Category: Travel

Fall SUP Festival Races at Jordanelle Reservoir, UT

September 13th, 2010

This weekend I participated in the last local SUP race near Salt Lake City. The series, organized by Utah Paddle Surfing, has really brought together the local SUP community from first timers to seasoned racers.

For those of you unfamiliar to stand up paddling, (or SUPing), check out this mini-documentary I did last summer:

I love SUPing because it is a new, fun workout that allows me to get out on the water. I grew up in Minnesota so I always associate summertime with being on the lakes. Now, I can do that in land-locked, arid Utah-and it’s great cross-training for skiing.

At the fall SUP Festival, I competed in the 1.25 mile race, the SUP/land paddle relay race, and the SUP/Land paddle biathlon (the last two events involve paddling in the water and then running onto the land, grabbing a longboard with a stick with a rubber end and paddling on land).

I got first in my 1.25 mile race, our team placed 2nd in the relay and I got first in the biathlon! After that, I presented a short clinic on whitewater SUPing since I have been doing some river SUPing as well this summer.

Here are some shots from the day:

I raced on my new Surftech Lahui Kai 12’6” Mitcho board and took her out on her maiden voyage. The board is light, fast and perfect for paddling the lakes of Utah.

Please let me know if you have any questions about SUPing by posting a comment. I’m happy to help answer questions about equipment, destinations and whitewater.

Posted in Gear, Salt Lake City, SUP, Travel

Southern California Road Trip Guide

September 10th, 2010

Forrest and I recently went on a road trip to Southern California for a surf vacation. Since Forrest grew up in Southern California, he knows all the cool spots. Here are some of our top picks for places to eat and surf.

Since we drove from Utah, we decided to spend an evening in Vegas on the way out. We stayed at the Excalibur, but I would highly recommend staying off the strip for much less. It was Forrest’s birthday so we decided to try Mario Batali’s restaurant, Enoteca San Marco, inside the Venetian.

We tried (from left to right) the house-cured sardines and roasted pepper panzanella salad, the octopus, celery and potato salad, the farro, lentils “Alla Toscana” and radish in Bagna Cauda and for dessert, the Fig Fritters with vanilla bean gelato and Morellino Syrup. The food was so different from anything we can eat in Utah – their wine selection is also extensive (but quite expensive). My personal favorite was the fig fritters- ripe, juicy figs deep fried.

The next day, we finished up our drive by going straight to the coast. I had never been to any of the beaches near San Diego and Forrest wanted to take me to Tourmaline, which was a great longboard spot! On our way, we stopped at the French Gourmet to grab some sandwiches for a picnic on the beach.

Ready to get in the ocean!

Tourmaline is a great place to catch a few waves and warm up if you haven’t surfed in a few months. The waves are mellow but have enough push to keep you up for some long, fun rides!

Having worked up an appetite, we headed to The Blazin Grill to have some acai smoothies and sweet potato fries.

The next day, we went to Leucadia and started our day off with tropical burritos (filled with eggs, beans and plantains) at Mozy Cafe. Then we went to Beacon’s Beach to surf! The water was so nice and warm – September is a great time to travel to Southern California.

After surfing for awhile, we went to the El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla to grab a piece of fresh, line local red rock cod to cook on the grill. It was so delicious!

Next, we went to Cardiff by the Sea to surf and camp. The campsites there are some of the most popular and book out months in advance on Reserve America. Luckily, we headed in at 2 pm on a Monday and were able to secure a campsite for the evening. We walked across the street to Cardiff Seaside Market to have a sandwich and grab some groceries. Also be sure to stop by Patagonia’s surf shop in Cardiff to see their awesome selection of fine handbuilt surfcrafts, wetsuits, eco-conscious threads, art Ts, and misc. surf culture fare.

We grabbed some abalone tacos at Bull Taco at the Cardiff campsite (some of the best food around – a must EAT on any trip to Cardiff) and then paddled out for a sunset surf session.

Surf pics taken on my GoPro Camera

We headed up to Santa Monica to stop by Livity’s store. Have you ever wondered where I get all my super cool summer hats and clothes? Check out Livity Outernational – shop online and get a discount by using code “CAROLINE”.

