Four days in Portland

Last weekend Justine and I headed 400 miles north to the city of Portland, Oregon for some rest and relaxation. We left early Thursday morning and returned late Sunday night, during our all too brief time in Portland we packed in the good times. Beyond Justine reserving a place to stay each night, we didn't do too much planning. We've found that scheduling a weekend full of events gets in the way of the actual adventure of traveling to a new town. Portland is known as a mecca for micro-brewers, craft distilleries, funky pubs, green living, and youth culture. We went into the weekend ready to have a good time and experience a new city.

On Thursday night, we had reservations at the Bluebird Guesthouse. The Guesthouse sits in the Division neighborhood of Southeast Portland. It's a bed and breakfast type house with 7 guest-rooms and a really friendly atmosphere. The Bluebird is pretty reasonable, we paid $60 for our room. It was super clean, well decorated and pretty centrally located for walking to pubs and shopping. You get a private room and share a bathroom with other people. It's your typical bed and breakfast set-up. I would recommend the Bluebird to anybody, even fussy people would find it inviting. We've found that to truly experience a city's unique culture you have to get away from the Holiday Inn's and Pizza Huts and head towards the businesses which are unique to each town.

After the 7 hour drive up from Eureka, we were ready to start having some fun and seeing the sites. We checked into our room, cleaned up, and fired up the laptop and found our fun for the evening. As I said earlier, Portland is known for it's pubs and micro-brewed beers. Early in the trip I decided that I wasn't going to drink the same beer twice and I was going to try beers that I couldn't find outside of Portland. We headed out for the evening and walked around the neighborhood. We popped into several great little pubs and sampled some really good beer. After pub hopping around the Division area of Portland for a little bit, window shopping and just kind of taking it all in...we were ready to grab some dinner. Now I love English pub food like meat pastries and sausages, so it was almost too good to be true that close to our lodging was an authentic British pub called the Horse Brass Pub. They have over 50 beers on tap and more British meat pastries than you can shake a stick at. The pub has an awesome ambience, it could have been straight out of an English neighborhood. It's decorated with dark woods and all kinds of memorabilia from the Empire. The pub is filled with happy people at little tables discussing life and laughing with good pints in hand. We munched on Scottish eggs (hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, and deep fried), sausage rolls, and bridie pies (meat and onion popover smothered in mushrooms and gravy).

After dinner and pints we needed to walk off a full belly, so we set out into the night and towards our next adventure. Portland is full of old theaters and art houses. On our walk home we strolled by several theaters and finally Justine's curiosity got the best of her. She just had to have a look inside of one, so we walked up to the Bagdad theater and went on it. They were recording an artist interview with some guy named Ian Svenonius, I 'Googled' him when we got back to our room and apparently he was a pretty famous musician. We watched the tail end of the interview from the balcony and it was all I could do not to laugh at him. He seemed like one of the bigger dumb-asses I've ever had the privilage to observe from the balcony of an old theater. The high point came towards the end of the interview when he asked the interviewer why he hadn't asked him about the tube socks he had tied around his shins. I guess you might of had to be there to appreciate the absurdity of the situation.

Friday morning comes quick after a night of revelry and fun. The Bluebird Guesthouse had a sunny, open kitchen and a tasty continental breakfast of bagels and coffee. Justine and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and laughed at the events of the night before while we planned our day.

After breakfast, we put ourselves together and decided to head towards our next lodging and try for an early check in. We were staying at McMenamin's Kennedy School and we were pretty stoked to get there and see what was in store for us.

In the Pacific Northwest there are several great hotel/brewery/pub/theaters run by the McMenamin brothers. In the mid 1970's these two guys bought an old bar in Portland and revamped it into a unique family friendly, neighborhood brewpub. They kept going with the idea that a pub needed to be a fun, family friendly meeting place and began turning defunct buildings into brewpubs, hotels, and theaters. They focus on maintaining the history of the building and incorporate existing features into the landscape of the building. 

We stayed at a McMenamin's in Bend last year and we've been hooked ever since. It's the business model that we'd eventually like to use to start our own brewery. The hotel we stayed in was formerly an elementary school, they used the existing structure and revamped it into a really unique place to hang out and stay. They managed to keep the flavor of the school by leaving the chalkboards in the rooms, naming rooms after the teachers that had taught there, and decorating the building with great paintings and old memorabilia from the school's history. 

After checking into our room and drawing a quick penguin on the chalkboard, we headed towards the pub for a bit of lunch and planning. Our plan for the afternoon was to take the MAX train into downtown Portland and snoop around. Public transportation is a fun way to see a town and have a little adventure at the same time. It's also a good method for couples to work on their communication skills. Nothing brings out the teamwork like seeing a train approach and needing to figure out whether it's the right one or not. Portland has a really good public transportation system, it was way easier than San Francisco's or Chicago's to negotiate.

