delayed update

I wrote this last weekend, but didn't have a connection to post it. Here it is:

It’s been a fun past week and a half. MN’s winter has been getting to me like it’s so good at doing to people who like to play outside (and on terrain), so I left a couple times. I used my benefits to fly out to the Portland, OR area last weekend, and to bay area in CA for the past few days to visit college friends- Mark Rodgers and Edward Doerr. It was in the 50’s in both locations, and I was able to play outside quite a bit. OR was so green and fresh smelling. It was much like being in a greenhouse the whole time. I was able to do some hiking at a state park (already forgot the name) which boasted 10 scenic waterfalls. Later, we headed out to the coast and listened to sea lions while eating fresh seafood and enjoying a local brew master’s pale ale. Good times. I really need to find a way to get a road bike out to OR at some point, because the state is home to endless country roads that lead not only through scenic vineyards and coastline, but up into mountains as well. Nice.

CA was equally as cool, but different. Definitely more populated and polluted, but scenic nonetheless. I hadn’t been out there since Alison and I honeymooned in the area, and it was good to spend some more time in the region. I visited Rivendell Bicycle Works in Walnut Creek, which is an expensive custom frame builder of steel bikes. They have a really different philosophy of riding than about 99 percent of the industry, and it was cool to spend a couple hours talking with the founder of the company. He was extremely nice, and even offered to let me take a $2,500 bike out to see the area for the day (free of charge), but I had too much on the schedule. I’ll have to go back for that offer. What I ended up doing was my first flight in a Pitts Special with Edward. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s an extremely twitchy aerobatic aircraft that is very powerful. Edward gave me the chance to get the control feel down, and then had me do a very basic aileron rolls (going upside down then right side up again in one rolling movement). Fun. I was pretty slow to jump into them, cause they’re a huge no-no in most everything I’ve flown so far. It actually felt really good to let loose. It was like being in a video game, only real. J Later that night I flew a Grumman Yankee to do a few night landings. Not the greatest idea learning a squirrelly little airplane at night in a semi-mountainous area, but everything went really smoothly. I miss flying regularly.

We also got the chance to do some climbing on Mt. Diablo sandstone. I got beat by the route I tried leading, since I’m carrying my frozen Midwest winter softness, but it was fun. I also had my first piece of trad gear pop out on me- scary. I lace up my routes pretty well though, so no big deal. Just exciting.

Overall, it’s great to be able to travel west on a whim. It’s keeping me sane until I get to move that direction again. I’m hoping not to be inside wondering what to do to keep myself busy when it’s minus 20 and dark out for too much more winters. We’ll see though.

Gulls at Newport Beach, OR.

South Falls at a State Park in OR of which I can't remember the name already...

My long trusted pair of Vasque Sundowner hiking boots in the Pacific...

Another waterfall; can't recall the name of it, but I'm standing behind it in an orange rain jacket...















On top of Mt. Diablo in CA...

Me, Edward, and the Pitts. Yeah.

Me doing a wussy turn in the Pitts...

Climb that beat me down. You can see my last placements just above the section where the crack goes to a negative grade. Doesn't even look hard. Couldn't pull it this time. I'll be back.

Also, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOhgbhbFlw

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0luzB6y4zyQ

We've worn rings for two years now...

Happy Anniversary Alison! I love you...

slow weekend

So the weather has not been able to settle on what to do to us here in MN. Last weekend, 40 degrees, followed by rain. Then below zero weather for awhile. Now upper 20’s. The result is really bad snow conditions. Unacceptable for snowshoeing or skiing. Too icy to do much hiking in, and grey to the point I feel I’m in a black and white picture. Yuk. I tried to fly to UT this weekend where the real snow is, but flights were packed and I don’t pay to fly. (I know, complain about a real problem.) So I’m killing some time inside going through pictures of old adventures. I do it often, and find new things to find amusing each time. Today it’s the progression of my own cycling fashion. I’ve discovered that one can tell what period of life I was in during a ride picture by looking at my clothing. I’ve picked out two pictures that show it well.

The first shows me on one of my famous college trips to Moab, UT. I clearly have no money in this picture. My jersey is from ebay. My shorts are from a clearance rack online. I’m wearing non-cycling thermal underwear that were employee-purchased while working for Scheels in Grand Forks (the lowers are sold as hunting wear), That helmet never sat any other way than the crooked position displayed. My gloves were a gift from college girlfriend (Kelly says they were the only good thing that came out of that relationship :) ). The shoes I bought on sale in high school, and I do actually still use them 11 years later, but are dying. Sunglasses, also an employee discount. All in all, probably no more than $200, despite being performance outdoor gear.

