Topographic Escapades

The Shower is Done!

2011-11-16T06:17:00.000-08:00

It took only seven months and $7k but the steam shower is done, and works great! Its always nice to see a vision come to fruition, even if it takes 5 years and countless hours of work, a little blood, and a lot of money (for me).
Building it took about 3 months, piece by piece, cut by cut. The shower glass guys took 4 months to finally get it right. Check it out!

More shower

2011-04-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Upstairs update

2011-03-28T07:51:00.001-07:00

AGASSIZ IMAGING - My New Web Site

2010-12-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am excited to announce that I have a new web site dedicated to the best of the best of my photos. I have put them in a smug mug gallery linked to my dedicated website. For only $60 for two years I can have a web address, free hosting and a gallery. I decided to ramp up my photography and see if I can make my hobby pay for itself. So far, so good. I chose the name Agassiz Imaging for my 'company' name, as well as the domain name. The name comes from Louis Agassiz who was a French naturalist, that came to the US to teach. He then became renowned for his work on fossilized fishes. The Agassiz name has been given to many landmarks around here such as one of the local peaks of the San Francisco Peaks, and a street that's a block away from my house. It seemed a fitting name, better than Wade photo, or Thorson imaging. With out any further ado... check out the link over there to the right ---------------->
or copy and paste this link:
http://www.agassizimaging.com/

Construction Update

2010-12-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Well, its back to work on the house. I hate having unfinished projects looming over my head ( literally ). Its been two years since I built the new roof and "attic" space and I am determined to finish it. This project seems like it's taking forever. The rental house was done in 8 months, but I figure it went so fast because I'm not living there, plus I had a bunch of help from my Dad. My dad still helps, but there are so many steps to finishing. I needed the extra time to think, though. I wasn't sure where to put the stairs, and what layout I wanted. At first I thought I could make two bedrooms and a bathroom up there. It turned out that the stairs would have taken up too much room, and left two small and disjointed bedrooms, and a really small bathroom. I thought about having a spiral staircase, but realized there would be the same issues, plus you can't get furniture up one of those. Too bad. I really liked spiral staircases. After some more thinking I finally decided to make the whole bedroom a giant master suite. Our trip to Cancun piqued our interest to the possibility of having a totally open feel to the whole space. On one of our 4 hour tours ( the time share sales pitch) we visited a highrise resort with marble everything, and a view of the ocean from every corner of every room. You could see from the shower past the vanity and over the living room to the bright white beach, and light blue sea. Although we wouldn't be using marble, I designed the stair case behind the shower, and made it that we could see through the bedroom to the outside balcony. I also put a window in the back of the shower to let more light through. I put the vanity in one dormer, the toilet room in the opposite dormer, and some dressers in the other two. The design left a large space in front of the bed perfect for a small entertainment center and small recliner. It really maintains the large bright and airy feel to the master bedroom. I spent a lot of time looking around town for all the flooring. I chose some dark bamboo for the main room, and some travertine porcelin tile for the bathroom and shower. I pretty much had to special order everything. I also decided to finish off the stairs in bamboo, oak and wrought iron. We made the old spare bedroom an office-stairway-kitchen extension. The old master bedroom is now the guest bedroom-office. We moved the bedroom upstairs in October, and soon realized once it started to get cold that the furncace cold air return was way too loud, and had to re-route it downstairs. It made more sence there anyway, since it was down lower to the cold air. In late November after Thanksgiving we came back to a water leak. I shut the upstairs water off, and waited until the next weekend to find and fix the leak. I cut holes in dry wall, pulled up flooring and turned on the water. No leak. I waited 24 hours. No leak. I still don't know where the leak was. I guess the house missed having so many water leaks it sprung one for a short time, then fixed itself. Hmm. Hopefully the next house update you see will be with the finished shower. Then there are the plans for the kitchen/breakfast bar rennovation......

2001 Escape

2010-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Back before the end of last year I had a chance to buy a wreck and fix it up. A guy came in from Texas, on his way to Sedona. He hit two elk at the top of the switch backs of Oak Creek Canyon. He didn't have any collision insurance, just liability. He asked me what to do. I told him he either had to pay over $4000 to fix it or sell it for salvage. He asked me to get him a bid from the local wrecking yard. Their bid came in at $350. I offered him $450 and told him that I would be fixing it up for Kristi to replace our old 93 Escort. He felt comfortable with me, and really liked that it would be given to her. I spent $1600 on parts, negotiated a free windshield and did all the radiator, body and paint work myself (while Kristi was rehearsing for the Nutcracker ballet). On Christmas day of last year I parked it in the garage with a big bow on it. After our family exchanged presents, I announced one last gift for Kristi. We took her out to the garage and presented it. "You got me a new car?" she stated with excitement. Yeah, it has power everything, all wheel drive, 6 disc CD changer,iPod hook up and new tires. Merry Christmas Kristi. She loves it.

West Fork

2010-12-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

I was just getting ready to ramp up construction, when my best friend from college called. Rich was going to be in the area and wanted to hike the West Fork of Oak Creek canyon. West Fork is one of my favorite places to hike. I took the dogs and hiked and camped on the banks of this riperian habitat for a few days.

Squirrel Bridge

"

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Spring in Tucson

2010-12-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

Kristi and I were getting spring fever. We had huge snows over the winter and were looking for some warm sunlight. Fortunately her brother Kevin and his wife Chrissy were flying in to Tucson to visit. We scheduled in a little trip to get some hiking and phographing in.
BEAR CREEK WATERFALL

CORAL SNAKE AT BEAR CREEK

TUCSON STARTRAILS

TUCSON SUNSET

A Flea in Her Ear

2010-12-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

It wasn't long after the back house was done that I had another project on my plate. Theatrikos was auditioning for A Flea in Her Ear. I was in this play back in college at NAU, and really enjoyed it. This was common knowledge around the playhouse, as it was directed by the late Clifford E White, of NAU's Clifford E White theater fame. I really was on the fence for auditioning, but Jason the SM begged me. I sat down with director Scott Tignor, and read a few lines from Carlos Hominedes de Histangua...BAM! I was cast. So for the next couple of months we rehearsed and performed. It was a really great cast, full of friends from the last 10 years. It was more than just a play, it was a reunion of sorts. Not only did I get to play the same character as last time, I got to work, hang out, party and fraternize with old friends like Vicki Thompson, Brian Turco, and Brian Wood. I played a crazy jealous Spainiard with an affinity with fire arms. I yelled, chased and fired pistols, all over a fake love letter. The play was reset from the 1900s to the risque and flamboyant 1960s. The play got rave reviews, and numerous write-ups in the paper, as well as multiple plugs on the radio station. I, of course, was mentioned as one of the highlights of the performances.

Tulum and Chichen Itza

2010-12-26T20:07:00.000-08:00

We did have to sit through 4 hours of a hard sell of a time share....but we got free tours. I couldn't visit Mexico with out seeing the ancient ruins of the Mayas. I studied these sites in school, and dreamed of visiting before I died. On the bucket list you might say.

The first site we visited was the ancient town of Tulum. It was a picturesque seaside fishing village with it's own beautiful beach.

The most epic ruin, was of course was Chichen Itza. We had a special tour that took us to the beautiful resort there and a special entrance.

We had a specialized tour, an all you can eat buffet, and some free time to explore and photo.

CANCUN FOR SPRING BREAK!

2010-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

We did other things besides all you can eat and drink. The resort offered bikes, kayaks, mini motor boats, party barges, snorkeling, and shuttle services to sister resorts. We did it all.Isla Mujeres

CANCUN! Arriba!

2010-12-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

We were so burnt out from all the work we have done we needed a vacation. Although there was an enormous amount of work to do on the main house, it was time for a break. As luck would have it, my parents gave me a weeks worth of their time-share for Christmas. We were at
Richard (Dick) Long's place in Tucson for the holiday, with the time share book in hand and I saw Cancun. I had always wanted to visit the ancient pyramids of the Yuccatan peninsula, and made the call. Who knows, the bad economy, and problems along the border might work in our favor. Bam! We had reservations at an all inclusive resort right on the water for Spring Break!. I bought tickets on-line with my frequent flier miles racked up from all the house purchases. A luxury vacation on a budget dime. Woo hoo!

We flew in to Cancun at night. They arranged a van to pick us up at the air port, and we checked in to our huge suite.
Oceanside pool.
Yahat docks
Palms and beaches.

Before & After

2010-01-25T20:40:00.001-08:00

This is what the house looked like when I bought it 10 years ago.

And now
Just in time for the biggest snow fall in 30 years!

The Reveal

2010-01-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

It's starting to get a little cool outside, but we're ready for any weather. After calling in a few favors, the shingles were installed by an official roofer. Now we could concentrate on the inside. We had to dis-connect the electrical, and go through a whole rig-a-marole to get it hooked back up, including multiple inspections, and a roundy-round with the power company about their installing a faulty wireless electric meter.

If you wait long enough, and buy when things are on sale you can save 20%. This is what we did. We bought cabinets, flooring, and appliances all on sale. Then installed them.

The last thing we did after installing the flooring and painting non-stop was finding a heater. I wanted a high efficient furnace, since I have one in my main house and love it. I contacted a few contractors and got estimates from $3500-$5000 not including duct work and utility rough-in. My family, being frugal, was going to find a work-around. Sure enough my Mom notified me of an unused furnace that had been exposed to the elements at a local home recycling store for $250. It was the minimum size for the house, and high efficient, and best yet still under warranty! I had the installation instructions left over from the last furnace, and being the same brand I installed it myself. My Dad had the air box made, and I had to order some missing parts. I got it all hooked up and the new gas line inspected....then tried to fire it up and .... nothing. The guy I got the parts from was a certified warranty specialist for that brand furnace. He came out with a replacement circuit board, and for a $40 after hour service call BAM! we have heat. Please note the new programmable thermostat below. (This was a huge victory to me by the way) Thanks MOM & DAD!

