Canada Visit

After the kayaking trip in Cadillac I set out to drive to Canada. I'm now up visiting our neighbors to the North to do some work for my employer. I'll be heading back to Michigan tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting home. Canada is nice but there's no place like home.

On my way into Canada I had a good time hanging out with the customs/immigration people who enjoyed searching my car and quizing me about what, exactly, I was going to be doing in Canada for a whole week. After making it over the border I drove up towards Toronto. I'm not entirely certain why, but it appears that gas stations are somewhat rare near the border but after driving through a couple small towns I found a gas station that was still open, averting

Tonight I went into downtown Toronto to the Distillery Historic District. It's a cool place and I wish we'd had a bit more time to check it out. As it was, we got to eat at The Boiler House. The food was absolutely fantastic. I had what was described as "Duo of Quebec Duck Roasted Breast, Duck Leg Confit on a Bianquette of Pomme Parmentier & Shredded Braised Duck, English Peas & Salal Essence". The sauce tasted of brown sugar and had just a hint of anise (black licorice). It was, to understate the case, really good. For dessert I had a dark chocolate ganache tort with raspberry sauce and fresh cream topped with fresh berries. It was a meal that I enjoyed savoring in a restaurant with an outstanding ambiance. For my first time in Toronto it was an excellent introduction.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Michigan tomorrow. I'll see Jocelin tomorrow night and we'll celebrate the fact that she found a new apartment near her new job. It looks like we'll have our hands full getting her moved over the next couple weeks but it sounds like her apartment is very nice. More to come on that front shortly...

Kayak Trip

Last weekend was our mostly annual kayak trip. For the first time the kayak trip involved both the guys and the gals. On Saturday night we went to Sportsman's Port in Cadillac. Jocelin and I arrived at around 10:00. Earlier that day we had been in Clio to see Jocelin's Grandmother and we had a bit of a late start to the West side of the state. When we hit Cadillac we had a series of unfortunate navigational issues which resulted in checking two maps and with three different people. On the bright side we found a Mancino's to get some dinner before we continued on to the campground. After we arrived at the campground we made camp and hung out around the fire with everyone.

Sunday morning we went down to the Pine River where our kayaks were waiting for us. We did a five hour trip from Dobson to Low Bridge. There useed to be a dam just before Low Bridge but it was removed a short time ago. Without the dam the river is a bit faster moving and it makes the trip quite enjoyable.

At one point during the trip I did manage to capsize my kayak. The current was pushing strongly into a logjam... a number of use were all clumped up together and I ended up pushed up against the logs. Several people bounced off me but I didn't have any trouble staying up. Unfortunately when I tried to get myself off the logs the current caught my kayak and started to tip it down as the nose tried to submerge. I ended up outside the completely flooded kayak in at least eight feet of water. Ultimately I managed to get up on the logs and after several minutes I freed the kayak. Unfortunately the depth of the water precluded the possibility of righting the kayak immediately. With all my companions out of sight (unable to stop until a bit farther down the river), I swam the kayak upside down downstream. Once I caught up with the others Ryan helped me empty the kayak and I got back in... a bit bruised and battered but otherwise none the worse for wear.

It wouldn't really be a trip down the Pine River without someone taking a dip in an amusing way and since Red Dave wasn't around there was nothing to do but take care of it myself. Despite my unexpected dip it was a fun trip. Some pictures of the trip can be found here.

Vacation Part 2

After Jocelin was done at work on Monday we had a decision to make. I had time off through Wednesday and we could continue our vacation or call it off and try again later. Jocelin and I were agreed... we continued on. Monday night we made arrangements to go to Cedar Point on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday morning we set out for Sandusky.

The trip was uneventful and didn't seem particularly long - due, no doubt, to the travel we'd been subjecting ourselves to for the previous few days. We even found, much to Jocelin's chagrin, a Mancino's at a rest stop. Given my somewhat unnatural love of Mancino's we had to stop for a quick snack. The food was good but the ambiance wasn't quite what I'm used to at home.

Cedar Point was a blast. Since we were there during the week and after some schools had started back up in Indiana, lines were very reasonable. We never waited more than an hour and several times Magnum and Raptor were basically walk-on rides. Millenium Force continues to be my favorite ride and we tried it both in the middle of the train and in the front. We went on Top Thrill Dragster and had a short but very intense blast.

We did some of the skill games (basket toss, ring toss, etc.) As it turns out, Jocelin has more skill than I... while I managed to win her a towel and stuffed puppy, she managed to win a giant teddy bear and a big blue gorilla. I was glad to see Jocelin do so well - even if she did completely thrash me at all but the water gun squirting game.

