(Posted 25 September 06 by Zac)
Leaving Portland, the race was on. As it turns out, I had a doctor appointment early that afternoon. It was going to be close.
My only planned stop was to grab a quick lunch somewhere north of Eugene. A burrito and quesadilla later and I was ready to get back on the highway.
I hadn’t counted on spotting the extended thumb at the highway onramp.
Hmm… he looks like a typical Oregonian… nothing but a small bag, water bottle, and skateboard. His name was Noah, and he was looking for a lift down to the tiny town of Hugo.
Hop in.
As it turns out, he was about my age and actually knew a few people from my class at Ashland High. Small world, eh? We chatted about this and that on the drive down… it was kind of nice having company. After arriving in Hugo we swapped numbers and parted ways. In what seems to have become a trend on this trip, I offered up our couch in Santa Clara should he ever find himself down that way.
I made it to the doctor with three minutes to spare.
September 7 - Bellingham to Seattle to Portland
(Posted 24 September 06 by Zac)
En route from Bellingham to Portland I had a chance to stop in Seattle to grab lunch with my cousin Aaron, who I hadn’t seen in quite some time. I found his office building without much trouble (“the giant black building downtown”) and found a place to park. Aaron works for Amazon doing some kind of business stuff that I’d probably fail miserably at trying to explain… I know he basically manages a section of the online stores, coordinating things and such.
Anyway, we met up and ended up walking to grab lunch at a little Italian place. Great food. Downtown Seattle is an interesting place… just past the skyscrapers is the Pike Street Market, and a few blocks from that is the Space Needle and Experience Music Project (EMP). All great places to explore if you have the time (I didn’t).
After lunch I left for Nevin’s House in Portland. I stopped at Portland International Raceway on the drive down, but there was some motocross event happening instead of a race on the big track. I didn’t feel like paying the $5 gate fee so I just figured I’d leave it on the list of things to do next time.
The plan had been to stop briefly at Nevin’s house, say hi, grab my borrowed backpack, and bomb down to Ashland. Well, that didn’t happen. Five more hours of driving was more than I felt like, so we popped open a few beers and relaxed. We all went for a short walk, and I ended up taking a few pictures. I wish I’d brought my tripod… there were some cool photo opportunities. Andi (Galen’s girlfriend) and I played around taking pictures while Nevin and Galen enjoyed the night air. Refreshing. Once home, we put on some music and crashed out for the night.
Pictures:
Lucky shot…
September 1 – 7 - Bellingham
(Posted 24 September 06 by Zac)
Where do I even start?
Simply put, I want to live in Bellingham at some point. It reminds me of Ashland on a slightly larger scale. It retains that small-town charm/attitude/character and conveys a certain sense of security, while also possessing a few of the essentials that make cities so appealing. Unlike Ashland, you don’t have to drive half an hour to find a Fred Meyer.
Max shares the house with Chris, Ethan (who owns the house), and Ashton. Ethan and Chris are brothers and very old friends of Max and family. I actually got a chance to hang out with them for the first time in many years at the Cod Toss earlier in the year.
I started off my first day in Bellingham by driving down to the computer shop where the three of them work. Ethan is VP, Chris works in accounting, and Max does graphic design. Me? I started off as Head Stapler and was soon promoted to Assistant Graphic Designer. Neither job pays, but hey, it takes time to work up the corporate ladder.
The shop is located downtown so I got a few chances to walk around, poking my head into all variety of weird and eclectic shops and stores. The streets are filled with interesting characters and personas. As I said, it reminds me a bit of Ashland. Great places to eat too… we all went out to a thai place affectionately referred to as House of Jimmy (Jimmy is the owner, I believe). Oh, and a great little exotic beer shop.
Sunday night they threw a little get-together at the house. It was pretty cool getting to meet all of their friends. Lots of good people and friendly faces, with overtures of warm acceptance. While I can’t recall even half of the people I met, there are a few faces that I managed to file into my memory. I met Johnny Five and Heather Five, who were getting married a week or two later. I met Ian, who I’d previously only known in the digital realm. I met Melissa and Hippy Ryan, who I ended up hanging out with (more on that later). I wish I could remember everyone else (and I’m sure I could, given faces to match with names).