I used my old cabinets from my kitchen, painted them to match the bathroom cabinet. I had a little bit left over from the kitchen counter top and used it. My parents found some reconditioned laundry appliances at a local repair shop and I bought them early on and stored them at my work.

Now were done! I posted the above photos on Craigslist and in a week found a renter, ready to move in December first!

The Roof

2010-01-25T19:08:00.001-08:00

Okay, we were mostly over the hump. The walls are painted, and it looks like we're only doing remodeling. The stuff that we couldn't get a permit for is done, and we can safely get a permit for the new roof ( and feel comfortable with an inspector snooping around). The ceiling isn't insulated or dry walled yet, but we figured it would be covered by the permit. The permit is secure, and the knee wall leveling the old roof line is done. Here we go...

Weapons of Mass Construction.

My fan club.
The new roof line.

Plumbing, Electrical, Siding & Drywall

2010-01-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

It was suggested that there may be too much narrative with the description of the renovation, but I say "What the heck, it's a blog." and besides it'll serve as a personal journal. I'll enjoy looking back at it (assuming they will have blogs 30 years from now). Anyway, my ramblings may be the reason that I don't keep the blog current. So, I'll try to be brief. Besides, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here is the new door configuration. We moved the door over to the right. We took the old foyer and made it a bedroom, and added a closet, taking away from the utility room a little.
We ripped off all the old siding, and windows. With the new interior framing we were ready for the new stuff. This was Sunday in the morning. We had to complete this side of the building and paint it before the inspector returns back to work on Monday.
New siding & windows, done by Sunday afternoon.

Electrical & plumbing is roughed in, and the insulation and drywall are going up.Drywall takes forever, by the way.

The Framing

2009-12-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

The old framing inside the house was quite interesting. Since the northwestern corner of the house had sunken 6 inches, all the studs had twisted in that direction. There were maybe two straight studs in the whole house. We discovered areas that had been burnt in a fire, and another that had been hit by a truck. They were all solid and the original 2x4 size held together by 1x12 lath on the outside, so the newer studs fit right next to the old ones. We framed for all new windows and doors, this time making them square. We moved the front door, and added a door to the laundry room. My Dad framed the inside walls and doorways, and Kristi and I replaced windows and siding. I drilled holes in the studs, and Kristi pulled all the wiring. The plan at this point was to get the inside wired, and walls drywalled (but not the ceiling) including the insulation. We were going to have to pull a permit to build the new roof, so we wanted to be far enough along so that it appeared we were replacing the ceiling drywall and insulation under the roof permit.

The Foundation

2009-12-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Once we ran the new drain plumbing, and built the forms, we were ready to call in the first round of concrete. The company accross the street from my work just happend to be the only one that pumps concrete for hire. The rest of the concrete pumpers were contractors who not only don't answer the phone, they won't call you back unless you wanted to build a new apartment complex. I knew this from experience, from when I wanted to pour a new garage floor back in '03. That little project trained me for this go around, and I was prepared to do it myself again, rented tools in hand. The concrete truck pulled up to the side of the house, and the pump on the back of another truck. They hooked up the hose, wetted down the mixture, and started pumping, with one of thier guys a the end of the hose, the other on the remote control controling the slurry from inside the house. We even had a bit extra to fix the jacuzzi pad, and the side walk where I had to dig under the front house. We now had a new stem wall, completely encasing the old railroad tie foundation as well as the old crooked fir studs. This house would no longer float away like Noah's ark in high water. It was only phase one, though, no time to relax or celebrate. A couple of days went by, and we were able to remove the forms. We were still left with a two foot deep hole in the middle to fill. You know you are screwed when the guys at the equipment rental store know your name. This time we rented a bobcat. We ordered some cheap cinder sand to fill the hole. The plan was to take the huge mound of cinder sand in the street, and dump it into a make-shift chute made from the old foundation forms, right through the window. We then used a compactor to compact the sand to a depth of about 5". It was back to the rental store for a concrete drill to bore holes for re-bar, so the new pad would be affixed to the stem wall. We threw down some reinforcing mesh , and ordered the last round of concrete. This time they just poured the slump through the window, and we finished it off level with the top of the stemwall. We finally had a solid level surface to walk on. The first time in 40 years I'll bet. We used to joke when Bert lived there, that the only time the floor felt level was when you were drunk. We put the windows back in and hung some sheets up for curtains, and let it cure, never to be seen by any city official. So far all the work performed was done on the week-end and after work. We were so careful to cover our tracks, because at this point we couldn't risk a 'stop work notice.' We would be sunk, the City would never grant us permission to finish, and we might have had to stop completely and raze the entire house. It was quite nerve-wracking especially because there was a new apartment complex being built at the top of the hill, and the inspector was always driving by. Kristi knew a fellow teacher that was doing some renovations to thier house a few blocks away. Just about that time, they recieved a 'stop work notice.' The inspector inspecting the business being built next door saw that they were installing a new door on the side of thier house and blew the whistle on them. They got off having only to pay for a $50 permit, though they had already completed a host of other renovations. Once they saw work being performed outside the house they called it quits on them. I counted my lucky stars it was them and not me.

The Demolition

2009-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

The only thing left to do was grin and bear it, and take our aggressions out on the house. We tore out the walls, we tore out the ceiling, we tore out the floors. We shoveled the pulp insulation, we cut the water pipes, and we filled the dumpster, and again and again. Everything was scrapped, the electrical, the fixtures, the toilet, everything but the kitchen sink. That was still okay. We ripped off the siding, we tossed all the windows, and threw away the door. (This is starting to sound like a Dr Seuss Book) As I stood on the dirt floor looking at an empty shell, I began to realize that the house would have to be completely rebuilt from the inside out. Tearing it down and rebuilding would have been much easier. Then we dug. We dug around the railroad ties, and under them. We dug for days around the perimeter of the house to create an interior footing for a foundation. We then laid down re-bar at the base of the footing, getting ready for the forms.

The Damage

2009-12-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

I didn't really bother trying to find the exact source of the leak, since it was definitely under the bathroom. There was no crawlspace, so the bathroom had to be gutted anyway. Once we gutted the bathroom it became clear that the entire inside of the house would have to be gutted. No more patch jobs. I had heard that the house was built on railroad ties, and it was true. No real foundation. To top it off the house had sunken 6 inches in the corner. I had to make a series of quick decisions. I decided to do an entire renovation from the ground up. I knew if I were to tear down the house, the city would never let me rebuild it. It was too close to the property line and would have to be moved to the set-back code, not leaving me any space to move it. Not to mention that the house is in a primary flood zone, as the incorrect alignment of the Rio de Flag runs directly adjacent to my property. I would have to do all the work with the existing structure under radar. After taking some measurements, we realized that the ceiling height was 6" higher than 8 feet from floor level. That meant that I could finish off the inside, by making it square and no one would know that it had sunken. Since I couldn't tear the house down and build a bonified foundation I would have to make a foundation inside the house by digging under the railroad ties and encasing the ties, and wall studs in solid concrete. Then there was the roof. It was practically flat, and became permently damaged from the huge snows from last year. The leaks could not be stopped. A new roof would have to be built, right over the old one. This was the plan, and I knew that no contractor would take on the challenge. They only want to do the easy stuff- new construction. Even if I found one desperate enough to take on the task, I would've beeen in the poor house by the time I was done. I would have to cash out on all the equity on the property, and have a new loan payment. To top it all off, the economy was tanking. Property values were sinking, and Kristi's job was up in the air. The daunting renovation was weighing on me with the realization that I would have to take all my savings, vacation time, week-end time, and every waking moment not at work to do the renovation. And I had to hurry. I was loosing rent for every month there was no renter. I already lost last year's vacation to put the roof on my house, which was still not done on the inside. I was saving my money to finish that, and had to quickly drop that dream and start a nightmare. This was the low point. I thought surely Kristi would be packed and down the road. Last year's project was taxing on the relationship as it was. I knew I could do it, but I new I couldn't do it alone. The path would be arduous, but clear. I presented the plan to Kristi and my Dad. Some how they reluctanly were on board. I think that they saw no other options either. They knew I was in trouble, and by the grace of God, loved me enough to stick with me to the bitter end. Oh, did I mention the mold and smell of cat piss?

