Archive for July, 2004

One attempted backpacking trip lead to another?and Tacoma is getting better

Saturday, July 31st, 2004

We attempted to leave the house by noon but didn?t actually leave until 3:30. We had planned on backpacking along the Dutch Miller Gap trial in the southwest side of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area in the Cascades. The planning was quick?some would call it shoddy. I made a quick call to the ranger station to check about permits and we were off. All in all, it probably took us about 30 minutes to pack our bags and be gone. Anyway we were on the road and in a hurry because 1) we were already behind schedule 2) had no idea how far we had to hike to our first campsite (not a good idea when it?s getting dark fast and you have no headlamp!) and 3) had only basic driving directions to the trailhead. The trailhead is 30 miles off interstate 90 but the road quickly became really shitty. I have never seen a drivable (?) road in such poor condition. There were muddy puddles and gigantic rocks. I actually felt like I was in one of those Hummer commercials where it climbs rocks and such (except I was in a sedan J). Turns out you really, really, really, need a high clearance vehicle to make it to the trailhead. After one and a half hours of driving, having performed more off-roading than I ever have, brushing the side of my car against nasty bushes, and hearing way too much of the Crrrrssshh sound from rocks scraping the bottom of my car, we decided to turn back.

Oh, anyway we instead decided to hike the Deception Loop Pass on the eastern side of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. Apparently there was a wildfire in the area but that didn?t stop us. Actually we didn?t see any signs of fire although it was so hot hiking, it sometimes felt like we were in a fire (). The views were amazing (as expected) but there were sections of trails that weren?t well maintained. We did however run into several groups of forest service people (volunteers?) that were helping to restore the trail. We ate this dehydrated mountain chili over Ramen noodles and drank water from the many streams and lakes (iodized of course). I had a big blister on my toe by the end of the 15.5 mile trip (I should have cut my toenails before I left!) but otherwise it was enjoyable.

I?ve decided that if you don?t have a job, during the day Tacoma sucks but during the nighttime things heat up (been drunk a little too often ;) )

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The Last Place Seattle Mariners and Summer Movies

Tuesday, July 27th, 2004

I went to a Seattle Mariner?s game on Thursday?they won! Actually, it was the first game I?ve attended that I haven?t volunteered to serve food at (for swim team fundraising). The seats were on the field level but up the third base line and the garlic fries were mmm, mmm?.good (as you can see, I really care about the seats). Turns out the box office is a rip off and I could have gotten seats behind home place for the same price on ebay (last place teams never sellout J). Anyway, it was a good experience and they won 4-2 against their Oakland rivals. I actually think there were more A?s fans at the park than Mariners (oh well for home team spirit).

I also continued my movie going summer and saw the Borne Supremacy and iRobot. The Borne Supremacy is my kind of action movie, so I really enjoyed it. iRobot was surprisingly better than I predicted.

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Edmonton was a total waste of time. Jasper was enjoyable.

Thursday, July 22nd, 2004

It takes three hours to drive from Calgary to Edmonton. It seems like we are spending more time in the car than actually being on vacation (but hey, it gives me time to blog). The best part of Edmonton was the dinner we had at this steak & fish place call Vons in the Old Strathcona district. The West Edmonton Mall (apparently the largest in the world) is totally not worth the visit. Sure it?s got an indoor water park and a roller coaster but other than that, it?s a typical mall. I can see it being a quality destination for young families but for the seasoned traveler, expectations should be set low. Edmonton is like Calgary because it?s in the middle of no where. It?s the capital of Alberta but all the buildings, houses, and hotels look like they were built in the 70s without any attempt to update them. It actually comes across as really ugly but if you are a fan of 70s architecture (sarcasm) you might want to check it out.

Jasper National Park really caught my attention. It?s a 3.5 hours drive from Edmonton but it?s about the only drive that has been worth it. The town of Jasper is much more quaint and less touristy than its sister city, Banff, about 2 hours south. The actual drive into the National Park with its steams, lush forest, and mountain backdrops is gorgeous. There?s a popular lake which is comparable to Lake Louise but significantly less crowded. If you visit, don?t miss out on the glaciers?they are a real treat. We stayed at this person?s house who rents out rooms during high tourist seasons. It worked out well for our situation. Up next: the 12+ hour ride home ;) .

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Calgary Stampede & Banff

Monday, July 19th, 2004

We drove up to Calgary with my dad and uncle who flew up on Thursday. From Tacoma, the drive is WAY too long to be at all enjoyable. 13 hours from Tacoma to Calgary is ridiculous, especially in a small car.

I can?t figure out anything unique about Calgary. It appears to be in the middle of no where, on the eastern side of the Canadian Rockies. There aren?t any mountains or lakes or rivers (from what I saw). Nor is there anything unique about the culture, people, or districts within town. In fact had it not been for the once-a-year Calgary Stampede Rodeo and the hotel with views from the sauna and whirlpool, it would have been a total waste.

The Stampede is this multiple week long Rodeo that apparently comes to Calgary once a year, apparently it is one of the largest in North America. Canadians though should stick to playing hockey () because I saw very few true cowboys, nobody tried to sell me chewing tobacco, and not a mechanical bull in sight. It was more like a large county fair than a rodeo. The Pendleton, Oregon rodeo I went to a few years ago was much more enjoyable and authentic (yah, true American Cowboys!).