In downtown Portland we walked around, looked at some shops and went to Powell's Books. Powell's Books is a pretty famous bookstore, it puts every other bookstore I've ever been in to shame. It takes up a city block and its rooms are color coded so you don't get lost. I could wander around inside of Powell's for a day and not even scratch the surface. I ended up picking up a few hard to find books for future enjoyment.

Riding the MAX train around Portland and shopping made Justine and I ready to enjoy some leisure activities at McMenamins. We started our evening out by enjoying some pitchers and crab fondue over a movie at the theater inside the hotel. They had turned the old auditorium into a cushy movie theater that plays new movies each night. Instead of uncomfortable chairs, they filled the theater with overstuffed couches and recliners. The best part is that instead of the typical fare of popcorn and Skittles, I was able to munch on killer appetizers and swill good microbrew during the movie. The movie was 'Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist'.

After the movie we headed towards the 'Boiler Room', which was a three story pub inside the hotel that featured pool tables and tons of other games. Justine and I opted to shoot pool for a while and just kind of enjoy the whole atmosphere. The pubs within the hotel are open to the public and serve as gathering place for families that live in the neighborhood. It's great to be around people who are active and having fun, sometimes living in Humboldt County gets a little tiring. The night ended with a long soak in the outside soaking pool.

On Saturday we headed to the Oregon Zoo to check out some animals. I can never turn down a trip to the zoo, I guess it's just ingrained in me. The Oregon Zoo was great, it's probably the coolest zoo I've been to yet. The exhibits are huge, but somehow the animals were always right next to the glass. We ended up spending the whole afternoon at the zoo, walking around and enjoying the festive atmosphere. 

One of the many great exhibits was a lorikeet cage that you could walk through. For a buck you could get a cup of nectar that the lorikeets go absolutely bonkers for. As soon as the birds notice that you have a little white cup in your hand they swoop in a start to lap at the nectar. Justine was the bird whisperer, at one point she had four or five birds fighting for her attention.

I love penguins. This little guy stood there and stared at us for a while. I think he knew that I was a big fan of his.

On Saturday night, we stayed at the Northwest International Hostel in downtown Portland. It seems like there is a certain stigma about staying at hostels among people who haven't ever stayed at one. They are usually great places to stay. We always get a private room and it's usually a third of what it would cost to stay at a hotel. They are clean and unique, the difference between a private room at a hostel and a hotel room is that at hostels you might have to share a bathroom with another person and you don't get a TV or iron in your room.

After we checked into our room at the hostel and got our bearings, we set out to find some grub and head towards the Holiday Ale festival. We were hoping to spend a couple hours at the festival and then head to a bluegrass concert that we heard about from some friends. On the way to the festival we stopped at Henry's Tavern for some grub. Henry's Tavern is one of Portland's most famous watering holes. We were pretty surprised at how great it was. They brag about their Happy Hour deals and they have every right to brag. Each day they make a Happy Hour menu, it features gourmet food for really cheap. For example...crab cakes were $3, orange chicken $4, burgers were $5, and soup was $1. It was really great food too! Needless to say, we stuffed ourselves on killer grub and pints. After dinner we walked to Pioneer Square for the festival, I guess the rest of the city had the same idea. The line to get into the festival wrapped around the entire city block. Justine and I got in line and prepared to wait. After a few minutes in line, we had had enough. We didn't come to Portland to stand in line! We rationalized leaving the line with the knowledge that Portland is a town of microbrews. You could walk into any pub in town and find beers that you won't find anywhere else, besides, we had tickets to a kick-ass bluegrass show. 

We headed towards the venue, The Doug Fir Lounge. The Lounge is a really cool venue, it has the feel of a huge log cabin. There are fireplaces everywhere inside and outside in the courtyard there are fireplaces which encourage people to gather around them and shoot the breeze.

Trampled by Turtles and Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank were the two bluegrass bands we saw play. They were really good. Hobo Nephews was more of a rocking bluegrass, while Trampled by Turtles was more of a traditional bluegrass sound. I would definitely go out of my way to see both bands play again.

After the show it was late and we were tired, we didn't feel like walking back to our hostel, so we figured we'd try to catch a bus back. Earlier I said that catching public transportation in a new town is a team building, well catching public transportation at night when you're tired is a team building exercise in spades. As usual Justine and I figured it out and made our way back to the hostel and our nice comfy bed.

After a solid breakfast on Sunday morning and little walk around the neighborhood, we started our drive back to Eureka. Seven hours later we were back home and already reminiscing about the weekend. Looking back on our little trip to Portland, I can honestly say that Portland is one of the best cities I've been able to visit. If it were closer to the beach I would definitely move there. The city is clean, the infrastructure is great, the people were friendly and I don't know if you'd ever run out of stuff to do. 

