Whoop, whoop, we onto numero cuatro, people! Sitting in a coffee shop in Cannon Beach, Oregon and fully embracing the mobile workplace today. I just spent an awesome weekend with dad and sister introducing them to the addicting struggle that is surfing. Finishing up computer life in a few and going to flounder a bit on my own.
Before that though, I'm floating on this Theophilus-esque track by Thurz titled, "High Castles". Enjoy, ladies and gents.
This past winter was a busy one—a series of plane tickets, layovers, and adventures all sponsored by the word 'yes'. One of those adventures brought me to Haines, Alaska for a big mountain skiing competition. With weather windows slim, we had many days to explore the natural beauty of the area, and a solid excuse to immerse ourselves in the wilds of that crazy place.
In addition to being surrounded by mountains, luminescent fjords, and the largest bald eagle preserve in the country (think as many bald eagles as seagulls at a beach), we got to hop in a plane with local flyboy Drake—a former race car driver and 20-year pilot in the area—and get up above these geologic giants. Drake is the same pilot that helped fly Jeremy Jones into his many missions in the Chugach Range, so that was a pretty cool little bonus.
I'm assuming part of what made Drake such a great pilot was his open communication with the ground, but I have to say it's a bit unnerving flying in a tiny Cub as the wind treats you like its play thing and having your pilot say, "Whoa, this is a lot sportier than I thought, we probably shouldn't be in here." Regardless, in between clenching the seat in front of me, I managed to get a few decent photos of an area that really couldn't yield a bad photograph.
Ok, enough talky, more showy. I met a lot of great people up in Alaska, competitors and locals alike, but it was the landscapes that really blew me away. Here is a little gallery about what we were working with in Haines, including an opening photo of the view from our motel at sunrise. Hope the skip from black and white to color isn't too jarring, there are just some things that belong in color.
Oh dang, it's Monday! Let's roll into the week on high with a little ditty from upbeat pop-kids Freedom Fry. Go get it people.
“21” was recorded with the help of the audiences we had during the first three nights of our residency at The Echo in LA. The first night they provided the handclaps, the next the group vocals, and for the grand finale they gave us the most stretched out scream we’ve ever heard. If you like what you hear be sure to follow us on Soundcloud and our other sites for new music updates: Facebook: www.facebook.com/freedomfrymusic Twitter: www.twitter.com/freedomfrymusic Instagram: @freedomfrymusic Official Site: www.freedomfrymusic.com Sign up for our mailing list: hyperurl.co/bnr7e8
Already messed this up, but dang was I confused when Tuesday rolled around after the long weekend. Turns out too much fun translates into slacky blogging. That being said, I wasn't going to leave you tuneless, so here's my top track of the week from Panama. It's called How We Feel.
It's been almost three years of tramping around the saturated mountains, rivers, and coastline of the Pacific Northwest and I still feel like I'm on my honeymoon. Everyday I'm outside of the city limits I find something new to pique the interest and point a camera at. I haven't been too on-the-ball with the latter, but hoping to change that this summer.
This Memorial Day Weekend, I finally checked Lake Serene off the growing to-do list. Situated in the Stevens Pass area just below the imposing cliffs of Mt. Index, Lake Serene is breathtakingly gorgeous—that is unless it's covered in fog like it was Monday. Regardless, the hike was awesome, and there's just something so wild and untamed about a misty forest.
Below are a few shots from the excursion. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do a gallery on this page, so let me know what you think.
The next few weeks are going to be dedicated to making this blog a true extension of myself rather than just a random hodgepodge. Expect some consistency here, folks.
Along with writing and snapping a pic or two, music is a big part of that 'self extension', so I figure I might as well start sharing a song every week. To kick things off, I'm all about the Wales track, "Lose My Mind" these days—an echo-ey track that has my mind wandering to empty beach breaks and evergreen highways. I think my mind is officially in summer mode.
Anyways, check in, say hi, and stay awhile.
Pretty excited to start working with Roads and Kingdoms, an awesome online travel magazine with some really unique voices. Heck, they even let me write about bar rabbits and weird drinking stories in Cuba. Can't beat that!
Havana, Cuba 2013
Sometimes it's amazing where "one step in front of the other" will get you.
Yes, this is a shameles plug—but a plug I'm pretty damn proud of. Almost a year ago I jumped in a car with a bunch of urban skiers in Montreal that made its meandered its way to Minneapolis over two weeks. The experience was as exciting as it was exhausting and putting that all on paper was one of the toughest assignments I'd ever tackled.
Fast forward a year, and I finally get to see my first feature in print. It's amazing how all of the struggles that went into the piece fade to background noise when you get the paper into your hand. Feeling pretty thankful right now.
