El Guapo (the van) and I have been on the road together for 733 days.

It all started with an epiphany explained a few posts down while I was splitting my time between South Lake Tahoe, California (SLT) and Reno, Nevada.  That epiphany snowballed into a master plan very quickly and here we are, back in the same area two years, 39,968 miles, hundreds of thousands of photos and countless experiences later.  Man it feels good to be back!

In no way is this a signing off post.  Guapo and I are still going strong with many plans for the future, but it really feels like we have arrived “home” after a long trip. This is something we can all relate to, but for a pair with no address, this “home” feeling does not come easily. 

There are a few other places I cherish the same, but professionally, it all started here.  This is the last place I lived, worked and shared a community of friends.  I love the people, the mountains, the rivers and lakes.  I am really happy that for the time being, the Reno / Tahoe area is “home”.

Last Saturday, April 17^th, 2010, was the official anniversary with Guapo.  It was on that day two years earlier that I flew from Reno to Santa Barbara to pick up the van and start a new life.  I have written at length in my posts about how that move and several others have added unforeseen value and experiences to my existence, so I won’t go into any more detail about the actual transition.  What I really want to commemorate is the fact that two years have passed and we are still rolling, still growing and still hungry for more.

So how did I spend the two-year anniversary?  I participated in a Boater-X event on Mt. Rose where about 20 of us geared up in a mix of skiing and kayaking equipment, sprayed Pam on the bottom of our kayaks and raced down a bobsled style course.  I definitely did not win, but it was fun to be around kayakers I have met, shot and traveled and paddled with along this two-year journey.


(Current World Champion Nick Troutman in first, Brian Tupper in second and me in third.  Many thanks to Reno local and photographer, kayaker and skier extraordinaire Scott Sady of TahoeLight.com for the image.)

Afterwards, I went straight to Downieville, one of my favorite towns in Northern California, to camp and kayak with some old friends.  I found them in a heap of wet gear on the side of Highway 49 after one long, failed attempt at hitchhiking the shuttle back to their car after paddling all afternoon.

I picked up the two stragglers and we caught up over a campfire by the river.  The sun was out the next morning, the coffee was strong and the water brisk.  We were all smiles as the day was spent dissecting rapids, taking in the scenery and talking and laughing about whatever we could think of.  It was the perfect transition into summer, and into being “home,” at least for a little while.

Here are a few photos of Guapo along the way these past two years.

This post is a part of the publishing experiment called A Steady Drip.  Go to the table of contents at www.asteadydrip.com to see more.