Canyonero

This road trip has been a great one for outdoor places. Sure I've seen some cities (or at least little bits of them): San Antonio, New Orleans, Vegas, El Paso, etc. But the parks have been the real stand outs. In each of the 3 main parks we've visited, the best scenery in my opinion has been the canyons. * Big Bend National park in southwest Texas: I would love to spend more time there. It's really got some great geography. * Red Rocks near Las Vegas: a great scenic drive even if you don't get out of the car. If you hike around a little, it gets even better. * Death Valley National Park: lots of desert, but some of the narrow canyons are pretty freaking spectacular too.

Tuesday January 5 2010

File under: travel, USA

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on Wed 06th Jan, 2010 08:21 pm PST Deanna said: ooooh, ahhhhh ************************ on Sat 09th Jan, 2010 05:57 am PST Cab said: Red Rocks is amazing you can spend a week exploring the area and be amazed every day by a new find! ************************ on Mon 11th Jan, 2010 06:53 am PST rus said: When we lived in MN, I hitchhiked to Big Bend and spent Xmas day on a trail. Margaret drove me to the freeway with you two boys and stayed til I got a ride, thinking that might be the last time you´d see me. ************************

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Another Roadside Attraction

Traveling the back roads of America far outweighs interstate travel, if you ask me. Sure it is a little slower, but seeing real towns instead of exit ramp after exit ramp of the same chain stores makes it all worth it. Passing through Eastern Oregon on a small back road recently, I came across this gem that I just had to share. There was no plaque or explanation. Just a bunch of license plates nailed to a fence and fence posts. Upon closer inspection, I noticed there was a can of nails and a hammer for anyone to add their own contribution. Erica and I both did our part*. When we stopped in the next town*'s little cafe*, we asked about the art installation up the road. They didn't have much to offer in way of explanation but did point us to another similar attraction in the next town over. Yep, back roads America: I'm a fan.

Sunday January 3 2010

File under: travel, USA

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on Sun 03rd Jan, 2010 08:28 pm PST maggie said: That's a sweet set of cast iron! And, um, you might should not broadcast your license plate stealing habit...just a thought. ************************ on Sun 03rd Jan, 2010 10:10 pm PST Mom said: hmm, from the photo it looks like your nose is still intact. Just wondering, given the S.A. experience. ************************ on Mon 04th Jan, 2010 10:13 am PST Saxtor said: Look at those cast iron skillys! Knock off a bit of rust, get them seasoned up and they'll be good as new! ************************

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Two Tales of Two Cities

NORLINS What do you do if you have 5 hours to see all that New Orleans has to offer? Well, I did what I could. I saw Bourbon Street, tried to take some artsy photos, watched some street performers, ate some beignets (YUM!), waited in line for a fancy restaurant, ate crawfish etouffe, gumbo, and jambalaya, and drove around looking flood damage. Yep, if I go back, I will do it in a little more organized fashion, and maybe even have a plan, but until I do make it back, I've at least got a frame of reference for when all those saints go marching in. SAN ANTONE I last went to San Antonio 22 years ago or so. Needless to say, I don't remember much (except some vague recollection of the movie Cloak and Dagger). Luckily, I had the chance to refresh my memory with a quick visit. We saw the Alamo* and the riverwalk. Then someone on the street looking for a fight decided to punch me in the face 2 times. That's a first. It turns out that it doesn't feel so great. Luckily, San Antonio's finest* were right around the corner, so Mr. Firsticuffs shan't be bothering the nice River Walkers any longer.

Tuesday December 29 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Tue 29th Dec, 2009 07:59 pm PST Mom said: Ooops on the punches. Did you get a blog photo of you and the perp? How much did your nose grow? ************************ on Tue 29th Dec, 2009 11:43 pm PST Andrew said: Punched? What now? ************************ on Wed 30th Dec, 2009 08:58 pm PST Dave said: did you remember the alamo? ************************ on Thu 31st Dec, 2009 08:49 am PST Horge said: I'm sorry some ornery Texan did that. Did you tell him a yo'-horse's-mama joke or something? Too bad I'm not at home for you to have added me/Dallas to your trip... But in any case, Happy New Years! (and if you're still in San Antone, try to get the people to clap after singing "The stars at night/Are big and bright", like Pee Wee did!) ************************ on Thu 31st Dec, 2009 09:54 am PST steve said: Hey Evander, what's the other guy look like? ************************ on Fri 01st Jan, 2010 11:59 pm PST Wren said: @mom and steve: here is the perp being dealt with by S.A.'s finest. ************************ on Sat 02nd Jan, 2010 04:43 pm PST Ryan said: Did he punch anyone else or just you? Why YOU??? ************************