The Water Leak

2009-12-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

On March 20th I discovered something somewhat expected. What I mean is that when owning a house built in the 1940s there are bound to be some maintenance issues. How was I supposed to know it would be the worst case scenario? My water bill came, and it came with a vengeance. I had used 55,000 gallons of water. I really didn't know where it was leaking though. There was no clear evidence. No flowing river of water from a identifiable source. So, I had to hire a plumber to probe the ground listening for running water. It was discovered coming from the rental house, in back. I notified the tenant, Joel that there would be a possibility he would have to move out. He wasn't at all happy. I suggested to him that if we would be able to access the leak and repair it, he wouldn't have to move, if not, than a major renovation would probably be the result. I dug down next to the foundation, and a flood of water came rushing out. It had filled up the crawlspace. That explained why the floor was sinking, but the shower and toilet wasn't. I gave Joel a month's notice to vacate (fortunately he was on a month-to-month lease). For the next month I had to go to the curb in the morning, turn the water on for an hour, then turn it back off until evening, then go to the curb and do it all again. Once he had moved out, the renovations began with the water line. It was galvanized pipe from the curb to both houses. I saw no point in trying to salvage the elderly steel. I called the plumber again and asked for a bid to replace the line with PEX plastic piping. If I did the excavating it would cost me only $1000, otherwise it would be $4000. I figured I could run a ditch witch as well as anybody, especially if it saved me $3000. Little did I know I would be needing every penny I had. The first challenge was to move the 5 person jacuzzi tub. I figured that if the Egyptians could move giant rocks, I could move a jacuzzi. First I built a cart, welding it out of steel and using wheel barrow wheels. Then I used pipes under the tub to roll it onto the cart. Slowly we rolled it out of the yard, like a house mover. A few welds broke in the street as the result of trying to make too sharp of a turn, but I eventually got it into the side yard. The next task was to concrete saw the jacuzzi pad and jack hammer a section to allow the ditch witch a path. I ran the ditch witch for three days, parallel to the old water line for a total of about 80 feet. I then had to dig under my house foundation, and under the rental foundation by hand, so the new plumbing could be connected. The photos show the 30" deep trench with boards covering it up, so the dogs or Kristi wouldn't fall in them and break a leg. The trench was only about 6" wide after all.

House Update 2

2009-02-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well the roof is on and the front porch torn down and rebuilt. We have been on break for the winter as far as construction is concerned, both to recuperate financially, and mentally. Plus I have to pull another permit to finish the interior. Anyway here are some progress photos, particularly the new balcony.
The Old PorchOld Porch falling down
The holes we had to dig ( and fall in)

The Main BeamConstruction

Done!Just in time for the Snow!

Flip Flops in Paradise

2008-08-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

“Absolutely no rental cars,” read the sign, “ 4 wheel drive vehicles only. Vehicles traveling uphill have the right-of way.”
After looking down the steep 25 percent grade I decided to heed its advice. It was extremely steep. Although paved, I couldn’t imagine a rental car getting up that road. A normal road would switch back. Not this one. The road descends into the Hawaiian valley from high on the cliffs and drops to the rumbling surf below. We parked our rental car at the small area at the top, got our backpacks out and headed on foot down the concrete ramp scored for better traction.
Our destination was Waimanu Valley, a distant and remote valley only accessible by a trail. We first had to pass through the beautiful and more visited Waipio Valley to reach the best backpacking the Big Island had to offer; the Muliwai trail. My girlfriend, Kristi, and I try to escape the stresses of modern life as much as we can afford, and this trip was to be a respite from society’s constant bombardment of advertisement, rampant consumerism and the consequent war over depleting resources.
We stopped half way to rest our calves.
“Feel the burn!” I said stepping to the side to catch a glimpse of Kaluahine Falls plunging off the cliff face in to the surf. “Wow.”
The paved road ended at the bottom in a wet marsh, then switched back to reveal some rental cars that had dared to make the journey. They were flipped over and burned by the locals in retribution for the drivers not reading the sign.
“I hope they got the full damage waiver,” I said smugly.
We arrived at what the Hawaiians called the Valley of the Kings. Traditionally taro, bananas, guava, and coconuts were grown here among the native trees. This was a favorite destination for King Kamehamea, and also where he was commissioned as guardian of the war god Kukailimoku. They celebrated luau style by hunting wild pigs, and cooking them buried in the sand with banana leaves. The ceremony is still observed by torch carrying “Night Warriors,” to this day.
Toursits delivered here in masse by four-wheel drive, frolicked in the waves where the Waipio River meets the sea. Then something sinister caught my attention: a lost and abandoned flip flop. I started to look around, another one, and another, littering the beach. They remained, after the tourists had left, flipping and flopping in the waves. One moment they appeared to be headed for open sea, the next they were washing up on shore. Our hike had begun with a slap, a wake up call: did I actually think I could escape society’s blatant disregard to its natural counterpart? There was a war going on over the same resources that constructed the flat rubber soles, and they were cast away, left floating like flotsam. There was something wrong with this picture.
I don’t spend too much time thinking about fashion, but flip flops were becoming more difficult to ignore. They’re found in the most far-reaching places in the world, and cheap enough for even the poorest to rely on them, but seeing them half buried in the sand made me take a closer look at the negative effects that these seemingly necessary footwear has had on the environment.
I tried to put up a wall, and deny the existence of man’s destructive wake, and headed back to the trail, after all I was also culpable. I had a pair of rubber flip flops strapped to the outside of my pack. The trail quickly left the beach and made it’s way up the valley wall. The jungle closed in as we trotted over fallen berries that stained the rotten trail floor. The smell of leaf matter mixing with ginger root stimulated my olfactory nerves in alternating cycles of curious pleasure.
The trail dipped into smaller and more rugged overgrown valleys and wound over the course of 12 more miles. Occasionally I was reminded that the ocean was only a few hundred yards away from the top of a valley cliff. Rising and falling 500 feet, each valley became more and more difficult to navigate. Rain and fallen leaves made it wet and slippery, providing a constant challenge.
The humidity and the mid-day heat was relieved by a small waterfall and pool, right off the trail. We stripped down to our skivvies, put on our camping flip flops, and plunged into the jungle run-off. Drying off our feet, we put on our boots, ate lunch and continued. Valley after valley we snaked our way down the coastline.
My mind kept flashing back to the littered beach we left. I couldn’t keep from thinking of the flip flop as a metaphor for the destructive effects society imposes on the natural world. My fascination with the flip flop stems from what the sandal means to modern society. Were we ever going to be able to shed our unsustainable dependencies in favor of the environment? I started to take stock of the social and physical ramifications that flip flops have brought upon the world.
The first traditional flip flops were designed by the Japanese and were woven bamboo, or wooden soled sandals. Ironically they are called “biisan” in Japan, derived from English meaning “beach sandal.” The flip flop has infiltrated almost every country, spawning specific nomenclature in many languages. For example in Italy they are refered as ‘infradito’ translated literally as ‘inter-toes.’ Danes call them ‘Klip-clapperes.’ New Zelanders call them ‘Jandals’ condensed from Japanese sandals. The Hawaiians affectionately call them “jap-slaps.” Like the pig, the flip flop was introduced to Hawaii as a foreign species. Now they are deeply ingrained into the society.
I kept hiking and thinking. Was I opposed to flip flops? No, they were useful, after all I had a pair. Comfortable and perfect for camping, they are light and pack down to a minimum. I can wear them at river crossings to keep my boots dry. They are perfect for drying out my feet after a sweaty day locked in hikers. They are too useful to be opposed to… until they’re trash.
There is a fine line between something utilitarian and trash. Two flip flops are utilitarian. They provide protection from the rough rocky ground, a necessity in today’s tender-footed world. One flip flop is trash. Not only is it trash, it is trash that lasts forever. The rubber will not decompose. They will last and last until a pile of unmatched flip flops gathers on shore, or in a land fill. Eventually the world will begin to fill up with unmatched flip flops. Perhaps an environmental organization will need to be developed to battle the population explosion of lone flip flops. The groups mission: to gather mis-matched flip flops of similar sizes and re-sell them to concerned conservationists. Transients will collect them like aluminum cans then trade them for a few meager bits, proud that they contributed to the mitigation of the destruction of the natural world. A new fashion trend will be born; the ‘U2 Unmatched Flip Flop Special Edition,’: all proceeds to help fight foot fungus cancer- coming soon to a retailer near you.
We arrived at the top of Waimanu Valley with plenty of daylight to spare. This was the steepest and slipperiest valley yet. Layers of wet fronds and leaves lined the trail. We slid down 500 feet to the valley floor. Covered in mud and little cuts we stumbled out of the jungle and onto stable river rock. Before we could access the camping area we had to cross the Waimanu river. We took off our backpacks and put on our flip flops again. The river was deep. We had to carry our packs over our heads and navigate submerged boulders. Waves broke on shore and flowed upstream creating surges that kept us unbalanced. Slipping and falling forward I managed to toss my pack to the opposite shore. Since I was already wet, I swam up the lazy stream and frolicked in the luke-warm water.
Emerging from the water I found my self at an impasse. I was actually thankful for my flip flops. This was a symbol of wanton destruction and resource depletion. It was made from fossil deposits for the comfort of my foot. This disturbed me. Modern variations made out of rubber and plastic are un-sustainable, and float. The backless sandal is easily lost in strong currents. The freedom that it gives the foot is directly disproportional to the dependence society has on its consumption. Why couldn’t they just be made out of bamboo, I wondered. Then they could decompose when they were lost.
My thoughts of the evil sandal faded with the beauty found at the bottom of this remote Hawaiian valley. The ocean breaking on the rocky shore provided a soothing soundtrack. Distant water falls cascaded down steep green cliff faces. The swirling clouds that obscured the top of the valley gave fresh water to feed each fall.
Stumbling into camp we plopped down our packs to take it all in. We were alone amid a dozen campsites. We decided to look around to see which site was the best.
“Grunt, grunt.”
We both turned around to face the source of the grunting: a large pig was rustling in some leaves a few feet away. Startled, it squealed slightly and scampered off toward the far side of the valley. “Oooh, there are wild pigs here.” I said.
“Cool,” Kristi said, “Lets try to get a better look.”
We followed what appeared to be a game trail. It took us into the muddy and mosquito infested jungle. We could see depressions in the ground where many pigs had made their beds.
“There.” She pointed at a huge daddy sized pig. Behind him there were three or four piglets. They scampered away making little pig sized grunts. Weaving through the jungle we pursued them, catching quick glimpses until we could no longer keep up.
“Bananas.” She said. Sure enough, there were a bunch of bananas just lying there, with no banana tree in sight.
“The pigs must collect them from the jungle.”
“Pigs can’t climb trees!” I shrugged, baffled.
A distant rumble of a waterfall piqued our interest, and we followed a game trail in that direction. Slightly overgrown, we couldn’t gain direct access to the falls, but we got as close as we could. It was cascading down a cliff face and into a dense gathering of bush and bamboo. Slipping on the wet rocks, we approached the falls. There, at the base, obscured by leaves and mud, was my nemesis, the source of much internal debate.
“A flip flop!” I declared. “Only one.” It blew my mind. I had been “jap-slapped” again.
“What?”
“I can’t believe this! I just hiked 12 miles into the jungle to get away from people, found wild pigs and a remote inaccessible water fall only to find an f-ing flip flop!”
I was livid. This was it. It was time to do something drastic. A short rant ensued, but was short lived. After all, I was preaching to the choir. We returned to camp with the flip flop, not sure what was going to be done with it. It wasn’t going to stay there.
We set up camp and started a fire, then passed a Nalgene bottle of wine back and forth. I began to relax and return my thoughts to nature. The sun had set and a subtle glow lingered in the canyon. While looking through the other campsites for firewood I found some animal remnants.
“Check this out!” I said returning to camp.
“What is it?”
“A pig skull.” I declared. Grabbing a short piece of string laying on the ground, I tied the skull to a tree near the fire.
“Just like Lord of the Flies!” That was it! My primal instinct took over. I knew what I had to do. I disrobed, applied some soot to my face and began to chant. Holding the flip flop over my head like some holy grail, I danced around the fire. Our silhouettes flickered and reflected off the trees while the pig skull peered over our shoulders nodding in approval. I’m not sure what happened next, as the effects of alcohol and mounting frenzy took over. I was channeling some ancient Hawaiian pig ritual. It was time for the great ‘Jap-slap’ sacrifice. I offered a few choice words, mostly unintelligible, then, committed the flip flop to the fire. It resisted a few seconds, as if to reinforce its perseverance. It would not disappear so easily, it was destined to exist forever! Slowly it succumbed, drooping, lowering into the flames, then, finally, it caught fire. The light from the burning plastic flashed and died: the final catharsis.
“Nature, One, the Corporate Flip Flop Conspiracy, Zero!”
“We should throw all our flip flops on the fire!” Kristi said caught up in my psychotic episode.
“No don’t!” I stopped her. I was overcome with a moment of clarity, “We need those!”

