At the end of 2022 I began to investigate Doctoral programs to determine my options for knocking out this bucket list item on my life list. After some research I found Northwest University in Bellevue Washington and went through the application process and was accepted into their PhD program! After reviewing the financial information before…
The trip to Alaska has been a continual blessing with my son Hudson, daughter Kalea, wife Kristin, and mother-in-law Holly. We started the journey by picking up an RV rental in Anchorage from Great Alaskan Holidays. This was officially the start of our first RV adventure as a family. We took time to go to…
The Orca Bait swim began in 2023 when Marc Abshire reached out to me to reinvigorate a Port Angeles tradition of swimming from near the coast guard base near Ediz Hook to either Pebble Beach or Hollywood Beach. Each year the race has had about a dozen swimmers that have braved the mile and a…
Six months out from an event almost everything seems like a good idea… As the weeks and months got closer to the Seventy48 kayak race this good idea turned into the realization that Vicki and I needed to train as much as possible with an already overflowing schedule leading up to the June race. In…
Adventure Dates: December 15 – 23, 2024 Day 1 – Sunday, December 15 The trip began for myself (Rob DeCou, Vicki Heckman, and Gay Hunter) just after midnight in the wee hours of the morning after a few hours of sleep for myself and none for Gay and Vicki who knew with the excitement of…
The trip started Saturday, August 17th with Kristin and the kiddos doing a road trip with me to Silverdale for the trampoline park and then dropping me off at SeaTac for a flight just before midnight. No major issues at the airport, and thankfully I was able to sleep on the flight to New York….
“Swimming in Cash” On Monday, August 1st I came across a post from my friend Jill Yoneda looking for experienced kayakers or paddlers that may want to volunteer next weekend as she attempted a 100km swim from Victoria to Vancouver. Two of her paddlers had come down with COVID as she was planning the most…
Celebrating my 43rd birthday was a culmination of all the things that I cherish in my life! Traveling with my family, spending time with friends, fellow Rotarians and general do-gooders, taking on outlandish adventures, and raising funds and awareness for charity. July 21st wasn’t just a birthday for me, but a tribute to so much…
The overall feeling and thoughts I have a day after this event are: God is so gentle with me on these events. I am so thankful that we are all on shore safe and sound. And, there were way too many stories for one adventure. Thursday, June 13th The journey began on Thursday, June 13th….
Image by: Tyler Tomasello For those who want the long read from last weekends adventure All We Do Is Run event Born To Run Ultra Marathons, here it is! Thanks again for the images Tyler Tomasello, this impression of Hudson and me capture a memory we will both cherish for life! The adventure started Wednesday morning picking Hudson up…
In the summer of 2023, I returned from our summer family trip with an idea to take on something different than I had before. Sometimes it’s tough to shift directions when you become comfortable with the track that you’re on. I’ve grown familiar with swimming events, even though they stress me out. I’m much slower…
Woke up at 2:55am on Saturday, July 29th prepared for the start of my first timed Xterra triathlon. Preparation includes coffee, a bowl of cereal, and then off to load up all the gear for all three disciplines: swimming, biking, and the trail run. I went down to see Gay Hunter, my primary support crew…