Ascension

Eagles

2012-01-14T01:23:00.001-08:00

Oregon

2012-01-14T00:27:00.001-08:00

Wood is Good

2011-12-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Wood is good

Elaho Beach Panorama

2011-11-09T20:11:00.001-08:00

Campsite in the lower right.

Fall Fishing

2011-11-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

Elaho/Sims Valley

2011-11-09T19:23:00.001-08:00

Distractions on the side of the road.

DEEP. Turn around point pretty much. Early November and the sun doesn't reach the valley floor any more.

Babe digs logging roads

Clendinning

2011-08-27T12:43:00.001-07:00

Bridge River Valley

2011-08-06T13:14:00.000-07:00

"The Bridge River is - or was - one of the Fraser's largest and most historic tributaries, although it is largely obscure to most British Columbians today."

These are kinda words that perk my ears up. Welcome to a little slice of heaven on earth. The towns of Gold Bridge (Wiki population 250), Bralorne (60), Brexton (a dozen, if that) and Pinoneer Mine (abandon) make up the Gold River valley. Many recreational cabins exist on Gun lake, Carpenter and Downton Lake making up the majority of the areas population.

Lunch break off the Hurley road

Squamish Pink Salmon Run

2011-08-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

The following is a nice article about the 2011 Pink Salmon run here in Squamish:

http://outdoorcanada.ca/13670/blogs/wild-about-the-west/pink-salmon-retention-reinstated

Cheakamus Canyon

2011-07-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

Cheakamus Canyon - Sea to Sky Trail
Follows the original 1850s Lillooet - Vancouver cattle trail.
Invigorating on a mountain bike, one hell of a trip with cows...

From Wiki:

The Lillooet Cattle Trail, also known as the Lillooet-Burrard Cattle Trail, was an unusual public works undertaking by the Province of British Columbia in the 1887, and was the largest public works expenditure of that province in the 19th Century. Faced with burgeoning stock populations and a lack of access to the huge market supplying meat to construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway just east, largely because of a lack of bridge crossings of the Fraser River, the ranchers of the Lillooet area lobbied the provincial government to finance a trail to the coast via the Pemberton and Squamish areas to the north shore of Burrard Inlet (i.e. what is now Vancouver harbour), at the mouth of the Seymour River.

The trail's route was improbable, to say the least, hugging lakeside cliffs where, in places, trestles and floating platforms had to be built out above or onto the lake and, beyond that, through marshes and heavy forests beset by infamously-thick mosquitos and, lastly, a tortuous "stairway" section of the trail over the pass between the Squamish area and the Seymour River, where cattle where expected to use steps on a trail that was nowhere more than 6 yards wide.

Only one formal cattle drive was ever held over the full length of the route and most head were lost; those that finished the trip were put out to pasture to recuperate, being too skinny to be worth butchering. The multimillion-dollar loss incurred by trail construction left a bad taste with the provincial government for many years, although the son of its main sponsor, a rancher from Pavilion, later became provincial Minister of Highways and Public Works. Bridges to serve the cattle ranches of the West Fraser, including the suspension-span at Lillooet, were built in several places by 1910s, although too late to keep the West Fraser Ranches competitive with those in the Thompson and Cariboo regions.

The trail remained in use in later years for residents of the Pemberton Valley for general travel purposes, and at least two more smaller cattle drives from that region to Squamish were attempted, both financial disasters as was the original one from Lillooet. The roadbed of the trail remained in place for many years, its stretch from Pemberton to Squamish ultimately being subsumed into the grade for the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway through that stretch.

Mamquam River @ Raffuse Creek

2011-07-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is what anglers define as a 'blown river'. I will be back when the waters have calmed...

Test of Medal

2011-07-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Test of Medal 2011 - Front row seats on Skyline

800 Riders

67K/ 42M - Half on single track with over a kilometer elevation gain

Just over 2 hours - human machines right here

Squamish and the Stawamus Chief

2011-05-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Shannon Falls

Atop the Stawamus Chief
Second peak looking down Howe Sound

Squamish

Radu taking a break

Squamish River estuary

Shannon Falls and wind boarders

Chilliwack Ecological Reserve aka Massive Trees

2011-05-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

"The reserve is in the heart of the Skagit Range of the Cascade Mountains, mostly on the floodplain of the gently flowing, slightly meandering Chilliwack River. The flat valley bottom is about 500 m wide in this area."