Jocelin and I are already talking about returning with a few friends to Cedar Point's Halloweekends. The park gets decorated for Halloween and they have special events for Friday to Sunday weekends. Hopefully we'll have a chance to go back soon!

Vacation Part 1

A bit over a week ago Jocelin and I went on vacation. From the beginning, the vacation was subject to frequent changes. Due to work stuff for Jocelin and I we moved our departure from Wednesday to Thursday and from Thursday to Friday. Ultimately, we left Friday late in the day to head down to Indianapolis.

In Indy we met up with Elsie and Carol, friends of Jocelin's from when she lived in Indiana. We went out to a Steak & Shake before we continued on our way to a hotel in Shelbyville. The hotel smelled a bit of mildew but was otherwise decent (and relatively cheap). Saturday morning we woke up and went to dive Blue Springs Quarry.

Blue Springs was an interesting dive site... the liability release was very informal and the operator of the site was both funny and casual. The diving was good but not so impressive that we lamented our late arrival. We did a couple dives and were satisified that we had seen most of what the quarry had to offer. We left Blue Springs, returned Jocelin's dive equipment to the shop, and continued our drive down to Louisville Kentucky. In Louisville we met up with Meg and Jason, two of Jocelin's good friends. We spent the night with them and enjoyed a nice dinner at Alameda and a few drinks and some billiards at a local pub. Meg and Jason had plans on Sunday so Jocelin and I continued South to Mammoth Caves by ourselves Sunday morning.

The Mammoth Caves were very cool. Our first tour was several hours long and culminated at Frozen Niagra, a spot in the caves where limestone deposits have formed what looks like a stone waterfall. It's a beautiful spot and the trip to get there really impresses upon you the sheer size of the caves.

Our second tour in the caves was in the Great Onyx Cave. As it turns out, Great Onyx isn't really part of the Mammoth Cave system (or at least they don't know for sure that it is - since neither cave system is completely mapped they may connect without people knowing it). To be honest, I enjoyed the Great Onyx tour even more than I did the first Mammoth tour. First, it was a lantern tour which means we were carrying Coleman lanterns instead of going through brightly lit caves. Second, the caves seemed to have more natural depositions. Stalactites and stalagmites were very common and there were some stupendous formations. Our tour guide had been working the caves for three decades and was both knowledgeable and capable of sharing his knowledge in a way that was enjoyable and enlightening. Overall it was a great experience.

Sunday night Jocelin and I drove back to Kalamazoo so that she could go to another work thing on Monday. It wasn't the original plan but it worked out well as our vacation would otherwise have been ridiculously busy. Part one of our vacation was a great success and I'd definitely like to go back to the Mammoth Caves again.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is the anniversary of my mother's birth. For those that know my mom, they know she's a rockin' mother (rockin' in the really good mom sense, not the rock and roll sense). I'm glad I have a mother that I not only love but that I like and respect. So, to my mother on this most auspicious of days - Happy Birthday Mom!

My Couch

I'm sitting on my couch at the moment, having cleaned much of my house in the last couple hours. I'm by no means caught up but I'm very happy to have had the time to actually get some stuff done around here. Summer always seems to be a busy time and the last month or so has been particularly frenetic. Mind you I'm not complaining... given the choice between being busy and being bored I'll definitely take busy. Nonetheless, it is nice to be able to sit back, write a couple blog posts, and relax a little bit.

Rescue Class and Sinus Barotrauma

I'm taking the PADI Rescue Class to learn rescue techniques in and out of the water. My instructor told me before the class started that it would be the "hardest, funnest class you'll ever take". With just a little ways to go to finish the class, I have to agree. It's a great class and I've learned quite a bit. I know more about diving physiology, equipment, and first aid. I know that lugging a 220 pound male out of the water is hard. I know that doing it three times in a row is really hard.

Unfortunately I hit a bit of a snag during the class. I dove with just a wee bit of congestion which is a no-no. I thought I was OK and that I had cleared out any meaningful congestion but I was, sadly, incorrect. One of the dives involved locating my instructor who was playing dead and ascending him. I did so successfully but upon ascent developed an immediate intense headache. In retrospect, that was the first sign of sinus barotrauma. Later that night I developed the sinus headache to end all sinus headaches which lasted for a bit over two full days. It turns out that air expands when you ascend... and that if it's trapped in your sinuses it will still expand... and that it hurts when you do that. As a result, I've been unable to dive for the last week. I'm pretty much all better now and I'm looking forward to going to Ohio with Jocelin to do some recreational diving. I've learned my lesson though... no more diving when I'm congested.