The End

I came into Seattle for a job interview, landed it, and am now calling it home. I spent the weekend after accepting the offer running around exploring neighborhoods as quickly as possible, and then focused on finding a place. I ended up finding a bungalow converted into a duplex in Ballard that was available immediately and rented out the first floor plus basement/garage level. I moved very quickly! You can learn a bit more about the job on Linked In, but as far as this public blog is concerned that's all I share.

What a trip it was. In then end, sporadic access to hot showers, being tired of being behind the wheel, and a readiness for continuity drove me to get off the road. After feeling unsettled since I started planning a return to the US in February, I'm now very eager to feel "settled" again and have moved quickly to make that happen. It does feel good to be back at a place called home, reunited with some nice furniture, and just four hours by plane from my family. Weekend trips to visit are possible for the first time in three years, and just keeping in contact on close time zones is already making a huge impact to how I perceive this as "home."

Parting words of wisdom? Live the question. Every day is a new year. Now is the time.

I didn't know what I sought when I set out on this trip, but I knew that it would be good for me, and so I took off and explored myself and the world, looking for answers to questions I didn't know. I saw the opportunity for extended travel—and seized it. I took the time to reflect and set new goals; there's no need to wait for a new year to set a resolution, go and get it. I wanted a certain type of job at a certain type of company where I could be part of "defining the future." As ambiguous as that was, I went after it deliberately, methodically, and I achieved it. Your life, your future, are unwritten—go and write the future that you deserve.

And with that, I'll wrap up this blog. Keep in touch via email, Linked In or Facebook.

And they all lived happily ever after.
The end.

Photo Credit: howardignatius

Mt Zion, Seattle, WA

The end draws near, friends. Job hunting is approaching its zenith and my days unencumbered are drawing to a close. I took a ferry across the Puget Sound and then drove out to a forest service road and hiked up Mt Zion via the Deadfall trailhead. It was a solid workout at 8 miles and some 2200ft elevation, an average 23% grade.

And may I just say? Mt Rainier is HUGE, always looming in the distance.

Oregon Coast

This picture is from Nate’s paragliding club’s launch at the top of a bluff that towers over the Pacific in Oceanside, OR. We also took a hike along the Cape Lookout at the namesake state park. Beautiful countryside if chilly, especially when the clouds broke. Great meal at The Schooner, with simple local ingredients. Great company with Nate, April and David.

Mt St Helens

I went for a quick day trip to Mt St Helens, as it’s under two hours each way to get there. Learning about the May 18 1980 eruption was fascinating. Photos show it took just a few seconds for half of the mountain volcano to break free and become the largest land slide in recorded history, releasing pressure and a pyroclastic flow that devastated the surrounding area. The mountain (why do I keep calling it that?) looks as though half of it is missing. The crater has slowly filled in with a new lava dome during subsequent 1989-91 and 2004-08 eruptions. The 2004 eruption built the lava dome at the rate of one dump-truck load per second. At that rate, it would take 100 years to build up all that blew away in 1980. AMAZING.

Table Mountain Hike

David and I went for a hike up Table Mountain on the Washington side of the Colombia River. Took us just 45 minutes to drive out there—very accessible from a big city. Took us about six hours to do the 8 mile loop with 3350ft elevation gain. A lot of the elevation was very steep, including a lengthy on-all-fours scramble up a boulder field.

Stunning views from the top—it was a clear day so Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams and Mt Rainier were all easily visible.

Portland, and a pause

I arrived in the Portland area after Boise and met up with David and Rachel again, where Rach is having an internship (we're actually across the river in Vancouver, WA). The first few days were busy with the Fourth and birthdays and an amazing dinner at Ox, an Argentine steak house. I needed a break from the road, and access to regular hot showers, so I booked a room for a month and am taking a break. I’ve actually begun working on my CV/resume and applying for jobs, so break and pause may be disingenuous words. I’m here, for now, at least!