Do you want to visit Portland and see some places that we saw? Here are some links to check out and plan your own trip...

http://www.mcmenamins.com/

www.bluebirdguesthouse.com/

http://www.nwportlandhostel.com/

http://www.oregonzoo.org/

http://www.powells.com/

http://horsebrass.com/

http://portlandmicrobrews.com/

The next several weeks are going to go pretty quick, our time in Humboldt County is winding down. We've been here for almost 2 1/2 years and this place holds some pretty good memories. There have been great hikes, camping trips, surf spots, and the culture. We've been living and working out here, but it feels like the honeymoon is in full swing. This winter is going to bring some changes...There's going to be a new town, house, and fun stuff to do.  

A Look at the Weekend

A LOOK AHEAD

Well folks, it's been a long few days since my last long weekend and I'm ready for some more time off. Justine and I are taking an early weekend and heading up to Portland for the Holiday Ale Festival and some general merry-making. The Holiday Ale Festival is going to be awesome. They set up a giant, clear tent in the city center, throw up a bunch of heaters, get some holiday choirs, and have three dozen of the best micro-brewers in the Northwest craft beer specially for the festival. It's a kegger Christmas party with a couple thousand of your closest friends.

http://www.holidayale.com/index.php

Before any teetotalers start furling their eyebrows at our plans, be assured we are taking in a number of non-beer related activities while in Portland. We are also making time to visit the Portland Zoo, which has a sweet frog exhibit for the time being and is lit up with Christmas lights when the sun goes down. We have to enjoy the froggies while they last, I've been reading plenty of literature talking about how many species of amphibians are going extinct due to habitat change and some nasty viruses.

http://www.oregonzoo.org

We're staying at some awesome hotels and hostels while in Portland. We're spoiling ourselves one night and staying at a McMenamin's. We stayed at one in Bend last winter and had a fabulous time. These brothers turn old, falling down historic buildings into great unique hotels/pubs. Go to the website and check out some of the places. My favorite part of the hotels is the Turkish Soaking Pools! It's a great way to wind down after a hectic day sampling microbrews and singing Christmas carols.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/

A LOOK BACK AT THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

I've been walking around for the past weeks with a giant Cheshire cat grin on my face. I just can't help smiling most of the time. Life is good and I am so thankful for everything I've been given. Thanksgiving Day always is a good day. Our Thursday was filled with solid home-cooking and friends, next year we're hoping to add family back into the mix. It was our third Thanksgiving out here in California and our turkey just keeps getting better each time. Our secret is in the brine. 

Anyway folks, that's all for now...I have to go open up the bar. As Red Green would say, "Keep your stick on the ice". Have a good week.

A Few Pictures in Passing

I tried to get the cat to take a sniff of the crab, but he was smarter than that. I was giving the old crab one last stretch before he went into the pot. 

Sunset sail on the Bay.

The ladies are enjoying the view from the bow.

Mark and Ben debate whether or not there is enough wind.

BOO! Check out our lame  Halloween costumes...I'm the 'Pulp Mill' and Justine is dressed like her mom 20 years ago....

All is Well in Humboldt

I don't want to rub anything in, but we have had some good surf around here for the past week or so. It has just been fabulous W/NW swell out there, it's been long swell lines and glassy conditions. The size has been in the chest to occasional over-head bomber waves. I've been surfing some seriously quality waves lately and I haven't surfed with more than a handful of guys out the entire time. 

On Saturday morning I drove around for almost an hour before I found a spot with another guy out. I ended up at the little rocky cove up north surfing 6-8 foot waves with two other guys. It was good to surf some juicy waves with consequence, I was starting to get a little lazy with workouts. There came a point on Saturday when I was caught inside during a sizable set. I could tell that there were several waves to roll through still and the large, barnacle covered rocks along the shore looked rather unpleasant to make contact with...I was pretty much running on empty and there came this voice in the back of my head that said, "I told you that you should be doing more push-ups". I ended up taking the rest of the set on the head and paddled back out for another hour or so of waves.

Since Sunday, the swell has been perfect for the beach right by our house. I'm sure it's still breaking as I type, but I needed a morning to catch up on news and reading. I really need to be on top of my game, events and politics wise, so I can keep the banter at the bar going.

Life has been good around here though. The past days have been great. I'll surf until almost noon, warm shower and then head into the bar for a day of shooting pool and pouring beers. Weekends are filled with beach days, sailing, and grilling out with friends. Last weekend my buddy brought over several dozen oysters and I was given some petrale sole. Nothing is quite as tasty as fresh, local seafood grilled out with good friends after a day filled with waves and sailing. 

I've been getting lucky lately with the food freebies. In the past few days I've been given two turkeys, dozens of Dungeness crabs, and more fresh fish than I can handle almost. Thanksgiving is going to be a good combination of classic Hoosier fare and fresh, local seafood.

