Here is a quicktime VR showing a 360 degree view standing out on a rocky point overlooking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon:

Here is a Quicktime VR panoramic 360 of the end of Sheep’s Head Canyon (near Antelope Canyon) by Page Arizona:

Here is a Quicktime 360 Panorama of the Valley of Fire State Park:

I drove back to North Carolina on the 14th of May, and on the morning of the 15th I went over to the NOC for more playboating lessons.

It turned out that the Tuckaseegee was not running, so Eternity Hole was not a go. However, the Ocoee was at very high levels!

In Hell Hole:

I had to pay a bit extra for a travel fee, as the Ocoee is some drive away from the NOC center. However, as the Ocoee was on my list of rivers to paddle, I paid it gladly!

I got lots of photos in Hell Hole with my SLR, but unfortunately, the rest of the river I have no photos for. Not even from the guiding companies that take photos along the river.

The day was hot, far too hot to wear my drysuit, but I wore it anyways. It turned out to be a good thing for the amount of time I spent upside down practicing playboating moves.

It was unfortunate that I had a very bad cough, and was sick throughout the paddle, thus I was also exhausted when trying the playboating moves.

The river was fantastic despite my condition, and I had a great day.

At the end of the day, when I got people to use my camera to take photos, a huge thunderstorm broke around us. At times it was deafening.

I had not fitted my seals on my drysuit tight enough, and a fair bit of water got in. However, the water was so warm, and it was such a warm day, I saw people paddling in just a PFD with not even a spraytop on!

On May 8th and 9th I took private whitewater playboating lessons from the NOC on the Tuckaseegee River in North Carolina. The lessons started with lake practice, which I was thankful for, as my instructor Andrew covered some edge control drills that I had not seen before.

Then we went to go paddle in the man made hole on the Tuckaseegee called “Eternity Hole”. It was made by students piling up rocks to divert the river and create an eddy. It is a prime example of how to build a man made feature.

Paddling into the hole. It is considerably smaller than Tarp and Play on the Puntledge, and that makes it perfect to practice the basics like cartwheels and front loops.

I spent a great deal of time practicing front loops. I did not get any, but I got close. Andrew was a fantastic instructor for this.

I kept setting up for a roll instead of keeping my paddle out in front of me - which, as you can see turned my kayak away from upstream…

And I practiced carwheeling. This photo is not one of me linking ends, but I did start getting linked ends by the end of the second day.

I had such a great time I am going back to paddle again on May 15th for another day of practice before I head back to Memphis to work on the client’s project.

I also managed to get a Palm Stikine Drysuit for a steal of a deal, and a new Sprayskirt, and the total price of both was under $800, so I won’t have to pay any duty!

My 1995 Royal Exceed should be here in the middle of May. I thought it was going to be April, but getting JDM import vehicles can take some time.

The Royal Exceed is a Long Wheel base, so that means it has extra storage in the back (almost 2 feet). The drawback to this is that the back end sticks out further, and the wheels are further apart. This means that it drives a bit more like a bus - and is a bit harder to use offroad due to the distance between the wheels. It is still a great 4X4, but I will have to take into consideration that for the extra comfort and storage I am getting I am losing out on the more hardcore off road features. The van will still do quite well offroad however. Probably better than my 4Runner with the sagging rear leaf springs at any rate. Also, since I no longer do crazy offroad driving, a vehicle that is “good enough” to go offroad very well, should be good enough for my purposes. I like the idea of being able to carry my kayaks in the back without and problem, and the seats convert into a bed with ease, or, move out of the way for additional storage. It really is like a 4X4 Westfalia with a much stronger engine.

Some of the modifications I will have to make to it are:

- Install a stronger “bash plate” to protect the oil filter which is at risk on the Delica when going off road.
- Install a Bypass-Oil Filter to help keep soot out of the oil from the Diesel engine, and prolong the engine life. (I will probably use a Frantz Oil Filter)
- Install a Pyrometer/Boost/Temp Gauge to keep an eye on the turbo temps and boost pressure. I will also probably install an oil pressure gauge and WVO temp sensor as well.
- Additional Fuel tanks and WVO conversion - to allow the Delica to run on Waste Veggie Oil.
- Toyota Tacoma Aluminum Rims (modified) to enable 31″ tires to be placed on the van for better off road clearance on logging roads.
- An engine snorkel in the (unlikely) event of deep-water crossings, and extending the breathing tubes for the differentials higher up inside the body.
- A roof “basket” to carry extra gear or sea kayaks.
- A rear ladder to load gear on the roof (this may not be possible due to my rear light bar).
- Install a rear tow bar.
- Install a left looking camera and 7″ dual DIN stereo to be able to see better for passing.
- Install a rear camera for ease of reversing and parking due to the long length of the Delica.

