Photo Gallery

I have just started using a new photo gallery tool to organize all my pictures. This is probably the most active part of my site, so please check back often. There is a link to the main gallery which include all my pictures and also specific links for trips and events I wanted to write about in more detail.

2010

Belize - For thanksgiving we packed up and headed out for another southern adventure. This trip was in two parts. For the first part, we stayed inland in the town of San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border. The hotel we stayed at, also called the San Ignacio, was located on the edge of a forested area above the river, and every day, toucans, and other exotic birds would come and eat fruit from the trees while you sat and are breakfast. While in San Ignacio, we took an overnight trip into Guatemala to see the Mayan ruins and Tikal. Tikal has the highest pyramid of all the Mayan sites in Central America. For the second half of the trip we headed back to the coast to stay on the island of Cay Caulker. Cay Caulker is a very relaxed and small island with great food, great beaches and great snorkeling. Before this trip, I didn't know that the second longest barrier reef in the world is located off the coast of Belize!

Seattle - for the 11th installment of the JKAFR trip, we headed back to the site of the 2nd trip, Mount St Helens. Even now, 30 years later, the evidence of the 1980 eruption is everywhere. The highlight of this trip was riding the Plains of Abraham trail that take you along a route overlooking much of the ash-field and devastation on the north side of the mountain. Also a special treat was riding the Lewis River Trail. 8 miles of twisty rain-forest single track running along the Lewis River. I might not be able to wait another 10 years to get back to these epic rides!

Tulum, Mexico - We love Beaches, and we love ruins, so what could be better than both in the same place? At Tulum, there is a beautiful Mayan site located right on the ocean. We spent a long weekend here including a day trip inland to the Mayan ruins at Coba.

San Francisco - For Valentines Day this year, we took a login weekend trip to San Francisco. We got to meet up with old friends of Kat's, eat at some wonderful restaurants, and took a great walking tour of the city. I'd definitely like to get back and spend more time there!

Birthday in Vieques, Puerto Rico - For my birthday this year Kat planned an incredible trip to Puerto Rico. We Flew into San Juan where we met up with our friends Dave and Rawls to enjoy part of the San Sebastian festival, and then the next day we flew to the island of Vieques located just of the south-east corner of the main island of Puerto Rico. Vieques is a very small island with just a few small hotels and beautiful beaches. The true highlight of the trip was kayaking and swimming in a bioluminescent bay. Every movement you made in the water was followed by a glowing trail. Words can't even describe how amazing he experience was, and unfortunately, despite my best efforts, no picture turned out since I was using my small waterproof camera. If you ever get the chance to go, do it!

2009

Prague/Budapest - This was our first trip to Europe together and we split the time between Prague and Budapest. Both cities were wonderful and the buildings, churches, and architecture were amazing. Walking around in cities that pre-date the whole country you are from is a humbling experience!

St John - If going to St. John once in a year is good, twice is better! This was a quick weekend trip down with our friends Rawls and Dave. This was my first time hiking the Reef Bay Trail on St. John and seeing the petroglifs located along the trail.

Peru - This was truly the trip of a lifetime! We started off with a few days at Lake Titicaca followed by a very scenic trip through Cusco to Aguas Caliente, the small town just below Machu Pichu. Because of a labor strike in the country we ended up stuck in Aguas Caliente for 2 days, but the upside was that we had Machu Picho to ourselves! The only route in and out of the town is by train and that was shut down. We had two amazing days to explore the ruins which are normally packed with people. We ended our trip with a few days in the Amazon basin near Puerto Maldonado. We stayed at an amazing lodge that was about a 30 minute boat ride from town. The wildlife and rainforest were amazing!

Moab - Another great year including brand new singletrack at Dead Horse Point State Park, Poison Spider Mesa, and the infamous Portal descent!

St John Birthday - For my birthday this year Kat and I headed down to the US Virgin Islands, St John Specifically. Our friends Lefty and Becky from Dallas and Tim and Donna from Atlanta also came along. Considering the temperatures in Atlanta had been in the 20s and 30s the week before we left, it was a much needed tropical getaway! We got plenty of beach and Snorkeling time and visited Solomon, Frank, Turner, Little Lamishur, Great Lamishur, and Salt Pond bays, along with Waterlemon Cay. St. John is really one of my favorite places to visit and it has a great name!