Boise, ID

After Moab and Arches I drove up to Boise for two nights and a day. It came recommended and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a small for a big city (214,000) with a well arranged downtown, mountains around, a river running through the center, a university, and some government. I spent most of my day meandering downtown and then watching the US soccer team lose to Belgium in the World Cup, so by the time I walked down to the main park that has a zoo and a few museums they were unfortunately closed. I had a great meal that evening at Fork where everything is local. Trout on kale with mushrooms.

Arches National Park

Stopped into Moab and went into Arches for the day. It was hot and my patience waned, but there were some cool views. I drove out via a 4x4 trail and it was a challenge for my Subaru. Nearly got bogged in soft sand, and that one wrong turn had me worried. Some of the trail was big rocks that felt like driving down a staircase.

Balanced rock

I forget

Delicate Arch

Broken Arch

Rocky Mountain National Park

I spent two nights in the park. The first day I did a quick “warmup” hike from Bear Lake up to Emerald Lake, just a bit over three miles.

The next day I started the morning from the Storm Pass trailhead, and hiked up to the top of Estes Cone, 11006. Over ten miles round trip and 3000ft. AMAZING views from the top.

The Mummy Range

Looking North-ish. You can see Lilly Lake in the foreground, Lake Estes in the background, and the Twin Sisters mountain on the right.

South view, I believe it’s Battle Mountain.

Some bad news, the Glacier Basin campground had been cleared of trees aggressively to combat a bettle infesttation, so there was no shade and whipping winds. If you camp in RMNP, make sure to book a site that sttill has trees.

Alpine sunflower

Moose!

Estes Park, CO

I spent three nights in Estes Park with my good friend Adam and his sister Alix. We hung out and caught up mostly, with fly fishing, a test drive of a Tesla, and a good hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Tuesday morning we went on a fly fishing outing with a guide. The fish weren’t biting much, but Adam landed two trout. Alix and I got skunked. We could see the jerk fish in the water looking at and then ignoring our lures. Our guide was great, worked really hard to keep us trying different techniques and lure types. I came to enjoy the appeal of the cast and reel; there’s a certain meditative Zen to it. If I could do that and catch dinner as a result, I can see some real appeal.

A friend of Alix’s has a Tesla Model S and after chatting with him passionately about it and the future of transportation, I asked if he’d take us for a ride. We all went Wednesday morning. He, unexpectedly to us passengers, let us all get behind the wheel and experience it ourselves.

The handling and acceleration are like nothing I’ve ever driven, even with four people in the car and going uphill in the mountains. The motor has so much torque and it responds instantly, giving the most generous and smooth acceleration I’ve ever experienced—it can just slam you into the back of the seat when you step on it. Conversely as soon as you let off the accelerator, that is, command the car to give less power and speed that it presently is, it immediately recaptures that power back into the batteries, which decelerates the car extremely quickly. There’s no “coasting,” that would be wasteful, as much power as is possible is kept in the system. With the low center of gravity and the immediately responsive acceleration and deceleration, you’re able to put the car just where you want it at just the speed you want. The connection between your mind and your foot and the movement and placement of the car is so tightly coupled that you feel a strong almost psychic connection to the car. That’s a big reason I enjoy driving a stick shift, I have better intuition and connection with how the car’s power will behave. The Tesla mind/body/car connection is so much better than a stick shift I would never look back. It was a totally new experience, and an absolute pleasure to drive.

Aside from power and handling, the car is a beauty to use. Magic door handles that appear and disappear when you’re close. Near silent operation (just tire and wind noise, but no engine). No fluids to maintain (only window washer) or oil changes. Amazing cargo space since there’s no engine. Simplicity of engineering, no liquid cooling system or lubrication system, pretty much just batteries, a motor, and steering. A clever glass cockpit. Free super-chargers (no fuel costs!). Free maintenance. The car has 3G built in, wifi and a mobile app to monitor charging status etc. Adjustable car height above the road. The only drawback is range anxiety, but if you look at Tesla’s 2015 vision for super chargers you can see that won’t be a concern for long.

I had high expectations for Tesla, and they were exceeded. Adam and Alix knew very little about Tesla at the start, both ended the day looking at price, tax credits and lower cost of ownership than a petrol car, and concluding that the Model S and X are reasonable purchases, not just luxury automobiles. I couldn’t agree more.