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Bike Trip Recap

Start point: Pensacola, FL End point: Slidell, LA # of day: 5-ish # of nights: 4* Total miles travelled: 200 Average miles per day: 40 Actual mileage breakdown per day: 18, 82, 28, 40, 30 # of states visited: 4 # of geocaches found: 4 # of all you can eat buffets: 2 # of all you can eat buffets that were a bad idea: 1 Ratio of angry horn honks to supporting honks: 3:1 # of abondoned water parks explored by cover of darkness: 1 # of days until my knees are regularly functinoal again: 5? 15? 50? # of photos taken: Not nearly enough But still: x-mas beach fire, giant gorgeous tree in Bay St. Louis, frontage roads make me happy, drying clothes after a storm, on a ferry, biking rocks.

Sunday December 27 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Sun 27th Dec, 2009 05:37 pm PST Saxtor said: Are you trading in the Peugeot for the Raleigh? ************************ on Wed 30th Dec, 2009 08:58 pm PST Dave said: did those ferry miles count towards the total? ************************ on Fri 01st Jan, 2010 11:38 pm PST Wren said: @Saxtor: Either Steeley (cleverly named as such for being a steel framed bike) is either going to become my Bellingham/Quarry bike or I trust it will find a new home with an owner willing to part with a minor sum. @Dave: Nope, the ferry miles didn't count even thought I rode around in circus the whole time on the ferry so as not to cool down. ************************

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Travel Self Portraits

I've been criticized in the past for taking (or at least posting) too many self portrait style photos. I see the issue and how it can seem very egotistical. But I would like to make a defense. Traveling alone means you are the only one taking pictures (unless you are the type to flag down a passer-by to take the shot, which I try to avoid but occasionally succumb to). So that means any photo of yourself is going to be self portrait style. I personally like photos with people in them more than just landscape shots or whatever. For example, I like this better than this, and this better than this. Furthermore, I feel the need less to explain a photo if I'm standing in it, as in the photo at the right: you can tell that I'm stoked to be getting fresh orange juice, eh? Just a picture of an orange pile wouldn't be the same. Anyhoo, this was meant to be a dumping ground for a few of the self portraits I've taken recently, so here they are (with a mini-defense about their purpose): "hey look, I bought a bike" and "since sunset pics rarely turn out with my camera, maybe if I reflect it off my sunglasses". I could go on about my defense of self portrait pictures, but I won't. Instead, I'll just concede; yep, I'm just that egotistical.*

Tuesday December 22 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Tue 22nd Dec, 2009 11:34 am PST Mom said: Got any photos of you and one of them 'gators? ************************ on Wed 23rd Dec, 2009 05:47 am PST Christen said: I'm on your side in the 'this v. this' debate - what's the point of a picture without someone in it? May as well just be a postcard otherwise. Not very artsy of me I know. ************************ on Wed 23rd Dec, 2009 05:53 am PST Horge said: I like the self-potrait ones, too. If nothing more than to see the state of your beard. However I disagree with your sunglasses-pic caption: my first thought on seeing it is not "I guess Wren's at the Everglades" :) ************************ on Wed 23rd Dec, 2009 02:25 pm PST Ryan said: You could have at least included the bicycle in your self portrait. What did you get as your trusty steed? I'm sure the best $25 could buy. ************************ on Wed 23rd Dec, 2009 04:26 pm PST lani said: I love your self portraits. Whoever thinks they're egotistical has their own ego problems. I see it as being open and sharing a part of yourself, which takes courage. keep 'em coming! ************************ on Thu 24th Dec, 2009 06:39 am PST Sean said: They're not even self portraits really. Much more interesting to see you in the picture than just a stack of oranges. Who disagrees? We'll fight. ************************ on Fri 25th Dec, 2009 05:17 am PST Dave said: we're all on your side, wren. keep the pictures of you coming. ************************

