Saying Goodbye to the WRX
I am sad to say that I have sold my Subaru WRX as of last Saturday. The car had been to hell and back with me and I can’t thank it enough for the last 7 years. In the time that I owned the Subie it brought smiles and looks of fear to many peoples faces. It was a hard decision to sell the trusty steed, but it is time to move on to a new ride (hopefully with heated seats for my sore back). I figured it would be a good idea to share a few memories of the car for a proper goodbye. Read on and enjoy the ride.
Bangin’ Corners in Autocross
The Subaru turned out to be a great car for my first year of Autocross racing. The grocery-getting wagon could make many other cars look silly in the corners. I finished the Autocross season in 2nd place and burned up a ton of tires! You’re welcome for the roller coaster ride Mom!
Whippin’ Donuts
Many friends will remember how well this car handled in the snow. One of most memorable experiences was during a trip to Big Sky Montana in 2008. The Subie and I performed some high powered drifts that made a few passengers hang on for their life in the ski resort parking lot…. Also on that same trip, the WRX saved us from a near-death experience with Robb behind the wheel.
Biking/Sweating in Colorado
The Subie loved to carry as many sporting goods as possible at any given time. This time it took us to beautiful Woodland Park in Colorado for some mountain biking fun. Even though the trails beat us up, the seats were still comfy and the bikes fit just great on the back…
I left out a ton of great memories, some of which on purpose. In conclusion, I would like to thank Subaru for all the years of loyal service. I’m currently looking for my next Subaru powered “Memory Machine.”
The Fun Begins – Winter
The holiday season has ended here in Minnesota, but as far as I’m concerned, the fun is just beginning. Although I had a great time at several different family events during the holidays, the snowboard season is in full-swing now that January is here. After several small snowfalls, on December 23rd Minnesota finally got the dumping that skiers and boarders all over the state were waiting for anxiously. I headed out to Welch Village on Christmas Eve day (only for a few hours) and enjoyed a wonderful powder day with the hills all to myself. Even though my time was short during this little visit, the floating feeling of the powder brought a huge smile to my face. The feeling of riding powder is like no other and it is definitely something I dream of on a regular basis.
The kiteboarding season is also just starting thanks to colder temperatures. The colder temperatures have finally made the ice on several Minnesota lakes thick enough to venture out on. I had a great kiting session on Lake Waconia with my dad and brother-in-law Eric that left me sore and exhausted. It’s amazing to watch my father make me look silly out on the lake with his jumps and kite flying skills. I can feel the kiteboarding addiction starting which I’m sure will lead to many expensive purchases in the future (sorry Kate).
With several trips planned in the next couple months, I’m sure it will be an exciting winter. See you outside in the white stuff.
Turkey Day in South Padre
First of all, I must apologize to my loyal readers. It has been quite a while since I wrote a riveting blog post! I’m freshly back from my Thanksgiving vacation and ready to fill your mind with useless info about my travels. This time the destination was South Padre Island in Texas for a little Thanksgiving Dunklee family reunion.
The Dunklee family is quite spread out across the United States. This means that we don’t get together very often, but when we do it is guaranteed to be a entertaining time. All sorts of activities were pursued including pirate ship adventures, horseback riding, crocodile hunting, kiteboarding, atv riding, and even some mind-blowing games of scrabble. Of course Grandma was the grand champion of the Scrabble board like always…
My favorite activity of the vacation was kiteboarding. South Padre Island just happens to be a paradise for kiteboarding since it has consistent winds and very shallow water to aide in the learning process. The only things that worried me were the sting rays under foot and the crocodiles slightly down shore…. Yipes. I think I convinced the crocs that I wouldn’t taste very good and they should go for a fattier meal… After getting over those minor details, I had a great time laying down some wakeboard style carves and getting to kiteboard right next to my sister in ideal conditions. I can feel the kiteboard addiction starting, and I think my father is very pleased…
Our Thanksgiving meal went perfectly thanks to everybody lending a hand. It was incredible that we could fit all 23 people in one room and it didn’t turn into complete chaos. I think I’m still working that meal off, but it was definitely worth every pound… Well, I could talk all day about this vacation, but I can tell I’m losing your attention. It was a wonderful trip overall, I just wish Kate could have been there.
