.: kindpow :.

kiva - Defiance House

2010-03-05T20:28:00.001-07:00

kiva - Defiance House
Originally uploaded by WaywardSuns

test

Flickr

2010-03-04T22:26:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Winter's Chill in South Park, CO

2009-12-08T22:43:00.001-07:00

Winter's Chill in South Park, CO
Originally uploaded by WaywardSuns

Just integrating Flikr and Blogger for the first time. I chose this recently taken picture of some grasses all DOF'd out against the Wintry landscape of South Park, CO.

Flickr

2009-12-08T22:41:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

More on the Man in Black...

2008-10-22T22:55:00.001-06:00

Johnny Cash, and His America...

2008-10-22T22:54:00.001-06:00

Going down the Road Feeling Bad

2008-10-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr9FP93o8Ro

Lake Powell - August 2008.

2008-10-13T21:57:00.011-06:00

Lake Powell's inky blue shape spread itself astride my Utah map unaware of the developing thoughts to cast myself for several days among its rumored red shores. My good friend had recently made me well aware of its pristine canyons and massive desert varnished walls with his constant testimony. I had thus decided to put action to plan.

The Bullfrog put-in @ Lake Powell is a busy place with its own lengthy boat ramp, neighboring campgrounds, gurgling semi-truck trailers, and tired families with gas cans and dogs in tow. We rolled up to the scene as a small cluster of vehicle and kayaks, trying to thread ourselves between the lumbering mammoth houseboats fumbling along the dock. Within an hour's preparation, we were off and away. Soon, we were quietly leaving behind the murmuring cacophony as we leaned forward toward the unknown one slip of the paddle at a time.
Push, Rotate, Draw, Heave, Fore, Aft... "Use your core, not your arms." I struggled to rekindle my muscle's memory of sea kayaking excursions long gone by. Struggle as I might though, I could do nothing to shake off the nervousness and pestering self doubt growing in my head.

Will I stand up to the physical rigor. Did I bring enough food. Will I capsize. Will I damage something. Will we get swamped by a swift desert storm. Will either one of us be destroyed by any one of these giant floating frat parties. Can I really survive this. Breathe, Pull, Lean, Breathe, Pull again and again. Constant.

As the sun rolled through the sky, the nerves and self doubt began to slowly abate as they were washed against the staggering enormity of the red rock country. A deepening appreciation of the world and events unfolding around me gathered as we continued farther along these hallowed halls. Sculpted and shaved cliff walls looked over our journey as they held back the blackish water's constant languid pressure.

We founded the first camp upon the lightly lapping shores of a slickrock lined inlet. After pulling the boats ashore we began what would soon become routine, the construction of a temporary but comfortable place to rest. Food was prepared and both sails and weary muscles were unfurled and allowed to dry. Dinner was ate and bedrolls were laid out underneath an intensifying canopy of diamonds affixed against the blackest of interstellar space. The Milky Way's cloudy edge shone across the heavens, strapping all of humanity in for the ride.

As I became accustomed to the common occurrences of a life spent paddling, the events of each day's passing began to stream together. From a rare but curious California condor who insisted on investigating our small flotilla over and over - pass after circling pass until the heated air currents lifted his massive wingspan well above our gazing eyes. We were to be met by this same gentle giant 3 times in as many days and each time it stilled the air around us. We watched as he watched.

Whenever we could, we would festoon our sturdy boats against the sides of the floating pooh palace. This shining beacon of bowel loosening hope. These fastened and buoyed restrooms were occasionally strewn about the lake... and to find one meant not carrying your own excrement later on should you give way to the forces of nature while back at camp. We would hang along the decks of these establishments for as long as it took until the big event finally arrived before resuming the day's travels.

Sunsets and sunrises soon became our only time keepers. We watched their slight changes over the evenings and following mornings. Subtle progressions made themselves known to only those who cared enough to pay close attention. The heavens retold their haunting yet familiar story out each night, but with small declinations of difference. And the moon slowly regressed its brightly lit hue waxing itself away while rising later each night. The entire orchestra of the natural world revealed it's synchronized splendor before our humbled eyes. We quietly took careful notice.

The end of our trip would come too quickly. Soon enough we were within a distant visual of the chaotic shores of the Bullfrog boat ramp. Burgers and beers were not far off, and we gravitated toward our eventual reward. During the last few miles, the afternoon's piercing heat laid waste to my beleaguered shoulders and arms making the last stretch drag on for what felt like days. Breathe, Pain, Rotate, Draw, Breathe... "Use your core, not your arms." I mindfully returned to the basics until we finally washed ashore one last time. The sun continued to chastise our already tanned hides as we retrieved our vehicle, inspected the gear, packed our belongings, took one last seaside poop, and stumbled off into the parched desert highlands bound for Moab and the plunder therein.

Thoughts: Thinking:

2008-10-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

"We are tricked by youth. It teaches us that new adventures will arrive each day. And, like misinformed children, we carry this lie onward into our lives. And what arrives instead-- day after day after day-- is sameness. Habit. 'Form.' And, thus we have but one goal: to build a life which will accommodate boredom."The Nina Variations-Steven Dietz

Buffalo Creek Jam

2008-06-02T21:09:00.000-06:00

Earth Day, 2008 is upon us...

2008-04-21T22:08:00.002-06:00

Here's the backstory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

Note that the "...neutrality of this article is disputed" but generally speaking it marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Interestingly enough, not all greenies enjoy the 'holiday.' Some... "Bright Greens" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_green_environmentalism) apparantly think it's a bit too watered down. What i find fascinating is how there is apparantly several shades to being green! At any rate, hug a tree tomorrow and take a moment to enjoy the sun eh.

Bat Country Part 2

2008-04-15T01:52:00.001-06:00

Is it Live, or is it Memorex?

We're in Bat Country!

2008-04-15T01:07:00.000-06:00

The Picture of the (interval) this time comes to us from Moab, UT on the SlickRock practice loop. This shot overlooks the small but dramatic Echo Canyon.

The Eve of Destruction

2008-04-06T21:54:00.002-06:00

It is that time of year again. That time of year for the annual pilgrimage to one of Mountain Biking's epicenter's of activity: spectacular Moab, Utah. With this pilgrimage comes many meanings like ROAD TRIP, adventure, biking, wilderness, empty and unbounded landscapes. It means it is time to reenter the West. The proverbial painted desert. As Martin Sexton put it, all that land the "Hopi's lost to Spain." It's time to retouch on old memories, and bolt on some new ones. Time for a few too many Eddie McStiff's brews imbibed under a starlit canvas of black velvety sky.

Thus far, our plan consists of a ride on Mary's Loop outside of beautiful Fruita, CO on Friday and a suitable Moabbian ride on Saturday. If you've a suggestion, please leave a note below. Sunday will be Over the Edge perhaps...

Stay tuned as we chronicle these further misadventures...

Movie Feature: Robert Redford on the Red Rock Wilderness Act

2008-02-18T20:30:00.006-07:00

Utah... for those that are familiar with its scarred and chrimson landscape, it conjours up emotional images of pristine emptiness, dimpled and sculpted sandstone surfaces, and the contrasts between dark sky blues and deep ruddy reds. The following video is a sanguine reflection on these elemental features and why they are so important to America...

The movie is part reverence for the desert lands of Utah, and part advertisement for the Red Rock Wilderness Act. The proposed act would preserve more than 9.5 million acres of already wilderness-quality BLM lands inside Utah... probably not a bad idea. I rarely espouse on political issues on this blog but this one is near and dear to the heart so I thought i'd say a few things...

While I believe wilderness is essential to America in numerous ways, I have a love/hate relationship with it. I, like many, value wild lands and am continualy thank full for their existance, but I do wish they were open to mountain bikes. I know, I know, controversial for sure but allow me just a few moments to opine... I concede that opening the wild lands to mtb'ers would surely bring about change to "wilderness." However, this change is perhaps nothing more than a nod to humanity's current state of affairs. Fewer and fewer people care for and ride horses in the 21st century (more on this...) while more and more people still desire the experience of wilderness. MTB's are just the latest tool of transportation that could so easily enable the people of America... the world really... to continue to expereince these national treasures. Additionally, as we carry on into this "century of scarcity" the wild lands and the people who protect them will need to build ally's with a greater audience of enthusiastes who will stand beside them in support when times and politics are tough for these sacred places. The Wilderness Society and Sierra Club members need IMBA members just as much as the reverse. Only through cooperation and focus can the currently divided interests unite and create a better chance at saving these places together. So, overall, I do support this initiative, but I also think its time to update our access to the lands we're all trying to protect...

K, thanks for reading as always!

Picture of the (Interval)

2008-02-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

This (interval)'s picture was taken during my last trip to Loveland Ski Area. Which incidentally was recently awarded best local's (Denver, CO locals I imagine) ski area (and no I can't remember my source...bad!) The pic was shot while traveling westbound up chair #2 which for those of you who aren't familiar, traverses over southbound lift chair #6. I always look forward to the brief moment the two suspended paths silently cross and I am afforded a rarely privileged view of brother and sister snow riders from above.

Enjoi and have a great... (interval).

Kind Powder Interlude: Loveland's Federal Reserve!

2008-02-14T19:56:00.001-07:00

Since the title of this blog is afterall "Kind Powder" and given that I am well past due with the 3rd post in the Colorado Trails website review, I thought it was high time for a powdery interlude! This pic was taken just days ago up on the Continental Divide up somewhere near 13,000' elevation and behind Lift 8. I believe the run is adjacent to the "Federal Reserve" runs. The snow was truly steep and deep and was WELL worth the 45 minute access hike.

Website Reviews: Trail Data Websites, Part 2.

2008-01-29T20:05:00.009-07:00

2. CoMTB or Colorado Mountain Biking.com:

Kevin Swab, the webmaster of CoMTB, advertises that the site provides mountain bike ride descriptions with high quality maps suitable for navigational use. It's Kevin's navigational maps that makes CoMTB so uniquly valuable. By comparison, most any other site usually misses this mark providing its unwary users with poor quality maps that come with a disclaimer warning against the use of their maps for anything other than birthday hats for kids.

