Beans & Rice For Breakfast,Pacuare for Dessert!
It is always a surprise to a first-time Costa Rica paddler when breakfast is served. Setting corn flakes and wheaties aside, a typical costa rican breakfast is fondly referred to as ´gallo pinto´by the locals. Gallo pinto is a serving of black beans and rice cooked...
Tweaking a Great Program
How would orchestrating a symphony performance equate to running whitewater kayaking trips? Our last few days here would be  a good example: you take a good line-up/a program that you know will bring pleasureâ¦and then never stop tweaking it no matter how many...
When River Rocks Make Noise
While they were not visible, we knew there were rocks on the riverâ¦because we could hear them rolling underneath us! Like riding on top of a continual game of billiards, we paddled downstream with the rocks rolling and clanking and making a lot of noise underneath...
Eddy Out Just Past the Lizard!!
The downside of paddling on the west coast of Costa Rica is dodging the wildlifeâ¦or maybe it is remembering to put on sunscreenâ¦or maybe it is the burritos for dinner!! Here we are in week#3 of our trips and find ourselves spread out and on all sorts of...
Pura Vida, Costa Rica!!
A stunning sight: Volcano Poas, Irazu and Turrialba all breaking through the low cloud bank on the approach to the San Jose airport. What a welcome back to Costa Rica! Such a site was even a first for usâwhich says a lot considering we have made this landing for...
Team ERA reporting from Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
Hello from Costa Rica!! Wow, the blitzkrieg is over. Some might think this is the dream job. And it is, but it is a lot of work. Because of the way that rivers change so dramatically every year in Costa Rica, we always send a team down ahead of the trips to scout...
Costa Rica Scouting Week: Report Day 1
Scouting Week: Report #1, Upper and Middle Pacuare. Thanks guys, but we’re on the wagon for good this year. Matt has enlightened us on the benefits of a healthy human body and wow, between the calestenics and long, erotic stretching, there really hasn’t been much time...
Heading South!
The weather forecast is predicting temperatures in the 20's here in WNC tonight. And even as gorgeous as the leaf season is this year, it should be no surprise to all that we are packing up the guides and heading south. First stop: our Costa Rica trips! We have a...
Stroke Concepts: What Have We Done to the Sweep in the Past 20 Years?
What is your Webster's Dictionary definition of a Full Sweep? All agreed: It is three strokes in one: the forward sweep, continued into a stern draw, the two together equaling a full 180-degree sweep from bow to stern. Added to that: Ryan: It is a stroke used to start...
The Centerline Hand Rule by Craig Parks
The way the centerline hand rule works: If you are weight shift bracing (sitting on edge) at the brink of falling over: if the hand further from the water crosses the centerline (without shoulder rotation) you will fall over. Consequently, you can't center your...