Ancient Answers to Modern Questions: Lessons from the Puebloan Culture

2008-08-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

The wind whipped up in a subtle gust, pushing dust in swirls, ruffling the feathers of an eagle caged with chicken wire and wood. The hot sun beamed down further baking the dry mesa, cracking the already dried mud intermixed with polychromic pottery shards. A mangy mutt barks, and whines then whimpers and as if trying to welcome the students emerging from the van squinting in the bright daylight.
Students from the Sustainable Communities Masters program at NAU have arrived at the United States oldest continuously inhabited settlement of Orabi on the Third Mesa on the Hopi reservation. They are there to learn lessons from an ancient people, who have survived and preserved their culture in the same location for over 1100 years.
Dr. Miguel Vasquez proceeds to lead them on a brief tour through the village accompanied by the friendly dog that greeted them upon arrival. The students move into the plaza, surrounded by low stone housing with flat roofs and wooden beams protruding. “This is where the clans of Orabi have their ceremonial dances. The spectators sit around, sometimes 4 deep on the ground, and 4 deep on the roofs to watch. The ceremonies are also a time for the villagers to give. They share what they have, and make sure that everybody goes home with food. You have to be careful, though, one time I was hit in the nose by a flying orange.”
The students move through the plaza toward the end of the Mesa, and stop short of two Kivas, or subterranean places of worship. The kivas are identified only by the ladder that protrudes from a hole in the ceiling of the pit house. There, tribal members gather by clan to perform ceremonies, each clan having their own kiva. The mesas offer long views from three sides, which served as an early warning device for villagers against invaders. It also allows them to see their crops growing on the valley floor, and protect the structures against floods.
“You can see behind us the ruins of a Spanish mission, there at the edge of the mesa.” Dr. Vasquez motions with his head toward an incomplete stone structure with half of a tower still standing, “The Hopi destroyed the mission during the Pueblo revolt of 1680, when they eradicated the Spanish from the village. Again, it is we are not allowed to visit the ruins, so we can’t get any closer.” The Puebloans have had a rocky history, from the invasion of Spanish Conquistadors looking for the legendary gold ridden El Dorado then Spanish settlers and missionaries, to modern anthropologists and archaeologists, each force threatening their very survival. The town appears to be abandoned, except for a small shop vending cultural wares. There is, however, a small enclave of residents that continue to live there year round, usually elders spending their last days of retirement. Most villagers live on the valley floors, close to running water and electricity, but clan members occasionally return to the mesas for special ceremonial dances and re-inhabit the small structures.

Small raindrops fell from a partly cloudy sky in the village of Bacavi, home to the people “of the reeds.” The students are there to visit the ancient spring irrigated terraces that once flourished with corn, beans, melons and orchard crops. In the early 1990s the Hopis approached the NAU anthropology department with a reciprocal arrangement to restore their terrace gardens in exchange for cultural fellowship. This was a great opportunity for both parties. Historically anthropologists haven’t been well received by the Hopis due to their insensitive infiltration of their communities. “Intruders were not welcome, especially if they were dressed as anthropologists.” (Vasquez and Jenkins 1994) This was mostly due to the fact that the Hopi haven’t been on the receiving end of the academic study. No compensation was directed to the Hopis as a result. Since the leaders of Bacavi were trying to rekindle their agricultural traditions, they sought a reciprocal arrangement. The students had the opportunity to study an ancient culture first hand, and help the Hopi reinvigorate their terraces. The students worked together with the Hopi youth rebuilding walls, digging out spring fed pools, stabilizing the footpaths and documenting plot tenure and horticultural practices. They were able to motivate the villagers from a few families working tiny plots to as many as eighteen families cultivating gardens. But, alas, their efforts again became un-stainable. Reeds were planted, their pueblo symbol, ultimately began to draw moisture from the springs. This combined with declining interest in traditional horticulture practices, reduced the terraces to some tomato plants, and a few unproductive fruit trees.
The Native American work ethic is oriented toward necessity (Van Otten and Vasquez p7), and since the onset of the twenty first century it has become easier to shop for groceries, than to laboriously farm in hot fields for a meager yield. This along with the temptations of the modern world, the Hopi as well as other Native Americans, are starting to take another look at not only the preservation of their culture, but their continuance.
These problems are what the students have come to examine. Having looked at the problems of their own society and the growing disparity between the rich and poor it is becoming obvious that our habits are unsustainable. They have seen the writing on the wall and are looking at not only how to preserve what they have, but to continue and sustain it.Small puffy white clouds speed by as two elk and their calves hang closely to the arroyo cut by the muddy Chaco river. Slightly startled by gawking tourists they stand their ground, unwilling or unable to give up their meager source for moisture. The students emerge into the hot sun and sand to visit the Ancestral Puebloan ruins of Chaco Canyon, in the northwest area of New Mexico. They have come with the hope of understanding what mistakes this ancient civilization made causing their rapid decline. Here archeologists have discovered a striking similarity with the Ancient Chaco civilization, and modern society.
Once an intricate network of farms, roads and pueblos complete with multi-level structures rivaling the great civilizations of Central America, Chaco lays in ruins, producing little more than archaeological evidence to describe their rise and fall. The Chacos were in a delicate balance with their environment. When the rains came life was good. Across the Chaco farming districts, the farmers pursued this opportunity with all the obsession of those absolutely certain that good fortune will not last. With reliable rains, one good harvest became many. They were able to produce a surplus, and began to store corn and expand farmsteads to new even more precarious spots within the San Juan basin (Stuart p65-66).
Lasting from approximately 1020 to 1130, the Chaco phenomenon, as it is referred, was based on clusters of far-reaching communities interconnected by trade, ritual, and sharing (Stuart p.66). Farming, storing, trading, sharing food and pottery with other farmers allowed them to have more babies and finally separated them from the hunters and gatherers. Their whole identity was intertwined with their expansive community and their religion. The formation of Kivas, their ritual house, became an integral part of local family life. Between 1020 and 1080 “Great Houses” began to be constructed. These pueblo style houses began with 10 to 12 rooms. Without windows or doors they had to enter through a ladder in a hole in the roof, which doubled as a chimney. Soon these great houses expanded, and multiplied. Many became multi-storied and some included over 100 rooms. Much of the space in these Great Houses was used for storage of varieties of corn that were carefully separated. Combining ritual space, storage capacity, and some living quarters, the Chacos were able to maintain connections and trade among the expansive farming communities in the area (Stuart p107).
So, why did the ancient Chacos walk away from their civilization? Climate change and drought is what brought the civilization to its knees. Something happened in the early 1090s. There was no answer from the heavens to their rituals and prayers. The huge storage rooms lay empty and rains had begun tapering off. For four years the rains became more and more unreliable. In a stunning but final effort to “boost the economy” the Chacoan elites began to erect their grandest buildings and roads (Stuart p121).
The explosion in kiva building in about 1100a.d. indicates a ritual life that had become bloated and stopped nurturing the communities. The religious elite had grown increasingly demanding and obsessive and were requiring more and more resources to survive. The land was becoming over-hunted and the agriculture unsustainable, with the decreasing rains. Ritual alone was not feeding the babies or adapting new food-producing techniques. Failure to address these problems destroyed Chacoan society (Stuart p123). So the farmers walked away and returned to hunting and gathering or migrated to further upland communities. Their failure brought forth, however, a success story, that of the highly efficient Pueblo civilization. Stuart says, If we “listen carefully to their past, we can retrieve an important message for all surviving traditional societies, for the rest of us, and for all of twenty-first-century society to come (Stuart p. 8).”
The lessons that the students were able to take away are four fold. Foremost is that a successful community is egalitarian and unified (Stuart p163). The Hopi share their possessions and accumulation is seen as threatening and counter-productive. The well-being of the individual relies on the cohesion and reciprocity of the group at large (Van Otten and Vasquez p7).
Second is that a compelx and diverse economy is more sustainable. By the 1400s the puebloans had dozens of corn varieties that displayed selected characteristics such as cold and drought resistance, fast and slow maturation, deeper roots, and a variety of sizes and colors of kernels (Stuart p164). In modern times the puebloans have had to diversify economically in order to survive. The Acoma Pueblo may be the best example of using tourism to boost their economy, with their large visitors center, museum and bus tours. The Hopi have gone into the coal business with the Navajo, and even own shopping centers in Flagstaff. Other tribes are building casinos on their lands and use the gaming revenues to provide opportunities for their members.
The third lesson is that any investment into the infrastructure must focus on producing necessities and preserving their culture and environment. This is immediately evident on the less than aesthetic condition of their housing. Appearances are low on the list of priorities, and organized labor that was used to support great building projects for only one segment of their society was never used again. This dictum kept the religious leaders from imposing or gaining too much power (Stuart p165). Business decisions are made by consensus; if anybody disagreed the topic would be tabled for further discussion. This dramatically slows the possible economic development of the tribe, but at the same time reduces the possibility of being taken advantage of and making hasty decisions that could lead to mistakes.
Lastly the Puebloans realized that efficiency was more important than power. Efficiency was valued and enhanced in their high un-irrigated fields. They planted corn, beans and squash in microenvironments where the bean vines could climb the cornstalks, and the squash could retard weeds with the shade of their leaves (Stuart p167). By having a more egalitarian society it reduces the power that an individual can have, and by reaching a consensus for big decisions it keeps power out of the hands of the corrupt.
Even though the Puebloans can teach us valuable lessons about sustainability, the threats of modern society have effected their very survival. The Hopi are concerned with their ability to weave ancient traditions with the modern lifestyle and continue to battle controversies over the environment, resources, joblessness and the erosion of their culture (Vasquez p83). These issues are same issues that threaten the sustainability of our entire civilization today, and if we cannot learn from our past we are destined to repeat the same mistakes in the future.