This site's visual focus is centered around the map of Colorado. Within that map are several clickable icons depicting various city centers that have trails of interest nearby. For instance, when you click on the Lyons icon, you are treated to trail beta for the following trails:

Betasso Link / Loop

Fall River Road

Hall Ranch

Heil Valley Ranch

Miller Rock Area

This graphic is an example of one of those previously mentioned high quality printable maps. They are without a doubt credible works of art of their own and should be printed, framed and proudly displayed in every Colorado rider's home.

As a devotee of the site for several years, I became worried of its sudden lack of updates after the mid 2006 model year. Some 15 months would go by before we would see the next major update. But news of the websites early demise were greatly exaggerated and updates to the UI and content come with regularity again. Most recently, the site has began Google Earth integration on many of its rides.

Each trail review featured on the site typically includes a blow by blow ride experience complete with related pictures. In addition to the beta are Google Earth'd trail downloads (when available), accompanying recommended Google Earth viewing settings, and downloads to those wonderful maps.

CoMTB's author is based out of beautiful Ft. Collins, CO and admittedly focuses on north central CO rides. To compensate for this, the site relies upon other MTB friendly sites that happen to highlight trails in other regions. For example, CoMTB has reviews for 11 different towns (with several trails per town), but provides useful links to content on other sites for an additional 23 towns within the state. This method is in contast to TrailCentral's user generated content model with the difference being noticible in the total amount of data available per trail and in the total number of trials reviewed on the site. But this could change with time as I eagerly await each new review and related map... mmmmmm like butter.

In all, CoMTB goes the extra mile at providing reliable trail ready maps with relavant information for when you are planning your trail ride. Two thumbs up again for CoMTB.

I'll dive into the next trail review website in the series soon so stay tuned. Until then, best of riding.

Return of: Picture of the Week(?) - January, 2008

2008-01-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm unsure of just how many Picture of the Week's I'll be posting in the coming weeks, so instead I'll be renaming this somewhat regular feature to... "Picture of the Interval, where Interval is x number of n units of time." Maybe a better name is "Picture of the x=(n)/T." I think that is right... anyway, this picture was taken at Garden Of the Gods near Colorado Springs, CO. The picture depicts 2 of the park's Three Graces.

Garden of the Gods contains vertical conglomerate sandstone formations belonging geologically to the Fountain Formation. The Fountain Formation is related to the Red Rocks, Roxborough, and Flatirons areas west of Denver, CO. The entire formation begins in southern Wyoming and continues south along the Front Range of the eastern Colorado Rocky Mountains, concluding in northern New Mexico. The name Colorado is said to come from the color of this particular sandstone formation. The rocks comprising the Fountain Formation are considered to be between 290 and 296 million years old and were formed by the erosion of the original Ancestral Rocky Mountains.

Website Reviews: Trail Data Websites, Part 1.

2008-01-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

So you live in (or are thinking about moving to) Colorado, own a bike (or are thinking about buying one) with knobbly tires, but have no idea where to ride. Colorado is a big state with an abundance of public land, a staggering geographical variety and a mind blowing multitude of trails. It can be intimidating for newcomers and locals looking for new terrain alike.

Luckily, the intraweb has come to our rescue. With a quick Google search, I was able to track down the leading contendors: TrailCentral, COMtb, MTBR, singletracks.com, Wildernet, and BikeRag.com. (If your favorite trail review website isn't listed, post a comment below and I'll be sure to check into them).

Each one of the the website ablove tackles the complex task of mapping, reviewing, and posting useful information about the Colorado's trails in different ways. Some sites excel at trail beta, others include printable maps, others feature GPS integration, and yet others are gifted with prolific user reviews... Some do it all... Anyway, on with the show.

1. TrailCentral.com:

According to TrailCentral author, it took 3 college students eating a "rather disgusting" pizza in 1999 to create their very own Mountain Biking website. It took several iterations for them to nail down their presence on the web, but when they did the site took off. TrailCentral.com's mission is to enable its users to "...be able to find complete trail information on Colorado trails, such as; trail listings and directions, trailhead weather, local bike shops, as well as complete event listings." Or more simply put, to "...help mountain bikers look beyond the handlebars." It is a lot for a single site to offer, lets take a look and see how they fare...

Since their original inception, TrailCentral's scope has grown to include trails in other states, bike shop reviews, and more. The site breaks their trail reviews out first by state name and then by county. The state is listed only if there is a trail review in it. Likewise, the county is only listed if there are trail reviews in it. So, if you don't see your favorite trail on the map, you know what to do... Click on any county within TrailCentral and you will find a more detailed map of the area and a listing of trails in that county. click on any trail theirin and you get the following laundry list of useful trail specifics:

Local bike shops
Integrated hotel booking
Summer trail uses
Winter trail uses
Trail types
Physical exertion level
Technical Level (which evaluates the difficulty of the terrain)
Elevation at the trailhead
Park fees if applicable
Park facilities available
Directions to the trailhead
GPS datum marking the trailhead and route (if it has been gathered by a trail reviewer)
Current trailhead weather
A description of the trail itself
A RSS integrated "Ride Proposal" arranger
Overall Trail Ratings
and finally, Trail reviews written by users like you and I

It's a tough job filling in all those blanks for each and every trail the website reviews which is why the site relies on their user community to pitch in. It's this "user generated content" that helps to fan the flames at TrailCentral, adding useful content to nearly every part of their site. The site's crew has taken the trail review concept to even greater levels by adding a 3rd layer to the cake when they added the ability for website visitors to participate in their online forum, to post their blog (if they have one), to find training partners, and to post their own pics in the photo

TrailCentral is also kept up to date on a very regular basis. The websites development is ongoing, with new improvements made ever week at times. About a year ago, they integrated their original trail maps with the Google Maps api. This fantastic improvement allowed the site to later many features including trailhead markers, zooming in and out, route finding, and the integration of GPS data (and not just their own GPS data, but anyone's). TC also claims that 2008 will continue to be a big year for the website with usability enhancements that will dip into the power of AJAX (yay!).

In all, TrailCentral goes a long way to being a great one stop shop for gathering information for your trail riding plans. Two thumbs up.

Next up is the second website review in this series. Until then, best of riding!

Dispiriting news for our mountaineering community...

2008-01-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sir Edmund Hillary, known better to his New Zealand countrymen simply as "Sir Ed" has passed away recently. Sir Ed was 88 years old this year. he suffered an injury during another of his innumerable visits to his 2nd homeland of Nepal. Sir Ed and his Nepalese guide Tenzig Norgay became the first humans to stand on top of Everest, reaching that summit in 1953. He was knighted for his effort by the soon to be Queen of England just 3 days after his ascent. Hillary went on to climb another 10 other peaks in the Himalayas, as well as reaching the South Pole as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. He will no doubt be missed. Sir Ed's state funeral will be held in Auckland, NZ on January 22, 2008.

I'll remember Sir Ed for his visit to Antarctica which coincidentally occurred with my 2005 deployment to McMurdo Station. I'll remember his tall, thin but frail frame cast against the unforgiving Antarctic landscape and his subtle but humorous honesty. I was fortunate enough to see him speak to our small crowd at an honorary celebration of the National Science Foundation's successful completion of the "Ice Highway" linking coastal McMurdo to South Pole Station nearly a 1000 miles away. But, rather than lauding the accomplishment with favors and praise when asked by a member of the crowd about how he felt regarding the whole affair, Sir Ed simply stated that it was a ridiculous effort and just plain silly. The crowd erupted in laughter knowing that the project's management was there to hear the shocking statement for themselves as well!

Colorado Cycling in 2008

2008-01-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

The Mountain Flyer has recently revamped their presense in this big blue world of ours. You can check them out via this link (Click right... here).

Not only have they matured their graphical presence, but they are also upped their print interval every quarter and plan to have more of everything we love about cycling in Colorado: gravity, cyclocross, MTB XC and roadie content as well. If you live in CO and are planning on cycling, or just want to be... be sure to check out their fantastic rag!

Kicking off the New Year...

2008-01-15T18:53:00.001-07:00

A video for you by an artist i discovered just today. Pasted below is a link to check out a video released recenetly by her. Her name is Emily Jane White and she describes her musical style as Folkish with some Blues and Gothic drama mixed in for added spice.

http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o149/mag77gie/?action=view&current=wtihkvideo.flv

Specialized wishes all of us a happy cycling holiday.

2007-12-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the .:Kind:. folks at Specialized to put together a Christmas present that plays Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite from nothing more than bicycle parts.

Incidentally, i saw it at http://cyclelicio.us/, he saw it at Roger Kramer's Cycling Blog, and Roger Kramer apparently saw it at Bike Biz. My how this thing gets around.

enjoi

http://www.specialized.com/bc/microsite/holiday/index.html

The Desk Jockey Pt. 3

2007-11-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Mariachi fast asleep after a long day at battle in the office. The Mariachi gives and gives and gives... the world just takes and takes and takes.

But our hero will be ready again tomorrow. For he is always ready to pick up the phone and answer it with a calm and clear tone so that we can plainly understand him; he is always ready to type as fast and as efficiently as possible so that we can quickly comprehend his emails; he is always ready to perform office yoga so that he can last the day in complete and utter awareness.

Little else is known of El Mariachi, Man of Mystery. But if you dare, you might find him pounding the miles away on the treadmill in Acey Ducey.

The Desk Jockey Pt. 2

2007-11-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

El Mariachi performing his daily morning "psych up session" before he strikes out upon the world...

The Desk Jockey

2007-11-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

He is known simply as "El Mariachi," this merchant of whirly bird airtime. Little is known of the mariachi, except for his ill temperment and otherwise quiet disposition. But if you study El Mariachi from a distance, you will see him for the maestro that he truly is...