2008

Yucatan, Mexico - For Thanksgiving this year, Kat planned a wonderful 10 day trip to The Yucatan area of Mexico. Highlights of the trip included the ruins at Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichen Itza, Seeing Flamingos at Celestun, bird watching and snorkeling at Isla Contoy, and 4 wonderful relaxing days at Isla Mujeres. The Mayan ruins were truly amazing, and there was still so much that we didn't get to see. We will definitely be back for more some day!

Squamish/Whistler, BC - For this years annual seattle trip we took our first international trip and headed to Squamish, BC. While I hit the famous downhill courses at Whistler, Kat and Janna did some amazing hiking to lake Garibaldi. While I enjoyed trying the down hilling in the place that made it famous, I can say that it's really not my thing... The next day we rode some traditional single track and Josh proved that his wheel was not able to handle a 10 foot drop... All in all a great trip as always that leaves me looking forward to the next year!

Moab - This was a milestone trip for me. This was my 10th year traveling to Moab for my annual mountain biking pilgrimage to the desert. I pretty much say the same thing every year, and this year is no exception. It's a wonderful place and a fantastic group of people. I'm already looking forward to 11!

Bahamas - Our friends Ben and Nruti and there two little girls Maya and Avani had their boat in the Bahamas in March, and Kat and I went to visit them for a long weekend. We stayed on the boat in Marsh Harbor Marina in the Abacos. We did a lot of the typical tourist things, and of course one of my favorites - snorkeling and spear fishing. I had never used a pole spear before, but took to it pretty quickly. With Ben and I both fishing, we had Lobster for everyone two nights!

Baja Vacation - Both of us have always wanted to go on a whale watching trip, and this year we decided to head to Baja. A good friend had recommended a particular tour company called Baja Outdoor Adventures, and after checking out their site, we decided on a trip that included 4 days of sea kayaking and 2 days of whale watching. We also decided to take a couple extra days in the town of La Paz, which also happened to have their carnival going on. It was an amazing trip, and included highlights such as swimming with sea lions, being within feet of baby and adult gray whales, and having some of the best food I've ever had!

2007

Costa Rica Vacation - Several of our friends have traveled to Costa Rica and Rave about it, so for the first part of the Thanksgiving Holiday this year we decided to check it out. We split our trip between the towns of Quepos on the the Pacific Coast, and La Fortuna at the base of the Arenal volcano. I cant' say enough great things about the trip. The wildlife we say in Manuel Antonio National Park near Quepos was absolutely amazing, and the views of an active volcano in La Fortuna were equally so. We can't wait to get back to explore more! Special thanks to our friends Tony and Ben for giving us so many pointers for the trip!

John Karnes Annual Fun Ride - This was my eighth year of heading to the Pacific Northwest for biking and camping. Rather than the usual Seattle, we headed to Bend, Oregon this year. Our wonderful friends Liz and Glen were nice enough to open up their home for the holiday weekend. We were also joined by several of the usual suspects from Seattle and the surrounding area. The trip included canoeing, Biking, Hiking, horse back riding, and even some rock climbing (though Kat and I just watched that part). It was another great trip, and I can't wait till next fall - There's been talk of heading over the boarder into Canada

Honeymoon - British Virgin Islands - For the second week of our honeymoon we traveled to the British Virgin Islands and stayed on the Island of Tortola. The trip was wonderful and very relaxing. Over the course of the week, we took trips to Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and also did a day sail to Norman Island for snorkeling. As for snorkeling, be sure to check out the underwater shots from Normal Island, Smugglers Cove, and Brewers Bay as well. I saw my first spotted eagle ray on this trip!

Honeymoon - Moab, Utah - For the first week of our honeymoon we traveled to Moab Utah. We spent the first few days staying in the Red Cliff's Lodge and then the remainder of the week we camped with the Adventure Trekkers group that I travel with every year. In Moab we did a lot of wonderful hikes including Arches National Park, Negro Bill Canyon, and Hidden Valley. We also drove into Canyon Lands National Park for a few short hikes and great overlooks at Island in the Sky. Last but not least, we did some biking, and introduced Kat to Moab Riding on the Klondike Bluffs trail and then Onion Creek a few days later. This was my 9th year going to Moab in the spring, but by far the best!

Karnes O'Neill Wedding - The wedding was in Beaufort, South Carolina where Kat grew up, and the reception was at the Callawassie Island Club House. Special thanks to my groomsmen, Dave Harry, Clifford Robertson, and Mike Reyher, and of course to Andrew McConnell, my best man. The ceremony and reception were absolutely wonderful and I can't say how happy I am with the wedding photography! If you need a good photographer, Ray Swords is the man!

