Home!

Twenty twelve!

2012-01-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Me and a lion's mane mushroom found in the Mt. Hood national forest.

Welcome to the new year! This time of year is interesting, there is such hype about the new year and making resolutions and all that. There is something special about it. I see the new year as a time to start new. Another chapter in the book of life. It could be exciting, boring, challenging, for that matter it is what ever you make it. We have the ability to form our lives one day at a time. We have the power to decide how we are going to act and how we are going to treat other people, ourselves and the world in which we live. We are attempting to figure our a way to live outside of the industrial economy in which we exist within. This is quite challenging but we find much more satisfaction when our lives are carried out in a more sustainable way. Sustainable is quite a word. For now I am going to say we are seeking to live our lives with the natural world being the model.

Off the soap box.

We are alive and quite happy here in White Salmon. We haven't written here in quite a while but there are exciting things happening! I (Colin) am enjoying a slow quite morning before work.

I am baking bread. Right now and in this photo.

Kristin doing yoga in the living room right next to the woodstove.

Thanksgiving with good friends in Portland.

Three buds. Man I love these guys.

The scene of our living room. It is now painted and looks much more better than in this photo.

Color!

Kristin and Linz during Christmas time.

Brent and I measuring a tree in the Olympic National park. I think it was something like 24' around. We spent New Year's with Brent and Cassie in the Park and had an awesome weekend of sun, rain, snow. We went to the Hoh rainforest and saw spawning Coho salmon. I could have sat there all day watching them.

Kristin and Cassie. in the rainforest.

I love big trees.

More exciting news coming soon. Think tiny house on wheels. ..

2011-11-20T14:55:00.001-08:00

Buzzed it off!

Colin caught this 25 lb. salmon in the Columbia...we still have it in our freezer!

Me, Mom, Bro, Rebecca, and Grandma all come to visit

Mike and I

A magical place we found

My engagement ring! Yes, made out of beach grass

Cider pressing party! We now have 5 gallons fermenting and much more in the freezer..

Cooper!

Colin found crazy amounts of chantrelles this fall

Us in the gardens at Edgefield before John Prine

Summer goodness!

2011-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

Cherries!

Brent and Cassie got sticky with us...

Little Mila! Our dear friends the Kielichs came all the way from French Gulch to see us for a few days.. a long awaited visit!

Michael and Coops.

Lisa and her princess.

Colin and Forest... who's almost 5!

My Dad came to visit and we hiked up near Mt. Adams. First time he's seen snow in years!

We brought Colin's Dad's boat down to the White Salmon, and rowed around looking for fish and blackberries... we found the berries!

.Love.

YUM! Our beautiful harvest! Pablano peppers, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and delicata!

Colin's parents generously gave us their old woodstove. Colin has been working hard to fix it up..

Lili! My good friend came to visit for a night! And what a lovely visit.

Peaches peaches peaches. So many peaches! This evening was consumed with the canning/freezing/eating of peaches.... and drinking of good summer beer!

His name is Cooper!

2011-07-16T15:01:00.001-07:00

The latest addition to our lives. Cooper! His is just over seven weeks old and cuter than ever!

Long overdue

2011-07-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

What an amazingly hardworking partner I have. I came home from work and half our yard was tilled. Magic.

Our little baby hops just learning to grow up the twine on our front porch.

Me at our beer tent at the WA Brewers Fest. Yes, this is my job.

My Mom came. I dragged her to Seattle with me to the beer fest, and put her to work (just for a minute).

Mom and I in Seattle enjoying an amazing Thai dinner. It was so so good to see her; a long awaited visit.

New Life.

2010-10-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

After being in one place for almost 6 months i suppose it is time for a post to the ol' blog. Nothing too exciting around here (NOT!). Lots of mushrooms, fish, family, a baby, gardens, friends visiting, ect. We have already moved twice since being here in Hood River and we are packing to move again.

Home!

2010-05-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

As pretty much everybody already knows we are back home! We are enjoying making ourselves at home here in Hood River. We have a small apartment near downtown. Kristin is working counter help at an amazing artisan bakery in town and I am in the process of getting myself a baking job at the same bakery. We have a rockin garden going, but it is getting slowly getting eaten by little pawed maggots (squirrels).

We are excited to be here for a bit and start to pay off our school loans and save for the next trip. If all goes as planned we will be here for the winter. But you never know.

Love.