"The reserve area is primarily forested with rich old-growth coniferous stands of exceptional growth. A small area of shrubland in the northwest corner is influenced by periodic flooding of Chilliwack Lake, and wetlands occur in the west central area. Three floodplain forest communities have been described. Cedars may reach 2.75 m in diameter, and true firs 60 m in height. Other trees present include Engelmann spruce, Sitka spruce, grand fir, amabilis fir, Douglas-fir, bigleaf maple, and Pacific crab apple. This is believed to be an area of hybridization between grand and amabilis fir and between Sitka and Engelmann spruce.
Mammals noted here are the Black Bear, Black-Tailed Deer, Beaver, and Porcupine. Typical birds are the Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Grouse, kinglets, and chickadees."

The USA-Canada border. Imagine what Mexicans would think if they saw this, there isn't a person for days. Also until recently there was a trail heading south into the states for hikers.

Cypress Falls

2011-05-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

More Chilli-Chilli Wack-Wack and the Squamish River Valley

2011-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I ventured to Chilliwack Lake in hopes of reaching the southern end. The snow was too deep for my little Subaru so we explored other reaches of the valley. Two weeks later and we decided to try again, the snow had melted but a few miles down the road a spring avalanche had other plans for the road. We climbed over it and got some gorgeous views of Chilliwack Lake looking south.

This is why I LOVE BC!

Within 2 minutes of taking the previous pictures clouds rolled in, socking the entire lake while trowing some intense wind and a bit of snow at us. I've seen weather turn nasty pretty quick in the mountains but this really drove it home. We were talking about how nice it would have been to be canoeing/kayaking on the lake...

Chipmunk Caves

Karst is a distinctive topography in which the landscape is largely shaped by the dissolving action of water on carbonate bedrock (usually limestone, dolomite, or marble).

This geological process, occurring over many thousands of years, results in unusual surface and subsurface features ranging from sinkholes, vertical shafts, disappearing streams, and springs, to complex underground drainage systems and caves.

Taken from: http://www.cancaver.ca/docs/karst.htm

For more information regarding caves in Canada check out cancaver.com

The Chilliwack River Valley is rich in karst topography from small sinkholes and streams entering/exiting mountainsides to elaborate cave systems. Although these formations may look and seem indestructable, they are very sensitive delicate ecosystems. Human interfearance can destroy tens of thousands of years of natural mineral build up in a matter of seconds.

The Chipmunk caves have been visted by 'white man' since the 1950's or slightly earlier. Ever since their discovery practically every interesting formation has been taken, defaced or simply smashed and destroyed. There is spray paint inside the caves, littered with trash and candels scattered everywhere. In the picture above, the main chamber, one can see over a few dozen stalactites and straws broken right off. The largest being over 6 inches in diameter.

Taken from Wiki, showing the most common speleothems (formations)

'Theres gold in them there hills'
The Chipmunk Caves are situated on a knoll next to the Chilliwack River, ideal for karst formation. The knoll is known to have other caves with more delicate speleothems, but for this reason they are protected, gated, monitered (by an organised caving society) and intentionally not located on maps (government or otherwise). The fact that only a few people know of these caves can pose problems, for example a quarry is proposed in the area (less than 1 km) which would include blasting and drilling. The cave's formations could potentially be harmed or even detroyed, but no one is allowed to see these caves to witness how delicate they really are. On a side note, some of the caves have been known to contain early Native remains, which is another reason caves can be a sensitive area.

Chilliwack River

Foley Lake

Church Mountain/ Old Baldy (center) and Liumchen Mountain (left)

View from Mt. McGuire looking towards Chilliwack and the Fraser River Valley

Coolest road I've ever driven on. The only precaution (besides normal logging road etiquette) would be to watch out for and respect the ATV'ers and dirt bikers. They own the roads up here so don't piss em off or you'll pay the price.

Liumchen Mountain, I spy some shredables

Church and Old Baldy

Church

Another little side adventure into the Squamish River Valley. I had never been up the Squam valley so I decided it was time. I have also made it a goal to buy a BC fishing license and some cheap fly gear.

