The Mountain Season has Started!
Spent this past Sunday shredding Mt. Hood Meadows with Cynthia and Csaba. It was my third time out this season and a perfect day for cruising the groomers. It was also Demo Day with great toys to try out and not a lot of people on the Mountain to compete for sweet gear.
I opted out of riding a new board since I LOVE my newest toy; the Jones Flagship 168w. It holds an edge better than any board I’ve ridden and is very stable ripping down the mountain in all kinds of condition. I’m looking forward to a great season. Let me know if your heading up over any weekend. Chances are that I’ll be up there too!
Another Great Apple Picking Autumn Day
Saturday was our eleventh annual picking and pie baking adventure. We returned again to Kiyokawa Family Orchards to find ripe Jonagolds, Honeycrisp, Elstar, Granny Smith and many more varieties ready for the picking. After bagging just the right mix we returned to Riverdell to bake and enjoy six wonderful pies. Thanks to all who joined in the adventure and pitched in to peel, core, slice, mix, roll and bake. Looking forward to seeing you all again next year.
The Triple Crown of NW Relay Running
If you asked me a two years ago if I would consider myself passionate about running I would have laughed and respond with stories about my passions for cycling, skiing, boarding, fishing, eating and most of all having adventures with friends. So it is pretty startling to say now that I have run three relays this summer.
A Cross Country Relay is a team of 12 people running in sequence for about 200 mile with 6 people in 2 van running 3 segments of 3-7 mile per leg over 36 legs.
It all started in late December 2009 with Josh asking me to join his Cascade Lakes relay guys team, “The Bast Fastards” for the July 2010 run. I had never run more than 3-4 miles prior to that did not consider myself a runner but I trained . I was ready in July and ran my legs three legs of 7, 5, 3.1 miles with no injury and no walking. It was a very rewarding experience and I was psyched to do it again the following year. I wrote a post about it last year.
For 2011 The Bast Fastards decided to get together again but for a different relay. We selected the Ragnar which runs 190 miles from Blaine, WA (at the Canadian Boarder) to Whidbey Island, WA (near Seattle) on July 22nd (288 teams). I was runner 4 (5.4, 4.1 & 2.9). We stated at 9:00AM finished in 25:35:25. Check out the photos.
- Highlights: Was able to watch sun rise and sun set. Amazing view of the Washington coast. Lots of small towns so easy to get food/drink/cell coverage/gas. Cheep beer at end. Great signage with “1 mile to go” near the end of each leg. Friendly volunteers and staff. Sweet iPhone app that syncs between vans and estimates handoff times. Plenty of space to pull over and support your runner. Showers after third handoff.
- Challengs: traffic lights and a few trains cause runner to wait
As we were planning for Ragnar a few of us remembered how exciting the Cascade Lakes Relay was and wanted to do it again. I was up for it and my lovely wife was happy to volunteer. The Cascade Lake Relay (160 teams) was on Aug 5th and ran 216.6 miles from Diamond Lake to Bend, Oregon. I was runner 8 (3.9, 3.1 & 4.0). We stated at 6:45AM and finished in 32:29:19. Photos from Ragnar.
- Highlights: Since I had done it before I knew the course. Lots of space between runners and to pull off to support runners. Other teams were very friendly. Amazing views of Mt. Bachelor. Sleeping in La Pine high school gym on cots.
- Challenges: Huge temperature swings (90-50) at high altitude, misquotes and fly, my third leg was 900ft up hill over 4 miles (had to walk a little).
AND I was also invited to run the Hood to Coast 200 mile relay from the top of Mt. Hood at Timberline Lodge to Seaside, Oregon on August 26 (1,250 teams). I was runner 3 (3.9, 7.25, 5.8). We started at 8:15AM and finished in 27:24:13. Photos from Hood to Coast.
- Highlights: Great team of folks, The Mother of all Relays (on the bucket list), close to home for showers and rest, surprised to have two running buddies starting at same time and running the same legs
- Challenges:21,000 runners (3,000 more than last year), 2,500 vans on the road, finding a safe place to sleep in coastal mountains, $6 pints at finish line, no music while running, There were so many people running that it caused huge traffic delays where sometimes runners got to the hand off faster than their team. So many people complained the relay organizers admitted to allowing too many people in the relay. Local news covered it.
Thought on the relay and things to remember for next year.