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Epic Wrong Turn

Just so you don't have to learn the hard way, like I did, when the National Parks Service calls a route "scenic", it actually means "you are goin' to see all there is to see because you will be lucky if you actually make it out alive." Just keep that in mind*. So, through a series of unfortunate events, I find myself back in a rental car. The downside is that I'm burning through the old travel budget much faster than I had hoped*. The positive side is that I get to explore the non-greater Miami part of Florida. Once such leg of this "exploration" came in the form of an epic wrong turn. It took about 1.5 hours to get through 10-15 miles of this. Luckily, the scenery was beautiful. The wildlife wasn't so bad either. Now that I've survived the gators, the only thing I have to worry about is what the rental company is going to say. Perhaps it is time to look into a new form of transportation*...

Sunday December 20 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Mon 21st Dec, 2009 06:06 am PST Nesbitt said: I highly recommend an air boat ride. They are cheesy but lots of fun! ************************ on Mon 21st Dec, 2009 07:54 am PST cardboard said: i would dawn the xtratoughs and go for a tromp ************************ on Mon 21st Dec, 2009 09:59 pm PST Mom said: Zing! Steve got Bingo?? What? Bested by the big Bro once again? Could it be? ************************

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Southernmost Post in the USA

It has been 13 years since I was last in Key West, FL, and from that last time, I don't remember anything except which Key Club girl(s)* I was chasing and who we dressed in drag and sent out on the town*. Fast forward 13 years and I've got a whole new impression. Key West has a ton of lore associated with it in my life. First, there is all the Jimmy Buffett lore: Margaritaville, Duval Street, Capt. Tony's, A1A, conch fritters*, etc. Then there is the street preformer lore of Mallory Square. I went to two sunset celebrations down there and watched quite a number of shows. Nothing totally blew my socks off, but it was fun nonetheless. Finally, there is fiction lore. My favorite genre of book is the South Florida action/mystery*. A number of the books have parts set in Key West. Roaming around the streets gave me a better feel for the setting for those books. I have a bunch I feel like I could say about Key West and how much I enjoyed spending a few days here. Instead, I'll just post these two totally cliched pictures: #1 and #2.

Friday December 18 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Fri 18th Dec, 2009 08:14 am PST Saxtor said: A1A? Did you see the hot girls wearing less than bikinis, or Rockman lovers driving expensive Italian sports cars? ************************ on Fri 25th Dec, 2009 05:20 am PST Dave said: And I was chasing Julie B. on that same trip 13 years ago! ************************

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Cold vs Hot

COLD* VS HOT* On my drive from Pueblo, CO to the airport at Colorado Springs, it was -5°F. That's crazy cold. The night before, biking back from pub trivia, it was about the same. Riding a bike in that kind of cold is really cold. I quite literally had ice chunks in my beard when we got home, but I was still wearing a smile. (In fact, I was still game for a little experiment in alternative alternative transportation. Check out Ryan's blog for a write-up soon.) When I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, it was 85°F with about 135% humidity. Quite a change. This means that activities (such as geocaching) have to be planned at off peak hours to avoid the heat and time for an afternoon swim has to be taken into account everyday. Life's tough...but fair. See: 85°+(-5°) 2 = 45° (an average December day in Anacortes)

Saturday December 12 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Sun 13th Dec, 2009 10:18 am PST Sean said: I "studied" Theatre in a foreign school, but doesn't that equation equal 40? ************************ on Mon 14th Dec, 2009 10:36 am PST Saxtor said: Sean, good catch! And in that case it would be 4.44°C for the furrners. ************************ on Tue 15th Dec, 2009 12:21 am PST Horge said: A sad day for Bates' math department... :) ************************ on Tue 15th Dec, 2009 12:22 am PST Horge said: Or maybe Wren's just trying to do a trick with his climate data to impart influence on Copenhagen... ************************ on Sun 20th Dec, 2009 10:53 am PST Wren said: You got me. I mean that plus sign to be a minus sign. That's what happens when one can immediately, instinctively find the average of two numbers; one can forget how to actually express the longhand way. ************************