2010-03-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

One of these days I will fully figure our this blogger thing. Once again our photos are in reverse order. We are currently in Guerro Negro about to leave Baja California Sur. We are moving north at the speed of migrating birds, or so it feels. We have spent the winter away from the cold and now we are heading north into what already feels like cold. We only have two more weeks in Baja before we meet Cheryl and Mike, Kristin's mom and brother.

On a more positive note we have been exploring this amazing peninsula one short day of driving at a time. We feel rushed even though we had a month just for Baja. There are so many times we have to tell ourselves, "we will be back and then we can explore that bay, or that beach, etc." We were cara-vanning with three Canadian friends, Greg, Mike and Jen, for the first two weeks. Those days were spent chasing wind, drinking beer when none was found and cooking great meals over open fires.

Our van, Lava, has been a dream come true for us. She surprises us with the hills she is able to climb, river beds she is able to cross and comfortable sleep she provides us, enabling us to dream. That was cheesy. On to the photos.

Street side tacos, my personal favorite, the more ghetto the better.

Crazy story. We were in Bahia Conception and we had heard the NOLS branch was there, in Coyote Bay. Kristin did a NOLS semester in Baja in 2003. We decided to see if anyone was at the branch, and sure enough, two of her instructors were there. Above is Kristin with Rej and Paul, the two instructors. AND Paul just spent 5 months in Antarctica, where he hung out with one of Kristin's best friends, Anna!

Coyote Bay. The view from our bed in the back of Lava.

What would the cacti in Baja do without me?

Greg attempting to kite in Juncalito.

Aren't we cute?

Kristin is happy with fruit baskets all around.

Wind and waves make my head spin. A combo fit for kings.

Hanging out in a spot not to be mentioned.

Final days in Baja. Jess, Kristin's high school friend came for an extended visit.

Hot springs!

We love wind!

2010-02-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!
As you can imagine, lots of exciting things have happened. Almost the entire Franger family (minus Lindsey, unfortunately), came for a week long, windless visit, and we greatly enjoyed their company. Now we have left La Ventana in search of waves, wind and new experiences. Of course all of these were accessible from La Ventana, but we wanted to see them in a different light. We have vowed to take more photos and publish on the blog more. Now we are making our attempts. We are currently in Loreto, on our way to Punta Abreojos.

Peace.

2009-12-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings from beautiful Baja!

We are slowly settling into life in Mexico, and realizing we never want to leave. The wind finally started to blow, and we are meeting wonderful folks. Here is a preview of our past few weeks. We hope you all are well!
Much Love,
Colin and Kristin

The new addition to our family! ...only for one day. We adopted this adorable little 7 week old puppy, who we dubbed Oso (bear, en espanol). After one sleepless night and a reality check, we returned him and he found another loving (and permanent) home that same day. But what a cutie!

Our kite launch beach, a hundred feet north of our camp.

Colin dancing!

Local kiter.

Our friends Sal and Hannah, on her first launch lesson.

Us!

Standup paddling on a glassy calm morning.

Hannah and Kristin.

Hannah, practicing her paddleboard yoga.

The new Foote rep.

Lovely morning on the water.

Thank you to our photographer friend, Vik, supplying us with these spectacular pics.

2009-12-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!
Hope you all are doing well. We are sitting at a little restaurant, doing all our internet chores, and awaiting the wind. Everything is great here, except the wind. We have only had a few windy days so far, but it should be picking up. Colin taught me to fly my kite for the first time yesterday, and it was loads of fun. Pictures will tell more than I can, so here you go. Also, they are in opposite chronological order, and I do not have the patience to fix it, so start at the bottom.
Much love to all!
Colin and Kristin

Colin, chillaxin on the beach at La Ventana.

Huge margharitas, just across the street from our camp, for $2. A bit pricy, but darn good.

The view from our home. Those are others camped in the secret free arroyo.

Our beautiful home!

Leaving the boating world, trying to hitch a ride on this bustling road... kite gear and all.

Our friends Luke and Megan off their sailboat, Sapphire, and Christy and Jason off Hello World.

Notice we are sucking on limes... and they taste like sugar! Incredible.

This stuff is crazy. It is a fruit, which you eat in concentrated form, and it makes anything sour into the sweetest thing you have ever tasted. How? I do not know. But we tried it, and it was crazy.

Our dear lady friends, Sarah from Stepping Stone, and Christy from Hello World. Unfortunately we only have a photo of Sarah, but Elias, Kimberly, and Boo, we are thinking of you too. Thank you all for a truly awesome experience.

Jason and Christy

One last jumpy before we leave the boating world. La Ventana in the background.

Land!