- Pack light: 1 set of street clothes, 3 running outfits, 2 pair of running shoes, towel, sleeping bag, air mattress, pillow, sweatshirt/track pants, bug spray, sun screen, baby wipes.
- Water: One person should bring cooler, ice and 2 cases of water for the van.
- Food: Each person covers their own food, no need to bring extra. Only bring what you would normally eat over 24 hours plus one bag of chips and an energy bar or two. Plan to stop between van handoffs for a real meal.
- Van: Being in Van 1 is better than Van 2. Done sooner, run in cooler hours and able to sleep over 2-3am time slot.
Fishing the Hood River
Since we now own a place in Hood River, OR it is time to get to know the river its self. I spent Saturday with Mike exploring many great fly fishing spots along the Hood River. Mike knows the river like the back of his hand so the day was focused on learning the water, key access points and unique regulations.
We started out at 5:00AM parking less than a mile out of town and hiking down to the west side of the river and walking the old 14′ diameter water pipe that carried water a mile from the dam to the power station. The power plant and dam were built in 1923 and the power plant stopped power production in 2006. The dam was finally removed in 2010. There are a few spots along the pipe where you can climb down and access the river. It was great to get an elevated view of the river for almost a full mile. We stared out shooting a roll cast in a swing pattern with a sinking line and an articulated black and red steel head fly
We then stopped at Tucker Park. There were some great riffle that had slower water to the fringe with some large boulder. I had a few hookup but did not manage to land any steelhead. The goal of the day was to learn the water and then go back to the best spots and work on my technique. Here we switched to nymphying with an inline drop set up using two egg patterns.
We coved A LOT of ground in one day stopping many times to get out of the truck and hike in and out. I’d say that we only cast a line at about half of some amazing spots. Call it research. You can check out a few of the photos I’ve uploaded.
At about noon we called it a day and headed back into town to enjoy a pint at Full Sail brewery then I walked down to the mouth of the Hood River and caught up with some friends. The Columbia River was FULL of kite boarders and wind surfers. There was a wind surfer race going on with about 25 or so colorful sails zooming from buoy to buoy. About half the kite boarders where out and the other half getting ready for the 2:00 magic hour when the wind is at it’s best. All in all I’d say that there were over 100 people on the beach and in the water. Hood River really is an amazing place.
Running with the Dinosaurs
The 2011 Portland Starlight Run went all the way to eleven, eleven dinosaurs that is. Last year Amy and I put together two fun dinosaurs and had some fun with Adam running the 5k parade route with the cheer of little kids shouting “Dinosaurs, dinosaurs!” It was an amazing experience and really motivated us to go even bigger this year. So we put the word out to a few of our energetic and enthusiastic friends and were delighted that our herd of dino runners went to 11.
Coordinating eleven people was a little more involved than just getting together with a buddy a few times before the run. Planning meetings started the first week of the May to get everyone together and make sure that they were on board with the level of creativity, energy and most of all the time. The herd agreed to building two pterodactyls, stegosaurus, triceratops, brontosaurus, cynthiasaurus, velociraptor, marisasarurus, two tyrannosaurus rexs and red headed cave woman.
We first built the frames with hot glue and plastic straws. There was definitely a diverse perspective on building a light rigid space frame and we nursed a few burt fingers as we all got creative together. Matt and I got ambitious with my tall brontosaurus and his over the top huge triceratops.
Last year we made our own paper mache paste but this year we got smart and bought elmer’s paste for a great wrap and a solid finish. After everyone wrapped up we talked about colors. We wanted to have a lot of pop and with bold solid colors. So if they had the shirt we painted up their dino coordinate with the outfit.
We had the idea of adding some more personality with some big bold eyes. A few of the ladies got glittery eyes and Matt and I got some very expressive eye brows. I went for the Angry Bird look and really feel like I nailed it.
The day of the run we all got together to fit the dino heads to cycling helmets and tails to small back packs. Jodi put together great pink wings for her pterodactyl and Adam mounted his velociraptor claws to his shin guards. Matt and I discovered that our bigger dinos were like huge sails on our heads. It was going to take a lot of endurance to run the whole route with the wind in our face.
As we waited for the run to start we got a lot of attention from kids and families. Our big group and bold colors were easy to spot among the over 4,000 runners.
Before the run there was a group costume contested and we really wanted to engage the audience so we put together a short skit and a simple dance. It was a lot of fun to get up on stage and be Dino-Might all together.