The frequent flyer miles have been racking up, and with them, a distinct lack of attention to this blog. In an attempt to get this ship righted, I’m going to try and put some posts and photos together from a recent trip to Japan with 5 awesome compadres. Here goes.
Looking at a plane ticket across the Pacific Ocean is a daunting task. With prices falling in the two to three months of rent range, the lingering insecurities mounted every refresh of the web page. But we did it, we pulled the trigger, and let the chips fall where they may. Luckily for us, those chips fell into deep, endless pow in one of the most beautiful winter locales on Earth, Hokkaido.
This post won’t dive into details, but I wanted to leave everyone with this image. Of all the beautiful photos we were able to snap in Japan, this one resonated with me as a skier. It’s simple. This kid gets it—full steam ahead and totally immersed in a world of snow, speed, adrenaline, and laughter that so many of us are addicted to six months out of the year. If nothing has ever made you feel this way, I urge you to find the something that does. Welcome aboard the Send Train.
Today has been a historic day. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have come together to announce an easement on the 50+ year embargo that has all but stifled the relationship between the neighboring nations. It is a major step in a path that could very well lead to the end of the stalemate that has caused suffering for so many, and while political parties have already started mounting their verbal attacks on Obama's move, I can't help but think of how it affects the many Cuban friends that made my two stays in Havana such an unbelievable experience.
My thoughts wander to Yessica, my patient dance partner that talked of visiting Italy if she could ever afford a travel visa, to Laura and her family, who wholeheartedly adopted our entire class into their loud, chaotic, and laughter-filled circle, and to Ruben, a skater that, without a steady stream of supplies from the U.S., kept his board rolling on a steady diet of spliced wire and bumper stickers.
These are the people that will finally benefit from an announcement like today's. Sure, maybe a few more people will get Cuban cigars in their stockings, and maybe it will be easier to plan a trip to the island (a trip I highly recommend to all of my travel friends), but it also means a new chapter for so many that have made things work in next-to-impossible conditions for far too long.
The above photo is perhaps my favorite in the whole world. It was taken by my friend Delia and it shows Ruben (green shirt), his skate friend Roberto, and me going through photos during a skate session on the Prada in Havana. The mutual joy and respect in the photo, them for my shot and me for the opportunity to hang with such an inspiring group of guys, is so locked into this moment. It's one of those shots that brings you back no matter where you're at in life. When I think about Cuba and everything that is going on, I think back on this day, and these people.
There is still much to be done on both sides to make this a truly sustainable relationship, but if this truly is the tipping point for an open Cuban border, I'm excited to see my friends again, and can't wait to repay the favor.
Me and heights....not so much. If I don't have skis on my feet, things get pretty dicey once I get a few dozen feet off the ground. Well, I faced that fear head on last weekend when I was visiting friends and family in Bend, Oregon.
Somewhere along the line my buddy Sam had gotten bored of climbing and decided to push his limits a bit further, jumping on the highlines above Smith Rock State Park. For those that aren't well-versed in obscure adrenaline sports, highlining is essentially slack lining but hundreds of feet above the ground with only a harness separating participants from a certain death plunge.
I wasn't really keen to join in on the action, but I did eventually scoot close enough to the edge of the cliffs to snap a couple pictures. It's good to feel small sometimes, and setting up highlines high above the park definitely had me feeling pretty tiny (see what I mean in the last photo, can you spot the highliner?). Maybe next time I'll tempt the wire...
(Like last time, click the image to see the gallery)
I'm still pretty green at this whole surfing thing, but my friend Nick and I decided to venture north across the border to seek out waves in Canadia a few weekends ago. We ended up on Vancouver Island along the beautifully wild coastline of Tofino. I snapped some shots of the journey (click the picture below to access gallery), but naturally I was having too much fun in the water to take any actual surfing pics—maybe next time.
I also snagged a copy of Coast Mountain Culture at the local surf shop and was particularly struck by this passage from Malcolm Johnson. The image of being battered by waves is one all surfers can relate to, but the words strike a metaphorical tune that can resonate with all of us.
Forcing your way through the sets is futile…Find a friendly current and let it carry you. Relax when the sets sweep over your body. Be as yielding as water is. Think too much and you’ll be wrenched backwards. Take your deep breaths, dive under the incoming waves and let the remnants of the river bear you outward. Newer surfers…would blindly charge out into the maelstrom, only to get batted back every time; the older ones, wiser through observation and experience, put themselves in the correct places and let the water do the work….The surf zone, where the sweet meets the salt, tells us this: Any challenge, any confrontation, can be met with fluid grace. Move as if you were a thin stream that had begun in the mountains weeks before….The only way through is to flow.
Keep paddling, my friends.
To give a little perspective of our beach locale, Nick snapped this iPhone photo from the top of a nearby mountain. Pretty stunning.