Every morning, in the Antarctic pre-dawn, El Mariachi begins the careful inspection of his stable and familiar steed. He checks for the usual stress fractures, keyboard placement, mouse laser accuracy and monitor angle. The morning's frost hangs heavy in the office coating his desk which gleams back at him with the flirtatious glance of a fair woman. Confident, he glides into place in front of the workstation. The mariachi's steady hands depress the ignition button fastened to the front plastic faceplate. The chassis crackles as the CPU fans stutter and rattle to life, gaining a steady hum. He leans back in his seat and patiently waits as his black and silver Hewlet Packard d510 Convertible Mini Tower nervously shakes itself awake. With a single beep, it acknowledges a successful POST negotiation and begins to load the Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack "el numero dos" operating system. When the logon prompt finally appears, the mariachi raises his palms with the care and grace of an orchestral conductor - his digits outstretched - he deftly applies the three finger salute against the well worn keyboard's surface. CTRL, ALT, DEL. Windows reloads his trusted and familiar instrument panel. The mariachi begins to taxi onto the information superhighway as he double right clicks the Outlook desktop shortcut, then double right clicking the Internet Explorer icon which he will guide to his Gmail account. With his workstation at full stride, he glances outside his cockpit window studying all the factors comprising his surrounding conditions like the wind speed, visual range and air temp. El mariachi is finally ready for the adventure that lie ahead of him and his mounted steed. The telephone rings and the mariachi answers, he hears the sound of eager grantees anticipating his very breath...

The rest of his days are filled with the cacaphony of mouse clicks, both right and left, and the clatter of keys on his keyboard. El Mariachi is an aritst and mindful desk jockey clearing numerous paths for scientists bound for far off places.

Road Tripping New Zealand: part 2 pics

2007-11-25T17:34:00.001-07:00

Road Trippin New Zealand: Chapter 2

2007-11-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

I hit the gas and immediately felt the frail Super Windy wallow in the squishing gravel beneath my tyres. I pressed the reluctant Toyota further, correcting and recorrecting while bearing even harder on the gas pedal. The car bucked and heaved as we progressed, groaning under the pressure until finally popping up and over the far shoal. Shocked at my progress and proud of the mighty Windy, I retraced the previously laid tire ruts back to my original path where I resumed the road less traveled. Mt Hutt was waiting and the rain was near once again.
...

Pinning my hopes on the advise of the already gone hippie roadmates, I took a steady deep breath and began to chart my forthcoming uncharted territory ahead. The landscape rose around me to my sides creating a broad but steep sided valley covered from head to toe in tussocks or grass... which is where the name for this preserve came from "National Tussock Preserve". Convenient. The Super Windy and I carried on the gravel road with a leisurely pace which i had privately hoped would spare me any further flat tyres. Emptiness soon saturated the hills and valleys with which i quietly traversed. There were no others in this far away place and the silence felt total and complete. Sans the usual ringing in my ears (thank you late 90's Metallica concert). I had no idea exactly how long this road would go or how bad it would get, but these feelings were slowly washed away by the overwhelming beauty before me and a quiet sense of rightful place. Inside I knew that this was my place and my time to see it. I was designed to be there at that time in history.

Miles and miles clocked away as i moved from one tussock coated valley to the next. It wasn't too long however until the wildlands began to fade and humanity's influence once again seeped its way into my consciousness. The gravel road was replaced with pavement as i passed well kept grazing pastures. These passed onto a remote homesite which marked the end of that road's length. I took the left turn my map told me to take and I carried on to Mt. Hutt.

I picked up my pace as nightfall would be coming soon. The extra speed and smooth roads allowed me to dig deep in the Super Windy's bounty of power ;-) threading my way through forested glens at full stride. Up until i came across a bridge crossing. The twilight was dimly passing by i knew i wanted a quick break before i searched for a proper place to rest. The bridge itself was typical for NZ, single lane, wooden and painted white to contrast against the world it soared above. The water below it was typical NZ as well, deep silvery turquoise showcasing it's silty glacial sediment caught in rolling suspension. The river was broad and fast moving. It looked absolutely great for kayaking. But without a kayak and without much light, i gathered myself and carried on for the town of Methven.

Methven is Mt Hutt's "resort community" located an incredibly convenient 45 minutes away from the ski area it professed its love towards. I found the town quietly shutting down for the evening as I scanned its businesses for a modest home. The only place I found was an overpriced (but comfortable and friendly) hotel which came complete with a communal kitchen... located across the street shrouded in complete darkness. The lone kitchen served me well though, as it allowed me to cook a decent meal which I quickly consumed. I made my way to my room and fell fast asleep amidst thoughts of the lofty snow covered peaks of Canterbury. Mt. Hutt was only 8 hours away.

Road Trippin New Zealand: Chapter One pic.

2007-10-18T15:05:00.000-06:00

The rental Carolla Windy GL in its post incident pose. Again, Notice both tyres are removed and ready for their able replacements. :-)

My new art project...

2007-10-17T01:06:00.000-06:00

I've started a project while on the Ice this year. I'm recreating Himalayan prayer flags out of reused Antarctic route flags. These flags are mounted to bamboo poles and are used to mark safe routes for Antarctic travelers found near McMurdo Station. It will be an ongoing project that will hopefully evolve as I make more and more of them.

In Tibet and Nepal, prayer flags are designed to eventually fray and bleach in the harsh exposure to the elements. This intended or accepted degradation reflects Buddhist beliefs towards life's own temporariness. Ultimately, this outcome will probably take my flags as well.

I've been writing the Windhorse Prayer on them and had them hanging all over Zach and I's room. I've completed close to 20 so far and probably have 20 more to go until i take this to its next evolutionary step... to put them to some kind of use.

Road Trippin New Zealand: Chapter 1

2007-10-14T22:34:00.000-06:00

Saturday October 13, 2007

I started the morning in Hokitika, NZ which is situated on the western coast of New Zealand overlooking the heaving Tasman Sea. I struck out early in the morning to take a stab at beating the oncoming storm bearing straight towards me and my intended destinations. My plans were to liesurely drive my way over Arthur’s Pass to the Castle Hills area and give the place's legendary bouldering and caveing sites a go. Additionally, the Dali Lama is rumored to have labled Castle Hills one of the 'Spritual centers of the Universe' making it all the more tempting to see.

I departed Hokitia along a tourist drive that is designed to add no more than 15 extra minutes in travel time and showcase some of the westcoast’s landscape scenery. Unfortunately I can't confirm this claim for as I drove into one steep and twisty chicane, I misjudged the curve and masterfully thrusted my rented Toyota Carolla aground into a gaping asphalt divot cut in the shoulder. "Most Triumphant." The end result of my driving misguidance included two pinch flatted tires and some less than appealing chucnks removed from the normally sturdy aluminum rims. I struck the asphalt with such force, that I can still hear the chassis’ lingering harmonic ring resonating in my memory. Kim may recall a similar occurrence on our road trip to wonderful Akaroa back in 2001.

Here’s the blow by blow: After the impact I silently hoped that I was to somehow come off lucky and avoid a flat and so I urged the little Toy further up the incline through the turns. I may have eked out barely more than 100 more feet before the passenger side tire-drag became too obvious to continue to ignore. I pulled the car over inside the last corner’s exit and inspected the damage. That’s when I noticed that not one but both passenger side tires were flatting. Unsure of how to address my dilemma, I opened the boot praying for an even number of spares and rooted around finding the lonely single. Perhaps, I thought, I could replace the front, move all my baggage forward of the rear tires and limp slowly back to town. I broke out the scissor jack, stuffed it underneath the oil pan, and started raising the car. After barely attaining altitude I noticed the jack’s slowly increasing rearward tilt. Panicked I relented my hard fought twisting and lowered the car back down. My patience was wearing tremendously thin at this point but I kept my cool and reparked hanging the rear bumper slightly over the ditch on the uphill side of the road. Just as I reattempted raising the vehicle, a passerby swerved to avoid me and stopped to check on my predicament. He quickly understood my predicament and my lack of a bonus spare and volunteered a cell phone call to his friend with a tow truck. After that, he was off. 30 minutes later the tow came and flatbedded me and the Toy back to Hokitika. On the way back, he relayed some more bad news… automotive repair shops aren’t open on Saturday’s. But, he did say he’d see what he could do. Once we arrived to his garage he made a few calls and tracked down a friend of a friend who owned a shop in town who could maybe help. What happens next is truly the stuff of legend.

The next 45 minutes were a blur of joining him and two of his mates in the Tow garage’s 2nd floor breakroom. He shared with me a couple of cans of 11:00 AM beer and I listened to a slurry attack of “F” bombs and laughter from the two gentlemen sitting across the table from me. Mystified at the skillfull use of the F word, I counted its use in one sentence… and quickly lost count. Some 30 minutes into the breakroom adventure, a visitor and his mid 20's daughter joined us as well. I was somewhat mortified when my Tow-man began a not so sbutle pleading for oral pleasure from the girl in front of the father and everyone. He even offered cash payment for her rendered services, all of which she ashamedly and flatly denied. The father never seemed to care at all. 45 minutes finally passed and we were off to the repair garage located 2 blocks away. 45 more minutes and I was back on the highway in proper trim and speeding off for Arthur’s Pass. The eastbound storm had now just gained a solid 2-3 hours on me and was quickly threatening my plans.
I achieved Arthur’s Pass close to 2PM. The rain achieved it at 2:07PM. I went inside the tourist information center hoping to make the final call on what my odds were for continuing my quest of caveing and bouldering Castle Hills. Christina the Ranger gave me some essential beta on my plans including how to know when the water level is too deep inside the cave for safe passage and silly things like that. So I sped off in haste through some of the most beautiful country in the world. Passes in New Zealand seem a bit different than those in Colorado. Ours go waaaaay up into the rarified reaches of high alpine saddles. New Zealand’s are quite a bit shallower and seem to wade their way in between broadly separated ranges within the winding valleys found far below the snow capped and majesticly stoic peaks. Once I reached Castle Hills, I immediately changed into some decent spelunking gear and made my way to the cave’s water outlet (which is the human entrance). I plunged into the water ankle deep and slowly waded my way up to my chest… My chest is is well past my waist and the waist was Christine’s suggested highwater mark. Then I noticed the foaming water floating by me. That was the second clue in gauging safe passage. I recoiled in horror and realized that Tim Nicoll nearly succeeded in killing me. By this time, the rain had reached me and drenched the boudering routes. Hannible from the A-Team used to say that he loved it when a plan came together. So what of plans that crumble apart? Adapt.
I took a long hard look at the map and noticed Mt. Hutt Ski Area coincidentally lied within the last route before the final approach to Christchurch. Between It and myself lay an stretch of road in unknown condition. Adapting, I hit the road again and made my way downvalley to the turnoff. Upon finding my impending destiny I was immediately stopped and met with a clear decision… a proverbial (and literal) fork in the road. The start of this road began with a dodgy stream crossing equipped with some intimidating construction cones highlighting the damaged stream ingress. The Toyota (let alone myself) was surely not equipped for that, especially after my recent brush with near-disaster. Just when I felt the pressure to relent, to take the high road and stick to the road more traveled… my peripheral vision made purchase on an approaching bone stock VW Vanagon. It traversed a wide grassy hummock and stopped next to me. With our windows rolled down, we discussed the odds of my Toyota making it on the dirt road ahead. His girlfriend ensured me that as long as I got past the initial obstacle, I’d be fine. Then the driver pointed to an alternate route downstream from where I stood. It was the same route he used to get over to me. They drove off and there I was again, at the foot of the unknown. 5 maybe 10 minutes passed as I was beset with decision making. And then suddenly, I moved the level from park to drive and I carefully crawled the Corolla(sortof) over the hills and through the beach until I found a shallow pass. It was now or never. I hit the gas and immediately felt the Toy bog down and wallow in the squishing rocky sand beneath my tires. I pressed further and corrected, recorrecting and pushed on the gas even more again. The car tossed and heaved under the pressure until it popped up and over the far shoal. Amazed and proud of the mighty Toy, I tracked the previously laid tire ruts back to the original dirt road and resumed the road less traveled. Mt Hutt awaits and the rain was gaining again.

