) where they were taking apart hives to check the bees. Very fun to watch and realize beekeeping is a whole lot more involved than we thought. We're hoping that we can be involved in more of it.

Watching fireworks for Guy Fawkes night on the
beach in Christchurch (Nov 5). It was cold and windy.

WWOOFing in Diamond Harbor

2009-11-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

We arrived Sunday night and met Wendy and Micheal, our WWOOF hosts. We did some weeding, raking, power sanding, and nail setting this morning and then set off to explore the town. We took a hike on a Mt. Herbert trail but didn't reach the top. Most of it was in pastures so we ended up turning around after an hour.

Accomadations are set up in a garage which can be a bit noisy in the wind but we both slept well last night. Not quite the same as some of the other plush places we've been staying but easier than setting a tent up each night.

They aren't connected to city water at the farm so they rely a lot on collecting rain water from their roofs and storing it in tanks. Apparently water can be scarce at times (not right now thankfully) so it is always important to conserve it. Really changes your perspective on the weather when a rain might mean being able to take a shower and flush the toilet! They also have their own "sewer" which is a natural filter that all their grey and black water goes through before watering the orchards.

Today was more weeding, mulching around trees with the weeded grass, and some heavy duty weed-whipping. Mind you weeding back home was picking a few short weeds out of the garden but this weeding is pulling dense knee high grass out by the fist full. It's in among the flowers so there isn't room to get the weed whip in.

Friday we'll head north to the Nelson region for a kayak trip that the Christchurch club is organizing.

Christchurch

2009-11-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

We are currently hanging around Christchurch for a few days to take in the sights. We've been to the cathedral downtown, to a yarn store to pick up some more NZ wool, and we booked a surf lesson off New Brighton beach for Friday morning. Tonight there is a fireworks display near where we're camping. We also bought tickets to see the NZ rugby finals, which are being played between Christchurch's provincial team, Canterbury, and Wellington on Saturday night. Should be a fun couple of days. Now, some random photos:

Jason (far right) with the kayaking group on the Hurunui.

The two of us at Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island.

Meg waiting for the kayakers on the Hurunui River and taking in the view.
A little dark, but you can see our 92 Toyota Camry on the left of our campsite at the Kai Iwi Lakes on the N. Island.Jason coloring in the children's corner while Meg picks out yarn.
The Pass Stream flock running from our car.

Tailing and more

2009-11-02T18:38:00.001-08:00

On our way south we stopped near Rotorua and visited Buzz and Patsy (mates of Mike and Linda). They took us on a boat tour of their lake and shared some mussels with us (Megan wasn't too keen on them). In the morning we went to watch the whitewater rafters go over some falls and then left with packed lunches, some gourmet yogurt, and a jar of honey. We wished we had more time to spend there but are hoping to pop in on them again on our way back to Auckland at some later date.

In Christchurch, I picked up a kayak and on Sunday paddled down a section of the Hurunui River with Becs, Bill, Graeme, and Doug from the local paddling club. The scenery was amazing even if the paddling was relatively tame. Looking forward to doing lots more paddling.

We headed to a little farm (Pass Stream Farm) where Sue and Bruce (more mates of Mike and Linda) have a heap of sheep. On Tuesday, I got to help with tailing the lambs (bobbing the tails so they don't get full of poo and attract flies and such). It was fun to be doing some "work" and interesting to learn a bit about raising sheep from Bruce. The only bummer was losing my wedding ring which we were never able to find. Since I'd found the ring in the Mississippi River myself, I can't be too bitter about it. Maybe the Golum that Megan thought was in the cave will pick it up. Bruce and Sue are actually trying to sell thier farm so there is a link with pictures of their place below (or if you're looking to buy in NZ). The views were magnificent and the food fabulous.
http://www.realestate.co.nz/1101510/images

We're in Christchurch right now and will be attending a bee club meeting on Saturday. Sunday we head to Diamond Harbor (just south of Christchurch) for WWOOFing.

Another quick update from a library in Waihi

2009-10-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Mike and Linda have put us in touch with a bunch of their mates around the island. They've been fantastic and have become our "home base" while we're here. We freshened up (shower/laundry/sleeping in a bed) on Tuesday before a wonderful dinner with them before heading off again Wednesday morning.

We're sprinting south to Wellington to take the ferry to Picton to drive to Christchurch to get there in time to go whitewater paddling on Nov 1. It's a little sad having to fly by and not spend as much time exploring as we'd like to but we plan to come back to the North Island later to do more exploring.

