Crete, The Photo Edition

Back on the salty sea! Cruising along the coastline from Matala, southern Crete

Sunset behind the islands of Paximadia

The first trip gearing up for paddling at the beach in Matala

Sea cliffs and caves east of Matala

The view of Red Beach, east of Matala, from the ridge above

Matala at night

The ruins of the Minoan palace of Festos

At the top of the Samaria Gorge, the largest gorge in Europe, getting ready to descend 4,000 ft in 11 miles

The Iron Gates at the end of the Gorge - the walls are only about 12 feet wide here

At the beach in Roumeli, getting ready to paddle

Icons at the Byzantine church of Agios Pavlos

Eskimo roll practice at Marmara Beach

Paddling up the freshwater river from Palm Beach

Selfie, dodging rocks along the coastline

Barracuda souvlaki

Sunrise in Galini, getting ready to make the 8 mile crossing back to Matala

On to the second trip, my trusty steed that I got to rally up and down mountain roads, and through teeny tiny towns.  Waiting for the ferry at Hora Sfakia

The town of Loutro

Paddlers coming in for lunch

The ubiquitous taverna cat

Exploring the Blue Grotto on a stand-up paddle board.  The rocks are undercut so the light filters in from below the water

Standing up and making it look good

One of the three rocks at Tria Petra, paddling the last long leg to Galini

Exploring the archaeological museum in Heraklion

These clay pithoi were taller than I was.  From there it was back home to Montana!

Working Vacation

Wait, where am I?  What day is it?  It's been quite a month, and my brain is struggling to catch up.  Six weeks ago I packed my bags and left Ennis, first to run the Bozeman Marathon...

26.2 miles, done!

...then to spend some family time in central Oregon...

At the headwaters of the Deschutes River

...and finally on to the Greek island of Crete to lead sea-kayaking trips and do some massage.  Is it any wonder my sense of time is a little warped?

There were so many incredible shades of blue

Crete was amazing in so many ways.  I learned several Greek phrases ("kali mera" = good morning, "eferisto" = thank you), but most of my vocabulary had to do with food.  Moussaka, kleftiko, souvlaki, dolmadakias, raki, dakos, and choriatiki each found their way onto my tongue and into my belly.  I easily ate my weight in olive oil and feta, not to mention goats-milk yogurt and honey.  And since each place uses a slightly different recipe, you really have to try one of everything.

There were several moments where I had to pinch myself to make sure it was actually happening: sitting in the harbor town of Hora Sfakia watching a brilliantly-colored kingfisher hop from rock to rock; watching the sun set over the Libyan Sea from a ruined Turkish fort; paddling through endless azure waves past arid rocky coastline; looking over the whitewashed buildings of Loutro from a rooftop while giving a massage; and navigating through sea caves narrow enough to touch with both hands before entering a chamber lit through the water from below.  For many people this is a trip of  lifetime, and I was lucky enough to be along for the ride.

Now that I'm back home, it's fall.  The bears are ravaging apple trees for last-minute calories, frost lays heavy on the garden in the mornings, and the sun sits a little lower in the sky every day.  It's the season of soup and squash, anticipating snow and celebrating the sun, preparing for winter and saying goodbye to summer.  The birds, and part-time residents, are all flying south to warmer climes leaving the rest of us to nestle in and get ready for what comes next.

Home sweet home!