Bibliography
Stuart, David E., Anasazi America, University of New Mexico Press, 2000.
Vasquez, Miguel, The Hopi in Arizona, unknown.
Van Otten, George A. and Vasquez, Miguel , Economic Development On Arizona’s Native American Reservations.
Vasquez, Miguel and Jenkins, Leigh, Reciprocity and Sustainability: Terrace Restoration on third Mesa, Practicing Anthropology Vol. 16 No 2, 1994.

Progress

2008-07-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

This is what you have all been waiting for.. .some progress shots. There is still a whole bunch of work left to do, including a new porch etc... but here we go...

More Home Renovations

2008-06-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

My roof was shot. Six layers of shingles were not enough to keep the rain and snow out. The rafters and decking were rotten and moldy. I have had this dream of building a second story onto my house, but being so close to the Rio De Flag ( our storm water drainage system) I wasn't confident the city would let me. When I inquired about building a second story, they squirmed and listed a number of items that would have to be addressed before a permit would be considered. They did say, however, they could not deny me a new roof. My dad and I put our heads together and came up with a plan to add a new truss system, and incorporate dormers. I could then have a roof, and potentiallly more space. We sumbitted the plans and waited. It was approved, with few changes. We discussed and made lists, and set a date for June 1st to begin. This date conincides with our dry season in Flagstaff. This dry season only lasts for about a month before our monsoon rainy season begins, so we had to move quickly. I took off two weeks of work, and ordered the trusses and lumber. Below is a picture of the house before.

And here is a teaser of what is to come. This picture was actually taken by my neighbour with his new Canon 40D

Rez Rides

2008-03-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Grand Falls

2008-03-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

This spring is showing the effects of our snowy winter. Grand Falls, just out side of Flagstaff on the Navajo Reservation, was flowing at peak levels.

View from the Bottom

Colorado River New Years Eve

2008-03-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

It was crowded this year, but we were able to find a prime camping spot at the Sauna Cave.

We spent the New Year's Weekend between Gold Strike Hot Springs and the dam.

I even got a pic of a beaver!

We had to gather firewood. Fortunately in some canyons the Tamarisk was plentiful.

Christmas

2008-03-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas at the last place we would have thought. At the end of a 40 mile jeep road deep into the desert wilderness. Winter solstice with the cactus and Verde River. There were reports that there was a hot spring there, which was true, but had been overgrown by bull rushes. We hiked and camped and celebrated.

Big Snow

2007-12-12T15:47:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of the house under the big snow we just got!

House Update

2007-11-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures of the nearly completed house. It was a lot of work. Kristi was a huge help, I couldn't have done it with out her. We installed the tile ourselves, with a little mosaic in the middle of each room. The floor is recycled using the best wood removed from the floor from around the house. We barely had enough to finish the job. We planed, sanded, and wood filled and sanded, and filled, and poly coated, and sanded, and poly coated for 4 days straight. We recycled the old trim from around the old windows and used it for baseboards. The French door to the bedroom was from a local recycler as well. We saved a bunch of money by buying pre-made un-finished cabinets in the kitchen. I custom made the cabinet next to the fridge to match, saving me about $500. Paint and caulk finished it off.

Mountain Biking Documentary

2007-09-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

I am rather excited about this project I did at NAU in their documentary film making class I attended over the summer. I decided to to a project on mountain biking. I thought I could interview people in the parking lot of a popular local trail. I also thought I could strap a camera on to my helmet and ride the trail. So I did. I composed most of my own music and edited it in Final Cut Studio on my Mac. Let me know what you think.

Colorado Vacation- The Videos

2007-09-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

The next morning we got on the trail to find the hot springs. When I say find, it is because the description of the trail was not easy to follow. We ended up hiking four miles extra, having passed the actual springs. I didn't take any photos, dumb me. We sat in small pools that were carved out by spring flooding. Rumors had it there was a bear in residence, at the nearby bridge. We drove to Durango, went to a parts store, and within 20 minutes had a new fuel filter installed. The remainder of the trip was driving through the Indian Reservation toward home.

These are some of the videos from the trip.

This first one is of upper Elk Creek on the Colorado Trail.

This next one is a Pan of the top of the Pass (Day 2) Colorado Trail.

Colorado Vacation- Creede

2007-09-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

The next morning we enjoyed the scenery once again. There was a little dock at the lake that went to an island. After I used the facilities at the dock I walked around to check it out. I could see spending more time there, maybe in the future. We had only three days left until we had to be back home. When I'm on vacation, I can't help auditioning other towns to move to. Not like I would actually move there, but you can't help thinking "I could live here." A lot of Colorado is like that, especially the little towns in the mountains. Lake City and Creede are towns we could at least spend summers at. Just beautiful. The drive over the pass from Lake City was beautiful. We passed an interpretive sign. There was as turn-off to an historic site. Apparently there was a massacre there. Evidently there was a party that had been stranded in the snow, and some party members were killed to feed other party members. Similar to the Donner party of Donner pass fame, but the Donner party, some had died from exposure. Not so here. They were murdered then eaten. We kept driving because neither of us were hungry... We chugged over the pass with ease. We stopped at the top at a view point. More prettyness. As we were coming down the other side we came upon a waterfall. We let the dogs out and took some pictures. Another interpretive sign described ruins found here from an ancient indian culture. This was the site of the oldest culture at the highest altitude. They were hunting giant buffalo. Next on the road was a sea of RV parks. I have never seen so many RV parks so close together. It was RV park after RV park. Motor homes stacked so close together they looked like Legos. I can't understand why people would buy these huge motor coaches, then park it 5 feet away from a sea of other ones. I do understand that there is probably a community feeling, especially one that incorporates members from the same age bracket and economic background, but geeze. I wouldn't like being packed together like sardines surrounded by a vast wilderness. I have always been an escapist though, and Kristi is one too. Maybe that is one reason we get along so well together. Enough of my rambling. We arrive at Creede and at first sight there were a mess of run down trailers. But once we arrived downtown, we discovered how cute the town is. The town was situated next to a canyon, with a little river running through it. We found a parking place off the main drag. We thought we would only have lunch here, but once we started walking around we discovered Creede Repertory Theatre. They had six shows running through-out the whole summer. After reviewing the shows, we decided which show we hadn't seen, and wanted to. It so happened they were playing that particular show at the matinee. It was a fantasy called "To Fool an Eye." It was about a delusional prince and his muse, who had died. He had built a replica of the town where he had spent 3 days with her. The prince's mother discovered a girl that looked like the muse. They had to re-create the entire encounter completely. The girl had to play the part of the muse to his satisfaction. Anyway the Prince becomes less delusional, and the girl falls in love yada yada yada. Happily ever after. I was rather amazed that this theatre would survive so far away from any major city. Especially six shows per season. The reason the the converted movie theatre was still in existence was probably because of all the summer vacationers, ie. RV park campers. So, all those RV parks surrounding the town of Creede were responsible for perpetuating this special little theatre in the Colorado mountains. This theatre was professional, and of course underwritten by several large national corporations like Pfizer. Amazing that Flagstaff can be so deprived, and a remote puny town could have so much culture. After the show we pushed on toward Pagosa Springs. We passed another waterfall off the side of the road then over Wolf Creek pass. Our destination was on the far side of Pagosa Springs where there was supposed to be a natural hot pool in the Piedra River. Passing through town with ponderosa pines, and a Farfield resort probably reminded me the most of Flagstaff than any town so far. Just outside of Pagosa the Bus died. It sputtered, chugged, and we coasted to a stop. I knew what was wrong. VW in their infinite wisdom tried to protect the metal in the fuel tank with a protective coating. This protective coating ends up serving no purpose but to flake off and plug up the fuel filter. We got the bus started and sputtered back to Pagosa to find a parts store. They were closed, since it was late. I rapped on the fuel filter and shook it. Somehow I dis-lodged the debris, and it started running fine again. We continued to the trail head down a washboard road. It was pretty dark when we arrived, and seeing all the people camping in the parking lot we kept driving a little bit and found a level spot to sleep.