Runoff

Squamish River Valley

Chilliwack Exploration

2011-04-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Chilliwack gets a bad rep here in Vancouver, located one to two hours east/ south east it is known for big trucks, backwoods and burly men. I have never heard 'Chilliwack' and something positive in the same sentence, until I took a visit.

Chilliwack Lake, looking south.
On a clear (not raining yet) Sunday I grabbed a fellow forestry/woodie buddy and headed out with low expectations. I had found a hike on the south end of Chilliwack Lake with potential old growth Firs and Cedars. But when we reached the lake it was still closed for the winter season.

Chilliwack Lake

Foley Lake

Foley Lake campsite

Foley Creek FSR

Kayak course set up on the Chilliwack River

All in all the Chilliwack River valley is an impressive ecosystem with easy access from anywhere in the Lower Mainland. I won't go into details but besides the fascinating lakes, steep terrain and many logging roads the valley offers a few spectacular waterfalls and even a few caves!

DuNord to Manning Park

2011-04-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Camp DuNord, Burtside Lake

Burntside dusk

BWCA backcountry

-25F (-30C)

Manning Provincial Park

The following is a hiking/cross country ski trail called Monument 83. It starts off the Crowsnest Highway (#3) and heads south to the Canada/USA border at Monument 83. It was a day trip and did not get to reach my final destination, maybe another time.

Looking up the trail, a deactivated logging road from the 1950's.

BC Private Hydro

2011-03-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

To view a map with current and proposed river diversion projects in BC.

http://www.ippwatch.info/w/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=8

District Energy Saint Paul, Minnesota

2011-03-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article about the largest thermal solar project in the upper Midwest, now atop the RiverCenter in downtown Saint Paul. The project was funded by federal funds and matched by District Energy St. Paul, which "operates the largest, most successful, hot water district heating system in North America". The company provides 80% of the heating and hot water needs to downtown St. Paul public and commercial buildings. The system covers 1,950 square meters of rooftop with 144 collectors and a capacity of 1MW.

Upon further reading the main heat source for the downtown area comes from a combined heat and power (CHP or cogeneration) plant utilizing urban wood residue. Not only does the plant produce clean electricity but it uses residual heat to provide hot water/ heating needs for the surrounding downtown area. District heating has played a huge role in reducing long term energy needs in Northern European cities for a while. Moving away from individual boiler systems producing heat/hot water for a specific building and moving it to a centralized location supplying heating for an entire area. "When adjusted for inflation, District Energy customers pay less for heating today than they did 25 years ago when service began." "Operation of the CHP plant has reduced District Energy’s reliance on coal by about 70%."
http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=501

It is no surprise to me that St. Paul is leading North America in this area, we have lots of urban wood, smart folk and most importantly we love our city and its future success.

Kitsilano Vancouver to Whistler Creekside

2011-03-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has never witnessed the migration, here it is on a beautiful late February weekend.

PS Watch it on Vimeo's site for HD

Missoula, MT into Idaho

2011-03-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly getting better at making these timelapse videos, this one was strapped to some boxes sitting shotgun. I got a speeding ticket the day before so please excuse the trucks passing me from time to time, I was takin er easy.

How to become one with a new-ish Subaru

2011-02-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

I bought my first car in January 2011, a 2003 Subaru Forester. Perhaps being a forestry student makes this a bit laughable, but her name is all the more fitting.

Babe the Blue Ox
Being in Canada I thought this folklore beast was common knowledge. Not true and I am quite ashamed. Vancouver-ites google both Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, if you're still not impressed watch the old Disney movie.

Having never broken in a car before I did what what first came to my mind. Become familiar with the car's minute details, nothing better than spinning donuts in the state fair midway. Next spend two days driving 1,800 miles from St. Paul to Vancouver. After passing both tests with flying colors, it was time to get a little dirty and see what a Subaru is made of; 100 miles of semi-maintained forest service roads.

This trip started as most all my camping trips do, google/map the heck out of everywhere interesting until something surfaces. This search resulted in the West Harrison FSR, a logging road used extensively by 4x4 clubs with tons of other roads with access into the unforgiving southern coast mountains.

I will simply put it, we were warned by some loggers not to leave our belongings (car) unattended. Thus the backpacking trip turned into car camping.