The run went well. My lovely wife took tons of great pictures and we stuck together for most of the parade route. The kids were super excited to see us all run past and it was great to have the 40,000+ people cheering us all on as we ran.
After the run we all got back together at our place for some grillin’, chillin’ and good times together. It felt great to be done and enjoy the amazingly colorful photos. Good times had by all.
I wonder what we’ll do next year.
#EPICW11 – Whistle Weekend
A plan was hatched on the slopes of Heavenly in Lake Tahoe last year. The idea was simple: EPIC weekend with a great group of friends at Whistler, B.C.
It all came together this past weekend and it WAS EPIC! Tor, Chris, Tali, Amy, Dan, Jeff, Jessica, Josh, Nicora, Jessica and I drove up to Whistler on March 25th. We stayed at a big crazy house with beds for all and an eight person hot tub. The goal was to keep it simple and focus on time on the mountain. After we arrived we stocked up on groceries and got ready for day one. As we prepared a simple pasta and meatball dinner I was presented with a bright orange t-shirt signed by all my dear friends as the official symbol of epic-ness. It seems that all my planning and stoking emails had made an impression on the crew. Thank you for the kind gesturer. It warms my heart to know how fondly you think of me.
We all got up early on Saturday, ate a hearty breakfast and caught the bus in front of the house for the short ride to Whistler Village. It was a cool blue bird day with lots of bright sun bouncing off the dry powder packed snow coating the mountain.
On day one we arrived at the gondola up the mountain at 8:15 thinking that we might need to wait in line. We totally beat the crowds and walked right on. Dan, Amy, Josh and Chris hit the epic bowls and double diamond runs of Blackcomb and Jeff, Tor, Nicora, Tali and I headed up to the top of Whistler for the breathtaking views and the big wide cruizers. After a warm up run from the top of the Whistler Gondola down to the Emerald lift we too the Summit lift to the very top of Whistler. The view was simply amazing. We could see almost a 360 view of both the north and south valleys. I felt like I was standing on the top of the world. We all stood in front of a huge statue of Ilanaaq the Inukshuk (the official symbol of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics) for a very dramatic and delightful photo opportunity. We made our way down the Saddle run and down Fritz’s run to ride Big Red back up the mountain. Durning the run we had a bit of a scare with a strap that came off Jeff’s board. We did manage to find all the part and I brought my screw driver so we put the gear back together and we were on our way again. I think we did one more run before lunch but with the mountain being so huge we spent a lot of our time cruising the slopes and taking it all in rather than waiting in lift lines. I can’t recall any life line were we had to wait more than 3-5 minute before we were effortlessly gliding up the mountain.
For lunch we all met up at the lodge near the top of Whistler Gondola. The place was hopping but we managed to quickly find a table for all 8 of us to enjoy a well earned lunch and rehydrate. After lunch Tor and Tali went to enjoy some cruisers while the rest of us went back up the Summit lift to take more photos and ride the long steep run down to Creekside Village. We split up again at the top of the mountain with the plan to meet up again at 3:30ish at Garibaldi’s for Apres-ski. With the mildly cool weather the place was packed full of brightly colored skiers and boarders but we scored a table and enjoyed a pint of Canadian brew. As the sun went down we headed back to the house to clean up and do some grillin’, chillin’ and hot tubbin’. We then headed out to meander our way though the village and enjoy a bit of the night life. We made it back to the house before midnight and after a long day of epic boarding and a spirited time with amazing friends I feel asleep the second my head hit the pillow.
Day two had all of us starting off on Blackcomb at 9:00AM. The weather had changed and it was foggy and overcast. Our first run down from the Blackcomb Gondola down to Glacier lift was a little disconcerting with light fog affecting visibility. I actually experienced a bit of vertigo. In the valley of Glacier lift the fog was patchy and we thought that we could ride the lift out of it by heading up to the top of the mountain. Once we got to the top and hiked up over the peak of Blackcomb mountain to the Glacier bowl visibility was MUCH better because we were above the clouds. It is an amazing feeling to look across a valley and see the clouds below you.
