vassenden livin'

a photo bouquet from me to you


sorry to be so tardy bringing another update to all you blog fans out there. the tourist season is in full swing here on the west coast of norway, and the warm, sunny summer has definitely helped to keep us busy.
liza is very greatful, for the "real" summer weather allows her to wear sun dresses:

photo by mw

the long hours of sunshine have warmed up the lake water to the point that we are swimming comfortably, working our way down the river in shorts and short sleeves as long as the sun is shining. earlier i said something about photos of rafting being lame, but i thought i'd share some images from work and how we exploit all the thrill seeking visitors we have:


photo by amos perry shuman


amos having a great time as a rafting guide on another beautiful, sunny day on the jolstra river

photo by mw

our hero ronny "the shrek" loland splashing the customers

photo by mw

we often work as "safety" kayakers on smaller rafting trips to make doubly sure that everyone has a fun and safe experience on the river.
the author, keeping the guests safety in mind:

photo by amos "moose" shuman

although this is the heat of the business season here, we still have a chance to chill out and see the local sights.
the haugabreen glacier offers a scenic getaway from the stress of the workday. our company leads trips up to and on top of this glacier. ice climbing is exciting, and i am glad to have given it a try. although driving the rafting bus up the road leading to the glacier trail offers much excitement, too.
the trail follows the glacial melt water upstream to where the haugabreen spills down out of the mountains in ways and in colors that are beyond description:






photos by mw

liza, hiding from the chilly wind.

photo by mw

just around the corner from our valley, through a 7km road tunnel, and past the $35 toll runs the sogndalselva: a wild and scenic river by any definition. we met our good friend jono ramsay at the bottom, loaded up together in one car, drove to the top, and on the way down harvested the goods in what turned out to be an epic day (two swims) on this classic run.

the author

photo by jono ramsay

the moose

photo by mw

the barefoot gypsy, turned ocean going seismic engineer

photo by mw

i hope this blog post finds you all happy, healthy, and enjoying a wonderful summer wherever you might be.
all the best and a good night's sleep,
mefford.


don't forget. just one click on any photo, and you'll be whisked away to a magical photo gallery.

veko

welcome back to another segment in the continuing saga of american adventurers in norway. a lot has happened since the last post went up. mostly we have been slaving away guiding rafting trips. it occurs to me now that having a photo of rafting might be appropriate. i know that might be appealing to some of you blog fans out there, but for the most part i think the photos of us rafting are about as exciting as a picture for someone working at a desk.


photo by mw

my brother, philly bear, has come and gone after a two week visit with us. there was actually so much work going around, we were able to toss a few bones his way. philly timed his visit to norway perfectly, as he was able attend the world famous voss extreme sports week.
the epicenter of the festival is a circus tent located next to the town lake, where each night a video of the days action is shown and a concert is put on. the night of the opening ceremony (keep in mind it doesn't get dark here): two helicopters buzzed the crowd outside the tent on their way to an appropriate altitude to drop four parachuters. moments after their landing, an airplane buzzes the crowd, then climbs high into the sky to drop at least a dozen more skydivers: some trailing banners, others smoke plumes. throughout this action packed week the sky over the tent is filled with parachuters, paragliders, and folks bungee- jumping from a platform underneath a para-sail. if you venture out of town you can see athletes from all over the globe competing in mountain biking, free-skiing, BASE jumping, and whitewater kayaking among other gravity sports.

although we came to voss to compete in the kayaking races as well as each night's party:

photo by liza duncan

team racing:


the real attraction comes from all the rivers in and around voss.

photo by jj sheperd

here are some of the highlights of our on-the-water adventures:
amos at the nose-breaker:

photo by philly williams

the author revisiting a drop on the jordalselva:

photo by philly williams

i was very proud of philly. he kept up with us all week, and i am sure really enjoyed the various rivers we dragged him to:

photo by mw


photo by mw


photo by mw

thanks again for tuning in.
mefford.

photo by liza duncan

don't forget to click on any photo to be magically transported to the web gallery where you will find even more photos

fun 'til your friends find out

jolster rafting has added another activity to the line up: riverboarding. i had never set belly on a riverboard prior to our day of training.
swimming across the lake on a cold, cloudy day i was very skeptical.
but halfway through the first rapid:

photo by liza duncan

amos was similarly apprehensive, but found his river legs as well:

photo by liza duncan

our fellow head guide, ronny got into the mix with much more initial enthusiasm than us two americans:

photo by liza duncan

luckily the river was at a nice high level; so we all were able to find a good amount of action out there:

photo by liza duncan

be sure to click on one of the photos and check out the rest in the web gallery.
more and more adventure to come as the summer continues...