After the drive we went for a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park at Wild Basin, about six miles round trip with a few beautiful waterfalls.

It was great staying in one place with a living room and friends—it recharged my road trip batteries a good bit. Thanks guys!

Denver, CO

I overnighted in Denver after the previous night in Westtcliffe with my buddy Greg. Just outside of the city I went to the Wings over the Rockies aviation museum. I like military aircraft so this was a pretty neat collection. The B1 and F14 were favorites, along with the nuclear bomb (case only of course) collection.

I stopped in Colorado Springs for brunch and found a gluten free bakery and diner, Coquette, that was great. First time I’ve had French toast in a long time!

I then met up with Greg and his friend Jen, and we had dinner and a couple drinks on his building’s rooftop. A neighbor was there too and we had a great time getting to know each other. In the morning, I joined Greg at his yoga and then I left town. Good first look at Denver, I owe it a lot more attention than I gave it.

Westcliffe, CO

I met up with an old work buddy from quite a few years ago. All I knew was that on Facebook he was now living in some mountain retreat somewhere with wildlife and amazing views. Turns out he had a health scare a few years ago and given a short time to live – so he looked around at his keeping-up-with-the-Joneses lifestyle and decided to give it up and go live on some spacious land. He ended up buying this 35-acre property in Westcliffe, and it took 15 minutes of gravel road driving to get there. Thankfully the health scare was a misdiagnosis, and now he has this amazing lifestyle that he deliberately chose and created for himself.

Inspirational story. We should all be conscious of what our goals would be if our days were numbered. And challenge ourselves to make it a reality and understand why we haven’t yet. Are we held back by societal norms – the Joneses? A mortgage, a car, your obligations, too many keys on your keychain? Relationships, employment? Or perhaps the most insidious reason of all – keeping of the status quo.

Mesa Verde and Durango

After the Grand Canyon, I was motivated to work North toward Estes Park to meet a friend visiting from Australia, so there were a few quick days of driving. The first night was in Durango, CO, and I passed through Mesa Verde National Park along the way in. Cool native American history, as these mud brick buildings were built into cliffs and inhabited about 1000 years ago. The ruins are almost entirely original structure too. I just did a quick stop, one cliff dwelling and the museum, but apparently there are quite a few cliff dwellings to see.

Dinner in Durango was at Serious Texas BBQ – very good brisket and pulled pork and reasonably priced.

Camping’s not Suffering

Just because camping is associated with austerity doesn’t mean your food has to suffer. And if you’re reading this, odds are you know how I feel about good food. Following the same ethos I would at home, I use simple, fresh ingredients, and prepare them simply; amazing meals can be prepared with a camp stove, a few pots and pans, and a few key spices.

The Camp Stove

At the moment I’m using a 2-burner Coleman Dual Fuel camp stove which, improbably, runs on gasoline/petrol. You can and should buy the Coleman variant, White Gas, which is a more refined version of gasoline without the detergents to clean your car’s engine. As a bonus, when the zombie apocalypse comes, it’s good to know that I can syphon fuel from cars and boil water to survive.

Beans and Rice

So simple, entirely shelf stable, dried beans and rice can live in the back of a hot car indefinitely. I’m using mung beans (moong dahl) and basmati rice, and I usually prepare the beans with canned tomatoes and a spice packet from an indo-pak grocery store. Coconut oil (also shelf stable… look for a theme here) added to the rice adds essential fat and calories.

Sautéed Veggies, Meat, Rice

Slice up some zucchini, onion, bell pepper/capsicum, and fry in a pan. Make some rice too, and if you have a camp fire, make that your third (and fourth) burner to cook some meat.

Fajitas (and Rice)

This is a bit more gourmet, but hey, I just finished hiking 12 miles at the Grand Canyon. A fresh salad of a tomato, 1/4 of a raw onion, a jalapeño, smashed avocado and the juice of one lime (I guess I could call it guacamole, but it’s unfinished without cilantro/coriander leaves and garlic). Sauté the rest of the onion and a capsicum in coconut oil. Add a dash of a $1 packet of taco spices. Then slice up some steak and sauté it in those same spices. Some juggling may be required to keep everything warm.