Photos Galore

2007-09-25T23:09:00.000-06:00

Keep an eye out on my gallery pages over at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/watkinch

they contain all the digital eye candy i'm generating while here in Antarctica. enjoi!

Looking out my window at McMurdo Station.

2007-09-07T22:58:00.000-06:00

Looking northbound at Hut Pint Ridge above Dorm 210. The sun is just minutes away from finally showing itself to all of the station in since its setting in March!

From the Bog: an Irish pub in New Zealand

2007-09-07T19:44:00.000-06:00

***Note, this entry is written in arrears as I'm now currently in McMurdo Station, Antarctica.***

With Irish folk music coming through the speakers this late wintry New Zealand morning, I sit here at the bar inside The BOG and eagerly anticipate the morning's breakfast which will come complete with a pint of world famous KilKenny Irish Ale alongside my bangers-n-mash. The Bog is an orthodox Irish Pub that also happens to serve a damn good breakfast. Unlike Americanized Irish taverns, there isn't a singe television installed blaring the ball game to distract its visitor from their pint of Guinness (or even better, KilKenny) and the music never strays from the acoustic Gaelic variety. So, suffice it to say, a visit to The BOG is well worth the 14 hour flight and 1800.00 in plane tickets.

Some pictures of the journey Southward.

2007-08-27T22:59:00.000-06:00

Inside the Cantebury Cathedral

Looking out the bell tower of the Cathedral.

Looking up at the Cathedral.

Waterfront at Sumner, New Zealand

Southbound, on my way to Antarctica

2007-08-21T14:11:00.001-06:00

In Aukland's Domestic terminal waiting on our last leg of this journey to begin and I'm beginning to feel the drowsy side-effects of last night's 14 hour flight. Overall however, it feels absolutely refreshing to be back in New Zealand. I couldn't say enough about the culture and environment here, i also just don't know where to begin. for starters, its a refreshing place to travel, that cannot be said of too many places I've been in comparison. The air is clean, the people are incredibly polite (complete with proper English) and happy, and the earth is freshly cleansed from the regular rainfalls that wash the landscape here of dirt and grime. It's just squeaky clean. And speaking of landscape, aside from Colorado or Alaska perhaps, New Zealand's island borders contain a very large array of environments to tramp around in and experience. It ranges from sublimely green fern forests to the staggering 18,000' Mt. Cook. Mix in tropical beaches and you are just scratching the surface here. I am truly looking forward to spending some time here again.

Into the Heart of Darkness

2007-08-19T07:21:00.000-06:00

Its been said that the first time someone travels to Antarctica (otherwise affectionately known as "The Ice") it is for adventure, the second time for the money, and the third because they no longer fit into regular society. So what then of those who are traveling southward for their 4th or 5th time? Does that mean they no longer fit into regular western society by a factor of three then? I'm keenly interested in finding out the answer to this hanging chad of an story as tomorrow i begin my 5th bi-annual migration into the world's heart of darkness, McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Right now, McMurdo is -7 degrees F and clear. There is no moonrise and no moonset. And from what I know, there is also no sunrise or sunset as it is just after the middle of winter there... but then again i've never gone to Mactown during this early opening period known as 'Winfly' .

This week in pictures: Boulder, CO

2007-08-18T08:26:00.000-06:00

This last weekend, i headed up to Boulder to visit the McCaddon Classic Cadillac carshow. Along the way, i picked up these few gems...

North by North Park

2007-08-11T02:51:00.000-06:00

The coastal states like California and Oregon have the oceans, vast crystal-blue expanses of water sparsely occupied by lonely island residents and seafaring vessels. But, Colorado has its oceans as well, and in contrast they are vast golden expanses of grasslands sparsely populated by stoic ranchers and pickup trucks. Both oceans react to the wind's constant push with a rhythmic and hypnotic grace. Whereas dolphins and whales slip their way through water's antigravity, horses and antelope swim chest high in Colroado's tallgrass prairies.

Colorado has 5 grassland seas to choose from, 4 of which are large intermountain basins which conveniently align themselves on a map along a north/south trend. The southernmost is the San Luis Valley, then South Park, Middle Park, and North Park. Denverites can't help but already know about South Park thanks to Comedy Central, and Middle Park hosts a local favorite ski area... but no self respecting urbanite has ever had the need to venture as far as North Park. That's just waaaay to close to our throttle twisting sibling state of Why?oming. Home to hundreds if not maybe 1000 (it is Wyoming) dinosaur bone burning and animal killin' outdoor enthusiasts. YeeHaw!

Like its sister seas, North Park is a lonely and haunting expanse of swaying grasslands encircled by panoramic mountain ranges. Our roadtrip this last weekend bisected North Park starting at its southern boundary accessed via the bark beetle stricken Willow Creek Pass (Hwy 125) and then across its lawlands past Rand, Walden, and Cowdry. Then it was off the main highway through 24 miles of enigmatically sculpted hilly ranchlands until we finally reached Big Creek Lakes. These unbelievably clear bodies of water are sandwiched between the beautiful Mt. Zirkel Wilderness and the Wyoming border.

The eastern lake of the two, called Lower Big Creek Lake, is publicly accessed via National Forest land which includes a uber traditional 70's era family campground complete with friendly pit toilets and yet more bark beetle infected trees. The lake however, was pristine and placid making for many serene fishing and paddling excursions over the course of the weekend. Looking westerly however, one could notice the valley that linked Lower Big Creek Lake to its sibling situated within the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness, creatively named (yup, you guessed it) Upper Big Creek Lake.

Being in a wilderness area, we were especially pulled to the upper lake's unseen potential and mystery. Late Saturday afternoon, Bobby and I gave in to the urge to explore and with the help of a motor boat, we took his canoe in search of the unknown.

We reached the mouth of the feeder creek connecting the two lakes in short order and moored the canoe to the shore. With me in my leaky Wal-Mart rubberized waders, we hoofed it upstream reaching the lake within 5 minutes. There we stood underneath the clearing sky, whose sunlight began to gleam off of the recently rain washed towers of sheer rock-faces across the lake from us. Capitalizing on my leaking waders, i wandered far out into the shallow flat bottomed lake and fly casted into still waters highlighted in yellows by the sun's low light. 30-45 minutes later, with nary a nibble from an interested fish, we wandered back down to our canoe, leaving paradise behind, and slowly paddled back to camp.

Despite the lack of interested fish, those moments in Upper Big Creek lake gave me exactly what i had been yearning for... that certain dreamlike experience found only by surrounding one's self completely by nature. The tranquility of my environment was quietly balanced by my own rhythmic casting.

For all those Denverites who either never heard of or thought to travel to North Park, now there is no excuse.

This week in pics part 5: North Park, CO

2007-08-05T22:51:00.000-06:00

Lower Big Creek Lake near the Wyoming border at the upper edge of North Park.

This week in pics, part 4: North Park, CO

2007-08-05T22:48:00.000-06:00

Along the North Park prarie.

2007-08-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

Sagebrush (artemesia tridentata) west of Cowdry, CO.

This week in pics, part 2: North Park, CO

2007-08-05T22:31:00.000-06:00

Fence line and bird of prey just outside of Cowdry, CO.

The week in Pictures: Wondering North Park, CO

2007-08-05T22:28:00.000-06:00

Fenceline - located just outside of Cowdry, CO.

Denver's hidden 74 mile long trail

2007-07-21T14:47:00.000-06:00

Begun in 1879 by the Northern Colorado Irrigation Company, The Highline Canal is 74 miles long, an average of thirty feet wide, originally cost $650,000 and took four long years to complete. It was designed to carry nearly three-quarters of a billion gallons of water per day, but averages only one-tenth of that now with 71 million gallons. British investors supplied the capital for the project which proposed to place a million acres of land under cultivation. However, they had difficulty securing sufficient water for the canal because earlier ditches held irrigation rights based on prior claims (thanks to Colorado's crazy water law). The seventy-four mile length of the canal drops at a super sweet uniform rate of thirty-two inches per mile making it utterly and completely flat.

