Green Lakes

There's just something about space. About being away from phones, email, internet, to-do lists. Maybe the restoration is in the lack of an agenda, that we don't have anything to do. Or maybe the restoration comes from being away, being in the beauty of nature. Enjoying the freedom and space. This week, I headed out to Green Lakes in the Sisters Wilderness with a couple of friends.
Here are a couple of shots from an afternoon spent relaxing in the sun in the wilderness!

Today's Adventure

It has been long overdue...an itching in my soul. a need to get outside, to be adventurous. To breath in fresh air and enjoy the beauty in life.
Today, Tom and I went up to the Clackamas River. The first half of the day was spent fishing. I even had the opportunity to try out a new pair of waders that were waiting for me when I got back from the OR show. The following couple of hours were spent swimming under a bridge. Tom attempted to spear fish with a stick that was carved with a hatchet. A fun time!
Finally, we capped the day off with an amazing drive up a random road. We were met with breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and fields of wildflowers. On the way back, as we were flying down a hill, Tom exclaimed that we had no brakes. Quite the exclamation considering where we were. We realized that somehow a brake line had been severed and I ended up driving us back to Portland using only the gears and the E-brake...pretty crazy. We spent the evening removing the faulty brake line and now the search for a new one...

Flyfishing

I sold my flyfishing gear in college. I wasn't using it and I needed the money at the time.I had no clue that at a point later in life I would once again find the need for a good fly pole and tackle. I guess that's the way that life is... the future is one of those obscure things that often surprises us...
I've spent the last couple of years re-acquiring gear and went out for day trip on the Clackamas in early June. Here are a couple of pics.

About Time

Life has been busy, but then again who isn't busy. I believe that it is a fine art to be able to find the stillness in the midst of busyness.
I have spent the last two weeks on the road. I started in Idaho and made my way to Salt Lake City for the Summer Outdoor Retailer show. The place where all the new outdoor gear is introduced--it's quite the production. Sadly, I opted to not take my camera, fishing pole, or bike. That is the last time that will happen...

Here are some pictures from other recent travels!








This last picture is the only one that I don't like. Windmills in WA and ID are to me the punctuation of space and freedom. The encroachment of society on space in a way that is not natural... oh well. I guess that's part of "progress"...

Tough Winter

This picture is for Tom....This poor fellow didn't quite make it through the winter. Actually, I saw wolf tracks all around him so I assume that's the cause of death.

Idaho Tour

I spent the past week on one of the most intense travels schedules that I've ever done. Most of my driving was done between the hours of 10pm and 2am. While I still think that the majority of the Interstate 84 corridor is one of the most boring drives ever, Idaho has some breathtaking scenery and drives. I got the chance to visit both Sun Valley and McCall, both of which are amazingly beautiful destinations.

Sadly, most of the nights I had to camp in the Subi due to inclement weather. However, I did get quite a few opportunities to explore random gravel roads. In fact, I came back to Oregon with the Subaru much dirtier than when I left.

Spring Clinics

It's been a while since I've been able to post some pictures. I would apologize to my followers, but I seriously doubt that there are that many people that faithfully follow this blog.
The past few weeks have been spent on the road, during that time I've traveled through the majority of Washington and Idaho. While it stinks being away from home, the bright side is that I get to see a lot of amazing places, places that would be amazing to travel to and vacation in. Places that I would like to visit again with Amanda...
Leavenworth has to be one of the most random towns that I've ever visited. Being a Bavarian community in the middle of the Northern Cascades, it's a town that sticks out of it's surroundings in one of the most surreal ways. The first picture is Leavenworth Mountain Sports; all of the buildings in the town have the same design. I spent the night camping up Icicle road in a little nook that I found. While I wasn't ready for the 18 degree evening, I was joyfully surprised by the view when I woke up. The last three pictures were taken from within a couple hundred yards of my campsite.

Kitesurfing in Maui

Sadly, I didn't take my kite gear with me to Maui. But we did make a visit to the North shore to watch the kiters. The water was
amazing, the wind constant, and some pretty amazing kiters...made me really wish that I had a kite and could go out and flounder in the water with everyone...
This was my first attempt at photographing kiters. It's actually really difficult to get a shot that looks decent.

More Maui

I'm finally ready for some sunny weather in the northwest. The snow is great, but after I've had my fill of winter sports, I'm ready for a change. Looking back through the photos of our glorious time in Maui has really put the itch in me for some nice weather...Until the northwest climate chooses to cooperate, I think looking at pictures will have to do...

This first photo was taken near mile post 14...one of our favorite snorkel spots. Amanda and I were on our way to a relaxing time in Lahaina and we decided to stop and watch some whales playing in the bay...




One of the best drives on Maui is the "back" way to Hana. This is a little bay that we found on our trip.


Having fun at night at the rental house. The light spots on the bottom right are from me walking by with a flashlight. It's not the most amazing photo, but it was fun experimenting for sure!


The Banyon trees in Maui are pretty incredible. This one was dead center on the trail to the falls by Hana.


Halfway up that same trail, there is the most amazing bamboo forest.