Colorado Vacation- Gunnison

2007-09-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

We left camp early, and arrived at Gunnison at about 5 minutes to 8. We dropped off Max and they advised us that the injury would require surgery and anesthesia. We would have to leave him the whole day. I could think of better places to have a down day, but this would be the first day we didn't hike, bike or drive all day. We were shopping while the vet called. The branch pulled a huge portion of skin away from the body wall, called de-gloving. The vet said an incision would have to be made much larger than the original torn skin. All the torn skin was devitalized and had to be removed. The remaining skin was stretched and stitched. Two drainage tubes were installed and would have to be removed after a week or so. Total Price = $560.00. And I couldn't pick him up until 5 pm. So, we just went to the river to hang out for the rest of the day. We had some beers, read some magazines, then went to a pizza parlour. At 5 we picked up Max. Boy, was he glad to see me. He jumped up and licked my face, like he was feeling no pain. Dogs sure are resilient. They gave me some dressing to tend to his wound on the road, and bid me farewell. We continued on our way. Back to Lake City. The real lake at Lake City was our destination. We had to drive through town to get to it. Boy was it beautiful. There were dispersed campers camped all around the lake. Apparently there was a campground, but we took the road less traveled as usual, and sure enough there was a dirt road that went up hill to access some power lines. It had a beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. It even had a fire ring. Best of all it was free. We had some more beers, left over pizza and watched the sunset. Our trip was winding down, and now we had a gimp dog. So we were lamenting having to return home. We thought of all the things we could have done for $560. We could have stayed in 5 hotel rooms, had 5 gourmet meals, bought 5 pieces of Patagonia clothing, rented a Jeep for 5 days etc... Oh well, at least Max was going to be okay. It would have been horrible if it were a life threatening injury. Especially since I lost Gina just a month ago. Not a good year for my dogs.

Colorado Vacation- Lake City

2007-09-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

We left our campsite late. The coffee was so good, and we were still tired from having so much fun. We were headed to Lake City, twenty miles away. The drive was beautiful. The road narrowed to a canyon, and we followed the river passing some really cool properties. At Lake City, we went to the tourist office to see what there was to do. We started looking at some maps, and inquired about a trail we could bike without fear of being run over by the many Jeeps that use this area. We were on the other side of the San Juan mountain range now. Lucky for us the trails so far were absent of the ever-present ATV and jeep traffic that was now going to be prevalent on this side. The person at the desk gave us a pamphlet that described the different trails, and what would be allowed on them. We arrived at what appeared to be a bike trail to an alpine lake. Krisiti inquired an older couple as to whether this trail was actually bikable. They said they allow bikes on the trail, but it was not bikable. Oh well, we would just hike it. The trail started a half mile from the parking lot. It was not recommended to drive to the actual trail head, through the cemetery. The road was steep but we tried it. We failed. I had to back down after 2 tries. Oh, well. The rest of the trail was steep, as well. It gained about 3000 feet over 5 miles. We were tuckered out by the time we got to Crystal Lake. It was a nice lake, with a little island, and a decrepit old cabin with the roof falling in. Someone had left some fishing gear unattended, but we couldn't see anybody around. Just as we sat down to have a Cliff bar, we let the dogs off leash. Suddenly the dogs bolted after a squirrel, then YELP! I saw Max recoil. I thought he either got shot or... that low lying branch has fir on it. It was an awfully pointed branch. I grabbed Max and looked. There was a 4x4" gash in the size of an "L." It had torn his skin and we could see the underlying fat. There were no other puncture holes into his abdomen. Phew. He would definitely need stitches. Luckily I brought a first aid kit, and a handkerchief. We bandaged him up and tied the handkerchief around him. Time to get back to town. Max trooped all the way back on the trail, with out so much of as a whimper. Back at Lake City I went into a restaurant looking for a phone book and a Vet. There was no vet. Just a clinic, and the doctor went home already. The closest vet was in Gunnison (Gunny). I called the clinic that the restaurant manager recommended, she used to be a Vet Tech. The on call doc called me back, and having described the injury, suggested we wait until 8 the next morning to bring him in. We thought that since it was about an hour away we would try to get half-way. At least we knew a good camping spot. We returned to the same place from the night before.

Colorado Vacation - Silverton

2007-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

The next day was also sunny and beautiful. We slept in a little and ate breakfast in camp. We then got on our bikes and decided to tour downtown Silverton. This time I brought my camera. There were cool buildings and train implements all around. There was even one house that was both. We went into some shops and tried on some gear clothing, but didn't buy anything. We then went grocery shopping, and filled up the gas tank. The RV park owner recommended that we go to the local BBQ place, and that we would get 10 percent off. We did for lunch. The BBQ was okay, it wasn't as good as the place we went the night before. I don't think the meat was smoked long enough. They had really good pickled jalapeno peppers though. Anyway, we were ready to get on the road again. We drove over the pass headed to Ouray. The surrounding mountains were stained red and yellow from the mine tailings all around. We passed a number of mining areas. The road had plenty of pull-outs with interpretive signs about all the mining that was being done, and what environmental restoration the companies are having to do. The damage is done, though. The river that runs there is dead from all the metals that is washed into it. I could go off on my leftist soap box now but I digress. We normally like to go to hot pools, but the one in Ouray was public, and not free. Since we aren't big shoppers we decided to pass through Ouray, even though it was a really cute town. As we were going down the mountain we realized that it was starting to get hotter and drier. We stopped at a train museum and decided we wanted to get back to the mountains. We decided to loop around and see the other side of the San Juan mountain range. We were headed to Lake City. We passed a giant reservoir outside of Gunnison, and arrived at some public land 20 miles away. I always find it amazing the way Kristi can find a free camping spot. She must have some kind of radar. She can spot a forest service road from 100 ft at 30 mph. As a general rule, since we have a camper van, we prefer to camp in more secluded areas. It's not just that were cheap. Well, we are cheap, but that's not the only reason. We like to take the road less traveled. We like the solitude. We dislike generators, yee-haws and kids. All good reasons to not camp in designated campgrounds. The interesting thing is that there is usually free camping right after a fee campground. If you have patience and a hawk for a co-pilot you're good to go. This particular spot before Lake City was one of those spots. We passed a road, turned around and discovered a small fee campground near the river. We passed the campground, and went over the river. A few bumps later we came upon a campsite. This site would be our home for the few nights to come, little did we know.

Colorado Vacation- Colorado Trail- Day 3

2007-08-27T17:15:00.001-07:00

We woke up late the next morning, and leisurely made breakfast. We drank a few extra cups of coffee, with our neat coffee press that fits inside a Nalgene bottle. Since we only had to hike 8 miles that day we just hung out at the campsite. The weather was nice, the view spectacular. A little creek dribbled by. The dogs were entertained by ground squirrels. We didn't want to leave. Food was running low, and we were out of dog food too, although they would have loved squirrel fricassee. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. Slowly packing, we bid farewell to our base camp. We hiked to the train crossing again, calves sore from the previous 12 mile day. It was lunch time, and starting to rain. Just as we got grumpy about having to eat lunch in the pouring rain, we discovered a huge spruce tree. It made a perfect shelter. We watched the train pass by again, with the little chase cars behind (I'll fill you in later). The camping party with the horses passed by. Now for the 4 mile climb up the switchbacks. We didn't count the switchbacks this time. We did pass by some campers with a 2 way radio. They had two parties of parading ponchos. Must have been a sale on ponchos. It never quit raining. It was pouring buckets by the time we got to the van. We were ready to get dry by this time. Off to Silverton. As were were driving down the hill we could see a campground. That's where we would be headed. As we pulled in, the sign said no vacancy. Kristi went inside, and no one came to help her. We left, and pulled around the corner to find 3 more campgrounds. We chose the farthest one away. It was the emptiest. I went to the mobile home office and inquired within. They were practically empty and I chose a spot with a great view, and no campers blocking it. They had a jacuzzi, showers, and a sauna. And the sun came out. With our site secured, we drove to the brewery to get dinner. It was closed. So we went next door. They had a nicer place than the brewery, it looked like an old time bar. I ordered an interesting looking taco. It had home smoked pork, smoked on the premises by the proprietor, using apple wood. It was so yummy. We returned to our site, with beer in hand. We laid out our gear to dry, showered and relaxed in the jacuzzi, then dried off in the sauna. Then we snoozed.