While the Highline is a multiuse trail, with people using it for horseback riding, biking, walking, jogging and so on, I personally use it for canine energy release. I take the quick drive out to Titan road via US285 south of Denver and access trailheads from there. The stretch of the Highline as it exits Waterton Canyon until it reaches Highlands Ranch is fairly Nirvana inducing with its quiet and sublime lengths. If you follow it long enough, you eventually cross paths with a family owned and operated horse boarding facility that just happens to provide a prodigious amount of shade, tree ladders and rope swings - some of which are designed to propel the swinger into the Highline for a good swim. Further west you stroll past eclectic neighborhoods of geodesic and coonial homes and soon thereafter the trail enters cattle ranchland. Depending on the time of year you take to the trail, you just might find yourself "sharing the road" with the big, beautiful and bovine.

Water typically runs in the canal during the spring months of April and May and ceases in the summer swelter when you'd figure you would want it most. Bring a camera as views of the Front Range from the trail are picture worthy. Take a look below for a couple of good pics taken earlier this month.
So lets say you are crazy about biking. And, just for the sheer joy you decide to ride the Colorado Trail. If you were so inclined, this means you could start your ride from all the way back at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal effectively adding some 70 extra miles to the ride as you meandered in and around Aurora, Denver, Littleton, Glenwood and so on. Anyone game? ;)

The Month in Pictures: July:

2007-07-20T12:38:00.000-06:00

Along the Highline Canal: east of Waterton Canyon.

Along the Highline looking west towards Roxborough.

Ride Report: Buffalo Creek Trail Complex... EPIC!

2007-07-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

If you are a regular reader of this humble Blog... you may recall the interview I held with the C:\EO of Sopris Clothing, Curtis Lewis. In it, he mentions what H3ll Hath Wrought on his poor soul during an arduous ride he had with our good friend Bill. You see, Bill is a hekka good rider and a seasoned athlete. Bill also manages to click off 3 rides each week including a 50 miler on the pavement every Sunday morning (that rat bahstad!). On that particular ride with Curtis at Buffalo Creek, they endeavored to link together several trails to complete a 24 mile loop. For whatever reasons... and I'll leave the details to those two to sort out, Curtis came back from it claiming a unprecedented ass-kicking. Given this tantalizing story, I was immediately intrigued...

So 3 weeks later, Bill and I loaded up the truck and set out for a repeat of this infamous 24 mile loop. We parked in front of the Buffalo Creek Volunteer Fire Station and unloaded our gear there. Excited for the epic that lie directly ahead, I followed Curtis' advise and stuffed my Camelback with extra provisions of food and water.

We started with a 3 mile warmup along the roadside gaining about 800 feet in elevation. Just after the crest (read as the 4th false summit) on the right we departed the highway's pavement and hit the dirt. Soon thereafter we joined the renowned Colorado Trail where the dance truly began. Immediately we began to weave our bikes deep into the Pike National Forest's earthen fabric; our knobby tyres carefully interlacing with gravel and pine needles. A days rhyhem was beginning to form...

The Pike National Forest is near uniformly graced by pegmatite gravelly soil, coloring the earth beneath your bike an orange-pink. Overall, the trail slopes gently away enough to relieve neary any need to pedal. At the Tramway trail junction, we bid the CT farewell and continued the downhill dream to 543 Road Trail where we hung a sharp left for a quick doubletrack climb. Following this past an incredible mountain cabin and ranch, we joined Buffalo Creek Road and took a right. We used the dirt road for just long enough to reach the trailhead for Gashouse Gulch which became the restart for the long, slow climb back up to elevation. Gashouse is far from a technical climb nor is it as steeply inclined as a typical front range ride, but still packs a punch.

Gashouse intersects with Charlie's Cutoff, and if you make the drive to Buffalo Creek for anything, make sure you yummy down on Charlie's Cutoff as it is easily one of Colorado's premier rollercoaster rides and something you'll never forget. Charlie's ends all to soon and joins the Homestead trail which is another swoopy stretch of earthly ribbon sure to leave you grinning unexpectedly as you pedal along its pink gravely shores. Homestead then joins Sandy Wash which means we were nearing completion of our 24 mile ride. Sandy Wash will leave an indelible image in your mind while riding its chutes and ladders up around grassy fields where the ponderosa pines grew before the Hayman fire. Its on this section of trail that I felt the unique sensation that I can only describe as bicycle dancing. Charlie's Cutoff, Homestead, and Sandy Wash all constitute a 8 mile downhill smoregasbored stuffed to the gunwales with the some of the very best prime cut trails my senses have had the privilege of being exposed to. Last, a quick left at the Sandy Wash trailhead which stole us another mile of sidehilling, afterwhich the trail dumped us conveniently at our vehicle.

All told, the 24 miles it took to link the trail system around is aimed at providing its rider 2 healthy, sustained hillclimbs that do in fact challenge your legs and lungs, but reward you with miles and miles of fast, groomed and swervey descents. Be sure to review the map before going... and don't forget the goo.

Trailhead Directions: Buffalo Creek is best reached via 285 when leaving Denver. Take it to Pine Junction and turn left at the stop light. You head down valley to the Pine Valley Ranch Open Space Park. These trails are eventually linked to the same trail complex that make up Buffalo Creek and one could easily park at either trailhead and ride back and forth between them. As you pass this open space park, the road veers left and continues along a verdant section of the Platte. As you enter the townsite of Pine Valley, carry on just a bit further and look for the Buffalo Creek volunteer fire post on your left just as the Platte passes underneath you to continue its journey to Denver.

The second annual CO Mountain Bike Summit

2007-06-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

Thursday, June 28 - Friday, June 29 Crested Butte, Colorado

Please join Bicycle Colroado for the second annual Colorado Mountain Bike Summit, bringing land managers and mountain bike enthusiasts together to discuss how to improve riding opportunities in Colorado. Bicycle Colorado is co-hosting this event with Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), and Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. This event coincides with Fat Tire Bike Week in Crested Butte.

The Month in pictures: June 24, 2007

2007-06-24T22:10:00.001-06:00

First pic: The Sangre De Christos from 14,110' Pikes Peak

Second Pic: End of the Line on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.

National Go Skateboarding Day

2007-06-22T21:52:00.000-06:00

Sopris CEO, Curtis Lewis, called me yesterday to alert me to Natioanl Go Skateboarding Day. His brother had plans to set out for the Denver Skate Park downtown to represent Sopris and to enjoi the holiday. Hopefully he took some pics.

Overall, Colorado was well represented in this new tradition with events held in Briargate Skatepark in Colorado Springs, Clemet Skate Park in Denver, and at the Denver Skate Park, Colorado Skate University "kept it small" with vendors, a highest ollie contest, a consecutive kickflip contest, some skateboard lessons and DJ's to keep the vibe alive. In addition, the event was celebrated in Australia and Canada too. (Probably time to change the name from National to International?)

For video coverage, check out the following Link.

Trail Review:

2007-06-14T19:40:00.000-06:00

Grazing Elk Trail - Jefferson County, CO
Location: Dear Creek Canyon near Jeffco's South Valley Trail Complex.
Distance: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy - Intermediate
Elevation gain and loss: +278/-187

This trail review is a complete mistake. I never even knew the trail existed until we stumbled upon the trailhead by accident while on a neighboring trail (Coyote Song and the South Valley).

The Grazing Elk loops its way around a the top of a tableland found along the shoulder of Plymouth Peak in JeffCo's incredible Deer Creek and South Valley trail complex. With this geography, its poised to catch all the eroding sediment from its parent peak and this has made for a great rolling singletrack of loosely packed dirt. Its sits at enough of an overall angle to keep the rider rolling with only the rarely applied pedal stroke. All this combined with the unseasonably high grassy vegetation, and this trail makes for a fantastic roller coaster ride.

Its recommended to take the loop counter-clockwise, but with its low usage there is no penalty for going either direction. There are few rocky outcrops to give the trail any technical difficulty, but Grazing Elk trades you these thrills for sheer beauty. It's a very rare experience to glide along a mountain trail knee deep in grasses while lavender and yucca blooms color the fields around you. If you go this season, bring your sense of smell and keep your eyes up because riding the Grazing Elk trail this season is a bit like bush whacking the Serengeti at speed. Overall, it's a great ride for when you aren't in the mood for a typical Colorado Front Range grinder but still want to get out and turn the cranks in a unbelievably beautiful setting.

From the Source: Curtis Lewis, CEO of Sopris Clothing Co.

2007-06-14T19:15:00.000-06:00

Meeting Curtis Lewis when he's plugged into running Sopris is like catching someone right in the middle of an epic battle with the "super boss" on their Okamakon Game Cube. I managed to get with him over the phone while he was campaigning the brand in beautiful Aspen, CO.

How long has Sopris Clothing co been around?

Febuary

How has it changed over the years?

Sopris

How does having a passion for snowboarding and mountain biking affect your clothing?

Has anyone helped out along Soprs' journey?

Where do you want Sopris to grow next?

Team Sopris did very well in last season's Mountain States Cup mtb circuit. How is the Sopris team doing this season?

Is it true you are sponsoring a kayaker now as well?

Norquist

Carbondale

What was your last ride?

ckin

Who are you listening to lately? 3oh3, Bullet for my Valentine, Rise Against, Faithless... always Faithless, The Michel Bros, TI.

Ahh, the wonders of VID3Oh3.

2007-06-13T22:49:00.000-06:00

I've come across the Fox Interbike video again, and just by happy accident Blogger has introduced patented Video Posting Technology to the world. This allows me, the content creator to convey to you, the content consumer, this fantasticly produced and thoroughly enjoiable vid. Its fairly long and has a great soundtrack, so sit back, relax, and be sure to have that popcorn handy.

Hey little girl. Did you want to know a secret? Cause I know one and it is SOOOOO good to hear it. Did you want to know what it schwas? Alright, I tell you what it schwas. I know how to play alllllll the way to the Fox Interbike Video... and I can play it faster than you can say poopty poopty pants....

Mt. Sopris Spawns A Clothing Projekt

2007-06-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

Artists, skaters, mountain bikers, snowboarders, and lifestylers all have a common thread tying them together lately, and it can be found in Sopris Clothing. Founded in 2005 by CEO Curtis Lewis and the Birch Tree Projekt, Sopris Clothing has been a dream many years in the making.