Livity was founded in 2001 in Topanga, California by Isaac Nichelson. Isaac wanted to, “change the way the world looks at design, update the way we produce things and overhaul the way corporations do business.” He said, “It is time to conduct commerce with a conscience for the sake of our children and future generations.”

The textiles are made from organic cotton, hemp, recycled PET plastic, and Raffia straw.

These are my favorite shorts! They are made of recycled plastic and hemp – super breathable and they dry fast too!

The shop is located off of Lincoln Blvd. near Ocean Park in Santa Monica. Definitely worth stopping by.

We ended our trip by grabbing dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world, Gjelina, located on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. It can be difficult to get in there so either make a reservation two weeks ahead or just roll in there around 8:00 and put your name on the list. They will likely tell you the wait is over an hour, so go walk around for 45 minutes and cruise back in there (there is great window shopping on Abbot Kinney). It has worked several times for us!

So that was it! If you are ever need a little ocean vacation time, head down to Southern California and check out some of our favorite spots.

Posted in SUP, Travel

The American West

February 2nd, 2010

Near Wolf Mountain, UT

Powder Mountain Ticket Office

Portrait of a young bowhunter

Empty train car on I-80 W en route to Reno

Bonneville Salt Flat self portrait.

Posted in Film & Photography, Travel

Three Cups of Tea

January 7th, 2010

The best way to get through a long road trip is with a good audiobook. On my last road trip home, I listened to Greg Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea.

Mortenson is a fellow Minnesotan who traveled to the Himalayas to climb K2. After a failed summit attempt and a physically exhausting journey, he lost his way and it was taken in by the residents of Korphe. He watched the students diligently studying outside, practicing multiplication tables in the sand and dirt in the harsh Himalayan environment and pledged to bring them a school.

You must read this book.

It reminded me of a forum I attended last fall at the Hinckley Institute of Politics with Hussain Haqqani, the Pakistani ambassador to the United States. Instead of treating the symptoms of terrorism, we need to start treating the root causes. In Pakistan, less than 50% of school age children go to school. One third of the population lives below the poverty line. Many people just there do not have any opportunities or choices in life like we have here in the United States. Without hopes and dreams, it becomes easier to recruit these young people into terrorist organizations.

Haqqani said, “The US now has an opportunity to reach out to the world and say, ‘we may be the largest power in the world, but we also have the ability to listen to others and work with them. There is no military solution. Some people you need to fight…but at the same time, there are people you need to win over.”

Mortenson has been carrying out this work singlehandedly. He has built or supported 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where boys and girls can learn to read, write and do multiplication and division. He just published another book, Stones to Schools that I still need to read. Please check out and support Greg Mortenson at www.gregmortenson.com and consider donating to his Central Asia Institute at https://www.ikat.org/

Posted in Politics, Travel

Korea

November 9th, 2009

I recently returned from an amazing trip to Korea with my mom and sister-in-law, Sarah. My mom was invited to give a lecture there at an allergy conference and we were able to tag along. I absolutely love traveling and am so fortunate to have taken two trips to Asia this year, first to Japan in January and then Korea in October.

Here are some pictures:

Temple Yoga

Apple festival

Here’s me inside a traditional Korean thatched roof house–this one was actually part of a film set for a popular TV show. Nevertheless, I could definitely live here.

Holding up the 600-year-old astronomical observatory

A beautiful tree in the chicken forest.

Bus ride to Andong, a traditional folk village in the countryside of South Korea

We hand-dyed scarves and t-shirts with marigold and onion skin. It was so fun to learn about this traditional Korean method.

The dye–much less toxic than most fabric dye.

Here’s a shot from our balcony at the Hyundai hotel.

Here’s Mr. Kim, our guide. He was the most patient and attentive guide with us. I’m not sure he knew what he was getting into, but he made for a truly spectacular experience.

Korea is a great place to travel. It is affordable and relatively easy to navigate. The food is sooooooooooooooo good–from a Bibimbap rice bowl to Kalbi beef, I think any American will find new food that they love.

Love their uniforms–stylish and comfortable. The Koreans have great style and design aesthetics, from clothing to architecture and everything in between.

Sarah and I dressed up–she’s wearing Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, and I wore the palace guard uniform.

Between the three of us, we have hundreds of pictures. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend traveling to Korea.

Posted in Travel