Banff, Alberta in the heart of the Canadian Rockies was a different story. The town is a typical mountain resort, with tons of tourists. There was however an unusually large number of Asian tourists (I think many of them were actually Canadian. Canada has seen an influx of Asian immigrants in recent decades). The town and surrounding mountains was really cool. They have a gondola to the top of this mountain but instead we decided to take a 2 hr hike to the top J.

Lake Louise was unimpressive but that?s coming from a kid who grew up going to Lake Tahoe. Considering the size, views, and density of tourists it isn?t really worth the hour drive from Banff. It is a surprisingly small lake but has this unique turquoise color. It?s a World Heritage site but also has this luxury hotel along its shores (which is simply out of place).

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Port Townsend & a Hike on the Olympic Peninsula

Thursday, July 15th, 2004

I went on this hike on the Olympic Peninsula the other day and had dinner in Port Townsend. The hike was a good ?get back in shape? hike only being 3.6 miles in distance with a slight elevation gain. I believe the hike was of Mt. Zion. The summit (if you can call it that) had some decent views of several towns/cities across the sound (I?m not sure what cities they were but none of them were Seattle).

You get a really strong GSM wireless cell phone signal at the top of most of these mountains. The other day I stumbled across a portable solar energy adapter on sale at one of these online backpacker stores. Apparently it weights about a pound but can easily supply enough energy needed to power a laptop. Add a 128k $79.95/mo internet plan with your at&t next generation wireless phone and a laptop and you can have a better office than any executive could ask for.

Port Townsend was absolutely gorgeous. It was the first time I?ve been there and it is quite possibly one of the prettiest towns I?ve seen. Although I have to give some credit to the weather (clear and mildly hot with a cool breeze) the town had breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountain range which become evermore alive with a sunset. In addition, the town is situated on a peninsula (within the Olympic peninsula) with some spots having 270 degree views of the sound. Definitely a place to visit!

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Summertime Movies and a Little Too Much Fucking Around

Wednesday, July 14th, 2004

Went to see Michael Moore?s Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Grand Cinema in Tacoma the other day. It?s a movie worth seeing, not because I believe it gave a factual or fair representation of George W. Bush but rather because it?s a valid differing opinion and is eye opening and can create discussion.

I also saw King Arthur and Spiderman 2. Both movies were only mediocre and not worth the $9.25. Of the two, King Arthur is probably the better bet.

On the road on the hike up to Mt. Zion there are several forest roads of gravel. I wanted to test out the AWD system in my car, so we decided to do a little fucking around. Turns out the AWD isn?t as invincible as I once thought. There was this one gravel pit that was a lot of fun but we skid out a couple of times. It might be the tires but after some technical reading on the internet, I?ve discovered that not all AWD systems are created equal. Anyway, my car is now dirty, just the way I like it.

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Asia?s Calling My Name

Sunday, July 11th, 2004

It?s finalized and booked. I?m off to Southeast Asia for a few months from 9/7-12/17. I?m flying out of San Francisco and into Bangkok on EvaAir ($664.50 on expedia) so if anyone can join, they should. We considered backpacking around the Himalayas but apparently that takes (more) pre-planning and at least some degree of aerobic conditioning (at least for what we want to do). Thinking an Indo-China loop (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China) is ideal. Another friend was telling me that Vietnam has the highest percent of natives who speak English in Asia (always a good thing for ethnocentric, dumb, westerns). However if the option to visit Bhutan ever came up, I?d jump on it. Apparently Bhutan only allows like 2,000 tourist visas/year and is still a relatively untouched hunter/gatherer society.

It?s been a while since I?ve blogged but I?m back in Tacoma. It?s still just as boring as I left it, except now I have a car. We actually went up to Seattle a couple times, purchased Mariners tickets, visited Pikes Place, and hung around the Pioneer Square and Ballard bars?basically all the touristy things. Purchased a Northwest Forest Pass on ebay for a hefty 50% discount, hopefully it should come in the mail on Monday. Then maybe I can burn off some of these unwanted pounds on a few backpacking trips. Adios for now.

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Tacoma = Boring

Sunday, July 4th, 2004

Tacoma has been really boring over the summer so I made a last minute decision to fly home for a couple of days. I guess I?ll have to catch Tacoma?s prized Fourth of July celebration another time. I used some left over travel credit on Southwest so the flight wasn?t too expensive. The convenient thing about booking with Southwest is the ability to cancel your reservation up to the hour your flight it set to leave. So if the fare comes down or you simply change your mind, you can cancel your reservation at no charge and receive a credit good up to a year. Plus their one-way and open-jaw flights are significantly cheaper. I hadn?t flown Southwest for over three years and not much has changed. There?s still a mad dash for the good seats, an unusual amount of crying babies, rude people (although the friendly employees make up for it), and children who seem to always spill their drinks on your lap (or laptop). I do however like Southwest?s Spirit Magazine more than any other airline magazine. It?s not saying much but it does hold my attention for an hour or so. IMHO (in my humble opinion, for you non-IM geeks) it provides interesting articles for a wide array of interests.

Oh, so I?m flying down, only so I can drive back up to Tacoma in a few days. I purchased a replacement car for the one that was totaled (see prior blog posts for my unlucky story). I?m trying to decide if I want to stop anywhere on the way or make a detour (to the Oregon Coast or something). It?s after all summer time and I?m driving back with a friend so our options are open.

I?m thinking my endless summer is getting really boring really quickly, so I?m also contemplating hopping on a mid-August flight to Asia (rather than waiting till early September). It?s significantly more expensive but it would save me from the devils of boredom.

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