Next Stop: Burning Man

Ju-Hui (the woman formerly known as Natasha) and I have bid farewell to Yosemite and are on our way to Burning Man. We should be there in three or so hours and will be there until Labor Day. I've got a large backlog of pictures to sort and post but that will just have to wait until we get back; both power and internet will be fleeting if they are available at all.

Ju-Hui is pronounced "roo way". I used to use her anglicized name, Natasha, when talking to others but will just use Ju-Hui for now on.

Here's the plan for after BM.

The promised land

So I'm driving along, minding my own business when I see a divine apparition. A sign for the Ace-in-the-Hole Cider Pub. I could hardly believe my eyes. After years of suffering under the cold fascism of the Beer Hegemony, I found a place where my kind can feel safe and accepted. To my delight they took To-Go orders so I stocked up on all five flavors of brewed-on-the-premises cider.

On my way out the door I saw a man enjoying his cider in front of his laptop.

They have wifi here!

Truly this is the promised land. So I went out to my car and got my laptop and now sit here enjoying some fish and chips with my pear cider.

Partner in crime

Hello from Bodega Bay on CA-1. Later today I pick up Natasha at SFO. We'll spend a couple days in the Bay Area and a couple more in Yosemite before heading up to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada for Burning Man. After BM we'll do a tour of several national parks in Utah and Arizona. On the 9th I'll drop her off at the airport in Phoenix and decide where I want to go from there. It was nice being alone for a bit but I'm definitely looking forward to having a fellow traveler again.

I'll have some pics from the coastal highway soon.

Pics for Redwood National and State Parks and Oregon Caves National Monument.

Late night in the Motel 6 parking lot

Stumbled on this. Hilarious.

Oregon Caves National Monument

I'm sitting at a hike-in campsite on the Pacific Coast somewhere in the patchwork of parks comprising the Redwood National and State Parks in California. I'm not on the beach but I can hear the waves roll in down at the bottom of the bluff, Heaven forbid I break the rules and actually sleep on the beach. I'm actually a bit paranoid I'll have a ticket on my car in the morning; I don't think I'm allowed to park overnight where I picked up the trail. Sometimes I wish I could turn off the hyper-conservative, risk-averse part of my brain. Oh well, that's me.

Around the corner is a nice family who seem to be something between hippies and gun-toting survivalists. They have a young child of unknown sex digging in the dirt in a pair of briefs. Other than that it is just me and the waves. No stars tonight...I think there might be a semi-permanent cloud bank in this part of the world.

I actually haven't been in the area long enough to scout out the beach. On a whim I went to Oregon Caves National Monument and spent the bulk of the day there. I ended up pitching my tent here in the last bit of dusk.

I'm so glad I went to Oregon Caves. The cave was cave-tastic, made even better by the enthusiastic tour guide and the rugrats in our group who were absolutely delighted. The kids would would see all sorts animals and faces in rock formations that just looked like, well, rock formations to us adults. I love kids...other people's kids.

The pleasant surprise for OCNM, though, was the hillside trails through old-growth forest. Everything was damp and green and alive. The place was crawling with big snails; apparently they thrive in mineral rich areas like the park where they can soak up the raw materials to construct their shell. It makes sense in retrospect. The main attraction was the huge, mist-shrouded trees. The effect was as strong for me as Crater Lake but without the advance expectation.

Alright class, who can tell me the difference between a National Park and a National Monument? I thought it was a matter of size, but this is wrong. A National Park is created by an act of Congress, while a National Monument is created by the President. Perhaps if President Bush can take a break from suspending habeas corpus, pardoning political cronies and tearing up portions of the constitution he finds inconvenient, he can create more of these wonderful places. OCNM was created by President Taft.


The next morning...err afternoon.

I've been sitting in a cafe for several hours today waiting for pictures to upload. Apparently they don't have a cable modem. Anyway it is nice to sit for a bit. The OCNM pics will have to wait and by then I should have some Redwood N&SP pics as well.

Camping has turned me into a bit of a morning person. Today I had a nice beach walk, broke camp and hauled the stuff back to my car all before 9am. I'm not even cranky.