I've been going on and on about how good things are here in Humboldt County, but apparently things are falling apart elsewhere in the world. I guess it's a combination of the usual bullshit of the world, typical media over-hyping, and gross government ineptitude. I won't piss and moan about things though, there are plenty of people doing that already. Plus, I start to feel like a real jackass when complain about all the wrongs in the world and overlook all of the great things that are happening. The US economy may be in the dumps, but we're all still way above the average person in the world when it comes to ease of living. Whenever the media hypes every little problem into the next world ending disaster and almost brings me to the point to total despair, I think back to the words of Hunter S. Thompson (I'm pretty sure)..."Pay attention to the media sparingly and then only for entertainment".

Election Day 2008

Happy Election Day everyone. Get out and vote. Or if you're like me and already sent in an absentee ballot, sit back and watch all the people wait in line on TV. Enjoy listening to the media bemoan how certain voting precincts have lines causing people to wait in line for hours and hours on end. Of course those horrible lines are caused by evil Republicans hoping to disenfranchise poor minorities and young people. It certainly couldn't be the fault of the individual election committees and certain precincts being organized and staffed by incompetent nincompoops. 

Our choices this year stink, or at least the two main party candidates stink and it'd take an act of God for one of my beloved third party guys to win. By the time I leave the bar tonight (working not drinking), the media is going to let us know who the President Elect is and I'm not excited about the prospects. It really sucks that the media pretty much blacked out any exposure for third party candidates. I don't know if you guys really looked over your ballots, but out here in CA I had the ability to vote for a number of non-mainstream candidates. Great thinkers and politicians like Bob Barr, Alan Keyes, Ralph Nader, and Cynthia McKinney (she's  kind of crazy) ran for President...but didn't get the nod from the media or any air time. I mean, honestly, the 24/7 media says the same damn thing dozens of times a day. Why wouldn't they recycle their clips less and get some different ideas out there. Nader and Barr were polling nationally at 5 or 6 points a piece and they didn't even participate in the debates. It's absolutely stupid that 'Joe the Plumber' gets to run his mouth on every station for a couple weeks and actual third party candidates can't buy five minutes on TV. I mean how silly is it that those guys are placed on the ballots in most states and they aren't even allowed to participate in public debates. These debates are even set up by the government (Presidential Debate Commission), but I digress...

It always boils down to Republican or Democrat, but the two major parties are so diluted and weighed down by phoney-populist ideas and corporate cronyism that nothing really ever changes. I mean, if you're serious about Republican ideas, i.e. smaller government, less government interference in your personal life, etc...then you should have voted for Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president. And if you are serious about Democratic ideas, i.e. bigger government, more social programs, etc...then you should've voted for Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney. If you are an 'Independent', then Alan Keyes is your man. If this is the first time that you've even heard that there were more than two candidates running, then I'm sorry to tell you this,but you've had your head up the mainstream media's ass for the past several years. I suggest that you immediately turn off CNN or Fox and seek out other sources for information that are not controlled by large multi-national corporations.

I'm sorry to go political on you guys. I'm just getting frustrated with the status quo and I'd like to see things get mixed up a bit. The debate has just become so mundane and dumbed down. It's all about sound bites and knee-jerk reactions. Oh well...I guess the beauty of America is that anyone can make the change happen and get the ball rolling. It all starts locally.

If you're still reading, thanks for letting me rant and vent. If you think I'm crazy, then you should go to the link at the bottom. It's my favorite author's publishing companies website. Read through some of his essays.

Stay tuned for more adventures. There is a solid NW swell filling in and the weather is clearing up around here. The weekend is almost here and I have a feeling that a trip is in the works.

http://www.banditobooks.com/ezine/home

A Quick Trip To San Francisco

A couple weekends ago we decided to take a spur of the moment trip down to San Francisco. We decided on Friday afternoon to go and took off early Saturday morning. We went with our good friends Mark and Casey and scored a sweet hotel right in the Union Square district. Our hotel window looked right out onto one of the busiest tourist streets in the whole town. We had cable cars, taxis, and all kinds of craziness going on 8 stories below us. It was a funny experience. It took all of my restraint to not drop a water balloon or something down on someone. While in the city, we crammed all kinds of fun stuff. For some reason the pictures never seem to do the trip justice, but here they are anyway...

Justine and I have taken tons of trips down to the city and we'd always seen this bar, high atop the city skyline in the Drake Hotel...Harry Denton's Starlight Room...We finally made it there on this trip and enjoyed a cocktail, some dancing, and the view. The skyline of the City is pretty amazing.

An activity as simple as walking through the streets at night can be quite exciting. There are all kinds of sights and sounds. San Fran is chock full of weirdos and free-spirited people. We spent Saturday night bar hopping and looking for some good salsa music to dance to. 

