The Beginning.
It was a winters day in 1987 when I was asked to join two friends on a day hike up Ben Nevis, in the Mt Richmond Forest Park, that borders the districts of Nelson and Marlborough. This was my first experience at tramping (as we call it in my neck-of-the-woods), and the opportunity to experience what lay beyond the city limits.
This outing was soon followed by another, then another and, before I knew it, I was hooked. It was about this time I began checking-out the outdoor stores and putting together my own kit - pack, tent, sleeping-bag, cooking gear ++++ - and, along with the vast availability of maps, I was soon planning overnight trips. Within the year of that first outing, I had become addicted. But it wasn't just the great outdoors that interested me, I also came to respect and appreciate what we had here.
In 1993 I added mountain-biking to my list of outdoor activities and, since then, I have purchased five bikes of different makes & models (in the image above I have just taken possession of my first bike here in Japan). Mountain-biking allowed me more opportunities to get out and discover a different area of the outdoors and put some thrill into my experiences.
Then, in 1996, I became interested in another aspect of the outdoors - kayaking - and, within days, I had purchased a sea-kayak. I was now beyond the point of no return
All through this era, up until 2004, I resided in an area referred to as "The Top Of The South", which included the provinces of West-Coast, Nelson, Golden Bay and Marlborough. The city of Nelson, where I lived, was surrounded by five National & Quasi-National Parks. So, one could say, we were spoilt for choice. In some cases one only needed to drive for 10-minutes before reaching a track and, from there, disappear into the bush for as long as they needed. With the mountainous area surrounding me, I was in mountain-biking heaven. With the Nelson Bay, Nelson Lakes and Marlborough Sounds at my doorstep, I was afforded many options as to what type of environment I wanted to kayak in.
In 2004 my Wife & I moved to the Kansai Region of Japan. Although the scenery is different here from back home, it is still part of this piece-of-rock we inhabit, and I still have the same respect and appreciation for it. I am fortunate to be living on the outskirts of the city, with the outdoors just a stones-throw away. In the 9-years since arriving, I have clocked-up over 40,000-kilometers on two-wheels and many-many kilometers on foot. I am always discovering new destinations, along with their varied attractions.
In the past year I purchased, and was gifted, two new items to add to my outdoor kit - a cycle carry-bag plus a cycle-trailer - both allowing me the freedom to travel further and take more supplies with me ( during the summer months, when temperatures can reach 40c, one needs a good supply of water). With the bag, if I have drifted far from home, I can compact my bike, bag-it, and hop aboard a train.
I recently discovered Weebly, a blogging website where I am able to create different pages comprising of topics related to my outdoor experiences in Japan, which will include images, videos, trip details, whatever.
I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you and invite you to peruse my posts at will, and share with others. This site isn't as much about me, and what I am doing, but sharing what we have here in the hope you and others will respect and appreciate as like I do.
I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you and invite you to peruse my posts at will, and share with others. This site isn't as much about me, and what I am doing, but sharing what we have here in the hope you and others will respect and appreciate as like I do.
Sayonara.