Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

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Randsco is a family-run website that focuses on web-development, outdoor adventure, interesting topics and popular news items. Our family lives on 5 rural acres near the ocean, on Vancouver Island, off the west coast of Canada. Randsco was launched in 2004 as a way to share our adventures and keep family & friends informed (Scott was transplanted to Canada from the United States), but it has turned into much more.

What's Randsco IS

Scott is a web-developer, designer, father, adventurer, scientist, handyman and volunteer firefighter. He's posted a lot of original material since he's been "online" in 1999 ... and it's still growing. Here's a short list of what you'll find here:

• Family stories (About Rachel, Scott, Alex & Tuxedo) - written with the "general public" as an audience.
• Web Development Articles - Learn what's new, what works, tips, tricks, design - stuff that interests Scott (e.g., he loves bending CSS).
• Adventure Journals - Backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, cycle-touring - many with photos, maps, slide shows and more information
• Informative Articles - Analysis, personal observations, humor and serious discussions covering a broad range of topics.
• Educational Articles - How-to articles, tutorials, b2evolution blogging software, CSS techniques and other web tips and tricks
• Free Stuff - Maps, music, brochures, cut'n-paste code and Penn State football live-radio links (exclusive to Randsco)
• Local Issues - politics, environment, water, firefighting and other things for Nanaimo, North Cedar, Ladysmith and the Yellow Point areas
• Product & Book Reviews - Stuff we buy and use, companies we like and don't like and books we've read.
• And More - We regularly update the site with more than what's included in this brief list.

What Randsco IS NOT

Here's a brief list of what you won't find here:

• Porn - We're a family-oriented website.
• Foul Language - We believe that intelligent people can find more suitable words to express their feelings.
• SPAM - We have a ZERO-tolerance policy against SPAM
• Blatant Advertising - We offer a nearly advert-free reading experience for loyal readers (those who type our URL or bookmark us)
• Poor grammar & punctuation - We're from the old school and believe spelling, grammar and engaging writing is important.
• Coding Errors - We constantly update and maintain our pages and code. We try to maintain a high 'visitor experience' rating for ALL visitors.
• Closed Comments - We believe comments should be open to anyone. We don't moderate our comments, we don't ask you to decipher and type funky letters or answer silly questions. We even allow links.

Spend some time and poke around. There's a LOT more to Randsco than meets the eye. Scott particularly enjoys adding depth to online content and websites he builds, which translates into not-so-obvious treasures (easter eggs?) for readers who exploring. (e.g., Some "internal" links will you to separate websites, while hovering or clicking will yield hidden features, information, photos and other online "goodies").

We hope you enjoy your stay and find what we've put up adds value. Please comment, sign the guestbook or contact us - we like to get feedback - good and bad - from our readers.

Cheers,
-Scott & Rachel

Our Online Adventure Journals:

• Southern Gulf Islands Kayaking (2009)

  

  With magnificent, eroded sandstone shorelines, tree-covered hills and blessed with Mediterranean-like weather, it's no wonder that the Gulf Islands is Canada's top kayaking destination. Join Scott & Rachel on their six-day journey, while they explore the Southern Gulf Islands: Saltspring, Wallace, Galiano, Mayne, Saturna, North & South Pender and Prevost Islands. (Detailed journal, maps, photos & resource section). (Warning: Continuing will likely whet your appetite for a kayaking adventure!)

• Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit (2008)

  

  Outdoor Magazine listed the Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit as "one of the World's 10-best canoe trips". The circuit is comprised of six major lakes and sits in the center of British Columbia, deep in the heart of the Cariboo Mountains. Elk, deer, moose, beaver, bear and other wildlife are commonly spotted. We borrowed a canoe, dropped off our 4-year-old daughter and then added "canoeing" to the list of self-propelled adventure traveling that we enjoy. Join us for a 6-day adventure, where we saw spectacular scenery, got up-close and personal with several moose, witnessed the sky on fire, had a pot-luck dinner with others and laughed, while we "sailed" home. (Complete journal, photos, slide-show and "plan your own paddle" resource section).

• Nanaimo - Seattle Loop Bicycle Tour (2007)

  

  Cycling from our home on Vancouver Island, we made a loop that included the following: Salt Spring Island (a Canadian Gulf Island), Victoria, the Coho Ferry, Port Angeles, the Olympic Discovery Bike Trail, Sequim, U.S. Hwy 101, Bainbridge Island, Seattle (via Ferry), the Centennial Bike Trail, Snohomish, Mt. Vernon, the famous Chuckanut Drive, Bellingham, the Tswwassen ferry back to Vancouver Island. Whew! 350 miles of cycling and half a dozen ferry rides. It was Alex's third cycle-touring adventure (the Oop is now over 3½ years old). The early September weather was beautiful. Washington is a very bicycle-friendly state. Join Scott, Rachel, the Oop on this unusual, looping cycle adventure.