After a night of rubbing elbows with more Californians than you can shake a stick at we were ready for some breathing room and a cheap beer. Our hotel room had an awesome view out the windows, but the window over the bathtub was especially great and well suited for swilling beers and people watching. The cheap beer wasn't actually that cheap though, a six-pack of Redstripe ran around $18. You can drop $100 in a few hours in the city. 

Alcatraz Island...It doesn't really look like any place I would want to be stuck. After a good breakfast Sunday morning at the best breakfast spot in the city, we walked around Fisherman's Wharf and took in some views of the bay.

Mark and Casey both skateboard, so it's only natural that we'd take our boards with us. After a night crammed in with a bunch of people we decided to visit Golden Gate Park and go for a skate on the paths. Golden Gate Park is San Fran's equivalent to Central Park, but a bit bigger. Within the park is an area called the 'Japanese Tea Garden', we'd always wanted to check it out. It's well worth the time. 

The nice Japanese guy that ran the place warned us not to skate...but they needed a picture. Notice Mark in the background pondering the beauty of the place. The whole 'Tea Garden' is set up really nice and is landscaped beautifully.

There were several of these pagodas in the garden. Apparently a monk would live in one and ponder existence until he figured things out. They are all exact replicas of one in Japan. The park was originally built in 1894 for a California Exposition, many of the pagodas from that time still survive.

More pagodas, looks like Justine is taking time to read the sign and admire the little coy pond that ran along the paths.

Most of the garden was landscaped in this manner. It was pretty spectacular. The pictures don't really do it justice. It'd be awesome to see that park in the spring when everything is blooming and green. 

This bridge is sweet. It's been around since the 1890's, it was built in Japan and the brought over to San Fran as a gift. 

After the Tea Garden and some more skating around, we headed for our last stop...the Haight and Asbury district. The district is kind of the spark for the whole counter-culture movement of the 50's and 60's. The Grateful Dead called this place home, as well as a host of literary giants. People like Allan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, and Neal Cassidy lived and wrote here...Writers, I would argue, mainly responsible for the whole change in our culture during the 60's. It still has that flavor, but the genius has been mainly replaced by wanna-be hippies and bums. For me, it's kind of disheartening. All of those writers were into the whole drugs and alcohol scene, but they didn't let it take hold of them. They used that energy to create a whole new literary genre and movement. The people who are there now are into that same drug and booze thing, but they are little more than bums parroting 40 year old ideas and begging change off people. I just want to slap a few of those hippies with copies of 'On the Road' or 'Sometimes a Great Notion' and tell them to get off their asses and go have an adventure.

After Haight-Ashbury, we were ready to head back to our peaceful home in the redwoods. A trip into the City isn't complete until you stop for the best fast food ever though, In and Out Burger. It's honestly the best burger I've ever had anywhere. I'm seriously going to miss In and Out Burger (it's a West Coast only franchise). We stopped at one outside the City and provisioned for the 4-5 trip through no man's land. I had to get 4 burgers to make the trip.

It really was a great trip. The pictures don't do it justice at all. After a while, you just forget to take pictures and just enjoy the ride. It was great to take a trip with another couple. Justine and Casey could do all the shopping they wanted. Mark and I would just pop into a nearby pub and grab a frosty brew and bullshit about life until they were ready to mosey on down the street to the next shoe store.

Stay tuned for more adventures and ramblings. We have some good trips in the works for our last couple months in Humboldt and then it's across the country and onto the next adventure. God Bless.

Along the Mendocino Coast

Last weekend Justine and I headed south to the Mendocino County coastline for little camping and relaxation. We needed a little break from the fog and bums which seem so prevalent in Eureka. I understand why we have so much fog, but I just don't understand why we have so many damn homeless people around here. We live a couple blocks from the bay which just happens to be where the fog lingers and the bums languish, so needless to say...By the time the weekend rolls around, we're ready for a change of scenery.

The Mendocino County coast is an absolute gem. The defining feature of the coastline is the rocky headlands and coves that string along the coast. Driving south along Highway 1, you cruise along the edge of a cliff a couple hundred feet above the pounding surf. Most of the road lacks safety rails, but it's a fun road to drive in our little Honda. Anytime I'm driving along the ocean, I'm on the lookout for a wave to surf. There was a 4-7 foot South swell filling in along the coast, which is pretty much a perfect set up for Mendocino's rocky points. I saw plenty of good, solid waves with nobody out...so I did what any sane Hoosier turned surf bum and waited until I found a spot with a couple people out. I didn't want to be the first guy from Indiana to get nibbled on by the 'GrayMan'.