On one of our stops, I decided to try snorkeling and look for mussels. As I climbed back out, Megan noticed pools of blood on the rocks at my feet. I'd cut them up on the rocks/shells. It took 5 bandaids to cover the cuts on my feet and a few on my hand. Lesson learned though.

After the kayaking, one of Mike and Linda's mates said we could stop by where he'll be doing tailing - putting rings on the lambs tails so that they eventually fall off. We're looking forward to helping with the operation.

It's been a little tough to keep the blog updated with all the things we're doing so I think it will turn into something of these quick updates along with occassional recaps that include photos. It's fun to realize people are keeping up with our travels so it's fun to share what we're doing.

Clowning Around

2009-10-27T03:15:00.001-07:00

As we drove around, we stopped along the way to check out the small towns. One of them happened to have a playground and I couldn't resist having a go at some of the spots. This one was sort of a cup that you could sit in, pump your legs and torso like on a swing, and it set you spinning. Or at least I think that's what you're supposed to do? I got it going pretty fast and Megan made me stop when she said my face was turning red.

In Whangarei (Oct 20) we stopped for a picnic in the park and hiked to the falls where I decided I had to go for a swim. The water was a bit chilly so I drew a lot of stares from the other tourists. It was incredible looking up at the falls from below and swimming away on my back.

The flowers and plants here are quite different from those we're used to in Minnesota. We've taken pictures of a few of them. On each of the hikes we go on, we are often stopping to admire the ferns, flowers, and trees. It is impressive how quickly outside of Auckland there is a natural feel to the land (vs. the suburbs that sprawl from Minneapolis).

Lang's Beach Area - Oct 16 to Oct 19

2009-10-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

On the way up to Lang's Beach we spied a cememtary that looked interesting. All the stones were facing out to sea. A lot of the family names were Scottish and some of the deceased were from Nova Scotia. We learned later that the nearby town had been settled by immigrants from there who had been forced to leave Scotland, left Nova Scotia because it was too harsh, and tried Australia before ending up in New Zealand.

Mike and Linda offered up their beach house for us to stay at and we took full advantage of it, staying for 4 nights. It was a fantastic place looking out onto the ocean with the sound of the surf putting you to bed each night. We enjoyed just relaxing about, walking on the beach, and sleeping in. The stars were amazing here and we took the opportunity to learn some of the southern constellations and even saw some of the Orionid meteor shower.

North of the beach house was the town of Waipu which had some caves. We stopped by with the intent of going in them but found that our headlamps were a bit dim and there was a fair amount of water that we had no idea how deep it was. We returned the next day armed with fresh batteries for our headlamps and a better torch (flashlight). The water was now low enough that you could see the bottom (had only been 8" deep previously but we couldn't tell that). We tramped through the cave, sometimes in the water but mostly on muddy rock. Inside there were stalagtites and mites and even little glowing worms. They showed up as little green dots on the cave ceiling. When you turned out your light it almost felt like being outside with the glowworms being like stars. I really got a kick out of the caving since in the States everything is "Don't touch" or "Stay Out". Here you could explore as you wanted and touch the stuff that looked like a pile of mud to find out it was just a solid pile of minerals left behind. Megan halfway expected Gollum to pop out and ask for his Precious.

Quick update from a library in Kawakawa

2009-10-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

We stumbled into a library with free internet so we thought we'd give a quick update. Photos and other details to follow at some later date.

We headed north from Auckland to Waipu, Lang's Beach, Whangarei, and are going to Maitai Bay tonight. Mike and Linda, who we know only though a mutual friend, let us relax at their beach house for a few days while we got settled. Now we're camping out the back of the 92 Toyota Camry wagon (same color as Jason's Volvo wagon) that we bought in Auckland. We stopped at a thrift store and bought some vintage cassettes to play in the radio. Other adventures have included: swimming through a waterfall, getting our credit card eaten at an ATM, climbing hills, stargazing, and hiking into caves.

Try!

2009-10-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well in America it might be "Touchdown" but since the game here is rugby I thought we'd adapt our title appropriately. We arrived in Auckland on time but sans one big purple backpack. Qantas wasn't sure where it was but said they would track it down. Since we were going to be in the area and there wasn't anything critical in it, we're not overly worried. Unlike the band that flew with us which was supposed to be playing the next night and didn't have their microphones. We shared our string cheese with them since we thought customs might take it away anyway. Turns out the inspector just looked at the skinny tubes of white cheese in plastic and said "This must be from the States." It's still pretty amazing realizing we got on a big metal tube, ate dinner, slept, had breakfast, and poof we're on the other side of the world!

We picked up our rental car and dove into the adventure of driving on the left side of the road! We were lucky to be able to get an automatic so that I had one less thing to keep track of. Everytime we did any turning, I'd tell Megan out loud which direction I was going and which lane (hugging the curb for left and across traffic for right) I was going to head for. Since the driver is on the right side of the car, there are all sorts of little things to get used to. Instead of looking right for the rear view mirror, it is left. I kept trying to signal my lane changes with my windshield wipers until I realized that the turn signal was on my left not my right. Roundabouts go the opposite direction and everytime a car comes over a hill at us on the right side of the road my heartrate spikes a little! Needless to say, we're not checking out very much scenery when we're driving yet.

Megan did a great job navigating to Mike's place, our contact in Auckland. He gave us plenty of suggestions of places to go on both islands and even put us in contact with some other Kiwis. Mike took us on a tiki-tour of Auckland's One Tree Hill and waterfront. There were several of these green hills scattered around the city. They (and the rest of New Zealand) were formed by volcanic action. We shared a wonderful dinner of lamb chops, potatoes, asparagrus, and salad and capped the evening off with watching a rugby game. When Megan asked why they don't wear pads, Mike said grinningly - Well we're not like those American pussycats. Megan and I have been amazed at the hospitality that he and his wife Linda have shown.

Photo above is from top of One Tree Hill.

The hill was a park but also pasture with sheep roaming all over.

LA

2009-10-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

We made a stop in LA to visit Kelly and Alan. Alan picked us up at the airport and had squash bisque warming on the stove for dinner when we got to their place. Wow.

We've eaten really well the rest of the visit too; namely homefry scramblers with goat cheese, lattice crust apple pie, creamy corn chowder, and a yummy veggie lasagna.

We've been doing some last minute preparing for the trip, like breaking in our hiking boots and backpack hips. Jason chose to wear his pack when we went on a walk around the Rose Bowl with Kelly. I did not.

A white sendoff...

2009-10-10T06:55:00.001-07:00

Well it snowed in Apple Valley this morning just enough to make things a little white. Sort of an appropriate Minnesota goodbye. Most people wouldn't miss the cold snowy winters but both of us being avid broomball players, it is a little bittersweet.

We've spent the recent days visiting family/friends and doing some last minute packing/preparation. We've been living out of our car which sort of gives us practice for New Zealand. Thanks to everyone who welcomed us with food and beds. Jason and Erin even let us spread our stuff all over their living room as we did our paring down.

We made a stop by the house to drop off one last load and lock up all our stuff in the attic. We also said goodbye to Pip (our cat). Pete and Jo (left) are looking after the house and Pip for us while we're gone. They are already settled in and handling everything. They've been super flexible dealing with our delayed departure and Jo's even decorated the house for Halloween.

So now it's on to LA for a few days where we'll visit Kelly and Alan before taking off for Auckland, NZ.

Departure Set for Oct 10.

2009-10-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Departure has been finalized for Oct 10. Things got reshuffled so that we would be able to attend the funeral for Megan's grandpa who just passed away. We fly to Los Angeles, California where we have a few days to visit with friends/family who are there and then we're on to New Zealand. We did have to remove the Australia leg of our flight. Hopefully we'll be able to add it back in at some later date to visit Jason's friends.

Whoppie! Megan's a MS again

2009-09-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

Okay not a Ms. but a M.S. She just successfully defended her masters thesis! Talk about perfect timing. Departure date is a little up in the air right now but planning on Saturday (Oct 3). We'll be in Australia for 1.5 weeks. Part of that will be visiting a college roommate (Chris O. in Canberra) and a high school friend (Matt O. in Melbourne) of Jason.

Getting ready

2009-09-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

We've been scrambling to get ready to leave. Everything from buying hiking shoes, tiling the shower, figuring out health insurance, etc. It's getting close to the departure date and we're both excited but a little nervous at the same time. Not sure how frequent we'll be updating this since sitting at a computer isn't our top priority over there but we'll try to post some details and pictures to share with everyone.