The Transition from Fall to Winter
It’s been a while since I updated my blog, and in the meantime a lot has happened. The fall arrived in full force with it’s beautiful colors and disappeared almost as quickly. There are still a few signs of fall left, but most of the colorful leaves are laying on the ground waiting for a rake to come disturb their sleep. Thank you fall for providing a few beautiful days, but next year can we get possibly a few more?
I will miss my bike rides through our beautiful neighborhood (pictured), but like always, I’m excited for the upcoming season. Of course the season I refer to is winter, or the season of the snowboard as I like to refer to it. When everybody else around Minnesota is complaining about the future snowfalls, I feel like a kid in a candy store. As soon as the local ski resorts start making snow, I will be strapping in. I’m crossing my fingers for colder weather….
Soaking in the Culture of Omaha
Kate and I recently took a trip to Omaha Nebraska for the weekend to attend the Omaha Fashion week runway show. When Kate first mentioned the trip, I was skeptical to say the least. Normally if the state of Nebraska is mentioned to me, all I think of is endless hours of flat farm land. Although, I’m sure if you like corn fields, Nebraska would be your dreamland! Well, never being one to turn down an adventure, I agreed to partake in the journey to America’s Heartland.
After six riveting hours of driving through Southern Minnesota, Iowa, and part of the promised land (Nebraska), we arrived at our hotel in Downtown Omaha. I use the term “downtown” loosely as there was only one sky scraper in the vast metropolis. After settling in we decided to hit the town to find something to fill our stomachs. Shortly after we set out, we found a little sports bar which had a Hawaiian pizza that can’t be described as anything but amazing. With full bellies, we hit the streets once again and wandered into a beautiful area referred to as the “Old Market” portion of Omaha. The scene in the “Old Market” area reminded us very much of Uptown in Minneapolis but it was much more pedestrian friendly. If you are ever in Omaha it is definitely a must see for its old west style and funky restaurants.
The next day I set out on a photo taking journey and ended up at the newly constructed Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. A massive curving structure, this bridge will bring pleasure to your eyes as it suspends itself over the Missouri River. After taking way too many photos of the bridge, I headed back towards downtown to visit the Heartland of America park. Even though the name of the park made me want to gag myself, it turned out to be a beautiful park with a fountain which sprayed higher than the height of most buildings in the Corn Husker state.
The final destination of our trip was the Omaha Fashion Week runway show which we had came for. It was of course in the culture rich area of Old Market which fit it perfectly. Over 3000 people flooded the streets as models showed off outfits from 15 different designers. The styles that were displayed varied more than a graph of our economy which made for an excellent show. The show was ran incredibly well, and I tip my hat to the organizers. Well, I must say that I truly enjoyed my time in Omaha even though I was definitely ready go home after 3 days.
My hair is out of hand, but you can help
Many of you may have noticed already, but it has been quite a few full moons since my last haircut. My hair has gotten to the point where it actually looks quite messy after waking up or hanging out in a stiff breeze. My long time love-affair with low maintenance haircuts (read: shaved head) has been knocking at the door in my mind lately. I’m pretty tempted to let those thoughts turn into actions as it would save me a lot of time that I currently waste in styling. If you know me you will realize that is a huge lie….
Well I have decided to open up this life-changing decision to you, my loyal readers. Please vote on my destiny in the poll below! Although some really funny options may not be available in the poll, please feel free to suggest them in the comments section. *If you are reading this on Facebook, you must go to TimDunklee.com to participate.
What Should I do with my Hair?