The area has been heavily logged for over 100 years and during the gold rush days the lake was used to transport miners/product from the gold fields further north.

Harrison Lake fire tower, the views today are blocked by second growth forests but there was a time when someone was stationed up here all summer.

Can you spot our campsite? Hint: lower left nob

View from 20 mile bay

Nno backroads trip is complete without some splashing around

Movement

I will not even guess what happened here, but I bet he wasn't lucky enough to be forewarned about leaving his belongs unattended. Truck stripped, riddled with bullets and left abandoned.

Panorama Stitching Tool

2011-02-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

So I've found a free open source panorama stitching program called Hugin. Anyone interested in making amazingly easy pans should check it out. This 180 view is from our roof this week.

Kell Hansen on Vimeo

2011-02-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Short timelapse from atop our roof in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver

2011-02-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

The secret of Kells

2010-11-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Start seeing WOOD!

2010-11-12T13:41:00.001-08:00

PureWoodSolutions from Holzverein on Vimeo.

Nice video explaining a new product that will transform the way we look at buildings.

Roof top view - West 15th Avenue

2010-10-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Cerise Creek-ish

2010-10-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Apostle Islands and Lake Superior

2010-10-13T21:11:00.001-07:00

La Crescent MN and the Cascades

2010-09-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Tofino

2010-09-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Albert Lea, MN

2010-09-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Rosemont Horizon Stadium

2010-06-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Rosemont Horizon, now the Allstate Arena, was constructed in 1979 with a glulam roof structure consisting of 16 arches spanning 288 feet and over 6 feet deep. There was a catastrophic collapse during the erection of the roof causing the death of five construction workers (due to cutting corners during installation). Each glulam arch came in three pieces and were flown from southern Minnesota to Rosemont Illinois.

The Scorpions, an 80's German rock band used live footage from the Rosemont Horizon in their 'Big City Nights' music video.

Gotta love the 80's babes...such great style ladies

Nanimo Ferry Timelapse

2010-05-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

During the hectic Olympics we decided to ditch the city for some good ol R and R on Vancouver Island. This is my first timelapse so please forgive the poor quality, small size, and short length.

Turn of the century timber buildings in Gastown

2010-04-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Leckie Building
Built 1908-1913
Heavy Timber Construction

"Built in two sections, the west section in 1908 and the eastern addition added in 1913, the Leckie building was built for the J. Leckie Company, a leading manufacturer of boots and shoes. It is an excellent example of heavy timber construction, typically used in early Gastown buildings.

Leckie became synonymous with good shoes and boots – ‘Leckies’ were a must and were worn by both loggers and the fashion-conscious. The J. Leckie Company was major supplier of boots to the Canadian Armed Forces serving in both the First and Second World wars.

The building was renovated in 1991 and won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award for the structural upgrading. The steel rods, which run diagonally from the ground floor windows to the top storey, are part of the innovative seismic upgrading system. They are tied to anchors which extend 90 feet into the ground."
-www.gastownblog.com-

The Malkin Building
Built: 1907-1912
Heavy Timber Construction

"William Harold Malkin left the prairies in 1895 to join his brother Fred here in Vancouver. With a background in merchandising, he soon got a job working for Osmund Skrine Wholesale produce merchants. In 1897 Harold and his brother bought the company and changed the name to W.H. Malkin & Co. Wholesale Grocers, Tea Blenders and Coffee Roasters. The company went on to add preserves, pickles and import spices to their product line and quickly become one of Vancouver’s most important import businesses. Malkin products could be found in every household as well as in the packs of prospectors heading for the Klondike.

In 1907, the Malkin brothers started construction on this massive brick and timber warehouse to meet the growing demand of their business which prospered from the mining boom in the Kootenays and the Klondike Gold Rush. The Western half of the building was constructed in 1907, the Eastern half in 1912. The simple façade and heavy cornice are typical of Parr and Fee’s solidly-built, no-nonsense commercial buildings.

Easter Indian Arm Kayak Trip

2010-04-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

This was the longest kayak trip of the year, again up the Indian Arm. This time we ventured all the way to the headwaters, the Indian River, 30km from our launch point in Deep Cove. We also included an over night hike. This post will have no captions, but if you want to hear the story I would be more than glad to give you the details over a tall pint of Summit.