2009-11-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

We made it! We are camping in La Ventana, Colin is kiting to his little heart's content, and I am learning. Life is beautiful... and cheap... and all is well. Pictures soon!
Hope y'all are well, much love,
Colin and Kristin

2009-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Hello World!

We live a hard life.
We are currently relaxing on a new boat we have joined, Hello World, owned by our friends Christi and Jason, along with Kim, all hailing from Seattle. This morning we awoke with the sunrise and went kayaking to Lover's Beach, where we frolicked in the sand and realized it was the first earth we had set foot on in two days. As the sun rose, we watched the surf crash upon the magnificent granite pillars as the herd of local fishing boats headed out to catch their fill of tuna.

Now to rewind: Our time in San Diego was wonderful. It was a week of respite from being on the Allymar, having our freedom beyond a 38 ft. space, and best of all, seeing friends and family. Thank you to Grandma, Aunt Susie and Uncle Mark, surfer John, and Michelle and housemates. You all allowed us to have an extremely rich week in SD.

We left San Diego in high spirits with a fleet of 200 other sailboats; a mass exodus south. There we three legs of the Haha: the first was SD to Bahia de Tortuga, a three day/2 night endeavor. The seas were big and the winds strong: 20-30 knot winds and 10 - 20 ft. seas. There was one moment that Colin thinks was just so darn hysterical: first of all, both of us were deathly sea sick, puking every 10 minutes off the side of the boat. As I was sitting in the cockpit, reveling in my discomfort, I looked over the side of the boat and instantly my jaw dropped, as a huge wave crested over the side of the Allymar, continued over my head, and crashed right on top of me. Dead on. Colin instantly started laughing uncontrollably, as he had been protected by the plastic dodger. Real funny.

Our first stop at Turtle Bay was short and sweet. We all gathered for a beach party, drank ice cold Pacifico and played bocce ball. The second leg was to Bahia Santa Maria, a gorgeous bay with no real town, and complete with hills to hike, waves to surf, and fish to catch. Between raw yellow tail, seared dorado, and many other fish, we haven't been eating too bad. Colin surfed all day at Santa Maria with our friend Elias, and returned with scratches, bruises, fish, and bright eyes, telling me how it was his best day of surfing, ever.

The last leg was a shorty: one night, two days. We arrived in Cabo with a sense of relief and accomplishment... only to be welcomed by what looked like Mexican Las Vegas. We joined the official shore party at a local rowdy bar, Squid Row, only to be strangely amused and disgusted. We were force fed jello shots and charged $5/beer. Don't worry, after a group protest, we did not pay $70 USD for all those jello shots.

Colin and I decided to hop onto this new boat for our trip north to La Ventana, and we are extremely happy and excited to be on a boat with new young folks and all possibilities ahead of us. We hope all you family and friends are doing well and enjoying the changing seasons. Take care and enjoy every moment, and thanks for checking out the blog!

Much Love,
Colin and Kristin

Thank you, Grandma, for the tickets to the zoo. It certainly was a highlight.

These tortoises were huge.

Monkey child!

Haha boats.

Bocce ball at Turtle Bay.

Allymar.

This tuna was the winner of a local contest: over 300 pounds! Almost a world record. Too bad it sat in the sun all day and went to waste.

I'm on a boat! Our new home on Hello World.

Rope swinging off the main halyard.

Morning kayak to Lover's Beach.

2009-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul.

---Mark Twain---

After three weeks on the boat we are enjoying the wonderful comforts of Grandma's house! We just had a wonderful breakfast of fruit (including fresh picked oranges) and homemade muffins with a cup of joe. It feels so great to be in San Diego with loving family on solid ground.

We have been out of computer zone for the past almost three weeks. We have tons of stories, photos and memories to share. We will see how long this coffee buzz lasts...

We last wrote from Morro Bay. Since then we have been mostly in the Channel Islands and a little on the mainland coast. Our first stop was at San Louis where we hitch hiked into San Louis Obisbo, a neat central California coastal college town. It was amazing to be on the water and in pants and a sweatshirt and then going 5 miles inland and be sweating in shorts and a tee shirt! Our first ride was with a very kind man in an old VW bus. A little trip down memory lane.