- Shave that beast, it will dry faster in a dunk tank (44%, 7 Votes)
- Trim it up a little, you look like Chewbacca. (31%, 5 Votes)
- Keep growing it out, then mop the floor with your head (25%, 4 Votes)
Total Voters: 16
Loading ...Moving to Minneapolis and paddling the BWCA..
First of all, I apologize for not writing an entry for so long! Many of you already know that Kate and I packed up our life in Edina and decided to move to the Longfellow Neighborhood in Minneapolis. Although we did enjoy our time in Edina, it lacked the personality that any area in Minneapolis definitely struts with style! Not only was this a move motivated by personality, it was also much more convenient for the places I typically go. Visiting people in the northern burbs from Edina was a pain in the rear when traffic was in effect. Now it pretty much takes 20 minutes no matter which direction we want to go! The area is blessed with abundant biking trails and of course the beautiful Minnehaha Falls! Come visit us if you get a chance and we’ll show you all that Longfellow has to offer!
Another thing I never had a chance to write about was our trip to the Boundary Waters! While my brother Luke from Hawaii was in town, we decided to head to the Boundary Waters to relive our childhood. We gathered a group of 6 people and headed up into the great wilderness. The weather luckily cooperated the whole time with only a few little issues. The head wind was the major annoyance, which made it feel like you were sometimes paddling on a treadmill. We found the campsite of our dreams which is where the picture attached is from. It was a beautiful escape from reality and I think my arms are still tired…
Celebrating the Fourth
Another long weekend has come and gone too quickly. This time the cause for celebration was the 4th of July. The fun started out on Friday with a great trip to the beach with close friends. Many games of “cups” were played and even though the sun wasn’t very bright, I think I soaked up a quite a few rays. After our beach adventure, we headed out to do a little fishing off Mike’s Dock at Lake Olson. The lake was beautifully calm and really made me wish I still had the boat for a little wakeboarding! Luckily, I had the opportunity to fill my boating desires with a kayak!
For the rest of the weekend we set our destination for Lake Mille Lacs and my parents cabin. The weather was perfect the whole time and it was great just hanging out with the family. Kate caught her first couple fish on the Lake and we ended up getting a few keepers. I mostly caught Perch, but did manage to reel in one Northern Pike! Shortly after we finished fishing we witnessed the fireworks show right over Wahkon bay. The next morning after a good meal of Walleye for breakfast, we took off for Aitkin to cure my wakeboarding fix. The water temperature was perfect and we had a blast wakeboarding with the family! Thank you Annie and Eric for the hospitality! I think it’s safe to say that we had a great holiday weekend.
The End of the Sea Ray
Today I sold my pride and joy of the last two years… A proud new owner drove away with my Sea Ray Seville while I gave it a final wave goodbye. It was definitely a sad day but I’m happy to see the wonderful boat go to a good home. Hopefully it will give them as much trusty service as it has given me in the past. The boat helped countless friends learn how to wakeboard and sent several other friends into the air as often as possible. Being a boat owner is a great feeling and I’m sure that I will eventually own another boat, it will just be something with a little bigger wake! Although I outgrew the capabilities of the Sea Ray, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you to everybody that helped out with little things on it, and also everybody that came out and enjoyed the lake with me in the past.
Summer + Wakeboarding+ Golf?
It’s officially summer once the boat hits the water for the initial wakeboard trips! We’ve been out twice in the last week and I forgot how much fun it is being out on the lake. The water is still quite chilly but that doesn’t stop us from having a good time on the wakeboards. After a couple times out, we have already seen a bunch of newcomers take a liking to the sport. I hope they keep coming out and see how addicting these board sports can truly be….
In the time between wakeboarding and work, I have actually been playing quite a bit of golf. The old golf swing has actually been coming back to me fairly well, although it is still inconsistent as ever! Sometimes the ball goes perfectly straight, but other times it is on a collision course with the nearest tree…. Oh well, it’s good to feel the warmth of summer and the wealth of possibilities it brings with it. Bust out the sunglasses and enjoy it while it lasts…