Colorado Vacation - Colorado Trail- Day 2

2007-08-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

We woke up the next morning not too sore. We ate oatmeal for breakfast and prepared our day-packs and dog's saddle bags, ready to leave Extreme Base Camp and push for the Summit. The rain had lightened to a faint mist as we left camp. As we were passing our neighbours camp, Kristi asked how their night had been. He muttered some expletives ranting about how he and his wife had to be camping through the worst thunderstorm all year, and couldn't get any sleep. I don't think Kristi knew how to respond to his rants, all she could have said was "earplugs." For fear of any repercussions she just continued smiling. The first couple of miles were really relaxing. The soft forest floor padded the sound of our footsteps. We passed a camp, and had to grab the dogs so they wouldn't spook their horses. After we passed over a couple of creeks, we heard the pounding of water. We followed the sound and came upon a beautiful waterfall. At the waterfall we took some pics and discovered a really pretty flower. I will have to look up what kind it was. Soon the trail became steep and passed through more talus and glacial remains. After the recent rains the canyon was now cascading with little waterfalls all around. Soon we met up with more Boy Scouts at a deep creek crossing. They had their boots off and were trying to wade through. Kristi and I didn't pause and trudged right through, hoping our Gore-Tex boots would live up to their name. For the most part they did. The trail squeezed through a notch dripping with seep springs, then came to an old mining camp. An old cabin sat dilapidated with wall boards strewn about. Since it was above the treeline some campers tried to use the boards for campfires. With out adequate kindling it would be tough to get it going. Judging from the number of unconsumed boards burnt on one end laying around they weren't entirely successful. Luckily we arrived at the cabin before the Boy Scouts did. I was able to get some great pics. After leaving the cabin the trail continued along the now dwindling Elk Creek. The trail then took a turn straight up. Then another turn. It continued to switch back about 30 times. We actually counted. There was some debate where we were counting from, however. Either the corner, or the entire tier. Since Kristi was the one keeping count, she decided to count the corners. Eventually Elk Creek disappeared into the mountain. Talk about headwaters. The trail continued to switch back all the way to the top. I always love coming to the top of mountain passes. The anticipation of what awaits is always worth the climb. Sure enough there was no disappointment. There were a couple more cabins down a thousand feet on the other side. The sun was out and we were surrounded by hills of wild flowers and snowy mountain peaks. Time to collapse and eat lunch. I think I heard Kristi snoring. She was feeling a little light headed. We were right up there at 13,000 ft with the 14,000 peaks surrounding us. Clouds swirling around, and distant rumbles of thunder. At the top we had some choices to make. There were trails going off in many different directions. The guide book steered us toward a couple of high altitude lakes. After some more climbing we reached a ridge, then followed it past Lake El Dorado. The trail kept going along the continental divide, so since it wasn't raining we thought we had better look to see what was around the corner. Another mile or so and we reached what seemed the end of the world. With clouds below us swirling around we were awe stricken. We spent two hours exploring the various trails, careful not to loose too much elevation. Alas, it was getting late and the clouds were closing in. As we started to leave the Boy Scouts were just arriving. They remarked that we were like a couple of jack rabbits for having gotten up there so fast. It makes a huge difference if you don't have an extra 40 lbs on your back. We were actually thinking how hard it would have been to summit with our packs, not to mention not having any shelter away from the thunderstorms. The decent back to base camp seemed to take forever, and the adrenaline faded fast. Our feet were pounding by the time we got to camp, and I could feel my blood sugar level falling. We quickly made an Indian Tofu dish, with fresh vegetables and wolfed it down. Bellies full, we crawled into bed. Then it started raining again. It was a replay from the night before. The dogs curled up at our feet and we slept.

Colorado Vacation- Colorado Trail-Day 1

2007-08-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is the epic part of the trip. This next post is what Krisiti and I live for. We got up not extrordinarily early, and it was already raining. We had breakfast, which consisted of left overs from dinner the night before and the remaining hard-boiled eggs we still had. We drove up the short rough road to the trail-head parking, then locked up the Bus. It was still raining, but shortly after we started hiking the sun came out, and we started a game of hide and seek. This game consisted of not only rain and the sun hiding but a constant rotation of clothing trying to keep up with the moisture and temperatures. We passed a couple of lite hikers and exchanged iteneraries. They appeared to have spent the night in thier clothes and ate grubs or something. They each had a small day pack and crocs. I could see no sleeping bag, tent, or food per se. I personally would like to pack some comforts, even if it takes longer to get to a destination. They were bushed, and still had to hike to Silverton. They were considering hitch-hiking the rest of the way. We told them where we were headed, and they grunted a little and said "big climb." We parted ways and continued down the trail. The sun came out to display beautiful wild flowers, then hid again behind rain clouds. After about a mile the trail came to a deep canyon. We could see the Animas river below backed by tall 14k peaks surrounded by swirling rain clouds. Every so often we could catch a glimpse of the Durango-Silverton railroad tracks as it paralleled the river. The rush of the surrounding cascading water falls permiated the still forest. It was the relaxing soundtrack as we zig-zagged on the innumerable switchbacks 4 miles to the bottom. Just as we reached the canyon floor we heard a whistle. It was the Durango-Silverton train. We rushed across the bridge over the raging Animas. It was the same bridge the forest service built in the 70s for hikers. Story goes, it was built in response to a backpacker who drowned trying to cross. Krisiti and I agreed that neither of us would have wanted to cross that river, no matter what the conditions. We could see the plume of black smoke progressing closer, then the chug a chuga, and around the bend we could see the head- light shining brightly. I quickly got out the camera and shot as many pics I could get. We waved at the passengers who looked at us like we were interesting wildlife. Then it was gone. Black smoke and the smell of burnt coal still lingering in the air. Cool stuff. From here on it would be up hill the rest of the way to camp. We moseyed up the trail a piece more and came upon some Boy Scouts who were determined to get to an old mining camp just below the pass. They were impressed with the dog's saddlebags and were even more impressed that they were carying the wine. Again I reiterate the necessity of the simple comforts in life, especially if I don't have to carry them. We stopped at a nice rest stop next to Elk Creek, a tributary of the Animas, for lunch. The trail will now parrallel Elk Creek up to the contintental divide topping off at about 11,480 feet. The trail follows the along the canyon passing talus slopes and glacial boulders, as Elk Creek rushes below. At times the trail becomes steep in all directions, not forgiving any mis-steps. According to the trail guide there would be a few level campsites below the treeline. One such place was located just below a boulder field, and on the other side of some beaver ponds. After some wet rock-hopping with backpacks we came upon a camp that was left by mountain climbers who used it as a base camp for some nearby peaks. Protected by trees somewhat, we arrived and sat in the rain shadow of the bigger trees, admiring the view of the near-by peaks. The large can opener looking rock formations were creatively named peak one and peak two. Anyway we arrived about 4 pm and leisurely set up the tent, started a fire, and cooked dinner. We had packed in some Mahi, and seared it in a wasabi-teriyaki sauce. Yum. The dogs suddenly started barking, and looking around a hill I noticed we had neighbors in the less desirable camsite next to ours. A couple of other campers just arrived. We dried out our wet pants and socks, ate some smores and went to bed shortly after sunset. Then it rained. And rained. And rained. And rained. Oh did I mention it rained. Yes until 6 am it rained. Fortunately, I had brought some other creature comforts for occasions just like these. No not an instant hotel room, ear plugs. Something you wouldn't think you would need when you are away from traffic, train horns and children. Well, when large rain drops are pummeling the tent for 10 hours you can see how hard it would be to sleep. That was the problem our neighbours had. I don't think ear plugs made it to thier list.

Colorado Vacation- Hermosa Creek & Molas Pass

2007-08-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

We awoke the next morning and were surprised to find that we had camped approximately across the road from a free campground, and Hermosa creek. You know that trail they told us about along with the brewery. There is always something you miss by not going around the next corner. Live & learn. We decided to hike the trail, since we didn't know the conditions and since it had been raining every day off and on. The trail was beautiful & perfect. We spoke to some riders, and it turns out there would be a race the next day. But by the time we had finished hiking it was time for lunch and a big rain storm. Since we couldn't try the trail on bikes now, we thought it would be a good time to drive to the Colorado Trail to go on our planned backpacking trip. The Colorado trail intersects with the road to Silverton. You can follow the continental divide trail or the Colorado trail from the mountain pass before Silverton called Molas Pass. We had a trail guide, which described a free camping area near the trail, but it was closed for construction. We continued down the road to a campground next to a little lake just below the pass. Molas Lake was a beautiful campground, with fishing and fantastic views. The campground itself was rustic and $16. It served us well for a staging area. We used the rest of the evening to cook dinner & pack our backpacks. We calculated logistics, tested the weight of the packs, and prepared the dog's saddle bags. The pass itself is almost 11,000 ft in elevation (10,910), gasp. The trail would be going down to the Animas river & back up again on the other side to the continental divide. We would have to prepare for rain and who knows what. We went through our things and jettisoned all but the essentials. We still felt heavy, since we packed regular food instead of backpacking food, but at least we would eat well. The bear canisters also added extra poundage, but, after all we didn't pack our the food up there for the bears. According to the trail guide there would few camping spots where we could have fires, or even fire wood. The logistics included having to plan where we could camp below tree line and still have a fire, in case we had to dry out from a rainstorm. We polished off the vegetables and other things that would perish in the three days on the trail then faded off to sleep anxious and curious about the wild unknown awaiting for us the next three days.