Durango Bachelor Party - For my bachelor party, I said I wanted to go camping and biking, and my best man Andy came through in spades. The destination: Durango, Colorado. I flew in on Thursday with my friend John, and we picked up our rental bikes that evening. The next day we rode two trails: Steven's Creek, and Logchutes. Both were shorter loops, less than 8 miles each, but were great rides. The second day we rode a trail near Cortez called Phil's World. This is one of the most fun trails I've ever ridden. Fifteen miles of great fast singletrack. That night we met up with my friend Jeff who lives in Durango and did a miniature pub crawl in Durango. Sunday, the last day of the trip, we visited Mesa Verde National Park and saw several Anasazi cliff dwellings including Cliff Palace, one of the largest and best known sites. Special thanks to Andy for organizing the trip and picking such a great location!

Ouachita Challenge - The Challenge is a 60+ mile endurance ride held every year near Hot Springs Arkansas. It takes in parts of the Ouachita and Womble trails as well as some fire roads and other smaller trails to make a giant loop that starts and ends in the town of Oden. The trails, particularly the Womble, are really nice and include some of the best single track you will find. Even though I haven't been riding nearly enough to sign up for an event this long, I went ahead and registered, and somehow managed to muddle through despite the fact that it rained for a good part of the morning. Although this is the 4th time I've ridden in the Challenge, this was certainly the hardest for me and I ended up making the last checkpoint with less than 2 minutes to spare. Fortunately they extended the time by 10 minutes at that checkpoint, so I was good either way, but still much tighter than any of my previous years in the event. Kat took pretty much all of the pictures and got some great shots of the area and the folks from Atlanta and Dallas that made the trip out.

2006

Slippery Rock - Kat and I went to visit my parents for my father's birthday in October, and it gave me a great chance to show her the area where I grew up. We flew into Pittsburgh and spent the afternoon seeing some of the sights there including riding the Duquesne Incline and the view of the city from Mount Washington. We spent the rest of the weekend in my home town with my parents and also worked in a hike at McConnell's Mill state Park. McConnell's Mill is an actual restored mill along Slippery Rock Creek. There's also a restored covered bridge in the park along with several miles of great hiking trails including the Hell's Hollow trail which takes you to a beautiful set of water falls on Hell Run.

Rafting the Gauley - As far as I'm concerned, there is only one river on the east coast for whitewater rafting, and that's the Gauley River in Southern West Virginia during fall dam release season. 22 miles and 100 named rapids including several class V and V+, now that's what I'm talking about! We started the weekend off with 2 great days of hiking and then hit the full Gauley marathon trip on the third day. Our Guide, "Tug", has been rafting the Gauley for 17 years, and has been my guide on every trip I've taken in West Virginia. I can't imagine a better guide, and after pulling people from several other boats into ours after watching them get flipped in the big water, you know why you want the good guide! All that said, one of the last big rapids on the trip, "Julie's Juicer", a nice class IV, flipped our entire boat and sent all 7 of us including Tug for a little whitewater swim!

JKAFR VII - The John Karnes Annual Fun Ride, my annual trip to Seattle, was by far the best ever. Not only did I get to see many of my Seattle friends and visit another great mountain biking and camping destination, but I got engaged! The plan has been going on for a couple months, and somehow I managed to pull off a complete surprise! My unsuspecting fiance had even carried the bag containing the ring while were were flying out to Seattle, but had no idea! This was certainly the trip of a lifetime, and a wonderful thing to share with some of my closest friends. The trip truly couldn't have been any better. Be sure to check out Kat's pictures too!

Kat's Birthday - Kat says you should have big blow outs on the "0" and "5" birthdays. She was a bit secretive on which one this was, but we had a great party either way. Dozens of friends, two kegs of Flying Dog, fireworks, and even a little thunderstorm at the end of the night, what more could you want? I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked, but the host always stays pretty busy :-)

MMBA 2006 - This makes the 8th year I've made my annual trek to Moab for another wonderful trip. The only thing better than the scenery and riding are the great people that I get to share this trip with each year. As always, special thanks to Adventure Trekkers, who make this trip possible every year!

Virgin Islands - For my birthday this year, my girlfriend and I took a very special trip to the US Virgin Islands. We stayed at the St. John Inn on the island of St. John. Other than a small incident involving losing rental car keys while snorkeling, its was a fantastic trip. Our friends Dave and Rawls were able to join us for much of the trip, and there was plenty of great hiking, snorkeling, and wonderful local food. As soon as we got back, we already started talking about next years trip! Be sure to check out all the underwater pictures and be sure to check out Kat's pictures as well.