Crater Lake

Crater Lake National Park was absolutely awe inspiring. No matter how many times you see the lake, it touches you all over again. And it really is that blue. I luckily got one of the last available campsites...keep forgetting about concepts like 'weekends'. I successfully programmed my cell phone to wake me at 8 (two reasons to gasp!) so I could hike up Mount Scott (tallest in park) in the morning. Apparently the light is best before noon. I wasn't disappointed. Sadly they didn't allow the public into the watchtower. I would have moved in if they let me.

In early afternoon I hiked down into the crater. Unfortunately the tour boat was sold out (and later cancelled for high winds) so I couldn't get to the island in the middle of the lake. I did go for a swim though. Sure it was freezing, but I hadn't had a shower for over two days (with lots of hiking) and when the hell am I going to get a chance to swim in a volcanic crater again? My goal was to make it around the first buoy and I ended up turning around about 15 yards short since my lungs wanted to explode from the cold. I would have pressed on but I couldn't see the bottom despite the water being crystal clear...I doubt it could have been shallower than 50 feet deep and possibly much more.

On my way out of the park I hiked to Lightning Springs. Odd to see water just flowing out of the ground. Speaking of flowing, nothing flows into or out of Crater Lake. All the water consists of rain and snow melt within the boundaries of the crater itself. It helps that it is the second snowiest place in America.

Central Oregon drive

The drive from Hermiston down toward Crater Lake (I-84 West and US-97 South) had some lovely scenery. I-84 is entirely in the Columbia River Gorge and US-97 goes in and around several national forests along a mountain range. Central/eastern Oregon is very dry right now and I passed right next to a forest fire. I also spent some time in Smith Rock State Park, near Bend OR, which is famous for rock climbing...just wish I got there a bit earlier in the day. I camped near La Pine.

Pics.

Ed is not extreme

I spent the next three nights in Hermiston, OR. There isn't a whole lot going on there other than Brett, McNary Dam/Columbia River and mountain biking so that's what occupied me. Brett took his friend and I on a four mile course that completely kicked my butt. I mean that somewhat literally; even though my bike had front and rear suspension it hurt to sit for days afterward. I even walked the last mile. The terrain was very rugged and beautiful, though; I wouldn't mind going again after training on some tamer courses. I recommend not going at noon when it is over 100 degrees. Unfortunately, the pics show only the last leg of the route which was comparatively tame.

Pics (including Brett and I goofing off with the laptop camera. Beware!).

Last day in Seaside

I ended up staying a third night in Seaside. Nicole, (the hostel employee at the dinner three posts down) Gabrielle (another hostel guest) and I went to nearby Cannon Beach for a bit before going to The Simpsons Movie. Nicole has been to Burning Man twice and has given me lots of good pointers for what to bring and do. That night we had quite a collection of people at the campfire; lots of different backgrounds and viewpoints and we had lots of good discussions. It was the peak night for the Perseid meteor shower so I had a star map up on my laptop and we held it above our head to compare it to the sky to pick out constellations and likely locations for meteors. Things didn't die down until four in the morning...really fun.

Pics.

Ping

Howdy folks. Still alive. I've spent a few days in Hermiston, OR with my brother, Brett, and just left Crater Lake National Park an hour ago. Internet and even cell reception are hard to come by in central Oregon. I've got some Crater Lake pics to make it all worth it, though. Stay tuned.

No Google

I'd been involved in a drawn out phone interview series with Google. Yesterday they said "No thanks." I wasn't happy with how I did on the last two, so I don't blame them.

No other irons in the fire. No plans to put any in. Just full speed ahead slacking.

Still in Seaside

Your trusty reporter is coming to you live from the Seaside International Hostel campfire. There are more than a dozen of us listening to Colin sing some Neil Young, Bob Dylan and other songs. He's really good. A couple hours ago I came back to the hostel to be invited to eat with a family I'd never met before. The stir-fry was just sitting there steaming so I plopped down my hummus, Triscuits and tragically warm hard cider on the dinner table and joined them. It was the parents, two grown daughters, one of their boyfriends and one of the staff here at the hostel along with me. The family is just wrapping up a two and a half week reunion vacation. We had lots of good stories and laughs...felt like being back in Toledo.