• The West Coast Trail (2007)

  

  The West Coast Trail is a rugged, breathtaking, beautiful backpacking trail that follows the western shores of Vancouver Island. Making up the southern one-third of Canada's Pacific Rim National Park, the West Coast Trail is one of the World's classic hikes, equally difficult as it is beautiful. Here, the coast is made up of rocky, impassable headlands, sand and pebble beaches, sandstone shelves, alluring seastacks and dangerous surge channels. Join us for our 5-day adventure. (Raw text journal only ... yeah, yeah ... we have photos and stuff ... but posting it takes TIME!)

• Glacier & Waterton Lakes Cycle Tour (2005)

  

  This was our second cycle-touring adventure with our daughter, Alexandra (aka 'the Oop'), who was 22-months old at the time. We cycled a 400-mile loop from Whitefish, Montana ... through Waterton Lakes, to Glacier National Park. The views were stunning - glacier-carved mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls, and lush alpine meadows, covered with colorful wildflowers. Join Dave, Rachel, the Oop and Scott, cycling among peaks of the Canadian and US Rockies. They followed the "Highway to the Sun" (or "Going-to-the-Sun"). Either way you call it ... it was a great cycling trip!

• Icefields Parkway Cycle Tour (2004)

  

  This was our first cycle-touring adventure with our daughter, Alexandra (aka 'the Oop'), who was 10-months old at the time. We cycled approximately 300 kilometers along the "Icefields Parkway", the road that connects Alberta's Banff & Jasper National Parks. Cycling with a toddler was an adventure in itself & towing her in the buggy, with all the extra gear, up some very steep grades, made for a challenging ride. The Oop was a 'hit' along the roadway, as fellow cycle-tourists & automobile vacationers marveled that we would be out cycling with such a tiny tot.

• Pacific Coast Bike Tour (Vancouver to S.F. - 2002)

  

  8-Mar-2006 LOST Journal Entries! - (How You can Help!)

  What do you do after hiking 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada? You hop on your bicycles and pedal back! We were pushing the cycle-touring season, by leaving Vancouver in early October, but we felt that a trip down the PCH, down to Scott's parent's ranch near Chico, California was a fitting end to our 5-month Pacific Crest Trail adventure. Read the online journal of our trip (no photos).

• Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike (2002)

  

  After several months of planning & dehydrating our own meals, we embarked on a through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trial. This National Scenic Trail is 2,650 miles long and is a crest trail that goes from Mexico to Canada, through wilderness mountaintops in the San Jacinto, Tehachapi, Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. Over 500 people followed our live website 'trail-updates'. We stayed at a Rave house, suffered through a 17-hour ice storm, saw bear, were licked by deer, fell down (a lot) & had some hairy high-altitude mountain pass crossings in the Sierras. Read about the trip, look at the slideshow, learn about the PCT & plan your own adventure with the tools & resources on our PCT website.

• Wonderland Trail Backpacking Trip (2001)

  

  We prepared for our Pacific Crest Trail adventure by backpacking the 100-mile "Wonderland Trail" around Mount Rainier, in Washington State. Rated by Backpacker magazine as the overall 'BEST' long trail in year 2000, the trail lives up to the accolades. It's a rugged, mountainous trail, but affords a continual, awe-inspiring view of gorgeous Mt. Rainier. Wildlife abounds, as does wildflowers & wild berries. We saw bear, deer, elk, marmots and mice. We crossed alpine meadows afire with colorful lupine, paintbrush and other wildflowers. Read about our trip, the mishaps, view photos & maps. Plan your own adventure.

• Oregon Coast Cycle Tour (2001)

  

  Our first self-supported cycle-touring adventure! We cycled our own 12-day loop, from Astoria to about halfway down the Oregon coastline, returning via an inland route. We learned about the kindness of strangers & how to ask for assistance. In many respects, we had more fun during the inland return, than we did during the trip down the infamous PCH. Read about our run-in with marauding raccoons & finding odd places to camp. View photos & maps.

• Rachel's Big Ride Across America (1999)

  

  We met on the second day of a 3,250-mile, charity bicycle SAG tour across the United States that benefited the American Lung Association. One hundred thirty five riders, plus a 20-person support crew spent 48 days, averaging 80 miles per day, bicycling across America, from Seattle to Washington D.C. We were a traveling 'city', with semi-trucks that hauled showers, toilets, a bicycle repair shop & gear. Follow along on our amazing & life-affirming adventure! Read Rachel's journal & see how we met. (Complete journal - No photos)

• Scott's Big Ride Across America (1999)

  

  135 cyclists, 48 days, 3,250 miles ... Seattle to Washington D.C. Most people fly. We cycled every inch of the way, raising more than a million dollars to help the ALA win the battle against lung disease. The first day over Snoqualamie Pass was hot & tough. The rest? All downhill! Ha! Follow Scott on his "Big Ride Across America" during his 1999 adventure, from training for the 100-mile days, through the uncertainty of fund-raising, and of course, the Big Ride itself (as well as a budding romance with a certain Canadian). (Journal, ride map & photos)

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