The area around Fort Bragg and the town of Mendocino is a collection of state parks and national seashore. We had visited the area a couple times before for quick hit and run type visits. Fort Bragg is a sleepy, dying logging town attempting to transform into a vacation town. It's on the way to being somewhat of a mecca for cold-water free-divers.  Mendocino (the town) is a quarky, artsy town that sits on the Mendocino Headlands. It's definitely a great place to visit and have a walk around town, step into some shops, and have a pint of locally brewed ale. 

Justine and I made a quick pass through the towns and headed out along the coast to find a decent campsite away from the weekend crowds. State Park campsites are packed on Saturday nights with RV's and families, so we opted for a campground off the beaten path. We found a sweet campsite nestled amongst pine trees and within earshot of the crashing waves and the odd barking sea lion. After we secured a good campsite and set up our tent, we headed into the town of Mendocino for a pint of brew and to wait for the marine layer to burn off. There is a little pub called Dirty Dick's, which pours only local microbrew and offers sweeping views of Mendocino Bay and the Big River estuary from the bar stools. After a couple pints, the fog burned off and we had an afternoon of sunshine. We headed down to the beach at Big River. I walked out to the beach, took one look at the waves, and then headed back to the car to pull my wetsuit on. Justine opted for a good book and a soak in the sun.

The waves were decent and I had the lineup to myself. After my surf, we headed back to camp and lit up a bonfire. One of our favorite parts of camping is always cooking over an open fire. Justine had picked out some delicious ribeye steaks, sweet potatoes, and french bread for dinner. After stuffing ourselves, we retired to our lawn-chairs and basked in the fire. We took in the sound of the fire crackling, sea-lions barking, and the smell of the cool salt air mingling with the smell of a cedar fire.

We woke up early Sunday morning, packed up camp, and headed out to look for a little breakfast joint we'd heard good things about. We ended up finding the cafe, but it was closed for remodeling. Plan B turned out to be a typical greasy spoon diner. After breakfast we needed to walk off our biscuits, gravy and french toast. We headed to Jug Handle State Park and took a trail that followed the headlands around and offered views of more coves and more sea-life. I know it sounds like all we did was look at ocean stuff, but it really never gets old. The ocean is always different and the views are never quite the same. There is something awe inspiring about looking out into that vastness. We ended up finding this little cove that didn't have footprints in it and scrambled down a gully onto the white sand. We spent the morning poking around the seaweed and taking it all in. 

After Jug Handle State Park we headed down the road and I talked Justine into pulling over at the Point Cabrillo Light Station to have a look around. We've been to enough historical sites to be weary of them, they are usually filled with loud bitching kids, beleagured parents, and crusty octagenarians. We braved the parking lot and took the half mile stroll out to the Light. It was cool, it had all of the historical stuff that you'd want in a restored lighthouse. The original buildings were restored and filled with artifacts. The Light Station itself was decent, it's definitely no Cape Hatteras, but it does sit on a cliff a couple hundred feet above the surf.

After the stroll through the Light Station, we headed out to find a new campsite to stash the tent. I'll let you in on a little secret about scoring prime camp sites. Go claim a site around 12:30 in the afternoon, most campgrounds make people leave around noon if they aren't spending the next night and most people don't start looking for a spot until late afternoon, so that means there is a plethora of open sites for the taking. Go find the best spot, drop your tent, claim the site and then head out for your afternoon of fun. When you get done with your afternoon of fun, your prime spot will be waiting for you and you can spark up your bonfire and watch the suckers that waited until the end of the day drive past and look upon your site with envy.

We camped out at Russian Gulch State Park, which is known for it's prime diving, ocean bluffs, and hiking. We spent the waning hours of Sunday afternoon lounging on the beach and playing fetch with a dog that belonged to the other couple on the beach. I was seriously tempted to pull on my wetsuit and spear a fish, but the wind picked up and the water clarity died. We opted for a hike out along the bluffs and through the forest. 

Sunday night brought another campfire and a fire cooked meal. Justine grilled a stuffed chicken breast and I had a slab of lamb. Another great camping trip was coming to a close. Justine and I swilled beers around the fire and thought back on all of the great times we'd had along the way. 

I'll be the first to say that I'm so thankful for my marriage. Working at a bar, I hear all kinds of shit talked about marriage and whatnot. It goes in one ear and out the other, because marriage is such a team effort. Justine and I always joke about having a 'team building exercise' on our trips. It's a polite way of saying we need to figure out a way to work together and make something happen when an adverse situation comes our way. Our team building exercise this trip was only having one headlamp. For some reason we only had brought one flashlight with us. Now next time you are out camping, try cooking a somewhat gourmet dinner in the dark with a single light. It takes some teamwork and it'll work your communication skills. We made it work and had a blast doing it. 