I had a great time on the beach today. Not sure what I can say about it that the pictures can't do better. I caught the doubles finals for both men and women. For some reason I seem to have more pictures of the women's match. Go figure.

The water was a bit to cold too swim in for an extended length of time. Luckily Seaside has an indoor lap pool I was able to get a nice long workout in for a cool $2.50. My back had been not been feeling well since the Olympic NP hikes but I'm a new man after a $130 visit to a chiropractor on Thursday in Portland. He showed me some stretches that have helped a lot. Worth every penny.

Hmm...everyone has cleared out for the night. It isn't even midnight yet. Lightweights.

Seaside, OR (pics)

I still haven't fulfilled my mission of sleeping on the beach but I'm getting closer!

I planned on pitching a tent at Fort Stevens State Park on the coast but made the mistake of waiting until 6pm on a Friday to find a spot. They were full as were the next couple camp sites. An overcrowded KOA Campground had a few spot in their overflow lot for $35. I decided to press my luck even though it was getting close to 7 by now. I really liked the solitude of hike-in camping from the night before but couldn't be overly choosy at this point. The Seaside Hostel was nearby but I was sure they'd be booked. I called to see if I could pitch a tent on their lawn and they ended up having bunks available. Sweet!

The highlight, though, was a sunset kayak excursion leaving a few minutes after I checked in. This guy Colin gives nightly kayak tours for the hostel in exchange for rent. He is taking a bike tour from Vancouver Island down to Mexico and decided to stop here for a while. He alternates between kayak and snowboard instructing in whichever hemisphere suits him at the time. Six of us paddled from the river the hostel overlooks to where it meets the ocean. We had some tea and string cheese on a sandbar while watching the sun set. Hundreds of seagulls rested on the beach and hovered in the breeze around us. It was beautiful.

We got back at dark and I decided to get some groceries. The hostel has a delightfully old and creaky bike with a big basket (pedal backwards to brake) that I took on the errand. I took a detour down to the beach to watch the waves roll in and see the stars. The beach was peppered with campfires and people walking in the dark; the air warm and breezy. Next I pedaled back up the main drag which was alive with restaurants and bars and shops and vacationers.

I returned home with my groceries to a handful of folks sitting around a campfire while Colin played some bluegrass on a guitar. Bananas, peanut butter sandwiches and hummus never tasted so good. People got to telling about their various adventures and a few had been to Burning Man or had close friends who had. I got some good tips for places to stay as I make my way down to San Francisco. The owner of the hostel is a sweet little Vietnamese woman, Trung, with grown children. She told of a Pikes Peak climb gone wrong. She saved an unprepared couple from hypothermia with soup and heated water bottles. She was grateful to hear their snoring all night because it meant she didn't have to carry bodies down the mountain the next morning.

That's all for now. About to go check out a big volleyball tournament on the beach near here (20 or so nets). I'll do my duty and report back on how the women look in their bikinis.

Oh yeah, Trung asked me if I want to build a sauna for her in exchange for lodging. Hmm?

Late night thoughts

It is 11 at night and just about pitch black. I'm sitting at a hike-in primitive camp site in the strangely stupendous Stub Stewart State Park between Portland and the Pacific. There is maybe one other camper withing a half mile. Just me and the crickets. I actually have my pocketknife ready in case a bear wanders by. The rest of this post is me being introspective on a lonely night rather than fun travel stuff.

For most of my adult life I've been very content to be a loner. Do what I want, when I want. Don't plan anything. If something interesting comes up, go along for the ride; otherwise there's always a movie, book or the internet. Family will always be there and acquaintances will always be around without really having to work at it. I crave richer/fuller relationships and find myself a bit at a loss as to why I don't have more at this point in my life. Sure I don't strike up a conversation with strangers, or call up friends to do things or remember people's birthdays or even bother to pick up the phone half the time it rings, but why should that matter? Shouldn't fabulously interesting people be seeking me out on my terms?