Curtis has called the Colorado Rockies his home since day one growing up in the shadow of the famous Mt. Sopris. With its solo pyrimidal peak towering above the town, it made a lasting impression on his life. As a result, Curtis embraced Colorado's notoriously active lifestyle early on, picking up snowboarding and mountain biking. Later, he began to mix in his natural taste and artistic style. When it was time to finally transform his aspirations into reality and create his own clothing company, he chose the name of the hill that has continued to evoke his passion for Colorado: Mt. Sopris. "...for me, its the symbol of where it all began and was a natural choice."

Sopris Clothing is a small operation that is bigger than life. On any given day, you would likely catch Curtis hard at work managing his expanding brand of clothing, but you just might catch him enjoying fresh powder in the winter or in the spring and summer, railing the flow of a singletrack decent. Curtis is careful to make time for the things that infuse passion into the company and his life. In addition to the clothes, Curtis also creates and maintains all the business content; he puts together freakishly funny 16mm movies you can find on YouTube, he designs skatedecks for the locals, and all the while making sure he promotes and provides for the team...

Speaking of that team, Sopris is actively involved and totally committed to the the action sports community having already sponsored a successful pro cross country MTB team in 2006. For 2007 the team has expanded to include a semi-pro whitewater kayker, a downhill mountain bike team, local skaters and has plans of backing a cast of snowboarders when Colorado's kind powder begins to fly again this coming winter. It's this intimate connection to speed, style and good times that makes up the Sopris Clothing ethos and the natural act that drives his designs.

So when you are out in the hills, keep an eye out for Sopris. He may be out there shoulder to shoulder with you enjoying Colorado's gifts of gravity and splendor while rocking some of the most unique and inspired hand finished clothing available.

Ride Review: Yeti 575 Enduro

2007-05-30T21:33:00.000-06:00

I've come to riding a Yeti 575 after exacting a thorough 5 year long thrashing on a 1st series Santa Cruz Heckler. It was that bike that introduced me to full suspension riding and we coexisted harmoniously until a severe drive train mangling on the upper slopes of Keystone's downhill course last August. I was torn between repair or replace... and once i investigated the Yeti the Santa Cruz's fate was sealed.

First, a bit of background trivia regarding the Golden, CO based bike builder. Few may be aware of Yeti's original roots being founded in Hollywood, CA in 1985. Rather, most mtn bikers remember Yeti as the bike company from Durango who, so long ago, sponsored some of the most hallowed and revered racers in the sport's short history like John Tomac, Myles Rockwell, Jimmy Deaton, Missy Giove and Juli Furtado. Today, Yeti continues to build on the low volume and high quality ethic specializing in downhill, XC racing, and all mountain bikes.

The Yeti 575 Enduro i currently ride is spec'd out as such:

Suspension	Fox 32 Talus up front and a Fox RP23 holding up the posterior
Headset	Cane Creek S-2
Brakes	Avid Juicy 5.0
Shifters	Sram X.9 trigger
Front Der	Shimano XT FD-761
Rear Der	Sram X.9
Crankset	Race Face Evolve XC
B. Bracket	integrated w/crank
Cassette	Sram PG-950 11-34
Chain	Shimano HG-53
Stem	Race Face Evolve XC
Handlebar	Race Face Next Carbon
Grips	Yeti Hard Core
Seatpost	Race Face Evolve XC
Saddle	WTB Rocket-V Cro-Mo rail
Hubs F-R	Mavic Crossride
Rims	Mavic Crossride
Tires	Maxxis Minion 2.35" - ST

The bike MSRP's for 2722.00 and delivers a great value given its build and componentry. Similarly intended and optioned bikes from SC and other lower volume brands can come in for as much as 500.00 greater or more.

The Yeti 575 features 5 and 3/4 inches of travel... hence the name. The frame comes in at a reasonable welter weight of 6.2 lbs in all aluminum guise or a svelte 5.75 lbs when installed with a carbon rear swingarm. Altogether, just guessing now as i haven't yet weighed the bike, i estimate a 28 lb. finished weight.

Having its roots founded in the Cross Country Yeti ASR's design, the 575 grew its expanded travel capabilities, adjusted geometry, and bolstering gussets from the several hundred (if not thousand) rides on the rough and tumble Apex Trail located just barely west of Golden on the oft brutal front range of Colorado. It wasn't until the Yeti Team, cast and crew were all satisfied with the evolved bike's performance that the sweet sweet ride was revealed to the public in 2005.

The 575 geometry angles of 68.5 for the head tube and 71.5 for the seat tube put it square in the all mountain breed. The angles give it a well rounded character for handing nimble turns and confident fast descents while not being too slacked out for when its time to earn those downhill turns. That's right, it actually climbs despite the long travel suspension. To complement the bike's ability to clammer uphill, the Fox RP23 shock comes with a lockout feature for those who insist on a solid rear triangle. The front shock pitches in for the team as well having the ability to drop its height on demand from 140mm all the way down to 110mm bringing the front end much MUCH closer to the ground. These two features drastically change the bike's demeanor, granting the rider access to more options when it comes to keeping the momentum going during grinding ascents. I have found myself still experimenting with my preferred setups, but am thoroughly happy to have these available to me. Thus far i rarely settle all the way down to the 110mm height, and typically stick to the 120mm setting or climbs and the plentiful 140mm for the harrowing descents. The Avid Juicy 5 brakes are my first impression of disk brakes and have tossed me over the bars once so far, but overall i am endeared to their simplicity and efficiency. They do a great job of bringing the bike back to earthly speeds in short manner when employed. Also, the SRAM X.9, Raceface, and XT drivetrain combination blends well together and provides sure shifts when put to use.

The last worthy item to mention is Yeti's innovative frame design put to use on this bike (as well on the similarly built ASR). Up front, it uses a unique V-shaped sloping toptube with a CNC-machined “knuckle” in the center to provide gobs of useful standover clearance. Yeti sites the odd looking knuckle as being the strongest part of the frame. It also uses a "dogbone" for keeping rear shock movement smooth and contained in its travel. The rear swingarm features asymmetrical chainstays and small carbon inline “flex” points where the seatstays meet the rear dropouts. These carbon pieces allow for a 1.5 degree extra flex wich changes the seat stay vector as it joins the rear shock. This subtle change helps to give the "long" in the "long travel" namesake. Yeti uses cartridge bearings on the main pivot and the design allows for a great amount of lateral stiffness.

Overall, the bike is excellent at all the things that are necessary at being an all mountain bike. It descends like crazy, tracks very well, does much more than just pay lip service to the concept of climbing, and still manages to handle the drops with composure as well. I am looking forward to a whole range of rides that this bike will carry me on for some time to come.

How NOT to get to the southernmost reaches of the America's

2007-05-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to have been volunteered to complete some sweet netowrk upgrades in beautiful Punta Arenas, Chile again. It constituted my second South American trip in the past year, and I was looking forward to the change in culture and landscape. I split the trip into two parts, the first week was all bidness with 12-16 hour days straight through, and the second week was destined for rambling travels. I've excerpted below, some of the trials of our trip south... it was so much fun, i thought i would share the story. enjoi!

"... On thursday, the flight we ticketed for was delayed about 3-4 times until finally being cancelled due to massively inclement weather in Dallas. Like we should be afraid of tornados or something (right Blaine?). Jonathon managed to scam a flight to LAX which was to depart some 45 minutes later (cause he was shamelssly flirting with the ticketer agent, what a man-whore) and was soon off. Rob chose to follow suit the next day and flew to LAX on Friday meeting up with Jonathon and hitherto resuming their southbound travel from there. Unfortunately for me, Rob took the last seat on Friday's LAX flight and Kim and I were forced to head east to Miami via Chicago (of all places). We also absorbed Jonathon's luggage making for a checked bag sum of 2 silver trunks and 3 large backpacks. Kim and I spent the night at a Hotel in A-town on the Airport's graisously offered dime.

Our flight to Chicago was uneventful and we easily caught the Miami flight as well. Our luck turned again in Miami however. Once Kim and I got the LANChile gate to catch our Santiago flight, the ticketer informed us that they could not honor the ticket as the agent in Denver who booked us on that flight had no jurisdiction over their flight… or something like that. Furious and panicked, Kim and I ran back to the ticketing counter which was already in a state of chaos. Apparantly, Miami is a American Airlines hub. After several attempts and with the clock ticking (and panic increasing), we finally found the correct ticketing counter… where the line was huge. We learned while standing in line that the chaos and plentiful lines were the product of a nationwide Brazillian air traffic controller strike. The effect of their strike had massive repercussions as Brazil’s entire airspace was sealed off which meant that nobody could fly to Brazil OR Argentina (cause getting to Argentina requires the plan to fly over Brazil). Hordes of people were stranded and upset. Kim and I were extremely lucky in dealing with our travel issue early enough to get one of the few remaining Miami hotel rooms still available. Getting our travel plans finally squared away however took some 5 hours at several ticketing counters. It was a near disaster but finally found resolution after arguing with ticketers and negotiating with supervisors. Kim and I were set to travel again at 9:15 PM Saturday night.

Exhausted, we made it to the hotel and spent the following day recovering and relaxing (and shopping for clothes). The rest of the trip was much less eventful and we finally pulled into PA on Sunday at noon."

watch me r_i_i_i_i_ide...

2007-05-07T23:02:00.000-06:00

Whenever I take a little ride those mas grande Colorado hills, either astride my mountain bike or bolted to my Burton Malolo, I am reminded of the lyric titling this post. Penned by Maxi Jazz of Faithless and exposed to me via my long time riding partner C to the L, that silly little lyric has long been gutteral source of inspiration when I face off with a particularly dense patch of gravity.

I love to ride. I love the infusion of adrenaline from taking the chance of dropping something nasty. I even (occaisionally) enjoi the fitness. But far greater, The Ride for me is the chance to engage in what Mother Earth has offered to those who are awake enough to recognize the golden opportunities. I use the above lyric not just to re-inspire enough personal moxy to stick yet another chunky 75' gapper (rad i know); rather I employ it as a means to remind myself that I came to engage, i woke up early that day to engage, i drove 4 hours for trailhead access to engage... and therefore, its time to step back into the that golden moment and let Mother Earth have her way with me.