It's funny because we've been on this strange adventure referred to as marriage for a couple years now and we still feel like we're honeymooning. Maybe it's because we're living out here in California with only a couple friends and we're traveling around all the time, but I also think it's because we have this mindset about life-like we're not going to fall into that trap of everyday life. We're not buying into the crap you see everyday on TV that boils down to keeping up with the Joneses. I feel like we have this great hybrid of Hoosier upbringing combined with this Tom Sawyer-esque romanticized idea of what an adventure life can be. 

The noble author and his wife, posing above the cove at Russian Gulch

Justine trying to get a peak over the edge at Jug Handle State Park

Can you see me out there?

Point Cabrillo Light Station

The parting shot

.231

Well, last night I watched a lady get arrested for a DUI outside of my house. It's ironic because last week I watched a similar lady go to trial and kind of fight a DUI charge. The situation was interesting, I had just gotten home after spending almost 8 hours at our neighborhood bar. Now before anybody starts to 'TSKK TSKK' from afar, let me clarify...I tend bar until 7p.m. or so and then I'll usually BS for a bit with my boss (think Jimmy Buffet-but a commercial crab fisherman and not quite so charming), but I digress. I had just gotten home, unloaded some CO-OP produce and cracked a beer when I noticed police lights flashing outside of my house. I felt it was my civic duty to put down my beer (I didn't need any trouble) and sit outside on my porch and observe the whole situation from afar. I would want somebody to watch out for my rights and whatnot if I were ever to find myself in a similarly miserable situation.

The whole thing took maybe 20-30 minutes. I watched the lady do all of those tests you hear about. She stood there and played twenty questions, while getting flash-lighted in the eyes by a big 20 year old jock with a gun. She touched her nose, while closing her eyes. She walked heel to toe along a cracked sidewalk. She even did some weird balance type exercise that I'm thinking about incorporating into my half marathon training regimen. She stood there for long time and I thought she looked sober as a freaking bird, but then after all of that song and dance...The cop pulled out the 'Breathilizor' and she blew twice. I heard that cop tell her that she blew three times the legal limit! She blew a .231! I know legally that is way, way boozed up (in the 'legal' sense of boozed up). Let's just say that each drink an hour is worth a .03 or.04 and your body metabolizes one of those cocktails every hour.  That would mean that after 3 drinks in an hour, you would be in the ballpark of .09 or above...which is technically above the limit. That means this lady had 6 stiff drinks in an hour and then set out to head home. Or maybe she had 10 drinks in 2 hours and then decided to mosey on home via automobile. Anyway you shake it, she would have had to have tons to drink. Now, as a bartender, I am around a ton of people who drink  lots of drinks and are basically fine, save their gratuity skills, but that is neither here nor there and I really thought she looked good to go. When I heard the cop tell her that she blew 3 times the legal limit, I was blown away. I don't want to sound doubtful of the cop, because he did seem reasonably professional, but if that lady was 8 drinks deep-then I am deeply ashamed of my bartender-esque ability to pick a drunk out of a crowd. A quick search of the subject spits out tons of information about Blood Alcohol Level and the corresponding affects on the body. According to the University of Rochester, a BAC level of .21-.29 will result in 'stupor, loss of understanding, impaired sensations, severe motor impairment, loss of consciousness, and memory blackout'. Now as an observer to the whole situation, I find it extremely hard to believe that the lady was that boozed up...but in the words of W.C. Fields, "I've never been drunk, but I've often been over served".

Just to clarify my opinion, I think it's a real jackass move to drink and drive...but I also think that cops can be a bit overzealous about things from time to time. Everyday I see people come into the bar and have a drink, socialize with friends, and unwind a bit before getting on with their day. Almost everyone of those people are responsible about the whole situation, but it only takes one idiot to have a few too many and ruin their day or someone else's life. In the end, I can't feel too sorry for that lady...If she had money for cocktails, then she should have had money for a cab.

A Few Pictures, Some Thoughts, and A Ramble or Two

Early fall temperatures and relatively calm seas bring tuna within 30 miles of our coastline. Fishermen will go out for a week or two and fill up their boats with tuna. Tons of tuna equal great prices for us. We bought fresh albacore tuna for about $2 per pound straight from the dude who reeled it in. We grilled a couple pounds of it after soaking it in a secret soy/teriyaki sauce of my own creation, wrapping it in bacon, and skewering the tuna and pineapple chunks together. 

A couple of weeks ago, Justine and I made the drive down the coast to the little village of Mendocino. The first half of the drive weaves through the redwoods and the second half of the drive is along the coast. The drive is pretty amazing. Vistas like this are pretty much the norm. We're getting spoiled with all of the scenery around here.

Last week we made the drive up to Eugene to catch an Xavier Rudd show. We stayed at a little hostel and enjoyed some great food and beer. Eugene is a great mid-size town. It's the home of University of Oregon and the Eugene City Brewery. The town is clean and people were on bikes everywhere. The show was spectacular, we were front and center. Xavier Rudd was rocking out a couple of feet in front of us. 