The L400 Royal Exceed I am getting should have all of the following features:

- It is a right hand drive with an automatic transmission. (I prefer manual, but in this model of Delica the automatic is more suited to highway speeds, and the Royal Exceed is only available in an Automatic).
- It has ECS suspension, the suspension can automatically adjust to road conditions (but I will not be using the ECS shocks due to the prohibitive cost, instead I will just have beefier shocks installed).
- 2.8 Litre intercooled Turbo Diesel - capable of running on dual fuel Diesel/Waste Veggie oil with some modification.
- Full 2WD/AWD/4WD/4WDlo. Shift on the fly from 2WD/AWD at highway speeds. (Up to 100 km/h)
- A Crystalite roof with retractable sunshades. You can see the 4 individual moon roofs in the previous post’s pictures. The Crystal Lite roof gives 4 independently operated sun shades (or a master control for all by the driver) plus overhead climate controls for the passengers. This means that the passenger behind the driver has a separate set of controls to maintain the rear cabin temperature.
- Retracting sun roof above the driver. (This sunroof opens fully and partially unlike the passenger sunroofs).
- Full digital climate control. (Just set the temperature you wish to have in the cabin, and the system maintains that).
- A/C
- Heated front windshield to defrost the resting point for the windshield wipers
- Power door locks
- Central door locks
- Limited slip differential (9.5″) on the rear axle. Not as good as a locking rear diff, but still nothing to scoff at.
- Cloth trim and very good speakers, 10 speakers in all. (I will be adding my amp and sub woofer from my 4Runner).
- Thick shag carpeting floor
- Arms rests on all seats - plush fabric (No 1995 series has leather seats). Even the front driver and passenger seats have arm rests in the center, but not on the sides with the doors of course.
- Karaoke machine w/ satellite speakers (Yes, really, it has a Karaoke machine!)
- Heated front cloth seats (Hi/Lo heat on the front seats - great if you have to leave the heater off while the veggie oil tank warms up).
- Steering wheel air bag
- Mechanical mirror adjust - and automatic folding mirrors for better side clearance.
- Chrome bull bar/side steps
- Dual PIAA fog lights
- Sliding power curtains (The curtains in the back are entirely power operated by the driver, plus there are curtains to separate the driver cab from the rear cabin.).
- Gold tinted rear and side windows
- ABS Anti-locking brake system and disc brakes on all 4 wheels

A few months back (May) while I was out in Ontario, I got onto a Honda dirt bike, and within 60 seconds, promptly fell off. In the process of falling off, I broke my left collarbone.

The timing was awful, as I was all prepared to go kayaking on the Ottawa river with Liquid Skills. I have been wanting to do that course for the last 5 years. I had signed up for it, paid for it, and the week before going I broke my collarbone.

The recovery has been slow. Due to the fact that the bone was not splinted, exercise was pretty much out of the picture. Walking at a semi-normal pace was painful, and sleeping quite difficult.

It is later now, and the bone has healed. Still, my left arm is quite weak I have almost all my mobility back, but in certain ranges of motion my arm suddenly ‘tweaks’. For example, a few weeks back I was moving some furniture, I could feel the stress on my collarbone and the muscles. It was not pleasant, but not painful. Then, the other day, I picked up a cup of coffee with my left arm and felt terrible pain in my shoulder. I guess I just had the angle to make it hurt.

To top it all off I have been neglecting my Physio. So, last week I started it up again. I had hoped to run in some MOMAR races this year, but with my arm the way it is I can’t get trained up in time.

I will be ready for some trail races like the Gunner Shaw though. Well, that is if I don’t head off to South America during that time, but we will see about that.

On my birthday I decided to buy myself a Toyota Clinometer off of Ebay for my 4Runner. It was originally in a Toyota Surf - the diesel Japanese version of the 4Runner. I had wanted one for some time for off-road use. After it arrived, I disassembled it to see how it worked as seen here.