As it turns out, Melissa is also a climber. On Monday (or was it Tuesday?) Max, Melissa, Hippy Ryan, Melissa’s friend and I headed out to do some bouldering over by the water. Or perhaps I should say, over the water. After a bit of bouldering by the train tracks, we headed down to a nice little rock cove. High tide… interesting. We ended up doing a long traverse over the water, countless sea stars and aquatic life below us, waiting for us to join them. As it turned out, only Ryan and Melissa decided to depart from terra firma during our little climbing excursion. That was followed by the seemingly requisite cliff-jumping. Max and I took pictures and watched… that water looked way too cold for my spoiled California ass.
The next day Melissa, Hippy Ryan and I drove down to a climbing spot about forty minutes south of Bellingham. We tossed up a toprope on a 5.10C-ish route, just for kicks. I was out of shape and fell at the crux… big surprise, big fun. A bit later I led up a 5.8 to set up a toprope, which we took turns climbing. Melissa is a pretty strong climber, and a blast to chill with.
Climbing at crags was a pretty big change from the overwhelming monstrosity of Devil’s Tower. Polar difference in scale. Crags don’t have fifty foot runouts.
So I ended up staying in Bellingham for three days longer than I’d planned. And it wasn’t long enough. Max, Ethan, and Chris’s breathtaking hospitality was far beyond anything I could have anticipated. I’ll have to find more excuses to ascend I5 to Bellingham in the future. Hopefully they’ll find an opportunity to make the journey down south at some point… our doors are always open, and the kegs are always flowing.
Pictures:
Aquatic bouldering
Flying
Rope + sunglasses + Melissa with camera
Chris (via Max’s phone)
Ethan (via Max’s phone)
Train track bouldering (via Max’s phone)
It's not over...
(Posted 11 September 06 by Zac)
... I’ve just been really busy, I swear! I’m driving down to Santa Clara tomorrow, and I’ll definitely write the entries for Bellingham, Portland, and Ashland in the next couple days.
August 31 - Portland
(Posted 3 September 06 by Zac)
The day started off slow… nice and relaxing. Then, somehow, I got sucked into working on an art project of sorts with Nevin. Basically, we had to figure out how to apply sparkly stuff to plastic stuff.
A trip to the art store in search of plastic etching cream proved fruitless. More time experimenting and thinking deeply. I finally thought of using a combination of glue and die-cut vinyl stickers. We agreed that it should work. By this time it was too late to call a sticker shop, so Nevin was tasked with getting the stickers made by the time I come back down to Portland.
I really enjoy this kind of project, whatever it may be. You have a problem that requires a solution. Simple trial and error, thinking of and idea and seeing if it works. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Even though I have no real vested interest in this project, it’s fascinating enough that I was simply sucked into it. It’s like a multi-faceted crossword puzzle, or trying to build something crazy out of Legos. Trial and error. Experimentation. Fun.
Having finaly developed a viable solution, I left for Bellingham at around 8:40pm. Smooth sailing until, about 40 miles south of Bellingham, traffic stopped. It was one in the morning, and the highway was going from four lanes to one. It was walking pace (and slower) for several miles. Those several miles ended up taking several hours. Not cool. I tried engaging fellow motorists in conversation, but everyone was in their own little world. Some were pissed, others were tired. Everyone was pissed.
I finally found the house at around 2am with Tim’s guidance over the phone. That kid is always awake in the wee hours of the night (and morning). The house is located in a logistical clusterfuck of streets. Nothing makes sense. I pulled in, went upstairs, and crashed on the couch.
August 30 - Portland
(Posted 3 September 06 by Zac)
Today I got an opportunity to hang out with Chloe, an old highschool friend from Ashland. She’s been going to Lewis and Clark and seems to be enjoying it.
After finding the campus, which is only one exit down I5 from Nevin, we drove out to get a cup of coffee. Neither of us actually drink coffee… I guess the saying is becoming a societal cliche’ or something. She had chai, and I had a smoothie.
And we talked.
