About me

My name is Gerrit Roeterdink, born on december 26th, 1967.

My nickname is Dutch Night Owl, a nickname given by professor Nick Zentner in the summer of 2020.

For the first 25 years of my life I lived on a farm a few miles outside Laren (Gelderland) in the Netherlands. After 25 years I moved to the village itself.

Here a photo from 1980 of myself at the Calf Club (dutch: kalverclub) with my parents in the background


My grandma (on the right) talking with prinses Beatrix in 1979. Beatrix was Queen from the Netherlands from 1980 until 2013

My hobbies

• Playing draughts (kind of checkers) on a 10x10 board.
  
  Draughts tournament in Brussels Belgium on april 28th, 2019 (first and only time I was in Brussels, I'm sitting on the right side in the back)
  
  
• Long distance cycling (over 93 miles (150km) in one day, my personal best is 198 miles (320km) in one day), but this was a few years ago.
  
  

  Range in km	Range in miles	Number of times
  150 - 159	93 - 98	17
  160 - 169	99 - 104	8
  170 - 179	105 - 110	5
  180 - 189	111 - 117	6
  190 - 199	118 - 123	3
  200 - 224	124 - 138	4
  225 - 249	139 - 154	1
  250 - 274	155 - 169	2
  275 - 299	170 - 185	2
  300 - 325	186 - 200	3

  
  
  

  Year	Personal best miles (km)	Number of times
  2003	178 (288)	17
  2004	198 (320)	9
  2005	119 (193)	4
  2006	101 (163)	2
  2007	98 (159)	2
  2008	109 (177)	5
  2011	95 (154)	1
  2013	95 (153)	2
  2015	128 (207)	6
  2016	93 (150)	1

  
  
  
  
  
  I have cycled long distances with this bike
  
  
  In this museum in Kleve Germany I have seen information about the Ice Age
  
  
  In this museum in Kleve Germany I have seen information about the Ice Age
  
  
  At the end of June 2004 I cycled to the border with Belgium.
  I left from home at 2:40 am and returned home at 0:28 am 316 km (196 miles) later.
  
  
• Making websites.
  
  
• Geology lectures from the YouTube channel of Nick Zentner (livestreams).
  
  Nick From Home Livestream on YouTube
  
  
  Frenchman Coulee in Washington State printed with a 3d printer
  
  
• Flying with my new drone (taking panorama photos and other photos & videos)
  
  My drone (with protection)
  
  
  The village where I live called Laren in the east of the Netherlands
  
  
  Just outside the village Laren in the east of the Netherlands
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A video created with my drone and added some effects.

My trip to the USA

Our group in the bus was an international group of people from Italia, Netherland, Germany, France, Spain and Brasil. Our guide was a man from Belgium (living in the USA) who spoke six languages. In Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas we spoke with a couple from Maine USA. The man had driven a motorbike through Death Valley from the East coast to the west coast. For the photos see Photos South-West United States 2007.

My second trip to the USA

In March / April 2023 I visit Canada and the Pacific North West of the States.