Colorado Vacation -Durango

2007-08-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

We arrived at historic Durango. Some people say that it is the Colorado version of Flagstaff. I agree, but maybe cooler. The first thing we did was go grocery shopping at the City Market. We then walked around Durango to check it out. We went into a couple of sports stores to get a hydration bag and a stuff sack, since I accidentally left mine at home. One of the bike stores mentioned a trail called Hermosa creek, but since we didn't know where it was we didn't get much info on it. We did get the low down on a good place to eat. This place called Carvers Brewery had really good natural food. I had fish tacos, and Kristi had a fish salad. It was better than it sounds. We did some more walking around and came across a Theatre. We are always interested in what other theatres are doing. We read an article posted outside that this particular Melodrama Theatre was performing its last season in its location at the historic hotel. Apparently the owner of the hotel was not including the theatre in its future plans, after 48 years. Typical. We bought tickets for the evening performance. Now that we had plans to go the theatre we were in desperate need of a shower. Fortunately, there was a campground in close proximity. We showered then went for a walk along the Animas River and watched the rafters and kayakers. The kayakers were impressive. They were practicing rolling over, not just sideways, but were actually diving forward into the wave catching the front of the kayak. This would roll them into a frontward roll. Cool stuff. We thought about going on a quick river trip, but decided it would be on another visit. We ate again at the brewery, then walked to the Theatre. The play was an Irish melodrama, full of love triangles, and deceit. After the melodrama, the actors performed skits in the vaudevillian style but with contemporary themes. We enjoyed the theatre thoroughly and thought the melodrama was a nice change of pace. We especially enjoyed the vaudeville acts at the end. Fun stuff, and the place was almost sold-out. At pre-show and intermission the actors sold drinks and snacks, even delivered them to small tables we were sitting at. It appeared that the theatre was doing well, and that a cash cow like that would be able to perpetuate. I guess it's all in the location. I like to think that much like a frog is a bio-indicator of how stable an environment is, theatre is a bio-indicator for the arts. If a community is doing well, it's Theatre arts are also going to do well. Unfortunately just as the frog is disappearing, so is Theatre. We are in a sad state of affairs in this world. To what end ...? The evening came to a close and we again found ourselves looking to the side of the road for National Forest access. We found one in between Durango and Silverton and hastily pulled onto a somewhat level spot. We went to sleep immediately.

Colorado Vacation -Mancos

2007-08-21T09:58:00.001-07:00

That evening we left Mesa Verde and headed toward Durango. It was getting late and we just wanted a camping spot in the National Forest. As we passed through Mancos, a little town at the side of the road, we found a road with access to the forest, and we went down it. We found a nice little spot in a clearing surrounded by aspens. The next morning we had a hankering for some bike riding. We got out the bike riding map, and sure enough we were just minutes away from a route described on the map. We re-parked the VW and set off on a route on forest service roads. The route went up to a fire tower named Jersey Jim, then continued down in a loop for 22 miles. I misread a sign and we ended up going 4 more miles than necessary. Max was so tired he pooped out 1 mile from the end, and sat down. I had to run and get the van to rescue our tired pups. We then drove onward to a campsite we saw on our ride. Another site surrounded by aspens. Beautiful. The really neat part about the VW van is that it can stop and convert quickly in to a camper. We drive to a spot and check to see if it is level by looking at a bubble level on the stove. If there are any adjustments we usually can find a rock and put it under the tires. The top pops up, and the awning comes out. With the top up we have plenty of headroom to use the sink and stove to cook full-on meals. We usually eat better than when at home. We have a fridge that I converted from the old ammonia filled unit to a super compact heat sink (much like a computer heat sink but bigger) which I disassembled from a plug-in cooler that I bought from Sam's Club for $13. It is powered from a deep cycle auxiliary battery that can be charged from outside electricity, the solar panel or the alternator. It will cool stuff 20 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. With the extra room that we had when I removed the ammonia fridge condenser I had space enough for a 110v power inverter, a battery charger, and a book and magazine library. That night the dogs and Kristi went to bed early. I stayed up and watched a Star Trek on my computer, and browsed the images we had taken so far. Eventually I crawled up to the bunk to the tempurpedic mattress calling my name.

Colorado Vacation- Mesa Verde

2007-08-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

The house is far from being done, but with all the stress of plumbing and having the closet in the garage, we were in desperate need of a vacation. Since Colorado is beautiful and Kristi hasn't ever been there, we packed up the VW bus with two dogs (Jester went to grandmas) two bikes and two back packs and took off. We left late Tuesday night anxious to get as close to our destination as possible. We drove into Colorado and stopped just across the border at the Ute Indian reservation. Ignoring the signs warning against trespassers we slept on the first dirt road we came across, ready to skedaddle at first light. Our first stop the next morning was Mesa Verde National Park. It was really cool. We got there early, ate breakfast on the side of the road inside the park, and proceeded to the visitors center. Soon after we got in line to buy tickets to the larger cliff dwellings, the flood gates opened and a swarm of people began to inundate us. Within about 5 minutes there were people out the door and around the corner waiting to buy tickets. We decided to buy tickets for the later tours, since we were already going to stay in the area that evening. While waiting for the later tours to start we started at the ruins that were free. We hiked a short distance and came to a deep canyon with a whole cliff dwelling village at the bottom. Surrounding the canyon was an arid mesa, but with in the canyon seep springs dripped from the walls creating a virtual garden of Eden. The Spruce ruins, so named from the giant Spruce trees growing from the canyon floor, was surrounded by scrub oak and plants that served as medicine among other things. The air was surprisingly cool, and water abundant enough to support a tiny village. The ancient Puebloan culture that lived there (sometimes referred to as Anasazi) farmed on top of the mesas and transported their crops to the dwellings and the holy people who lived there. At first the dwellings were used as habitations, but as the culture progressed and their beliefs strengthened the dwellings began to serve as places of worship and food storage, rather than just shelter. Deep underground arenas were fashioned, called kivas. These kivas were about 8-10 feet deep and covered over with a weaving of cedar logs for a roof. The people would enter through a hole in the roof and down a ladder. At the bottom one would find a circular room with a fire pit in the middle. On shelves around the walls there would be sacred items used in their private ceremonies. To keep from asphyxiation there were air tubes allowing outside air inside. Traditionally one would think to build a fire in it's own air tube, thus drawing air from the surrounding room and exhausting the smoke up the chimney. In the ancient Puebloan culture it was the other way around. Air was drawn down the chimney and around a monolithic looking rock upright in between the fire pit and the air tube. This monolithic rock served as a buffer to keep the fire from being blown around. Along-side the fire pit was a smaller hole. This hole served no purpose except that it was a representation of the Kiva and the beliefs that the origins of man came from such a hole. This made the hole sacred, and taboo if one stepped in or on it. One wonders why the entrance to the kiva was also the chimney, causing those who enter or exit to do so through the smoke. Legend has it, that young boys who climbed the ladder were blessed by the smoke as it swirled around them. It must have also has some additional significance intertwined in thier beliefs. Notice the similarities between the ancient Puebloan ruins and the modern ruins of my house.

House Renovations

2007-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Early this summer I decided that the floor of my house was too far gone from termite and rot damage to repair it from underneath. Even after digging access tunnels, the floor beams were impossible to manuver in the cramped space. Kristi and I started tearing up the floor in the master bedroom. We discovered some pretty gross stuff. Roots were growing up through the floor and into the walls. We continued to to tear up and replace the guest bedroom, living room and dining room. Things went pretty quickly and smoothly, as opposed to the crawl space excavations. Then Krisiti went to LA for a dance conference. I was left tearing up the kitchen and bathroom floors. This is where the can of worms gets opened. It was obvious that the plumbing was about to have a major catastrophic failure. Fortunately for me, my dad was there with his expertise. While I tore out kitchen and bathroom floors and replaced the beams, he roughed out the plumbing. A few leaks later, and after tearing out 2 doors and one wall, we had a tub-shower and toilet again. I noticed only after the kitchen was reinstalled that the drain pipe was a goner, so I had to replace it from the crawlspace. Oh, we didn't have just worms we had a salamander too. Don't worry, I relocated him to the garden.

Gina Rest in Peace

2007-07-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Well she was sick. She has been sick for a couple of months. We noticed after our backpacking trip to Fossil Creek that she had been lethargic. We took her in to the vet for fleas, and they gave her some tests. Cancer. They gave her a month. A month later she got a bad infection on her leg that wasn' t healing. Friday the 13th was the day a piece of my heart died. She was the best dog. She never left my side. She would always be looking out for everybody to make sure we were all together during our hikes. Now she will be the first to look out for us as we cross over to the other side. We'll miss you Gina. I'll always remember your bright eyes, and wagging tail. We love you!

Go VW !

2007-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here is Kristi's VW. We had pulled off the road in the Redwoods last year and caught some one taking this same picture of our van (with thier camera). So we figured we would take this picture with our camera. It turned out to be a nice shot.

Welcome

2007-05-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

Welcome to my blog. I will be using this as a medium to convey anything from my feelings to my adventures. It will be as much a photo journal as soap box. If it does anything it will provide a message. It will be a message of conservation and a message of living and loving life. I hope it will inspire those who read it to go out there, plan it and live it. I also hope that it will motivate people to think critically how our actions and habits effect the planet. If not, at least enjoy some of my awsome pictures.

Here is a photo of Kristi (my girlfriend and companion) and my feet at Duck lake in the Sierra Nevadas. We loved it there, but we froze our butts off the next morning....