Enjoy!

Callaghan Valley Skiing

2010-04-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Madeley Falls

Looking down Mainline trail towards the Black Tusk

Yes Mainline is this steep for 9km

Rounding Conflict Lake
The trails are usually groomed every morning, and this was before noon. POW!

Callaghan Country Wilderness Lodge
Rated one of the most romantic backcountry lodges....
but I was up there alone, yet again.

It may not look steep but man you get cooking down this mountain.

Last ski trip of the year....
I'll miss you Callaghan,
bis bald (till next time)

Possible Investment...

2010-03-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

WOOD 430 - Plant layout and design

"Techniques for developing a plan,setting goals, and evaluating the impact of changes in the design, layout and operation of the factory with an emphasis on computer simulation."

AKA Pick a product and calculate the production per year, then design the appropriate plant.

First draft, the skeleton. Notice the second floor sundeck.

Possible plot with a view.

Livingroom looking out over Lake Superior. Again notice the second floor loft and sliding door to sundeck.

Full Interior view showing exposed second floor loft and garage(lower right)

So....anyone interested in starting a company?

PS I know you can't build a house directly on concrete, and I'm sure some of the posts/spans aren't up to code and there aren't any doors and not enough windows.....

Olympic Break: Deep Cove Two Day Kayak Trip

2010-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Olympic Break: Northeast Vancouver Island

2010-02-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Another necessary escape during the Olympics, this time to the Northeast coast of Vancouver Island. Hopped on a ferry to Naniamo and made it as far north as Miracle Beach (between Campbell River and Comox). It was a short two night trip but covered the important aspects of the island; kayaking, marine life, massive trees, unsurpassed sunrises and top notch camping food.

A local guy watching these California Sea Lions with his kids said the herring run on the island was exceptional this year so they stayed north for the prolonged feast.

He also said they were so obnoxious and loved that specific dock the fisherman installed a 10,000 volt electric fence to keep them in line.

Tesia at Miracle Beach

Miracle Beach

Skipping Rocks at Miracle Beach

Miracle Beach

Kayaking along a sunkenship-breakwater in Comox harbor.

Olympic Break: Deep Cove Canoe Day-Trip

2010-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

Although Vancouver is stunning during the Olympics, one can only handle the city shenanigans for so long. Time to escape to one of Vancouver's many easy yet gorgeous day trips. Launched the canoe in Deep Cove followed the shoreline up the Indian Arm.

Stopped at a dock with under a nice cliff...

Nark and Theresa

It was so warm and the sun was too bright. Great day for canoeing but not healthy for the scarce snow in the midst of the winter Olympics.

Jug Island

Deep Cove, with a rowing team practicing in the bay

Callaghan Valley Skiing

2010-02-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

Kongsberg Touring 300
This was my first trip to the Callaghan Country ski trails, and it was pretty much a day long waxing experiment....

....and my conclusion: LEARN HOW TO WAX SKIS or moreover BC is not MN! A good couple inches of very sticky snow on the bottom of those skis made for a very exciting day.

Callaghan Lake

I chose my setup to be the opposite of high-tec: wooden skis with triple prong binders and old leather duck foot boots, bamboo poles, flannel lined jeans and a wool sweater.

On my way back down the Mainline trail with a breathtaking view of the not so black Black Tusk.
Day one from parking lot to Callaghan Lake and back, total distance: 19km

The second time went up to the Callaghan was the last weekend before they closed to the public for the Olympics. The snow was much warmer and turned out to be less sticky, whoda thunk.

Solitude Glacier and some wild pillows on the left.

Creek on coming out from the glacier

Heading down Wild Spirit and Real Life trails

Fog in the woods

Very nice fella named Brad who owns the joint stopped to make sure I wasn't having any problems. There was a very nice stand of old growth yellow cedars I passed through, here a big Hemlock on the left.
Day two from the parking up Mainline lot to Solitude Glacier and down Wild Spirit, total distance: 31km

Trail map:
http://www.callaghancountry.com/trailhead/documents/20092010trailmap.pdf

Logger Sports at the Chan Center!

2009-12-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

December 2nd 2009:
The President's Annual Blue & Gold Review
Showcasing inventions, interviews, videos and music from UBC's most outstanding students, faculty and staff. From a robot build for the moon to medical students opening a clinic in Vancouver's downtown eastside and last but not least....