For hours we just sat in the coffee shop conversing, observing, playing. Good times. We swapped stories of all shapes and sizes. It was a blast.
Mutual spontaneity led us to dinner at a sushi-train place downtown. It’s like one of those sushi-boat places, but with a train. Quite good food, although I learned that sometimes trying an unusual looking plate can be a less than steller idea.
After dinner I drove her back and we parted ways. What a cool person. She’ll have to come down to Santa Clara one of these days.
Existential Rant
(Posted 1 September 06 by Zac)
As one might imagine, I’ve had plenty of time to think while out upon the open road. As I theorized before leaving on this trip, such occasions are pristene opportunities for rational introspection. Countless minutes to ponder and disect the intangibles of life.
The more I think of my education, my schooling, my academic college experience, the more I feel like it’s just a backup plan. Like becoming an engineer is what I’ll do if I can’t find something I truely enjoy. That’s not to say that I don’t believe I’d make a good engineer – I’m sure I’d be more than capable of handling whatever might be thrown at me – I just don’t want to spend my life sitting in a cube, wasting away my life under the dull shadow of flourescent lights.
On any reasonable timeline a human life is a dot. That’s all. Nothing more. It doesn’t span generations (obviously) or evolutionary leaps. Our lives are simply such a short departure from the alternative that I don’t believe we have enough time to fuck around. Every moment counts. I don’t want to look back on my life and remember all the things I wish I’d done. I don’t want to live in regret.
So what would I like to do? Everything. Nothing. I’d like to experience a variety of occupations, and live in a variety of places. I’d like to spend a year as a truck driver, and then spend a year living in South America. I’d like to be a fire-fighter, a climbing instructor, a struggling musician. I want to travel the country, write books, take pictures. Race cars and motorcycles. Teach. Ponder. Fly.
The problem is that jumping around from job to job, state to state, country to country has its drawbacks. No job security. No foundation. Slightly too chaotic. I need some kind of footing to fall back on, a reference point in life. So where do I go from here?
As I see it, the first step would be to establish a lifestyle substructure. Perhaps owning my own business, and building it up to the point where I could telecommute. Ideally something that I’d enjoy, something exciting and dynamic. Operating a track-day business comes to mind, but there are a plethora of ‘what-if’s’ and contingent factors. However, if ultimately viable and successful, that would be perfect.
Where I go from here is clearly up to me. I’ll finish my sentence at Santa Clara and probably get some entry-level engineering position to fill the time. Hopefully not for long. I don’t want to become a wage slave, a design zombie. I’ll need to take the initiative and work towards my ultimate goal, whatever that may be. Golden opportunities aren’t found, they’re forged with blood and sweat.
Today’s ramblings are the genesis of tomorrow’s actions. In the words of T.E. Lawrence, “The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.”
August 29 - Smith Rocks to Portland
(Posted 31 August 06 by Zac)
When I used to live in Ashland I’d head up to Smith Rocks at least once a year to climb. It’s not as awe-inspiring as the Sierra, but it was close and had an abundance of fun climbs. The two climbs that I really would have liked to do this trip were Wherever I May Roam (5.6ish, 5 pitches?) and Monkey Face. I didn’t get a chance to do either (no partner in crime) but Smith is close enough that I’m sure I’ll get another chance in the future. The last time I climbed Wherever I May Roam was the only time I thought to myself “Holy shit, I could die.” Long story, but suffice to say that it turned out fine.
Rather than climbing I just hung around the crags for a bit and took a few pictures. I wanted to get up to Portland at a reasonable hour, so after heading into town to find internet (hotels!) I hit the road. A largely uneventful drive, though several oblivious motorists were testing my patience. They’d cruise at 15mph under the speed limit, and floor it anytime a passing opportunity arose. Passing was very, very hard. The Toy is not a Ferrari.
I finally pulled into Portland in the evening and headed to Nevin’s house, where I crashed for the night. After a quick run to grab a Pita dinner (it was actually pretty good) we went back to his place and played with dry ice. Hilarity ensued. Let’s just leave it at that.