Perhaps better said, I ride so that once in a while I willfully and directly expose myself to the world's natural forces. I choose to interplay with them. I hook up the towline to gravity's mighty pull and use its energy to glide me along over cottony snow mounds whiel busting out of tree stands. It's a playful interaction with these forces when I am threading the needle between pine and aspen.

The interaction and interplay between me, the human, and the universe's undeniable and profound forces... that's why I Ride.

Arrived alive: the 12th Annual Fruita Fat Tire Festival

2007-05-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

Despite all my best intentions, my road trips have never started on time and thankfully our endeavor to Fruita's famous Fat Tyre Fest would pose no change to this habit. That being the case, 0800 came awfully early in the morning last Friday... so we renegotiated a twelve noon departure time.
Like desperate seafaring pirates on the hunt for Spanish gilded treasure, we too thirsted for the plunder that sweetened our daydreams along our westbound journey. We sailed up, into, and well beyond the aspen and evergreen forests of Colorado's high country and descended into the barren sandy landscapes of the farthest west reaches of our great state. As we reached Grand Junction (or as my good friend so endearingly puts it, Grand Junkyard) our caravel was embraced by the Valley's warmth and red stained enormity.

Saturday, again began with the casual atmosphere that is usually reserved for opium dens. Around 10AM that morning we met up with the rest of our party, the unscrupulous and notorious Treads Bicycle Outfitter gang. After some minor repairs graciously performed by the Cannondale road crew, we set sail for Road 18 and singletrack treasures therein...

After a failed attempt of a proper start on Joe's Ridge (and a rather crappy tongue lashing from a "fellow" rider) we luckily ran into Mike, a Fruita local out on his usual ride. He completely took our rag-tag group under his generous wings and led us through several trail rides. With his help we swerved, grinded and sweated our way over true Colorado classics such as Kessel, Bookcliffs and others. I lawndarted twice that day and have a couple of raspberries to remind me of my new touchy disk brakes until my next ride. These trails, all found in the lee of the BookCliffs are fairly smooth and sandy rollercoasters weaving their way in and out of the thousands of washes along the faces of this one very big "hill". There are other more technical trails with far greater elevation gain, namely the Outer Edge Loop if you are ready for a 5 hour ride with little to no support and a high degree of exposure risk... sounds fine, but be sure to bring more than enough food and water.

We resumed our plunders across the river on Sunday morning hitting Mary's loop and Horsetheif bench. In contrast to Saturday's rides, the rocky ribbons found on the south side of I70 and inside the Colorado National Monument are vastly more technical and contain some more variety in geology. Its also tightly hugs the ridgeline overlooking the Colorado River far far below creating a more dramatic backdrop for your ride. Luckily, we once again met up with our new found guide and friend Mike just above Horsethief Bench. After several minutes of scouting lines and postulations on potential damage outcomes, Damien engineered a clean decent of the bouldery and dicey 50 yard staircase. Ian and Curtis also gambled their bodies to the trail gods there as well, but luckily the gods were not inclined to take them up on the offering. Beyond this nutty beginning we bobbed and weaved the rest of the 4 mile loop in tight formation eventually returning to Mary's Loop to finish the remainder of our ride. Mary's Loop did not disappoint either as we all feasted upon her stratigraphicly eroded spoils. Neither day saw much in elevation gains or losses, which made for an reasonable pacing given the various trails skill levels of the members in our group.

In the end, our belly's full from the weekend's trailcandy, we all gave thanks to our host and his wife, and extended our farewell's for the journey home.

I am the expert of my own ideas:

2006-09-27T07:23:00.000-06:00

here's one of my ideas: a new Political Treatise

Given the option, there would be the following:

1. The Party System and Voting: there would be 4 major parties to vote for (and any number of smaller minor parties) splitting up the population in the following brackets:
a. Fiscally Conservative - Social Conservatives
b. Fiscally Liberal - Social Conservatives
c. Fiscally Conservative - Social Liberals
d. Fiscally Liberal - Social Liberals
Each group would be well defined but operate on a gray scale. Whereas people would evolve migrating between groups as they age, and the groups would evolve as the times change. Voting would be compulsory for every registered citizen. Political education would be included in Middle and High School curiculum. Defining this ciriculum would be up to local school board authority allowing for regional cultural affect. Lastly, Presidents could hold office for up to 3 consecutive 4 year terms.

2. Policy Reforms:

Military Spending: One of a few essential functions of any national government is the provision of a strong national defense. In the US's case, it's within the interest of the Nation to maintain its status as the superiority in the air, land, and sea. However, the total budget would be trimmed creating a paradigm of trim and efficient stewadship of their financial responsibility. The surplus cashflow would be released back unto the population.

3. Social Welfare transforms:

Welfare: As a development of the Depression Era, the time for this service has passed. Combined with the misuse and abuse of the system, its utility and effectiveness has diminished over the previous 80 years. Social welfare systems for the fit and firm would cease altogether leaving behind a scaled back version designed to provide whatever is needed for the truly unfit and infirm. These services would be uplifted and gusseted with the revenue recouperated from the collapse of the former system currently in place.
Equal Opportunity: An exit strategy is needed to outline the graduated closeout of this Nationally mandated and funded service. The goal stays the same: equal and fair treatment for all, the timeline is no longer open ended.
Internal Revenue Service reforms: The deparment would cease to function, replaced by a GST or flat rate taxes collected a times of sale paid regularly by all. Loop Holes and tax shelters would only be smarlty applied and carefully monitored.

4. Homeland Security Services: the various intelligence branches would all be housed under one roof and stripped of redundant staff. A common charter would unit the disciplines into two purposful units: outward and internal facing departments. The Nationa Guard would be moved here for Centralized communications and purpose.

5. Department of Natural Resources transform:

th DOI, the beureau of Reclamation, etc. would be combined and redesigned with a common thread and purpose. This being the ensured sustainability of this country's Natual resource wealth. The natural wealth is defined as this nation's biodiversity, geological resource, habitat integrity and freshwater resources. All federal lands become open to the public without fee for access. All operational funds come from the tax base. Permits are continued for any resource extraction as well as a followed on plan to mitigate the effect made upon the landscape.

6. Rationalized HealthCare Reform:

Consolidation of HealthCare services ranging from mental, throughout medical and then combined with wellness initiatives (i.e. fitness and nutrition) under one coordinated organization. This Department of Health and Human Services would not be state ran. Rather, it would be operated by privatized corporate entities and funded by the Federal Govt. It would furthermore include provisions of universal availability for every citizen regardless of insurability or socioeconomic status. Additionaly, there would be tierd programs for cosmetic services and other optional procedures. It would recieve substantial funding

More of St. Mary's receding snowline

2006-09-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

the laides of St. Mary's

2006-09-11T21:35:00.000-06:00

notice Mary's receding hairline... Not much snow left these days!

Kashi up on the glacier

2006-09-11T21:23:00.000-06:00

enjoying the snow

Kashi's first St. Mary's Sneaux experience

2006-09-11T21:21:00.000-06:00

her first day in the pow... at full sprint.

St. Mary's "Glacier" climb

2006-09-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

another pic from this sunday.

St. Mary's "Glacier

2006-09-11T21:13:00.000-06:00

a quick trip up the the "glacier" this weekend proved to be an awesome way to spend a sunday.

the end game

2006-09-08T06:08:00.000-06:00

the cnclusion:

when we look at ourselves in the mirror and see a person who has become an effective manager, then something has certainly been accomplished. but it alone is not the goal, rather it is just a milestone... a milemarker along what is otherwise a lifelong journey. it could be seen as a turning point in one's career even, but not the end game. there is more landscape to cover, other goals to achieve adding to your personality. skills like compassion, empathy, understading, powers of persuation, and more.

for none of us, there never really is an end game.

another nice picture of the waves

2006-06-26T22:06:00.000-06:00

such a nice day out this day.

so there was a few waves

2006-06-26T22:04:00.000-06:00

but really, it was warm out and the water was quite refreshing.

a few remaining pictures to look back upon.

2006-06-26T22:02:00.000-06:00

quick pic of the day... looking out the starboard porthole window.

Getting ready for being out on anchor

2006-06-14T14:18:00.000-06:00

The original plan called for our boat to be pulled off the pier and put to anchor about a mile offshore to make way for a larger inbound fishing vessel, but that boat has been delayed and saved us a day from having to go out. so instead of going out yesterday, we are scheduled to take off here in just about an hour or so.

the weather is beginning to sour just a bit with some wind kicking up and grey skies moving in. its a shame as the weather has been SO comfortable for at least a week now. You could hardly call this winter, more like a seasonaly cool fall day in colorado. absolutely fantastic. but, with any luck i will get a taste of some crazy waves while we're on anchor. until next post...

may the wind always be at your backs.

c:\v

tha boot

2006-06-13T12:16:00.000-06:00

looking along its starboard aft section with the rescue boots hanging up on the side.

another of the sunrise

2006-06-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

with a container ship in the middle ground...

This morning's sunrise:

2006-06-13T12:09:00.000-06:00

today started off with a phenomenal sunrise. The cloud deck was pretty low and consisted of a solid unyeilding gray which was equitably balanced by the sea's mirror likeness of it. And thinly exposed between the two was a band of pink and yellow streaks right at the horizon that lasted for quite a while. It made for some nice pics. Unfortunately however, i was unable to catch pics of the multiple schools of playing dolphins that were within just yards of me. there were so many of them playing aboot right in front of the pier here, that i took a moment to watch their antics. It constituted one of the only times i have listened that closely to the breathing of sea mammals and rally put the icing on the cake for today.

closer up

2006-06-11T19:20:00.000-06:00

another shot of the pups

Wild Puppies!

2006-06-11T19:14:00.000-06:00

These pups follo... well, more like escorted us back to the boat. they were the friendliest dogs i've met. i am sure they were in part motivated by the potential of food, but it was nice to have a canine around even if it was just for a bit.