...UBC Forestry Logger Sports Team!
Waiting for our que to begin the show.

First off the underhand chop with Owen and me. For those U0MN logger sports people this is what a 'real' competition log (14 inch) looks like.

Neck n neck...

Look at all them fine looking suits, and me finishing up my log (lost by a few).

Double buck against a cold start chainsaw.

Jack n Jill versus hot start chainsaw.

Action shot and look at that fiber fly!

Master carver Kit Burke's creation. A masterpiece if i may add.
And many thanks to Radu for taking the logger sports pictures.

Now some eye candy for those inspired by all things wood...

The massive 2010 Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Richmond.

The center of the rink can be used for just about anything, here a basketball court. The wood is harvested from BC, along with the manufactured glulam beams, and impressive prefabricated ceiling structure.

Brandywine Falls

2009-11-03T18:17:00.001-08:00

Nicely lit path on our way to the falls

Brandywine Falls

Brandywine

Olympic Peninsula

2009-10-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Vancouver from our roof

Ivars in Seattle, with some vicious seagulls

Lake Cresent

Favorite picture of the trip

Radu about to be very cold

Lake Crescent

Rialto Beach

Not a bad place to rest your head Radu

Marymere Falls

Hood Canal, looking south-ish

2009-10-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

Summer o fun

2009-09-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Ameeerica Day!

2009-07-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sitting in MN after half of a wonderful 4th celebration, reminiscing about the beach...beaches...

I spy Tyra...

I spy jumpable cliffs...

I spy scuba-diver bubbles...

I spy seals....

And for those of you who don't get the Ubyssey and are interested in our Logger Sports Team...
http://ubyssey.ca/news/?p=8124
p.s. Thanks Steph for pushin

2009-06-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Brohm Fun

2009-06-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Shark ate the monkey...

I mean Nark the monkey.

And lift-off

The knee is doing much better...

Looks like fun guys

The almighty chief

Lighthouse Park to Breckenridge

2009-06-16T16:16:00.001-07:00

I seriously don't know if this was worth it, four melting snowfields on a big boulder field. Then again to claim a 14,000+ footer in mid June, maybe it was.

Tide pools in lighthouse park with downtown Vancouver.

B, Merc and T posted on the rocks

I spy four no trespassing signs, and down the road one read "trespassers will be shot on sight". No one was around though.

Those nasty little buggers. We feel your pain CO.
Some interesting reading:
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/

And a good photoset on Flickr of the trees near Prince George, BC:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dezeneandjoyel/601482393/in/set-72157602014603907/

Little visitor while we were grilling a feast.

Favorite shot of the trip.

Sunset was nice but no alpenglow.

Coastal Cruising

2009-05-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

Two tired tug boats after a long day.

I could do this for a summer with a bum knee....

On the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Gibsons (and Le Sunshine Coast)

The little town of Egmont near the Skookumchuck Narrows.

One of the many stash spots of Smuggler's Cove.

Awww..... my very cropped view of Stanley Park and the north coast mountains. Its truly summertime and I need a job!!

February 17, 2009

2009-04-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I found the cheap camera I sometimes bring riding, and the last picture was from the last time I was playing in the snow, February 17. I can't believe I've been hobbling around on crutches for over two months now. Physio said I'd be on a cane by May and a classmate offered me his balance board for the summer to quicken the recovery. Just a couple more finals till freedom...

Finals

2009-04-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I swear it wasn't more than a blink of an eye since the last time I was procrastinating during finals. These years are flying by way too fast....

...and the only remedy I found to slow it down:

a sunset and some conversation.

The knee is coming along, daily exercise and stretching. I've been crutching so much I wore through the foot pads and had to replace them.

Progress is a slow process...

2009-03-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Heres Britta and I the day before surgery, on a beach looking up Howe Sound. We got to drive around a few stunning neighborhoods before we found this spot.

Akomplishment: Peddled the stationary bike today (Impressive because my knee is still a little stiff)

Van Dusen Botanical Gardens in early November
Some happy memories....

Pitcher Plant - Sarracenia

And as I fall asleep....I can only hope to open my eyes to this

Recovering

2009-03-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

To anyone that hasn't heard my bad news, I tore my ACL and meniscus over reading break (late Feb.) and had arthroscopic surgery on March 11.