The second photo is me at the 2007 Headwaters 100 decked out in my current matching road garb. Shoes- Specialized Body Geometry road. Socks, cycling specific with “Dopers Suck” moto- reaction to the latest Tour de France scandals. Castelli Italian Pro road bibs. Clif Bar Team Jersey. Specialized Arm warmers. Giro Eclipse road helmet New pair of Smith Toaster sunglasses. Specialize Body Geometry gloves. Tucked into jersey pockets, shed with warming weather during the day- Pearl Izumi leg warmers, Cannondale waterproof cycling jacket (convertible to vest to serve picky choosers), and windfleece overgloves, cycling specific. All in all, retail value (not my paid price, I still shop deals and built this arsenal over much time) around $815. Wow, I’m suddenly feeling guilty. Not really, some of you have TV’s that cost
many times that and provide no health benefits. I’ll wear my bike bling proudly….

I bought nordic skis. Now it’s raining. I will have them for the next snow….

Our St Paul Apartment (part 1)

Some pictures of our new place. Not yet included are the pictures of the bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen, as I have not cleaned them to picture sharing levels at this time. You'll have to wait to see those rooms. :)

Living room:














Mullet lives with us again!














And he's already taken to biting my arm...














Yes, you all know of my riding problem...














The dining room area looking into the living room...














Another view of the dining room...

Cold months

Work work work. That’s been the theme lately. It’s going to be time for some sort of adventure outside soon. It may have to happen in a non-MN location; our high on Saturday is supposed to be -5 F. Although this Saturday is off anyway, as Alison and I will be moving her brother and his wife into their new home in New Brighton, MN. It’s gonna be chilly.

I will get to experience better temperatures for about 40 minutes tomorrow. I’ll be doing some jumpseat observations in the two jets I teach ground school classes for, and I’ll be traveling to Dallas tomorrow evening. Sorry Adam and Jamie, I’ll probably only be off the plane for a few minutes before returning to Minneapolis. I need to visit some other time when I’ll have more than minutes.

The days are getting longer! I guess. Can’t really tell yet, but the days are officially lengthening this time of year, and that means it’s only four months until road cycling! I guess that’s still awhile. I better keep my mind on snowshoeing and nordic skiing for now.

I still owe all of you pictures of the new apartment. I’m writing myself a note right now to remember to post a few. You should see them soon. Until then….

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody! My blog has been quite dead for the past couple months, although much has happened. The reason I've been unavailable is that we moved! Our new apartment has no internet connection right now (and may stay that way). Plus, my computer has been at Dell as it was sick. We now live on Grand Ave in St Paul, MN, and it is decidedly better than the suburbs. There is actually character, culture, and a wonderful lack of most things generic. I'll have to post pictures of the place when I get a chance. It's a one bedroom, all wood floor, old classic St. Paul apartment, and it's suiting us well while we live in MN. Mullet has returned to us, and that's good. :)
The month has been filled with working (including getting part of my CRJ-200 (regional jet) check out completed), playing (trips to SLC to ski Snowbird, xc skiing and snowshoeing in MN, yoga, indoor cycling- not as exciting), moving- ouch, but good, Christmas, and planning future adventures. I'll have to see what pictures of all those things pop up as I unload the digital camera now that the computer is back.
For now my return to the blog will have to be this short, as I've got to finish weekend duties before another big week of work. Gotta feed the bank accounts. Don't want to work forever. Until later....
Oh yeah, the last blog entry worked. Mother Nature has given MN the snowiest Dec. in quite a few years. It's currently melting though after temperatures have been in the forties for a couple days. Don't leave us yet!

Pleading with Mother...

I still haven't managed to skip out on an entire northern Midwest winter in my life, and another one is beginning. I woke up to this thing we call "fall flurries". This means snow is falling, but nowhere close to enough of it to make the leap from summer and winter outdoor fun. Mother Nature- if you're going to kill off another year of cycling and climbing for those of us residing in this part of the world, do it quick and nasty. Yank the band-aid. Seriously, give us five feet of powder to play in! Give me a honest reason to own snowshoes after leaving the Wasatch. Do not let us suffer the boredom of another year of brown, frigid, windy, barely-any-snow conditions! I'm warning you, I'll leave every weekend for more impressive venues if you don't start to rock out on MN like we all know you can. Do your thing well if you insist on the cold dark months...