• 2023-03-23 (THU):
  • Car: Laren (Gelderland) to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (NL)
  • Plane: Seattle Airport (WA)
  • Plane: Vancouver Airport (BC)
  • Taxi: the Hotel
• 2023-03-24 (FRI):
  • Walking: Bicycle renting shop
  • Bicycle: Stanley Park
  • Walking: Hotel
• 2023-03-25 (SAT):
  • Taxi: Cruise Canada RV Rental
  • RV: Everett
• 2023-03-26 (SUN):
  • RV: Tocoma Dome to watch Jeff Dunham show
  • RV: Hotel in Kent
• 2023-03-27 (MON):
  • RV: Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie Summit, Cle Elem, Ellensburg
  • Walking: Vinmans and Morgan Middle School
• 2023-03-28 (TUE):
  • Daytrip RV: Thorp, Wentachee Museum, Chelan Lake overview, Trail at Chelan, Leavensworth
  • RV: Downtown lectures from Nick Zentner (day 1). This is the first I met Nick in person and also I met other Zentnerds
• 2023-03-29 (WED):
  • Daytrip RV: Granger
  • Daytrip with Grandpa Carl: Granger Clay Pits, Landslide
  • RV: Downtown lectures from Nick Zentner (day 2)
• 2023-03-30 (THU):
  • Daytrip Zentnerds: Petrified Logs, Ginko Park, Frenchmen Coulee, Potholes Coulee, Westbar, Moses Coulee, Columbia River Overview
  • RV: Downtown lectures from Nick Zentner (day 3). Patrick visited me in my RV with his mother (Patrick was 6 years old when Nick started livestreaming in 2020)
• 2023-03-31 (FRI):
  • Daytrip Zentnerds: Drumheller Channels, White Bluffs, Wanapum Heritage Center, Lower Crab Creek / Sentinel Gap
  • RV: Downtown lectures from Nick Zentner (day 4)
• 2023-04-01 (SAT):
  • Daytrip: CWU, Tour from Department of Physics (I have been "on" the university, "on" means on the roof LOL)
• 2023-04-02 (SUN):
  • RV: Dry Falls, Yeager Rock, Wilbur
• 2023-04-03 (MON):
  • RV: Cheney to visit Chris Sheeran
  • Daytrip with geologists Michael Hamilton, Michael McCollum and Chris Sheeran and a few more from the Cheney-Spokane Chapter Ice Age Institude
• 2023-04-04 (TUE):
  • Daytrip with Michael McCollum and Chris Sheeran: Antidunes (current ripples)
  • RV: Missoula
• 2023-04-05 (WED):
  • Hike: The M in Missoula
  • RV: Rhythmites, Moscow ID, visit Facebook friends Rini and Tim Stephenson
• 2023-04-06 (THU):
  • RV: Home of Rini and Tim to breakfast overthere
  • RV: Palouse Falls, Horn Rapids near Richland
• 2023-04-07 (FRI):
  • Resting day: due to the weather
• 2023-04-08 (SAT):
  • RV: Columbia Gorge, Wallula Gap, Twin Sisters Rock, Stonehenge WW-1 Memorial, Bridge of the Gods, Multnomah Falls, Crown Point State, Sandy Riverfront RV Resort
• 2023-04-09 (SUN):
  • RV: Beacon Rock, Mt. St.Helens Visitor Center, Loowit Viewpoint, Silver Lake Resort
    (I didn't see Mt. St.Helens due to the weather)
• 2023-04-10 (MON):
  • RV: Mt. Rainier, Palisades Viewpoint, Mima Mounds, Island View Resort Port Angeles
    (I didn't see Mt. Rainier, again due to the weather)
• 2023-04-11 (TUE):
  • RV: Visit Facebook friends Yuki and Gene, meeting with Facebook friend Annette Kruzic, Owens Beach
• 2023-04-12 (WED):
  • RV: Lynnwood (meeting Facebook friend Randy (note: Randy died sadly in 2024, rest in peace my friend)), Bellingham Resort
  • Mt. Baker was a few minutes visible from my RV at the RV Resort, see photo 
• 2023-04-13 (THU):
  • RV: Mt. Baker, Cruise Canada (return the RV)
  • Taxi: Airport (to rent an car)
  • Car: Ferry
  • Ferry: Nanaimo
  • Car: Nanaimo (in the hotel was a problem with my creditcard, I was almost out of money, but I managed to stay one day in Nanaimo instead of two days)
• 2023-04-14 (FRI):
  • Daytrip with geologist Jerome Lesemann: University Nanaimo, Pillow basalt
  • Car/Ferry/Car: Visit family (niece) in Maple Ridge
• 2023-04-15 (SAT):
  • Walking with my niece: Kanaka Creek Park in town
  • Car: Best Western Hotel (I received my deposit back from the RV, so there was some money back on my creditcard
  • Car niece: Earls Kitchen (dinner with family)
• 2023-04-16 (SUN):
  • Getting some cash money from the ATM
  • Resting day due to the weather
• 2023-04-17 (MON):
  • Daytrip car: Cleveland Dam, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Cypress Lookout, Shannon Waterfall, Mt. Garibaldi
• 2023-04-18 (TUE):
  • Car: Cliff Falls, Cascade Falls Regional Park
  • Plane: Vancouver BC to Amsterdam
  • Car sister: Visit parents of my niece in Veenendaal
  • Car sister: Back to home in Laren Gelderland

Number of miles with the RV is 3125 miles and that is about 5000 km and with the car is also a few hundred miles.

I had a super vacation and met many Zentnerds friends who I had only met in the livestream from Nick Zentner. With some of the friends I a made an appointment before the vacation (we call us the Zentnerds because we are a fan of Nick Zentner).