2005

Mountain Bike Christmas Party - What better way to close out the year than a big party with all your biking friends? I think this was the third year we hosted a party for the ATL_MTB_02 yahoo group, and all of our other biking friends.

Highland Festival - My parents came to Atlanta for my fathers birthday and we spent the better part of the weekend attending the Scottish Highland Festival at Stone Mountain Park. The festival included all sorts of traditional Highland type activities including athletic events, dancing, marching, and piping. My father really enjoyed the bagpipe music and ceremonies on the parade ground.

JKAFR VI - Another installment in the continuing adventures in the Seattle area. Great biking, camping, and even a zip line over a glacially fed stream!

Washington DC - As part of a larger road trip in the spring of 2005, I passed through DC and visited my friends Ben and Nruti. Ben has his private pilots license, and we flew from DC to Morgantown, West Virginia for what I now know is called the "$100 burger". Basically that's just a catchy way to describe the meal that pilots usually eat at some destination airport when they are flying, just to be flying. It was really great to get to see Morgantown from above having gone to school there and being able to pick out sites from the air including Coopers Rock. While in DC, I also visited my friend Kristen who works at the capitol. She was able to get me in for a special "insiders" tour, and despite the disapproving looks from the numerous security folks, I even got the obligatory "I'm just a bill" shot on the steps of the capitol!

MMBA 2005 - Once again I headed out to Moab for my annual spring pilgrimage. This year in addition to the regular 4 day trip with Adventure Trekkers, I spent an extra 4 days in Moab for a full week. My friend Andy and I spent the first couple days hiking and taking in some of the sights, and then picked up our bikes for two days of riding on our own. The next 4 days were filled with all the usual fun and good times that accompany the MMBA each year. This years trails included Sovereign, Klondike Bluffs, Hidden Valley, Porcupine Rim, and Amasa Back. Amasa back was an especially good ride this year with the addition of some locals only single track I stumbled upon last year, and a new single-track descent that ended in a deep water crossing!

2004

JKAFR V - Another great trip to Seattle and some great camping and biking in the Methow Valley. Amazing Scenery, amazing trails, alpine lakes, and great friends, everything you need!

Moab 2004 - This years trip to Moab was a bit different than the previous five. With no official Adventure Trekkers trip this year, I had to strike out on my own. With two good friends from Atlanta in tow, and all my Moab knowledge from the previous 5 years, I set off this year for a 5 day riding extravaganza in what has become one of my favorite places to visit each year. With 5 days to ride, we worked in many of the classic trails and a few new ones. We rode Klondike Bluffs, Porcupine Rim (the full loop), Slick Rock, Amasa Back, and the new hot trail - Sovereign. We even worked in an afternoon of hiking in Arches National Park taking in several of the famous arches including Delicate Arch, the one featured on all Utah license plates. Other than a little rain in the morning the day we rode Porcupine, the weather was perfect and once again, Moab lived up to my expectations and provided a perfect getaway.

Buffett 2004 – Once again, the ship sets sail for Margaritaville, with our usual crew. Having done this for about 10 years in a row now, the tailgating gets a bit more refined each year. This year we even added our own private bathroom! It was quite a hit, and nearly paid for itself when a few neighbors offered to pay for access to our private facilities. There were plenty of margaritas, Coronas, and lots of great food this year, but best of all great friends getting together for what has become an annual event that kicks off every summer with a Caribbean bang! Fins up!

San Francisco – In 2004 I visited the city of San Francisco on a business trip and decided to stay through the weekend and do a little sight seeing. The weather was perfect, and I rented a convertible for a drive down the coast to Santa Cruz. The scenery was fantastic! Around every turn I wanted to stop and take a picture, and at every third turn I probably did! Highlights from the trip down the coast included eating lunch at the Moss Beach Distillery, walking along the beach at Half Moon Bay, and getting to see elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve. Once I reached Santa Cruz, I stayed with some great friends who have a beautiful house in the mountains. The next day I went hiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Again, everything I saw was amazing. I hiked a 12 mile loop and saw waterfalls, amazing trees, and even a banana slug! This trip just gave me a taste of the amazing things to see in California.

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Moab – 2003 marked my 5th year in Moab. I've put together a collage the represents some of my favorite memories over the years and many of the great people I've met on the various trips. Special thanks as always to Rick and Josh with Adventure Trekkers who make this trip happen every year. Moab is a magical place that you really have to experience to truly understand. Pictures and words really can't begin to do it justice, but I always try! Never pass up a chance to go if one comes along!