Pictures:
Smith Rocks (Monkey Face not visible)
August 28 - Craters of the Moon, Boise
(Posted 31 August 06 by Zac)
Craters of the Moon had a severe time constraint. I wanted to see as much as possible, but had to be in Boise by early afternoon. Solution? Walk into the visitor’s center.
“If you had three hours to explore the park, what would you see?”
I ended up going on a few short hikes, one of which afforded me the opportunity to walk through and explore an 800 foot long lava cave. Very cool. The ceiling of the cave had collapsed in several places so there was enough ambient light to explore without a headlamp. Of course that also left me wondering when the rest of the ceiling would collapse. Being buried under tons of hardened lava would have really screwed up my plans to be in Boise.
Brief exploration complete, I headed out to Boise, stopping in Twin Falls to check out the big bridge. Even though people BASE jump off it, the bridge was not quite as cool as I’d been hoping. A few hours later I was in Boise, where I met up with Liz.
Last summer myself, Tim, Liz, and Jess were inseparable. We hung out almost every day (night?) and had a blast. The kids of summer, the few, the proud, the enthusiastic. Summer nights spent chillin’ on the porch, beer in one hand, pet pigeon nearby. Fast forward a bit. Jess transfers to CU. Liz undergoes some very bogus unpleasantness with the school and moves back to Boise. I’m glad I was able to see both of them again on this trip.
En route to Bend I encountered some crazy weather. The sky was filled with all sorts of colors that I’d never be able to properly see or communicate. But it was amazing. Lightning flashed all around me. About a mile off to the left there was a 150 foot tall wall of flames… another forest fire, likely caused by the storm. The sky looked like fire.
As I’d originally intended, I ended up sleeping at Skull Hollow just outside Smith Rocks. Skull Hollow is a top-secret campground, generally only used by climbers. It’s hard to find (I turned down the wrong road twice) but worth the effort. Skull Hollow is also the only National Forest campground I know of that’s free. The price is right, as they say.
Pictures:
Entrance to 800 foot lava cave
Bad self portrait in cave
B e a u t i f u l
August 27 - Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Craters of the Moon
(Posted 31 August 06 by Zac)
Working on a truncated schedule, the plan for today was to see the other half of Yellowstone, drive down to the Grand Teton area, check out everything that looked cool, stop in Jackson, and drive to Craters of the Moon in mid-Idaho.
Mission accomplished.
I drove down the east side of Yellowstone, stopping to check out the upper and lower falls. I followed Uncle Tom’s trail down into Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon to get a better view of the lower falls. Uncle Tom must have been pretty burly – the trail goes down 328 metal steps, hanging off the side of the canyon. This would be a Bad Place to fall. The falls were pretty much amazing. There’s a spectacular rainbow rising from the base of the falls into the canyon. Beautiful.
Driving south from the falls I got stuck in a bison jam. No, I’m not talking about a meat-flavored spread to put on toast. There was a single, solitary bison, walking down the middle of our lane. For half a mile. He didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry, and made a concerted effort to prevent any of the vehicles behind him from passing. I’m reasonably sure that he was laughing deep under that gnarly fur. The RV contingent was pissed.
The Tetons rise out of the surrounding fields and grasslands like skyscrapers out of the Sahara. Their sheer size is overwhelming, impossible to miss. The Grand Teton stands proud and prominent in the center, demanding respect from all surrounding summits. I want to climb it. Someday it will happen, oh yes, it will.
I stopped in Jackson briefly with a very important mission. I had to find the local brewery, chat with the brewers, and buy some beer. Mission accomplished. I walked away with half racks of stout and lager, and a boardgame called Brew-opoly. I couldn’t make this up if I tried. The game has not yet been tested, but the beer has. The lager is quite good… one of the better lagers I’ve had. The stout was also tasty, with a good character. A bit different from most stouts, I suppose.
Back on the road. After driving up and over the Tetons, I headed west through Idaho, eventually pulling into the campsite at Craters of the Moon. Only $10/night, and a nice campground. Reminded me of the campsite at Arches, except in a lava field. Beautiful sky, full of stars.
Pictures:
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Lower Falls (amazing/crazy rainbow not visible)
Bison jam
Grand Tetons!
Idaho has BIG potatoes
