June 3, 1998
Oceanside, California, USA

Today, Darryl took me down to the Marina to scrape the barnacles and other little sea creatures off the bottom of my boat. The entire area up to the water line was covered with them. It took me over an hour with a paint scraper to get it off.

Tomorrow, I’m paddling to La Jolla, and spending the night at Preston’s house. Preston is a dude that emailed me a few weeks ago, and asked me if I’d like to go white water kayaking with him on the Kern River. We went this past weekend. The section of the Kern that we paddled is three hours north of here, in Sequoia National Forest. It was my first time white water kayaking, but because of my sea kayaking, and white water canoeing experience, I already had all the basic paddling skills and river knowledge, so I picked it up quickly.

After completing my first run down the powerhouse rapids(class 3) successfully with no swims, I got a little cocky, and started to play a bit harder - surfing bigger holes, and using a more aggressive style. Then, on the last rapid, just before the take-out, I capsized, and after my 3rd attempt at rolling back up, I pulled my shirt and swam for shore - powerless from saving my boat(Preston’s Boat) from being swept down river. Fortunately, Preston, and his buddy, Brad, were not far behind me, and were able to catch the kayak before it got too far.

At the start of my second run, the Cable Rapids(class 3+/ 4) , I was still a little spooked from the first spill, and I capsized again. I was nervous. I think I just psyched myself out. The first swim scared me. But... I think it’s a good thing to get scared once in awhile. It’s a reality check. It’s like the river was trying to tell me, "Hey punk! You can’t just jump on me and start shredding. First, you need to pay your dues. You need to learn to respect me!". I capsized before I even got to the main rapid, so I went through the whole thing upside down, smacking my head off the rocks on the river bottom(good thing I was wearing a helmet). I tried to roll, but I was set up on my weak side(my left side. I can roll every time on my right side). My racing heart was chewing up oxygen. After a second unsuccessful attempt at rolling, I popped my spray skirt, and broke the surface gasping for air. Unfortunately, when I pulled my skirt, I let go of my paddle, and it disappeared.

After wrestling the kayak to the river bank, I ran up and down the shore line in hopes of finding the paddle. No such luck. Disappointed, I knew my river trip had come to an end. To get back to the road, I would have to cross the river. Preston gave me his paddle, and he paddled across using just his hands - a skill I was quite impressed with). When we reached the opposite side of the river, I gave Preston his paddle back, and he continued on, while I tried to thumb a ride back to Kernville. I walked a long ways, and many cars past by me, but finally, two good’ol boys stopped, and told me, "You can jump in the back, but don’t sit on the fishing rods. ...And keep your head down; it’s illegal for you to be back there."

Immediately upon arriving back at the park, there was a kid who had just finished a rafting trip, holding a paddle exactly like the one I had lost. "Hey Bro... Where did you get that paddle?", I inquired
"I just picked it up off the river." he replied. "Is it yours?"
"Yeah man... Thanx! Awesome! Wow... that’s amazing!"
I walked away glowing with delight. Fifteen minutes later, while sitting in the park, and talking to fellow paddlers, a man approached me. "Is that your paddle?", he asked.
"Oh no! Don’t tell me!", I responded, "Let me guess... You lost one just like it?!"
"Yeah... Where did you get it?" the man inquired.
"A kid on a rafting trip picked it up. I lost one exactly like it also." I had a feeling it was his paddle, but I told him that my friend who owned it would have to confirm it. Sure enough, when Preston arrived, the paddle was handed over to the other dude.

Preston and a few of his friends were heading back up the river to shoot The Cable Rapids again, and they asked me if I wanted to join them. "Nah... I think I’m done for the day. I’m just going to grab the mountain bike and go for a ride." I replied. Then, a little voice inside my head said, "Don’t be such a wimp! What did you come here for? You wanted to learn how to white water kayak didn’t ya?! Ya got your ass kicked... Big deal! You can’t expect everything to be easy. The best things in life are always a struggle. You’re not going to inspire anyone to do anything with a loser attitude like that."

Preston let me use his car. I picked up a paddle at the rental shop on the way to where I had left my kayak. It was the best ten dollars I have ever invested. I did the entire run without capsizing. I went through some pretty gnarly rapids too! One of the holes I hit was MUCH larger than the rapids I had capsized on earlier in the day. Other rapids were long and continuous. I had no problem with any of them. It was amazing! If I hadn’t gone... I would have missed out big-time! Ya gotta listen to that inner voice. It always knows best.

We spent the night a few miles up-river at a secluded location in Sequoia National Forest. The following morning, Preston and Tom, and a bunch of their friends, piled into Preston’s car, and we drove another half hour up-river to the put-in for The Forks - a section of the river with 5th class rapids, which I was clearly not ready for, and thus volunteered to shuttle the car for them, and spent the rest of the day exploring on my own.

First, I drove to a vantage point overlooking The Needles, a well-known rock-climbing destination. I wanted to hike in and get a look at it close-up, but I couldn’t risk being late to meet Preston at the take-out.

Driving in the mountains was an adventure in itself. The road had more curves than a super-model, and at times, the shoulder dropped straight off 400 feet into a gorge. The CD player was crank’n out REM, and I was singing along, bopping my head, and tapping the steering wheel. It was like a scene out of a music video, or a rental car commercial.

I spent the rest of the afternoon photographing wild flowers while hiking along a trail which followed the river. After a couple hours, Preston and his friends passed me coming in the opposite direction, and I had to turn back. They waited for me at a large set of rapids, and I went to the bottom and photographed each as they made their run. The second to the last guy capsized, and got pin against a large rock while he was still under water. He and his kayak had totally disappeared under the mass of frothing white foam for at least 5 seconds. That may not seem like long, but when you’re upside down, and being squeezed between a rock and a zillion tons of water - seconds could seem like minutes. I was the only witness. There was nothing for me to do but keep hit the shutter button. I figured it would make a killer sequence for my slide show(It’s a good thing for him I don’t mean that literally). He finally popped up beside his boat after making a wet exit.

After picking up Preston and Tom at the take-out, we exited the mountainous Sequoia National Forest, and entered the flattest place on earth(so I am told) - the Bakersfield oil field, which is located at the extreme southern end of the San Joaquin Valley - the most productive agricultural area of land in the world. Just before reaching Los Angeles, we stopped to pick up a few 99 cent Whoppers, then I hopped in the drive’s seat, and drove the rest of the way back to Oceanside. If you want to live on the edge, forget about rock climbing and white water kayaking; I don’t think I’ve experienced anything as intense, or as dangerous as driving on the freeway through Los Angeles. Everyone drives very fast, and way too close together. At any moment, any one car, in any one of the six lanes, could kill or injure dozens, or possibly hundreds of people.

I’ll be leaving here first thing tomorrow morning. I’ve had a lot of fun during my stay. Sonia, Darryl, Val, Sam, Alex, and Faye have been super cool. One night, while at the supper table with the whole family, I found a small inch worm in my food, and we all had a good laugh(except for Sonia, who was kinda embarrassed). The next night, they decided to have some fun with me, and placed a rubber toad under a piece of lettuce on my plate. Another time, after being away for the day, I arrived back to Faye’s house to find that Sammy, Alex, and Faye, had covered my entire bed room with toilet paper. A few nights later, Alex and I did the same to Faye’s room.

Every morning, when I wake up, Faye has already gone off the work, and I always find a little note from her telling me to have a great day, and offering words of wisdom. Faye has unofficially adopted me. I even sent her a card for Mother’s day. Making friends, having fun, and get’n to know the creator - that’s what life is all about. What else is there?