Glassy Dash through the Pass !

No wind and barely a ripple of current,

meant flat, calm conditions

for this years big race turnout, as the 2009 Deception Pass Dash

will go down as

one of the fastest Dashes through the Pass...

First male and female overall wins were both

well-earned by former Olympians, Greg Barton and Sherri Cassuto,

in this years record-setting heat

of 158 boats and boards of all varieties....

Giant Thanks to Bill Walker (on the left below), OAC crew,
and all of the awesome volunteers and sponsors who make the Dash possible~

Check out more race photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/expeditionpaddlers/DeceptionPashDash2009#

Final Countdown to the Deception Pass Dash !!

Less than a week to go until the most popular winter paddling race in the Pacific Northwest takes place right here in our backyard in the infamous swirling waters of Deception Pass...

the Deception Pass Dash !!

Last year while racing tandem

(in the wrong boat for those rough o' waters)

we finished 17th overall outa nearly 140 participants,

while the "Perfect Storm" conditions forced another 30 racers to DNF!

~~~

This year, Jim & friends have been training hard...

2009 Dash racers- Debbie, Greg, Jesse & Jim-

chillin' out after practicing the course...

~ ~ ~

~With over 160 racers signed up already- it's going to be an exciting race weekend!

Different Worlds...

Several years ago, when my dad first started writing to me about Jim,

I was living in a Chinese city of 15 million...

After travelling to nearly 30 countries,including seven years of teaching,

and playing,

around four Asian nations...

I finally returned back HOME to the great Pacific Northwest

and can confidently say after so many years of

gypsy wandering- That there truly are such a rare place in the world,

you can be lucky enough

to look out your living room window

and catch as spectacular view as this... A late fall sunset, complimented by a rising full moon

over a nearby volcano basked in twilight alpen glow,

shadowy foothills and a rugged island archipelago.

We relish the enchanting, quiet beauty surrounding the

sleepy little island town we now call

'Home Sweeeet Home"...
~~~

"Three things cannot be long hidden,

the sun, the moon and the truth." -Buddha