Here's a random picture from the Humboldt County Fair. Justine talked me into riding some crazy Ferris wheel type ride that spun you around and upside down. I almost lost my corn dog.

Thoughts and Rambles

I was forced to spend the past few mornings at the courthouse performing my civic duty of serving on a jury. I would guess that I'm allowed to talk about it now, since I am no longer on the jury or rather I never even made it into the jury box. The past three mornings (almost 12 hours total) I sat in a courtroom along with 60 other citizens and watched a jury get chosen for a DUI case. It was interesting to see the system working, but disheartening to see how dysfunctional/wasteful the system is. It took 3 mornings to pick a jury for something as minor as a DUI case, I'm pretty sure the whole process shouldn't have taken longer than one morning and needed to include maybe 30 people at maximum. It seems like courtrooms and DMV offices attract a similar ilk of people, meaning scruffy weirdos come out of the woodworks. The first morning I got there 20 minutes early, wearing my Sunday best. Talk about sticking out like a sore thumb and calling myself out as a rookie jurist. During the first break I snuck across the street at picked up a couple surfing magazines to keep myself occupied for the remainder of the mornings.

I never made it into the jury box and I'm pretty sure that the District Attorney would have used a 'peremptory challenge' on me. I don't think a bartender is the type of juror a prosecutor would want in the box on a DUI case. Especially a bartender who thinks that our Fourth Amendment rights are being eroded away at an alarmingly high rate. I get the feeling that the defendant was taking the case to trial because she was contesting the results of the Blood Alcohol Level analysis tests. The defense kept asking prospective jurors about their opinions/experiences with computer testing equipment. I gather from the questions that the lady took several different blood alcohol tests and they all came back with different responses. A quick Google search of 'BAC testing' will spit out tons of websites dedicated to espousing the problems with most BAC tests. I don't want to get conspiratorial about the whole issue because people do die in drunk driving accidents, but it does seem like certain people profit from stricter enforcement and whatnot. In the NY Times a few days ago there was an article about how the law enforcement union (31,000 members in CA alone) was trying to recall Arnold the 'Governator'. A quick Google search of them will also yield reams of information about how they are trying to increase the penalties for all kinds of crimes...I mean doesn't that seem a little fishy, the people that profit from the prison system are lobbying for harsher penalties for all kinds of crimes, most of them victimless. But I digress...

Have you guys been following Presidential Election? Silly question...If the GOP wants my vote, they are going to have to tell Sarah Palin to come up with some new material. I mean, I get it-You got rid of the governor's chef and your kids were pissed, you gave yourself a pay-cut and your husband was pissed, and you sold the jet on EBAY (it really sold at a private auction for a loss). She just doesn't seem like someone I would want representing our country. I mean look where electing a good ol' boy got us...Do we really want a good ol' girl stepping in the office next?

Purdue lost this weekend. Two overtimes and they still couldn't get things done. It's ironic because a week prior to the game I was up in Eugene and I was thinking that the University of Oregon looked like a pretty nice college. If I would have known they were going to pay back my kindness and tourist dollars with such an insult, I would have littered more and maybe left a steaming dump on the steps of their stadium.

That's all for now. Keep on keeping on.

Sailing on Humboldt Bay

Taking Control of the Tiller

Prepare to Tack

Cruising the Marina

It's always tough to re-adjust to life here in Humboldt County, but healthy doses of surfing and sailing are keeping me sane.

Ten Days into a Month of Vacation

Getting set for a swing on the rope

Roughing up Ol' Lucky 

A juicy little Sunfish

Three Kings and a Cat

Ten days down, 20 more days to go. Vacations always seem to take forever to happen and seem to last but brief moments once they start. Days tick by like minutes and weeks just melt away. I guess most people in America take less than 10 days of vacation each year. How do most people survive? I'm taking a solid month off and I still feel rushed in my relaxation. My wife and I are currently staying at her parent's house which is perched on the shores of a pristine lake in Northern Indiana. I wake up each morning to the sounds of birds chirping and fall asleep each night to frogs croaking. Generally my day consists of a leisurely read of the news over coffee, a morning swim, more leisure time during which I fish or read, then an afternoon swim and bake in the sun or perhaps a drive through the countryside, and then once the late afternoon begins-the beers begin to flow and the fish start to bite. It's really a rough way to spend a couple of weeks...

Indiana is a beautiful place. My parents and my wife's parents live a dozen miles apart, both in rural Hoosier farm country, and driving between the two houses affords spectacular scenery. The country side is rolling farmland planted with corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. Everything is green and alive. Cows laze about the pastures during the midday heat and everything smells fresh and clean. Life is good in Indiana, especially during the summer, when you're living on a lake and don't have anything to do.

 

Enjoy the pictures. If I can pry myself off the dock, I might write more later...But don't hold your breath.