brand new bag

hello everyone and welcome to another addition. i've changed things up a bit: you can now view photos in a larger size on a web gallery. just click on the photo itself and enjoy.

things here have been very busy. lots and lots of work. the weather is nice. the company is even better.
i am pretty beat down tired at the moment, but i wanted to send out some photos of this beautiful place. still the scenery just has to be seen to be believed.


we are going to be out and about on some more adventures in our home valley as well as all over the hot spots in western norway, and i will be sure to share all that i document with you blog fans out there.
we have a wireless internet connection in our house; so we are now connected to the world at large as well as all our family and friends far and away.
we are a bit like a camp america, but still manage to blend in with our surroundings.


for now. be safe on the roads out there.

lemonade

i had an interesting trip on my way here to norway. we of the airplane generations must have a completely different idea of travel complications compared to those of our forefathers who were bound to the earth and sea.



i was delayed by weather flying from charlotte to chicago; missing my copenhagen connection, i was dealt a 24 hour layover in the windy city.

steep walls of unfamiliar territory


while i stood in the airport-hotel shuttle waiting area, steaming about my uncompensated inconvenience, an idea detonated in my head. as the mental shrapnel flew, i dialed up John "Bubba" Roeder's phone number.
you super-dedicated blog fans will remember bubba from the "september wedding" post. those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting the man, the myth, the legend that is bubba roeder will never truly be able to understand the wild and dynamic flux of every moment with this human of herculean character. the world is bubba's stage, and he commands it with the presence of james brown in his prime. "yeeeoooowww"



over the next twenty-four hours i would not only see a giant reflective bean, but would be given a locals' tour of a classic american city: from the original deep-dish pizza restaurant, to landmarks made famous by Al Capone, to the cowboy boots of Andre the Giant.



no kidding. andre the giant's cowboy boots


i should only hope that all the lemons of my future travel inconveniences could turn out to be this sweet.
many thanks to bubba.
stay tuned for more from the great norske land.

mefford

in the summer time

sunrise over the lake from my bedroom window

i have time to give everyone of you blog fans a quick shout from norway. amos and i are back for another round here in this beautiful country. we've been here about a week and are still getting our bearings. hopefully we'll have reliable and convenient access to the world wide web soon; so i can begin sharing all the news and photos of events as they develop.
i am very excited about my second summer season here and am looking forward to sharing it with all of you. in the meantime be looking for cheap flights to scandinavia, as we would love to have visitors.

get down with your bad self

feeling neglected and under-appreciated? not getting the attention you need from those important folks around you? have no fear. this underground blog is here to help you through your hard times.
i finally got my act together and pirated some serial numbers and am now taking pictures and processing them for publication principally for your enjoyment.
if you've tuned in before, the faces and places may seem familiar. i am wrapping things up as the adventures are moving east across the atlantic to norway for another summer. so here's a look back on the happenings since before my hard-drive crashed:
i've repeatedly visited the second deepest gorge east of the mississippi, home of the linville river.
a view of the river from wise man's overlook:


jay moffatt getting into the action at babel tower


toby, same


looking in at the last big set of obstacles in cathedral gorge:


caleb finishing off the last couple of steps to the car after climbing out from river level on the conely cove trail


with a flexible work schedule, going to the green river is always a tempting option.
auntie maria noakes, cashing in on the benefits of many years of kayaking practice and searching for some deeper meaning in the "groove tube"


here's the groove tube from below. jesse willenski, setting up for a 'hot left' at sunshine. notice the look of apprehension on his face.


robin betz, all smiles as always, loving the action on the rio verde


here's James Ewel Brown Hall firing off the left side of "sunshine":


life wouldn't be the same without yonton mehler around. here's the man himself with a dramatic background at the bottom sunshine:


although you are sitting on your butt and sliding down-hill, you can still build up a massive appetite kayaking. the best place to fill your belly is in the thriving metropolis of dana, north carolina. when you roll into the center of town, before you get to the post office, turn left at the volunteer fire department, a couple hundred yards down in the gas station parking lot on your right are western north carolina's best tacos.
as a texas native, i know a thing or two about authentic tacos. and these babies are the real deal. thanks to the large hispanic population working the apple orchards in the area.
jeb hall harvesting the goods and washing it all down with some home-made orchata: