At 11:45 AM on December 5, 2009 the citizens of Bend, Oregon witnessed a flash mob. Just prior to the start of Bend’s annual Christmas Parade a young girl touched off a dance number in the middle of the street that would end up having over 100 participants. This incident has become known as the [...]
Eight years ago on September 11th 2001 I was the Leading Chief Sonar Technician onboard USS Curtis Wilbur DDG-54 homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. Tuesday September 11th broke with a typhoon heading towards Tokyo Bay so our daily task was to secure the ship for the storm. Around noon someone made a decision to send everyone [...]
The first weekend in August just exploded with tons of great events going on, and lots of excitement. Working with On The Go-Go I had the opportunity to go see Sugarland at the Les Schwab amphitheater, interview Kim Breedlove, the master luthier behind Breedlove Guitars, and finally cover a concert by Blues Legend Johnny Winter. [...]
Every year for the last 21 years the Deschutes Brewery has hosted a golf tournament called the Sagebrush Classic. What began as a little scramble golf tournament for the customers of their downtown Pub in Bend, Oregon quickly turned into one of the big social events of the summer. I had the pleasure of attending [...]
In June Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Shop hosted the first Pickin & Paddlin Wednesday event with local Bend Band Blackstrap. All afternoon folks came out to try out different kinds of canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. Lots of fun on the water, but that was only a prelude to the evening’s entertainment. Blackstrap set up [...]
Kayaking is one of the primary reasons that I moved to Oregon. My Dad taught me how to canoe when I was still wearing diapers, and we were always going on great weekend canoe trips in Louisiana and Mississippi. Sometimes we’d go a bit farther out. These were great beautiful rivers with swift currents, and [...]
This past weekend I was out with the crew from Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe shop in Bend, and Geoff Franks busted this great seal launch just below Tetherow Logjam on the Deschutes River. I did my own seal launch just a few feet downstream from here where the bank of the river was only [...]
Last weekend my niece Joanna Ridgeway came to town for a visit, and we went kayaking on the Deschutes River. No white water on this trip, just a pleasant paddle upstream from Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe Shop to the Bill Healy bridge. This section of the Deschutes is backed up by a low damn [...]
It’s June and the Farmers Market is here. Every Wednesday in Drake Park a ton of local growers assemble to sell their produce to the locals of Bend, Oregon. This takes place half a block away from my apartment, and I’ve been looking forward to it since arriving in Bend in January. The supermarkets already [...]
Yesterday I got into a kayak for the first time in over twenty-five years. What a difference in the sport. Last time I was in a kayak they were all made of fiberglass and the short ones were about 14 feet long. Now they’re made of plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass, wood, abs, and other materials. [...]