I'm a weird guy (shocking!) and I realize that people I'm really able to connect with will most likely also be weird. Generally, though, I determine people are not weird in enough of the same dimensions as me to really get me or be worth investing a lot of effort in (and occasionally vice versa). Maybe I'm too picky or maybe this is just life. I always assumed that given enough time and chance encounters, I would accumulate more and closer relationships than I have. It would seem to be time for some changes but I'm not sure what will be fruitful (or if I'm too set in my ways.)

Portland (w/pics)

I've spent the better part of a week in Portland. I left yesterday and am now in Astoria, OR on the coast where the Columbia River lets out. Astoria has the charm of a small town and the traffic/parking of NYC. Odd. I'll probably work my way down the coast for a day or two.

Portland stuff:

• Stayed at a hostel on E. Hawthorne.
• Hung out downtown.
• Met Amy's friends, Miles and Rachael.
• Met up with Kelly and her dog Henry.
• Went to Powell's a couple times. (huge bookstore)
• Went to two different rose gardens.
• Went to a traditional Japanese garden. This was really pretty. (I wish I had gone earlier in the day to get better light.)
  

Cell phone

For someone supposedly up on technology, I've never cared for gadgets. I don't have a PDA, MP3 player, GPS or, until recently, a cell phone. Apart from the monthly expense, I didn't want to deal with keeping the dumb thing charged or worry about losing it. Despite not wanting a cell, my friend Jen bought me a pay-as-you-go phone for my birthday so I could no longer hide from her. It has actually worked out really well...a cell comes in handy when out on the road. Next year I think I will ask Jen for an iPhone. :)

At some point on the road, my cell phone just died. The screen would light up when the phone was charging but would be blank apart from that. After going without for a week I found a Cingular store in downtown Portland and went to get it fixed. I don't like stores and don't have much faith in the teenagers that work in them but what else could I do? I didn't even know if it could be fixed, being an ultra-cheap model. I walked up to the (I'm guessing high school) girl at the counter and handed it to her. A few seconds later she handed it back to me fixed.

You just need to turn it on.

Apparently the phone is usually on "stand-by". After the battery got drained on the road it switched to "off" and one needs to hold down the red button for 3 seconds to turn it back on.

Teenagers 1 - Ed 0.

:(

Amy is on her way back to NC. Grad school awaits her.

A week in review and Olympic NP pics

So, what to say? We spent a couple days in Boulder at a camp site with wifi. Is there anything better? Drove all the way to Hermiston, OR in one day (~16 hours) to recharge and hang out with my brother, Brett and my mom who happened to be visiting him. We took a tour of McNary Dam where Brett works and checked out the turbines and fish monitoring apparatus. A good time was had by all.

Next we drove to Seattle and took a ferry to Vashon Island and spent a few nights sleeping in a teepee with its own fire pit. Sadly I forgot to take pictures but it was a lot of fun. By the third morning my pancakes had improved from pale piles of half-cooked mush into perfect golden circles. I'm having mixed feelings about actually preparing my own food...it probably won't become a habit at this phase of my life. Or ever.

After Vashon we drove to the other side of Puget Sound and visited Olympic National Park. The coastline is spectacular. It would have been great, if a bit cold, to camp there. Perhaps I'll have to find a secluded spot on the Oregon coast and do just that.

We recently arrived in Portland where we'll be until Tuesday when Amy flies back to North Carolina and 'we' becomes 'I'. So sad. And it will be several weeks before Natasha gets in from Windsor.

What will I do until then??

Seattle/Vashon Island Pics

Here's a few pics from the Seattle/Vashon Island area.

The nautical pics are from the Seattle/Vashon ferry.

The funky looking building is the Seattle Public Library's main branch.

The disturbing pic is from the absolute last motel room available in Port Angeles.

More to come...

Seattle and Olympic National Park

We're still alive. We've been having a grand old time in Vashon Island, Seattle and now Olympic National Park. There's lots of good pics but the internet is spotty out here in the middle of nowhere. Stay tuned.