After ripping it down the bowl we tool the long long long traverse back to the excelerator chair which put us back up above the Jersey Cream Lift. We were then back in the fog for a short run down to the Glacier Lift which we rode up the Horstman T-bar over Xhiggy’s Meadow. It was a nice long run down to the 7th Heaven lift. Rode back up. Made our way down to ride the Jersey Cream LIft up to the lodge at the Blackcomb end of the Peak2Peak gondola where we met up for lunch. The lodge was full but we scored a table fast and ate well. The lunch time conversation on day two was not as spirited as day one. With only spots of sun and pockets of fog we were a bit more mellow but smiling non the less. After lunch the skies seemed to open up a bit more and the fog had finally burned off so we made our way down around to the Solar Coaster express. Steep shuts, a bit of time in the glades (not the best for a second year boarder) and then a long cat walk down to the lift. We did one more run on Blackcomb and then took the Peak2Peak over to Whistler.
From mid Whistler Mountain we rode The Peak back to the very top. The more adventurous took Grand Finale into Whistler Bowl. I took the Saddle down. We all met at the base of the Big Red lift. Once back at mid mountain we cruised down looking for Dave Murray Downhill for one big run down Bear Paw. But we took a wrong turn and ended up taking a bonus lift ride up the Emerald Express to mid mountain. The next run down we got it right and I enjoyed Bear Paw and the expert hit Unsanctioned through the trees. We all met up at the base of Bear Paw and made our way down to Whistler Village and called it a day at 4:00.
We had plenty of beer and the hot tub back at the house so no need to fight the crowds for apres-ski. After a few beers and some tub time we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. It was great to end day two together enjoying each others stories. Jessica, Jessica and Nicora had spent the morning snow shoeing on the trails around Alta Lake at the base of Whistler.
After a relaxing dinner we walked up to the base of the mountain to watch the Fire and Ice show with boarders and skiers jumping through a ring of fire. The big finally for the show was a brief but brilliant fireworks display. We had time for one more drink before heading back to the house to play UNO into the night. I was surprised that most of us rallied and were up till well after midnight playing games, laughing and enjoying each other company.
Monday morning started off SLOW. After two days on the board I was beat. But after a cup of coffee, some breakfast and some chill time watching a Warren Miller movies we were ready to pack it up and hit the road. Dan and I took turns driving back. We dropped him off at SEA airport and made it back to Portland by 8:00pm.
I’d like to thank everyone who was able to join us on the trip. I’ve received some very kind texts and emails saying that it was the people that made it EPIC. The snow and the mountain was just an excuse to spend time together. I look forward to more epic adventures and will always cherish the memories we made during our little adventure.
Check out all the photos from our Epic Weekend!
Next up: #EpicParkCity12
Spring Break 2011 – Colorado
It have been a very busy March and we are only at the mid point. After a manic weekend in Austin for SXSW I flew back to Oregon, grabbed my snowboard and flew to Denver to rendezvous with my Dad and his buddies for spring break in Vail. We were joined by Dave (father of good ski buddy Amy) and his friend John for Thursday at Beaver Creek. Great to finally meet the expert fly fisherman and fantasy football coach to shred a few runs together. It was a good day on the slopes. Friday we headed over to Vail and enjoyed 10″ of fresh powder and clear blue skies. Saturday back to Beaver Creek to enjoy the groomers. Life is VERY good!
Our Little Oscar Party
This year we rebooted our Oscar party and just hung out with just a few of our friends. Sometimes a smaller group makes things a little more special. If was defiantly more relaxing. As always everyone dressed to impress and looked fabulous walking the red carpet. We again used the opportunity as a fund raiser for Donate Life NW by selling ballots. Nicora introduced us to Oscar Bingo which added even more snark to our usually “what is she wearing” banter. Fun times had by all. See all the fabulous photos!
Shredding with the Ladies
Made it up to the mountain again this past weekend. I know hard to believe…. but true. Most of the trips the past two seasons has been guys with one girl but this time it was me with the girl. In terms of logistics it was kind of a Murphy’s law day. The company was much better than the conditions. But I can’t complain since it was my 12th day riding a chair lift this season. It’s all a numbers game the more you go the better your chances for great conditions. We met some more friends back in Hood River for a relaxing Apres-ski full of good food, wine and Full Sail beer. Looking forward to many more great Pow Pow days this season.
Superbowl XLV
Before the big game we had a big game of our own in a local park. The weather was nice so the guys and I organized a little game of touch to get us psyched for Superbowl XLV.
We hosted the first game of the season at our place and it was great to get the crew together again to finish off the season right. Everyone pitched in with great food to make the party complete.
The season was good to me this year. I won $20 in my fantasy football league thanks to a little extra coaching from some experts. Looking forward to doing it again next year.
Now back to our regular program… skiing and boarding!