Next we straight lined it to San Miguel island, the first in the chain of 8 islands. We pulled into Cuyler Harbor at about noon and the wind started to freshen a little. By the evening time when we were about to go to be we had sustained 30knot winds. They lasted all night long. Sleeping on a sailboat with 30 knot winds is quite difficult. Well, not really for me. But for the owner of the boat I can imagine it is quite difficult. You hear every little creak and movement of the boat. After a certain number of hours the sounds turn start to fall into rhythm. Your mind has all the different sounds categorized and what they mean in relation to the boat. Which ones are okay and which ones mean something not so okay. I had anchor checks at 12pm and 3am, at 3am I sleepily made my way up to the bow and checked the anchor rode, okay, the snubber, okay, the second anchor, okay...but what's this...sleepy foggy brain...that looks like a boat resting against our boat...sure enough, I should probably shine my light in his window... I did... and the captain quickly awoke and realized what had happened and drove off. He must have drug his anchor. No harm done to either boat.
The next morning the prediction was for the wind to continue so we split to Santa Rosa Island.
To break up the boring writing here a couple shots of Santa Rosa:

We hiked around the island for a little bit, saw the Torrey Pines (which grow only on the island and La Jolla California) and then we found this amazing little cove. We saw it from afar and thought "man, if only we could get down into that cove..." Then we found this little dodgy rope leading down into it! Perfect.

The sweet little cove. (above)

A couple more photos of Santa Rosa.

We left Santa Rosa pretty quick as well because over half the island was closed to public because of "the hunt." These islands have been privately owned and ranched since the early 1900s and the family which owns Santa Rosa stocks it with deer and elk so they can hunt them. This is beyond me.

Next stop Santa Cruz:

We spent a good two weeks at Santa Cruz and it was our favorite, by far. See for yourself.

Coches Prietos anchorage.

Scorpian anchorage.

We have been taking jumpy photos eveywhere we go. The new thing is for me to have a stoic look and Kristin to have an excited face. See for yourself.

While on Santa Cruz we were in the water as much as possible. We have been spearing fish, swimming with seals and sharks, and seeing all kinds of other sea life. The snorkeling has been the highlight thus far.
Crazy trippy looking sea anemone.
Garibaldi with tons of sea urchins. The rocks are like purple carpet. Does anyone know if you can eat those little buddies and if so are they good?
Another vicious sea creature I saw.

The same creature can walk on land too!

Our last stop was Catalina island where we spent just a few short days. We were in Cat Harbor on the more mellow side of the island.
Notice the excitement of Kristin?

Allymar under four sails with fresh winds from the beam. Notice the straight horizon and the heel of the boat? Yeah sailing in getting into our blood.

This is the inside of the boat. It looks a little more roomy than it really is. Think VW bus x 1 1/2.

We are looking forward to the next week spent here in San Diego. Grandma just gave us tickets to the San Diego Zoo!

Alright the coffee buzz is pretty much gone. We'll see if Kristin has anything to add.

Still alive!

2009-10-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

We are still alive and quite well. We have been in the Channel Islands for the past three weeks and this is the first time we have been on the internet and I forgot the camera to post photos. San Diego is the next stop and we will work on getting a good amount of stories. There are some to share.

Abre tus ojos!

2009-09-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Abre tus ojos!

Open your eyes. That is the message I just received from an old canvas coffee sack in the bathroom here at Top Dog coffee shop in Morro Bay. Once again we have arrived at another neat central California coastal town to be greeted by a festival. This time it was an avacado and margharita festival. The Saturday market was even more refreshing and interesting. I love to see the change in latitude through the foods (fruits mostly) which are sold at the farmers market. Not nearly as many apples and berries as back home but more raisins, dates, and mexican food.

Sailing into San Simeon

Before Morro Bay we had an easy 30 hour sail from San Francisco to San Simeon. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the beatiful bay of San Simeon. The life beneath the surface of the water must be vibrant because the species that feed on them are abounding. Pelicans, sea otters, seals, shearwaters, porpuses, etc. We witnessed a rare (at least special) moment in bird migration. We were sitting out on the deck on a foggy evening doing some reading when we started to hear a sound like lots and lots of babies crying. Through the thick fog we started to make out hundreds of birds sitting on the surface of the water making these baby-like noises. We watched as the hundreds turned to thousands right off the bow of the boat. The fog was giving birth to more and more of these Sooty Shearwaters. We later learned that these birds migrate from New Zealand and Australia all the way to Alaska! We were witnessing a flock of these guys coming into the bay to feed and rest along their incredible journey. A small sample below. The sound was the best part. We were laughing out loud at how much they sounded like thousands of babies crying.

We were able to get off the boat for a night and put our tent to use in an illegal camping spot right on the point (Casa Blancas, I think) near San Simeon. We had a beautiful overlook over kelp beds right off the point. Guess what!? Like Homer Simpson's incessent draw to donuts so is poison oaks' draw to me. I have been bestowed with a little devil dust which has turned into itchy poison oak on my skin. O joy. Of course it is all the plants fault not mine.