Lamb Rack

Reaching back into my photo archives. Throw a fresh log (or rock) on a fire and use it as your grill, throw a lamb rack (or steaks) on top. Sautee some veggies, this time halved Brussels sprouts.

Themes

So sure, there are themes to my cooking. Like rice (my favorite carb, gluten free, shelf stable—compare to pasta and potatoes). And sauteed veggies—they’re so wholesome and simple! And shelf-stable ingredients like coconut oil, nuts, dried fruits, grits, honey, dried milk, canned tomatoes, coffee, tortillas…. By the way, a moka pot aka stovetop espresso machine is the best way to make coffee on a camp stove!

In summary: camping isn’t suffering! Eat! 

The Grand Canyon

“Going down is optional, coming up is mandatory”
“Don’t underestimate the canyon”
“Warning: Do not attempt to hike from the canyon rim to the river and back in one day”

So read the many warnings on signs and in guides for hiking down the Grand Canyon. So I took a strenuous hike that was still (with warnings) listed as a day hike to Plateau Point along the Bright Angel trail. 6 miles one way, 3100ft elevation change, in the summer, in an Arizona desert. Started at 7:30am and got back up to the rim at quarter past one (under 6 hours—an average speed of just 2mph!), carrying and devouring 5L of water (there are a few stops along the way that are actually plumbed with running water, so that I overdid). I filled up my Akubra with water routinely and splashed it on my head and let my clothes get soaked to stay cool.

The reward at the bottom was simply magnificent. I stared at it and just sort of giggled for a few minutes. Plateau Point takes you up to an abrupt cliff face that towers over the Colorado River. From that cliff it’s another 1400ft down to the river. The vista was staggering. After all that work hiking down—and there’s still that much hiking to go, and this “innermost canyon” is still this gigantic! I kicked off my boots and socks, staying long enough for them both to dry out and to have a snack.

This panorama is stitched from thirteen photos, and I left some of the curvature artifacts to illustrate how big this is, how little my camera could capture in any one shot while zoomed out all the way. Staggering.

The Grand Canyon is so much bigger than I had imagined, and to think, I’ve only glimpsed it from a few angles. I’ve heard that helicopter tours are the best way to view “all” of it and comprehend its size.

While here I managed to meet up with an Aussie friend Asha who is touring the US for a bit. She brought a cousin and sister so we all got to hang out and chat for the couple of hours that their tour was here.

Some other interesting observations and facts: the bottommost layers of the stone are over a billion years old. Each layer has a distinctive color, which the dust on the trail picked up as well. So at various times my boots were whites, grey, red, brown, with variations of multi-million-year-old rock dust made from multi-million-year-old dinosaurs and plants and what have you.

The evening I arrived was terribly windy, so the view was obscured with tons of dust. Beautiful in its own right.

A National Park Service helicopter delivering supplies to Indian Garden.

The view of Plateau Point from the rim. The lush green valley just nearer is Indian Garden, a campground, a reliable creek that I dunked my hat into to stay cool, and a place that Native Americans historically farmed.

Glen Canyon Dam, AZ

Another random stop along the drive. This dam was really cool and huge. Something like 700 ft tall. The shot of the dam I had to stitch together seven photos to get that one composite—it was simply too large and I too close to fit it in the frame.

Bryce Canyon, UT

Along my drive south toward the Grand Canyon I came across a sign “Welcome to <something> county, home of Bryce Canyon,” with a painting of a beautiful alien landscape. I decided to stop in, thinking I’d just do a drive by (photo) shooting, but ended up camping the night and hiking the next morning. I did the 8 mile Fairyland loop trail, which was awesome, and pretty tiring at near 9000ft elevation.

One unexpected highlight for me… at night I noticed two airplanes flying near each other, and then I thought, Do those aircraft not have fuselages or are my eyes deceiving me? So I took a photo and zoomed into 100%. Sure enough. A pair of B2s.