Hotel Noguiera

2006-06-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

Up close and personal. This is (for all i know so far) the front entrance to the hotel. Underneath is the pub i mentioned a few pictures below. we went back the other night for more schop (draft beer) and good times (but no great oldies).

another pic of the fantastic weather

2006-06-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

today was not quite as nice. A heavy fog came through the region today spilling out off the continent and into the sea and swallowing up all the ships. It was pretty dramatic and beaitfully grey. but despite the drama it ended up being very calm with barely no wind at'all and hardly no waves to speak of.

A beautiful day today

2006-06-10T20:48:00.000-06:00

2 chilean military boats coming in, or is it going out... not sure. these boats in particular are moving on and off the dock so much that i have lost track. But, they do make for a pretty cool picture.

Chile's Ski Season is just weeks away from starting

2006-06-10T20:23:00.000-06:00

You too can ski or ride Patagonia for a mere 16$/US per day! that's right... but as this was the first snow of the season, you may want to hold out a little longer.

Family Portrait

2006-06-10T07:22:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone, Kim sent this down to me yesterday and i felt compelled to post it up here as the watkins family portrait. enjoi!

late breaking news

2006-06-09T13:23:00.000-06:00

Starting next Tuesday and lasting until Saturday morning, the NBP will be shoving off the pier and hoisting its anchor off the coast by a couple of miles (going on the hook in maritime terms). Rumor has it that another boat on some other pier has been siezed due to the sudden appearance of 195 unmanifested items on said boat. That being the case, it has been ordered to stay put and is occupying a parking spot that another vessel, currently out at sea on en route to PA, had intended to occupy. This ship will now dock at our pier and necessitating our removal to make room for it. Must be a large boat. I suppose this will constitue my first "ocean going cruise." More info to follow...

Downtown PA, last post

2006-06-09T08:05:00.000-06:00

And just something fun. Thanks for reading.

Downtown PA part 4 or 5

2006-06-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

Inside Los Taverna... Apparantly, this tavern has been around a while. From talking about it today at lunch, Mike, an Eco employee and occaisional ship's captain, told me a quick story where Shakleton himself came to this very pub when he FINALLY made it back to Chile after his harrowing trip back across the Drake Passage in his 26' boat amidst his attempt to reach civilization after having the HMS Endurance sunk by ice flow. He apparantly was so overwhelmed by the noise, that he drew his pistol and shot into the cieling to queit the crowd. After his short stay here in PA he had commisioned a boat to assist in the resuce of the rest of his crew who were still patiently marooned on Elephant Island.

This marks the second bit of Shakleton living history i have crossed paths with in the past year 9outside of Antarctica of course). The first time was at Qual Island in Lyttleton Harbour, NZ. I hope Shakleton doesn't think that i'm stalikng him... ;)

Downtown PA, bonus desktop image

2006-06-09T08:03:00.000-06:00

just a cool closeup inside the taverna of a ships lantern.

Downtown PA, part 3

2006-06-09T07:55:00.000-06:00

And here is the purveyor of the malty beverage i so craved for earlier in the day. This is the Hotel Noguiera. This is the building i mentioned a couple of posts ago, being the first brick and morter anything in PA. Its a stunning building from any angle. The tavern is located in the basemet and is decorated in reclaimed historic ship furnishings. Next slide...

Downtown PA Cont, Center Square

2006-06-09T07:45:00.000-06:00

This is the central statue depicted in the last photo. It is emblazoned on 4 sides with PA's story. This one has a resting native sitting above the imprint of Magellanes' ship. This essentially marks the crossroads of culture in that oh so familiar transition from indigenous inhabitance to European settlement. Hernando Magellanes was a Portuguese maritime explorer who led the first successful attempt to circumnavigate the Earth. He came around and through these straights in 1520 which he called the 'All Saints Channel' at the time. Next slide...

Downtown PA Cont.

2006-06-09T07:38:00.000-06:00

...And then you come to the central plaza or just 'the square' to the locals. This is essentialy town center for as far as i know. Just beyond the center statues is the first brick building ever established in PA. This park possesses that certain magic capable of dramatically transforming the walk from the pier through town to a completely different place and time. You are suddenly thrust into a Mid-Western American small town park complete with autumn's smell and comfortable lustre.

wanderings in PA

2006-06-09T07:31:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a long and fitful day spent toiling in the belly of the Linux beast. I knew at about lunchtime that by days end, i would need a beer. Alcohol is not permitted on the ship at any time, which put together with my upcoming interest in a frosty barley pop, meant that there was going to be some adventure in my evening's plans. PA is a town of many tactile feels to it. In some areas it feels like any port town i've seen, with rugged industrial seafronts and the rugged people who staff them. Then a quick walk down a few blocks renders the following setting. This photo depicts one of the older streets just outside 'the square.' next slide...

2006-06-07T21:38:00.000-06:00

Lovely Punta Arenas offers stunning views of... grey. miles and miles of grey. Acres and Acres of verdant and carefully cultured grey. Grey like no where else in the world. Brilliant.

Actually, as you all may already know, i am completely happy with the grey. And i am getting a pretty good serving today. this picture seems to pull it together pretty well as the ships are painted steely grey, the water reflects the silvery sky with a titanium glean. Its a small slice of heaven!

that Hi Pro glow

2006-06-06T07:42:00.000-06:00

Here is somemore of that morning sunshine i mentioned before...

the aforementioned frost

2006-06-06T07:35:00.000-06:00

the morning brought this frozen surprise and some server crashes! yay for me!

This morning's sunrise

2006-06-06T07:31:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone. Here was the scene on desk earlier today. We got a frost overnight and the following bold sunrise. The entire area was glowing from the yellowing pink alpineglow and it made for a stunning start to a crazy day so far. Wishing you all the best!

looking back...

2006-06-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

...into the bright lights of the big city that is Punta Arenas. Today's weather was a study of change. This morning was impeccably calm and warm. I stood on the ice tower's outer railings (90 feet up) and enjoyed the sun's rays with only a t-shirt and jeans. Excited at the prospect of a lunchtime outing, i prepared for an early lunch (90 minutes later) camera in hand... only to be greeted with grey skies and chilling wind. And then, later this afternoon... the weather broke and managed to produce the beautiful sunset below. enjoi, and as always, thanks for reading. peace.

a couple of tug's

2006-06-01T21:45:00.000-06:00

resting their weary bones beside the boat. Speaking of tugs, i just hafta say, i have developed a newfound respect for these machines and the people who staff them. Watching their heavywieght selves delicatly waltze among the giants has been at times, a bit awe inspiring... Danaher, maybe you really should look into ecoming a tug boat captian.

The crib.

2006-06-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

Watchu mouth, just talking about the NBP!
Ya damn right. ;)

I live here.

2006-05-31T19:50:00.000-06:00

Its pretty much my favorite Stateroom.

a good look into PA from the bridge of the NBP.

2006-05-31T19:46:00.000-06:00

Will be uploading photos soon...

2006-05-31T19:37:00.000-06:00

gotta remember how! stand by for visuals...

post arrival thoughts

2006-05-31T00:22:00.000-06:00

So Punta Arenas, Chile is situated against the confluence of the southern edge of Patagonia (hence the grasslands that comprise the surrounds), Teirra Del Fuego and the Striats of Megellan. Even more significantly, this also marks the southern most McDonald's location. most excellent. PA also has the distinction of being THE very major shipping port in the western hemisphere before the invention of the Panama Canal. All these things combined make PA feel like very old country to me. Its a defiant living artifact of another time in industrial history that somehow matters to persist despite the odds.

And yes, I already miss home. Namely Kim, my family and freinds, Kashi and the creature comforts. Its bordering on winter here, and what I wouldn't give for another night chillin in front of the fireplace. I know, i know. :) It's fine. I just really like that fireplace!

Onto some specifics... I am aboard the Research Vessel - Nathaniel B. Palmer. I live, eat, sleep, work and play on it. Its a reather large boat. Some 300 feet long i think and somehting like 90 feet tall. Despite its girth, my commute to and from work is about 14 seconds and 40 feet. In fact, so is my commute to the galley, or the movie room, or the work out room. gotta love that! The only downside is the potential for never going outside as there really isn't any reason to do so. And given the shrunken daylight hours, it is quite conceiveable that i will not always catch a glimpse of the sun or even realize its daylight or nighttime either way! Anyway, my "Stateroom" is built for two normally, but for this port call, will only house myself (thank heavens). It is a comfortably modest bunkroom complete with CCTV, VCr, a desk and a couple of chairs. Most imprtantly however is the inclusion of my own bathroom.

We are moored onto a large pier. Its paved and big enough for semi's to drive up and down on. Its a busy pier. I believe there are about 10 boats moored to it right now. Some of them Chilean Military, some commercial fisher boats and there there is always 2 or 3 tug boats perpetually hanging around. They perform the essential duties of pushing and pulling the larger boats into place against the pier. Pretty keen.

This assigment is a bit intimidating and comes with a greater responsibility than i am used to. I will soon be the only IT rep here on the boat. The buck will both start and stop with me. No-one else to ask for help... as i need quite a bit of it at times. Combine that with my well seasoned company - some of the crew have been on multiple voyages comprising years of their waking lives en masse. me? i've got just over 36 hours. To offset my worries, my tasking has been clearly laid out in front of me. Its well defined and should make for a reasonable guide along my next 2.5 weeks. I do also intend to keep at my ready disposal, my senses of opennes, curiosity and adventure to act as my guidance in this new and strange land.

This trip has come of the very same look and feel as the South Pole trip i took January 2005. I am somewhat on my own here compared to the throngs of people available for carousing with in McMurdo. I intend to spend as much of my time reading, watching old movies, drawing and exploring (camera in hand) the local environs here to fill in the gaps otherwise occupied by the 12 hours workday... 7 days a week.

Today, i was invited to come along for the changing of the RPSC guard. There is no ceremony, except for a freindly night out sampling the local specialty drink - Pisco Sours. It provided me a great way to settle in and get to know my newly aquired sister and bretheren. It was such a fantastic experience and has lifted my spirits up just a bit. Up until tonight, i have been weary and a bit cautious.. but now i know that i am in good company and fit into the team okay.

It's getting late so for now... there will be peace in the valley.

ciao.
chuck:\