Yet another cheesy "look at us having fun" couple shot, that's our skipper Ken in the background. (it's not a skirt it's a towel.)

Now we are in Morro Bay where we just enjoyed the best maple bar donut we have ever had. Next stop San Louis Obispo, then the Channel Islands.

.Hope you all are well.

.Much love all around.

Written by Colin, approved by Kirstin.

San Francisco!

2009-09-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

Let the worried souls rest assured! Moms you can sleep sound tonight; we are alive and well in the vibrant city of San Francisco! We are experiencing a little bit of culture shock as we have been surrounded by nothing but the deep blue for almost a week prior to arriving here. The day after we arrived we read in the San Fran newspaper that the Power to the Peaceful festival was happening in Golden Gate Park for free!

60,000 people, music, speakers, loud noises= culture shock.

Speaking of arriving. Our sail into the city was beautiful. The morning fog parted and we were greeted by the Golden Gate Bridge shining in full sun!

However, the sail from Br(rrrr)ookings was not all sunshine and rainbows. The day we left we were under the forcasted impression that the winds would be 10-15 out of the north; which they were for about 12 hours. At about 2am the winds started picking up a bit and we lowered one of the downwind sails, another 3 hours passed and the wind continued to build to about 25 knots.

(For those who aren't so nautically savvy 1 knot =1.15mph) At that point I, Colin, stumbled out of my sound sleep to help Kristin and Ken lower the second (and last) sail. This took us to sailing under "bare poles" (No sails up) and still moving at about 6.5 knots! Our average sailing speed under full sails! Morning broke, we sailed under bare poles for about 4 hours with winds at about 30-35 knots and swell at 8 feet plus 6-7 of wind waves (not so savvy folks again, FIFTEEN FOOT WAVES!). Finally the decision was made to heave to (bobbing like a cork). We were hove to for about 20 hours and when we awoke the next morning the wind had died down and we sailed under 15 knot winds and lived happily ever after.

Now for some photos.

Drying out our clothes in Drakes Bay after the big winds and wet night of heaving to.

Next stop: San Simeon (we hear mysterious rumors of whales diving under boats, thousands of pelicans diving, and pirate treasure chests... Stay tuned.

However we are not sure the next place we will have internet access.

Photos!

2009-09-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Waiting, Waiting.

2009-09-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

We have arrived on the beautiful Oregon coast where we are aboard the wonderous Allymar. We thought we were going to be leaving tomorrow morning but the winds have changed and it is looking like we will be leaving more like Friday. So we are waiting for the wind to blow in the direction we want it to. Poo.

Once again thanks to everyone who is supporting and has supported us. We appreciate every bit of it.

Recent times and recent plans.

2009-08-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Let us start with this. The first week of Sept. Kristin and I set sail on the Allymar (Ingrid 38) to Cabos San Lucas Baja. We are beyond excited and daily remind each other with surprise of what we are about to embark on. We will be sailing on the Allymar, with the skipper and owner of the boat Ken Gosling. We met Ken through Lattitude 38 (www.latitude38.com). We are excited to spend a couple months out at sea, sail the Baja Ha Ha, and sail beyond Baja as well. Ken is a kindered spirit to our own with quite a few more adventures (but not too different adventures) under his belt. We are excited to set sail with such an experienced individual who seems ready and willing to teach us. Our plan is to stay away for as long as our money will allow. Which means we will be in South America for 6-8 months!

As you can tell we are excited for our adventures but we are also feeling the pain of leaving dear friends and family in French Gulch behind. It tore our hearts in two to leave the Kielichs. We already miss Forest, Mila, Michael, and Lisa. They were truly like our family for the past year. Also all of our other friends. Mikee, Jake, Kelly, YT, Eric, the Wrights, and many more.

Not to mention the fishing.

Bus photos.

2009-07-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

Due to my lack of computer skills I have uploaded photos of my bus for people to see from a craigslist ad. So if you are from craigslist. Welcome. Take a look. Email with any questions.

For you, Mom and Dad.

2009-06-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

Trinity Alps wilderness. During my last week at work.

What do you think mom? Do you still recognize me?

Our little garden...

Our backyard creek! Clear creek. I have caught tens of fish right here, probably about 40 yards from my bed!

The main garden, the Kielichs garden which we have helped create and maintain.