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Snow in Fort Collins

It's not really supposed to snow on a vacation unless you are skiing or something of the sort. Luckily this is neither a vacation nor am I looking for what is supposed to happen because it's pretty much been snowing non-stop since I've arrived in Fort Collins. Not only is there snow, but it is COLD*! But we've not been deterred. Courtesy of my wonderful hosts, we've been having a great time. There's been playing in the snow, checking out the local garden's light show, and even a little productivity. Luckily we got the fireplace going so we've had some nice warmth and atmosphere to come home to. But with all this cold weather and snow, I could really go for a little warmth. Hmmm...maybe I'll look into that*.

Monday December 7 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Wed 09th Dec, 2009 01:12 am PST maggie said: and still you wear shorts and tennies. ah-mazing! ************************ on Wed 09th Dec, 2009 07:08 am PST Sean said: I'm impressed with the picture of simultaneous jumping. I know how hard it is to get that with an automatic at night with the flash delaying the picture, etc... ************************ on Wed 09th Dec, 2009 12:06 pm PST Saxtor said: Hmm, could it be that you simply going where the weather suits your clothes? ************************

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Meebo HQ Visit

Silicone Valley is like my Hollywood. Just as a visitor to Hollywood might buy a Map to the Stars and go hunting for their favorite celebrity's homes, I stalk and gawk around Silicone Valley looking for my favorite tech companies. Highest on that list is meebo. Meebo is a company started back in late 2005 that allows users to access all their various instant messaging protocols via a unified interface all through through their browser*. The nerds among you probably already know all about it. I imagine the non-nerds don't care. Anyway, I've been following the company since its start-up via their blog where they write about the venture capital aspect, the technology hang-ups, the social culture of the bay area, moving from a garage to a real office space, hiring people, etc. etc. Seeing it all in person was something I've been wanting to do for a while. When we found the location, I was positively giddy. I was so giddy, in fact, I thought it prudent to stroll the avenue for a minute or two before making too much of a fool of myself by knocking on the door. While trying to compose myself on the street corner, I recognized a meebo-er* and lost whatever composure I had managed to regain. Long story short, I finally got up the guts to poke my head in to the office. I was given a quick tour, a smile, and a meebo t-shirt*. I snapped a goofy picture for the blog, and I was out the door. (The giddiness, however, remained for a good 2 hours.)

Sunday April 12 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 10:33 am PDT EMoore said: does this mean you're in the USA? And, Can you stay with Thomas 13-27 October? ZAR Trip! ************************ on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 03:48 pm PDT Dave said: What was distinct about the meebo-er that made you recognize him/her? ************************ on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 03:52 pm PDT Wren said: I'm just good with faces, I guess. I must have seen a picture of her on the blog before or something. ************************ on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 11:01 am PDT Saxtor said: Okay, that's just badass. Your next task is to track down Tom, tell him that he's not actually my friend and then punch him in the face. ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 07:39 am PDT steve said: Thank the FSM that Mom clarified the invite! ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 04:59 pm PDT Joe said: uhhh...wow. ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 10:31 pm PDT dave said: Thank the FSM? The Federated States of Micronesia? ************************ on Thu 16th Apr, 2009 09:22 am PDT Saxtor said: Dave, I pray that you, too, may be touched by his Noodly Appendage. ************************ on Sun 19th Apr, 2009 07:11 pm PDT Chris said: I feel your pain on the whole getting excited about things that nobody cares about. Down in Malibu people could never figure out why I didn't get excited about running into Dean Cain, Mel Gibson or David Duchovny but that I had much the same stupid giddiness when I ran into Dave Thomas (No, not the Wendy's guy) at Blockbuster. It was extra awkward due to the fact that I was actually holding a copy of Strange Brew at the time contemplating its rental. ************************ on Mon 20th Apr, 2009 03:49 am PDT Dave said: Chris, that is so cool! Strange Brew is one of three movies I OWN! I hope he picked up the rental fee for you. ************************

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