I took my dashboard apart:

Then I removed the metal mounting hardware from the Clinometer to measure it for the dash:

After figuring out the fit, I began drilling the dashboard (The hole for the wiring is not drilled in this image):

And finally, reattaching the dashboard to see how it looks:

Not bad, although it appears crooked. This is because the Clinometer is from a Toyota Surf, and thus was not meant to attach to a First Gen 4Runner dash, especially a left hand drive like mine. Toyota Surf’s are right hand drive, thus the Clinometer mounts differently.

I just need to finish off the wiring now so that it lights up when my dash lights come on. I verified that the Altimeter works well, both for altitude and predicting the weather. The tilt to the left and the right is handy, although the forward and back tilt is rather pointless.

Ok, so I have been away from the blog for some time. The trouble with addicting sites like facebook is that you tend to neglect sites like this one…

In my time away I have been kayaking a great deal. In fact, I went out and bought 2 new kayaks. A Bliss Stick Mystic, and a Bliss Stick RAD 195. I never would have thought I would buy new boats, but I did. I also picked up a new paddle, a new PFD, an Overthruster and a whole host of other gear.

I have since been to San Francisco, Toronto and North Carolina since my last post. I have also had even more fun on the Puntledge too. I hope to start posting on this thing more regularly! :p

This long weekend I only got out paddling on Sunday. However, it was good to take the free time to get my place more organized, and get things finally out of boxes. The Sunday paddle on the Cowichan was good, surprisingly, the water level was higher than the previous weekend.

I paddled the Super Ego again, and having done more outfitting work in it, I was more comfortable in it. I had to practice a number of rolls in the Super, as I figured out how it rolls differently from the Jive. The Jive has all the volume in the front, so a C to C roll (or any roll for that matter) works great. The Super Ego, having a wide base, no secondary stability, large volume in the center, and a very slicy front end is extremely difficult to roll with a C to C roll.

The solution was to switch from my favored C to C style roll, and finish with a sweep roll, and lean far back on the rear deck. While this places my shoulders in a weaker position for the finish, it is better in my opinion, to be able to breathe. I have to go far back on the deck because of the volume distribution in the Super Ego, and with an extreme lean backwards I am able to bring the Super Ego around in a roll with ease.

Still, I did forget to do this while playing around at one point, and had trouble when I tried to come up with a C to C out of instinct after a forward flip. I had to forcibly remember to sweep my paddle and lean back to get the boat upright on my second attempt. The upshot to all this is that I am less afraid of flipping in the Super Ego now. Given that I have swam out of the Super Ego about 5 times since I have owned it, and the last time I swam out of the Jive I was hand paddling on the Clearwater when I went into a whirlpool, I have much more confidence in the Jive. With the ability to bring the Super upright, I can play more aggressively in holes and waves, which is exactly what I did on Sunday. I dropped the Super into Bert’s hole without any reservation. Whereas, previously, I was only comfortable taking the Jive in that. Sadly, I got shot out violently, as it is not nearly as retentive as I would have expected it to be.

The wave below the Final Drop was quite good, although being at a higher level the Jive would have been more appropriate due to hull speed. Still, I was able to get some good surfing off of it. I realized I was tired when I blew of the wave and flipped. The need to roll clued me into being done on that wave for the day.

I am really looking forward to the Puntledge River Festival coming this weekend. The last time down the ‘Punt’ I felt uneasy as I did not know the river, and was not in my Jive. This time I will bring both boats. The Jive for running the upper Puntledge, or perhaps the Browns if the level is there, and the Super Ego for playing in the waves and holes once I have done an exploratory run in the Jive.

On another note, it looks like I should be able to have my truck on the road fairly soon, so I will have to get the Tercel all fixed up and ready to sell. It will be nice to have a vehicle again that I can sleep in on kayak trips, and of course, carry a whole host of boats with. Granted, it is not nearly as good on gas as the Tercel, but give that I don’t need to drive to work - or even for shopping now - I can get the 4Runner back on the road. It probably won’t be licensed in time for the Puntledge, but should be road worthy by the next weekend.

In other news, the Gold River is getting to good levels, and I really hope to head out there. I have a feeling that I will be making a stop at Home Depot to pick up all the materials to build a collapsable bed for the back of my 4Runner to make it even more comfortable to sleep in. Nothing like a 4X4 camper.