I wanted to put some photos of Mila, the new baby on as well but I don't have my camera with me. Mom you said you wanted to see some photos of the garden... I am getting anxious for a visit to Hood River in Aug. I can't wait!

Love to all.

2009-06-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Our new home.

Fishing at Upper Canyon Creek Lake in the Trinity Alps... fresh trout for dinner!

Our view.

Atop Granite Peak.

The coolest little kid ever. (Forest).

Good Times. aka SPRING!

2009-05-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Michael with our prized treasure of the forest. We found about 1o pounds where this baby came from. It is a morel for those who aren't familiar.

Mike P. and I at the top of Mt. Hubris, in the Castle Crags. A six pitch 5.6 trad climb lead us to this point.

Me showing off my stuff at Big Bend hotsprings. Those pools are near 110 degrees! Not but about 2 hours from home.

Kristin loves the waterfalls.

Us after an icy cold plunge in Brandy Creek.

Random shots.

2009-04-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have been on the run for a little bit recently. Here are a couple shots of what has happened recently. Hotsprings.Surfing... Skiing.

Everything will come to pass...

2009-03-04T23:00:00.001-08:00

Life certainly has a way of dealing us interesting cards. Recently I have been experiencing very different aspects of life. For example: my W2s from last year inform me I made around 5 thousand dollars, the whole year! Already this year at my new job I have made near half that amount. I am living in a small apartment with my beautiful girlfriend. I feel so domesticated. This is fine and dandy, I have been enjoying doing things I wouldn't/couldn't during different phases of my life. But I am ready to hit the road. I know I am going to look fondly upon this period of my life, but the world is so much bigger than the canyon walls which define the Gulch. I love my life, don't get me wrong. But I know everything will come to pass. I am thankful for where I have been placed in life and I am attempting to learn all that is in store for me to learn and sponge all I can from this time. Thank you everyone for the love and support through all times in life!

Smiles emerge

2009-02-07T22:45:00.000-08:00

Can anyone guess who is on my mind? Isn't she beautiful? You should see the inside of her heart!

Thanks for everything you give to me Kristin. I love you!

Recently...

2009-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

You guessed it people. Mountains are where I spend much of my time. Kristin and i also have an amazing apartment together, where we have an outdoor bathtub, a stream running through our backyard with rainbow trout spawning, and I have a JOB! It may seem hard to believe after not working (more or less) for almost a year! I just got my first paycheck, I think I am going to blow it all really quick (paying people back). I have been sitting at this here computer for way to long so pictures are the name of the game.

Vermont

2008-12-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

The wild wild west. That statement finally makes sense to me now. I enjoyed my time in the east but I am surely glad to be back home in Oregon, and anticipating the move to Mammoth. I spent Thanksgiving with Kristin and her family in Vermont. I didn't take many photos while there but here are a couple.

We were feeling a little lost in the city so we decided to try our hand at city living and had the grand idea one night in Burlington to go into Urban Outfitters and pick out the most ridiculous clothes we could for each other. The woman at the dressing room wasn't too stoked about us doing this. Everybody needs their piece of the American dream, right?

...Where it all began...

2008-11-13T05:09:00.000-08:00

Since being in Maine Jon has shared a cd with old photos from the Red Rocks in Nevada. I drove down with Brent and Steve from Bend and we met a group of people from Colby College in Maine. One of fellows ended up being Jon Begin, and another Scott Shiverdian. We climbing for about a week and spent one night in the living hell of Las Vegas. Brent, Steve, Jon and I would go off away from the group and do all day multi-pitch trad climbs. My favorite style of climbing: long easy trad climbs.

New England

2008-10-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

For the last week I have been in Maine with the Begin family. They live in a town called China just outside Waterville. I have been roofing a bit, and more recently Brent came into town and we have gone on a couple adventures. We picked him up in Portland then B-lined it to the coast. We hiked a "mountain" (hardly a mountain compared to the West, more of a hill, or a bump) called Mt. Battie. At the top was an amazing view of Camden and the Atlantic ocean. This is possibly the best fall colors I have been to date.

Hiking up the mountain. We actually lost the car keys on this trail and as you can see they would not be the easiest thing to find on a trail with that much foliage. Some other hikers ended up finding them and we were able to retrieve them.

At the top of mount Battie.
We decided to pick up a few lobster, isn't that standard when visiting Maine? I wanted to try the difference between Maine lobster and California lobster. I thought the California lobster were better, but it could have been how fresh they were and because I dove for them.
The Maine coast is something special.

San(d)iego

2008-10-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

From the sandy beaches of San Diego to the rainy meadows of Maine...