SLC Weekend

One nice thing about working for an airline is that you can travel several states away for a Saturday. Alison and I went back to Salt Lake last weekend, and it was the best couple days I've had this year. (Pretty much since I lived there.) It was great to be where I want to be again, spending my free time in places like Little Cottonwood Canyon. Kelly got me to pull down on some great boulder problems (like a rock climbing route, but close to the ground utilizing a crash pad instead of ropes), and I was happy to find out my fingers and toes have not forgotten how to play on high quality northern UT granite. I have a feeling climbing will always be something addicting for me until the day I'm too old and busted up to do it anymore. And I'll probably still try it then. Sitting in front of a TV all the time is not for me. Canyons and mountains and fresh air! Until next time...

Us in front of 1,000 feet of granite and waterfall greatness...




















The UT gang- the Paasch's, Patrick's, and Jensen's...(I'm missing cuz I took the shot).














Who wouldn't dig the Quarry Trail?



















Kelly laying out the crash pad for many sudden landings...

I am still alive...

Catching up. Been way to long. Lots of things have occurred. Some good, some bad. The bad seem to have affected my motivation with blogging. Luckily I’ve been hit with a few good moments in the last couple months when I’ve been temporarily able to see that there is more to a person’s life than trying to figure out what to do with it. I’ll have to give the short account of each, because the time period I’ve failed to record here can’t be described in full without needing a editor and publisher.

I mentioned a trip back west in last months entry. Alison and I spent a week in the Black Hills of SD in between my job at the shop and my current new job. I may not get to share pictures, because our hard drive crashed before I had a chance to back them up. (Another reason the blog’s been dry.) They may still be on the camera itself but it’s coming back from the shop as well because we broke it on the trip. Not a good month for our gadgets. I’m waiting for my cell phone to fritz out.
It was a wonderful, recharging trip back out West. Some may not consider the Black Hills to be much on the mountain scene, but that’s what make them great. They are in fact very impressive to those that come to see them, them being a much smaller number of tourist masses than the Rockies see every day. This means more wilderness for each visitor. We hiked, climbed, paddled, and pedaled. It rained much of the week, but it was surprisingly very relaxing to lay in a tent reading a good Edward Abbey novel listening to the rain and smelling the fresh air at 6500 feet. Definitely moments of peace. I think I could camp for a year and not miss my bed. Maybe. I have a nice bed. But I would not miss the city or work.

Next adventure was this year’s edition of the Headwaters 100, which I missed last year on account of our first attempt and permanent western living. Park Rapids is a much different part of MN than the Twin Cities, and I can solidly say it is better for me. Slower, cleaner living. People seem way more at ease. Passing through the Northwoods fall colors for 109 miles on a trusted bicycle next to friends one doesn’t see enough is a great way to spend a Saturday.

Somehow I found my way back to Rocky Mountain National Park for three non-consecutive days. Work sent me on a rather confusing three week long training trip to Denver, and due to the lack of organization of my schedule, I ended up with some days to get out of the hotel. I’ve been to the Park before, but due to my solo status and lack of any agenda on this round I spent more time hiking and simply sitting out in some of the world’s best scenery. I’d have to say the most memorable moment was hiking up to Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge, underneath Longs Peak. Glaciers are one of God’s best paintbrushes. I sat and stared at what was in front of me for a very long time before reluctantly heading back down the trail which would take me to my rental car and hotel back in the city. When I got back to my room, I opened up a Backpacker magazine, and to my surprised, flipped to a picture of the exact place I had just been. The editors there have apparently put Mills Lake on one of their “Life List” hikes that everyone loving to hike should see. I will have to agree with their pick. I’m going back when I can take Alison and share the experience. I’d also like to return in the summer to hike some of the alpine tundra above 11,500 feet. It’s a completely different world up there. Something to see at the right time.
Also of note in the Park is that the elk were rutting. It’s quite a thing to witness when two bulls within 200 feet of you decide to lock antlers over who gets to do the year’s honors. I’m glad Alison agreed to marry me without my having to ram my head into anybody.

Last night I went “Into the Wild”, directed by Sean Penn. It’s the theatrical version of Jon Krakauer’s book about Chris McCandless. I blogged about the book a couple years ago, as it’s a favorite of mine, based on a true story of a young man that left a life of wealth for a series of outdoor experiences, ending up in Alaska. I recommend the book and the movie, even if you’re not a outdoor enthusiast. It’s interesting as a story on human nature too. You won’t experience the account without it getting your mind moving.

And to get closer to wrapping up, I went rock climbing in Taylor’s Falls, MN today with a friend that just moved to the area. We had a sunny, 70 degree, windless day after a whole week of rain, and it was fabulous to be out on the basalt guarding the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. I miss climbing regularly, but MN doesn’t house many climbers. I’ll have to soak in the most I can of the rare days like today.

I’ll try not to be such a stranger as I pass further into fleece and wool season. I’m hoping to find ways to enjoy the long Northern Winter that I know is probably close at hand.