Total Meltdown

It has been a rough week. Aside from the usual petty day-job drama, a chest-cold that I just can't shake, a trip to the dentist that revealed the first cavity of my life (damn you wisdom teeth!), and the complete collapse of the economy, we've finally gotten hit for real this time:

Sometime in the wee hours of this past Tuesday morning, our iMac's hard drive somehow got completely fried. Don't ask me how this happens. It was working fine, we go to bed, we wake up, the sucker is dead.

Oh yes, we've tried the "single-user start up" and the old "disk utility booted from the OS start up disc" and all of that. The computer can't even find the hard drive. We've gone from fix-the-computer mode into salvage-any-data-we-can-find mode. We currently have the best minds over at Wired on the case (thanks, Chris), but the prognosis is not good. Not good at all.

Luckily, we had just recently bought a 500-gig backup drive a week earlier and had backed-up the photos, music, and gallery business files. Unfortunately, I had planned on backing up all the personal info, artwork, documents, contacts, and all that at a later date. Smooth move, Pete. D'oh! We still have the laptop computer, too, so you can rest easy knowing I'm still able to surf the internet when I should be working on something important.

So, not a total loss, but still the digital equivalent of part of your home burning down.  Could be worse, but definitely a setback. Swell.

Roadtrip part3

Narangkar and Pete's Roadtrip

Part 3: The Journey Home

Narangkar and I left Washington full of good vibes and energized for the long drive home. We drove up the coast, so for the ride back, after we got into Oregon on the 5, we crossed to the center of the state, which was more of a desert climate than the woods of the Pacific...

The crazy big sky with fire smoke on the horizon. 

Never been here before: Smith Rock. Narangkar spotted it and we decided to take a spontaneous detour to one of the most famous climbing rocks in the world. That's me climbing here in this photo... just kidding, we didn't even walk down to the base of the rock.

Even if you aren't climbing, the views from the wildness around Smith Rock are just gorgeous.

We stayed at the Old St. Francis School (another awesome McMenamins hotel in a converted school) in Bend, OR. Check out this deluxe bathroom. Narangkar caught up on the Olympic action while I watched the first half of "Zohan" in the speakeasy theater. Even though I got in for free, I still felt like I got ripped-off. That movie is awful. Great hotel room, though. And more great local brews up the road.

The next day we hit Crater Lake National Park. We hiked Garfield peak and took in one of the most amazing views on the planet. I've never seen blues like this before.

Whoooooo!

Wizard Island.

The chipmunks are not afraid of people at Crater Lake.

Mt. Shasta on road during the final leg home. 

It was such a super awesome vacation and just what I needed to relax a bit and get some perspective on life. Even with current gas prices, camping road trips are an excellent and affordable vacation and the Pacific Northwest has got some great spot in store. We got some rain, some record heat, lots of amazing views, some of my all time favorite hikes, some fresh water swimming (none of that in Oakland), lots of tasty local beer, got to visit old friends, stayed in two neat hotels, and at the best fish and chips ever. It was good to get away from email and city noise, but it was nice to get home as well.

You need to travel to realize what it is you want, but you need to go home to find it. 

Stay tuned because I'll have a bunch of bonus roadtrip photos blogged-up in a few days.

Coming up in November... East Coast extravaganza in Boston and CT.

Next year... Japan!

Roadtrip part 2

Narangkar and Pete's Roadtrip
Part 2: Adventure at the BorderWhen we last checked in, Narangkar and I were one our way to northern Washington to check in with one of my oldest pals, Benny T., and his wife, Karla. It was record heat the day we arrived in Bellingham and we were immediately whisked away to the soothing waters of the Nooksack River, where Karla's coworker was having a come-one-come-all family camp out...
There was a ton of food constantly cooking as we whiled away the summer day playing river frisbee and volleyball. 
We were greeted with lavender gin and tonics and a keg of local brew. There was more than plenty to drink.
Sunset on the Nooksack. This photo is not digitally enhanced at all. This is seriously not even as amazing as it looked in person.

Hiking along Mt. Baker. I'd have to say that this was one of the all time coolest hikes I've ever been on.
It was a hot day but the air was cool coming off the snow. There was even a refreshing drizzle for a minute. 
Trail lurkers. 
Karla and Ben
Is that a wolf in the background?
Pizza and Beer at the North Fork Beer Shrine.
Something Falls (I can't remember the name) in a park in Bellingham. There are some classic swimming spots up north.
Bellingham has a huge skatepark. This photo doesn't even show the small ledgy-bowl and the super pool.
I now understand the vibe about skating rocks.
Benny T. whips-up another epic cappuccino. 

Furball. 
We got some of amazing fish and chips at the Fairhaven fish bus. Narangkar and Benny T. went for the Alaskan Halibut while I sampled the "Fisherman's Basket".
Used bookstore.
The tracks on the way to the beach on the bay. The beach smelled like cattle. 
The next day, we (eventually) got across the border into Canada. After Dim Sum we strolled the huge park above downtown. There we saw several seagulls attempting to swallow giant starfish whole. It was bizarre and kind of gross. They just stood there with their beaks open and half a starfish hanging out.
We made it to the Vancouver Anthropology Museum 15 minutes before closing. It was worth it just to get to spend a few minutes with the awesome totems.



We had an really, really great time with Ben and Karla and Furball. We saw Mongol (the movie), ate really cheap delicious sushi, rode bikes, saw a marmot, discovered that everything you do is definitely still on your permanent record, and drank lots and lots from the local breweries.  Bellingham is really nice (in the summer anyways) and Vancouver was great.
Coming up next: Part 3: The Voyage Home

Roadtrip part 1

Narangkar and Pete's Summer Roadtrip

Part 1: The Trek North

Narangkar and I planned a little time off for the summer, so in mid-August we packed up the cooler, borrowed Siriji's camping stove, bought some new tires and trail shoes, and hit the road. The plan: drive North, camp, hike, maybe skate, visit some friends, maybe get into Canada, then drive South, camp, hike, maybe skate, and just get the heck off the internet for a few weeks. 

Fern Canyon... well worth the dusty drive.

A close friend of John McEntire's bullied his tour bus into the lovely campsite at Patrick's Creek, CA. Some folks "rough it" with more luxuries than I have at home. 

The Smith River ran right below our campground. 

Now that's good swimmin'!

The from atop the crazy trail drive, but before the fuckin' insane drop-to-your-death drive to the trail head.

Campfire at the Umpuqua Campground. Neat lakeside trails and then an abrupt transition to the fog-covered Oregon dunes... but a cruddy campground otherwise. 

We noticed that there are people who spend all their camping time by chopping wood. Just chopping wood all day for the constant fire they aren't enjoying because they are too bust chopping wood.

Apples and sausages. Breakfast of runners-up.

The Siltcoos Lake and amazing forest trail in Oregon. If you want some excellent backpack camping, check it out. 

Reedsport skatepark with a fullpipe. 

Ghosts in the Art Vogel room at the Olympic Club in Centralia, WA. The speakeasy movie theater is right below our room and the bathroom is down the hall. 

Not featured: The milquetoast Camp Host, bear droppings, dune buggies, traffic in southern Washington, Iron Man for free, and lunch at Taco Bell (big mistake).

Coming up next: Part 2: Adventure at the Border