I spent all last week in San Diego. I went down for my grandmother's 80th birthday. My wonderful sister has been living down there for the last year or so. She was a wonderful tour guide. We visited the beach a couple times and surfed. Check out the photo below. The first day we went out with no wet-suits and the second day she was able to locate a wetsuit for me to borrow complete with a big hole in the butt.

My uncle Andy also took me out fishing for a day. We fished in San Diego bay for the majority of the day and caught, sand bass, and a couple halibut. Then after it got dark I got to scuba dive and go for lobster. I only was able to catch one lobster. (those buggers are FAST!) My first time scuba diving and in the dark. What an amazing experience.Check out the name of the boat (Last one #2)

We also caught a couple tuna. My dream came true and we cut the fish up on the boat, not but a couple hours old and ate it with soy sauce and wasbi.

Now I am here in the cold and wet Maine. The leaves are on their way out and they are something special. I am seeing shades of orange, yellow, and red that I have never thought we possible.

--The heart was made to wa(o)nder--

2008-10-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hello- I hope reading this wicked long blog finds you well and healthy as we change seasons and move into the long cold season of Winter.

I have been roaming all around the Pacific Northwest/Northern California for the past couple months. I have sailed, rafted, and hiked all over. Now I am out of money and have squeezed every last bit of summer out, now I reside in Hood River where I enjoy my family and take in Hood River at it's finest.

I have been spending a good deal of time with my lovely sister Lindsey, whom I love like no other. My girldfriend Kristin, the beautiful woman from Vermont in many of the photos. Ben Hacket owner of the one and only Glara-mara. Forest, Michael and Lisa the coolest family in French Gulch. Mikey and YT fellow summer workmates and friends. More recently Blaine and Bethany, the strangest married couple alive, I don't know if I will ever be able to understand their relationship. My mom and dad who I am eternally grateful for. Brent my hotsprings buddy and BFF. And so many others there are too many to mention. Sorry y'all.

They say photos are worth a thousand words and my fingers are a little dirty from working on my van so here we go...
Linz and I hiked the John Muir Trail in the high sierra in Central/Northern California. We had an incredicle time that cannot be described by words.

Kristin and I in Big Sur California.

Michael and I on our way to the NAWA graduation in Redding.

Ben aboard the Glara mara crossing the Sraight of Juan de Fuca. She's on auto pilot.

My last major Goodness Collective event, the mother's day potluck. Thanks mom and dad for coming! RIP to the the collective, I am going to miss that place.

Forest Kielich. Cutest little dude around. One more reason to move back to the Gulch.

Michael fishing the Sacramento river in Redding. Yet another reason to move back.

Porcini mushroom in the Mt. Hood National forest.

The Wind River Hotsprings in Washington.

Kristin on a semi-steep section of Mt. Thielson. That is one cool peak to climb. Highly encouraged.
Kristin and I at Crater Lake. Take note we both got hair cuts! No dreads for Kristin and no more hair for me!

And now for a little, I say again, tiny does of the Sierras.

Before I forget... I also graduated college! I am done with my studies at Oregon State and have received a Bachelors of Art, in Outdoor Recreation Leadership and Tourism, with a focus in Outdoor and Experiential Education! I feel pretty proud of myself.

Linz and I on day 20 of the trail... WOW.

Kristin and Mikey on the trial the day before climbing Whitney.

Linz and I on the top of Forests pass at 13,200 feet.
Fresh chantrelles anyone?

I won a 39 pound watermelon in Oakdale near Yosemite.

The outside Lands music festival in San Fransico. Radiohead!

My latest obsessions.

#1) Fly fishing #2) Musrooms. #3) Family and friends.

Clean me up Scottie.

2008-05-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Kristin and I are on day two of the master cleanse. The lemonaid cleanse. As of right now I am experiencing some fairly painful headaches that are "the toxins moving through my body." I sure hope it is something like that.

Mountains, faces, and Forest(s).

2008-04-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, I am being held captive in a place where I am forced to ski, take naps, hike through the forest, fish in creeks, and enjoy beautiful views. Please send for help as soon as possible.

I have been spending a good amount of my time with a new family call the Kielich family. Michael is the humanities teacher at NAWA, his wife Lisa gave birth to their son Forest a year and a half ago. They have been a major blessing to have added to my life. I spend many dinners, and many days with them. Forest is one the happiest guys around. The above photo is Forest and Lisa "fishing" at a nearby waterfall. They are a wonderfully kind family whom I have grown to love. Don't worry I am in good hands Mom and Dad.

In other news, Kristin is visiting. We got kicked out of our beautiful spot by the creek in French Gulch. I am in the process of finding another spot; hopefully where I am awake to the orchestra of gravity and water combining.

Goin' to California

2008-04-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have arrived in California. Take a look at my life. I have been at NAWA doing the whole internship thing for about a week now. I have headed full speed into the slow life of the country. I miss everybody in Bend but I am also enjoying the new life ahead of me in California and beyond. I feel like a bird who has been let out of his cage. I am free to wonder, read what I want to read, and move at the pace I wish to move at. The internship thus far has been super lax and I can pretty much make up the schedule I want. It is refreshing to live in a place where there are no cell phones, not a lot of traffic, and people enjoy living their simple lives. I got some pretty funny looks the first drive I took through the Gulch. Hippy boy in VW Bus cruising through a town where most people have big jacked up trucks with guns in the back. However I am finding everyone waves at me and has a grin from ear to ear most days.

This is the place I have been staying on BLM land about 7 miles from the school.

The first week I went through the Spring Training which was a really intense five and a half days. We had a couple 12 hour days that were packed to the fullest. I am glad it is over but I learned an imense amount.

Here is the little town of French Gulch which I now reside in. It is just a little valley (Gulch) where about two hundred people live.

My life has changed for the slower. Having just come out of school and skiing to the max I am enjoying cooking large breakfasts for myself, doing yoga by the creek, drinking tea till 11 o clock in the morning and exploring the area on foot and on bike.

Thanks Brent and Steve for doing our little adventure on the way down. It was just what I needed for a transitition into a new phase. I have been thinking about you guys when I find myself in types of moments that are best described by the photo below. Beer, burrito, and guitar.

Much love to my friends and family around the world. You are what makes my world go round. I love you all dearly.

One day...

2008-02-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

One day I went snowboarding/skiing with a beautiful woman named Kristin.

We saw many sights that left us in awe... That is to say... They were awesome!

The next day I went to the river. I climbed some rocks and enjoyed the solar energy from the sun. My cold bones and mind were eased by the warmth of the sun. My toes remained a little cold.

.Warmth.

2008-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Winter has hit us full force her in Bend. Proof lies in the 1 1/2 feet of snow in our backyard, the four foot icicles hanging from our gutters, and ice that builds on my facial hair as I am sleeping. See for yourself.

Winter isn't completely cold and dreary. There are still amazing sunsets to ignite wonder.

Tea houses to fill the belly with warmth.

Friends and music to fill the heart with joy.

My body hurts from skiing. I just had a thought. "there are only two seasons. The skiing season and the kiteboarding season."

Mountain!

2008-01-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

For those faithful few friends/family.

I worked a fair bit over Christmas break and earned myself enough money to buy a new digital camera.

I have been working two jobs and working through my last term of school. It is looking pretty good to be completely done with school work here in Bend by the end of March!

I have been reunited with the mountains by working up at Mt. Bachelor. I have been able to snowboard and recently have been skiing more than snowboarding. It has been pretty amazing to be back up in the mountains. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the vast and trecherous landscape of the mountains.

Above are some photos for your enjoyment. My friends Jon, Allan and I enjoyed the sunshine. Don't let the expressions on my face deceive you, I was loving life.

Sometimes it wells up within me...

2007-06-08T01:25:00.000-07:00

-Wow-

I guess I forgot what it is like to not sleep enough.

But still I don't do much to make up for it.

It is 1:45 and I am still awake.

I am driven by this desire to write and document what is happening in my life as of recently.

Above is a photo of almost everyone who is living at the Goodness Collective.

This photo just represents spring and the changing of seasons.

The beautiful power of the earth.

The Spirit knows when to change the air from cold to warm.

I am at the will of the Spirit.

The elements are a part of my life.

I have recently felt this.

Above we are longboarding, having fun, and finding anyway possible to not drive a car.

Standing on the edge of a cliff.

About to jump into something big.

I have no idea what is in the water below.

I know it is going to be hard at first.

Adjusting.

Brent, Josh, and I.

Brent passes through Bend on his way to Texas.

Looking at this photo makes me smile.

Checking in with myself.

Are we all good inside there?

Blot clot still intact?

Climbing orange.

Finally I was allowed to be off my blood thinners and guess where I went...

I feel kinda vain and selfish.

This is all about me.

Something about this photo really does it for me.

My eyes are heavier than a ten pound hammer.

Sleep is next.

I hope to remember some dreams.