Its been two weeks since surgery and I had my second physio session this morning. They beat the crap out of me but I couldn't enjoy it more. I have a beach ball and tension rope to do stretches at home, plus I've started going to class again. Back to the busy life...

Scary old house/barn down by the river with a huge creepy boat landing.

Iona Beach

2009-02-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

http://maps.google.ca/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=iona+park+vancouver&fb=1&split=1&gl=ca&cid=0,0,16809309553382089256&ei=3cOLSfrJKImMsAPl4b2DCQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Face Shot

2009-01-23T16:53:00.001-08:00

The best day at Whistler this year, found some freshies in the trees.
Photo by Katt

Cabin Over Winter Break

2009-01-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Stopped at the tree farm for a couple of hours to finish the last of the cleaning up. Then drove on up to Leech Lake.

Looking at the stairs going down to the dock. Even tried out my new snowshoes on a steep part, and they deliver well past my expectations.

Pretty much got the cabin to a livable temp by now, 20 hours after we arrived.

Dusk on the lake, it was incredibly cold and windy and the surface looked like little sand dunes.

Sunset with the wind whipping snow around like sand in the desert.

Montafon on Vimeo

2008-12-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

So I've found a bunch of really well made videos from around Vorarlberg, Austria. Specifically the Moftafon, the valley I lived in during the 2004-05 school year. Some of the videos are of snowboarding/skiing, some expressing the beautiful dialect and culture, and some of the natural mystic the mountains hold.

life in montafon from phat penguin productions on Vimeo.

I know its purely skiing but its well put together and shows some pretty rad lines in Montafu.

Hochjoch from Filmquadrat on Vimeo.

Silvretta Nova and Hochjoch are partner ski resorts in the valley. Silvretta Nova was literally right outside my front door while Hochjoch was further up the valley towards Schruns and Bludenz.

Silvretta Stausee from Filmquadrat on Vimeo.

The Silvretta Stausee is located at the end of the Montafon Valley. The lake is dammed and produces hydro electricity for the valley. The high alpine lakes are ideal sources of energy and this isn't the only hydro electric station in the valley. In the summer the road up to the lake is full of fancy cars and motorcyclists touring the alpine passes.

Gottesacker from Filmquadrat on Vimeo.

This mountain is located more in the Bregenzerwald area of Vorarlberg. But the shots are amazing and the peak looks pretty intense. Map:
http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/austria/map/p6167853/gottesacker.html

Ziegenaussstellung Andelsbuch from Johannes Pircher on Vimeo.

This clearly shows the wonderful dialect of ksi'berg (Vorarlberg). This is a goat exhibition in Andelsbuch located just outside Dornbirn. The interviews are classic...
Map:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=sk4&q=Andelsbuch+vorarlberg+austria&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=image

Marco Feichtner from Ride Rats from Ride Snowboards on Vimeo.

While I'm giving props to everything Montafu here is a rider from St. Gallenkirch. Marco Feichtner deserves as much respect as he can get. I met him a few times in 2004-05 and everyone knew he was going places. Now look at the man....good ups Marco

Vancouver got about 3 inches of nice fluffy snow today..... hope its snowing in MN too

December already

2008-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah that looks about right, the entire city covered in fog except the water and tops of the mountains. This is from Spanish Banks looking towards Stanley Park and with little glimpse of the Lions Gate.

Spanish Banks again, but looking up Horseshoe Bay towards Squam-bomb

Some park in Kits looking towards North Van

Kits Beach and downtown with a heron in the foreground fishing for dinner.

Climbed on some guys retaining wall to see over the garage, but well worth it.

Peeking through someone's backyard to snap a picture of downtown. Ahhhh Vancouver loves building with wood products (Glulam beams on the right).

Oh and Whistler opened... I will keep all negativity to myself. Lets just say this run should be open and all those bushes in the way aren't even two feet tall.

The fog was cool once we got above it.

This is an older picture, but I thought it was worth putting up. Standing on Grandville bridge over the Fraser River looking west.

Autumn in Vanny

2008-11-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

HOME SWEET HOME

7731 Montcalm Street
Vancouver, BC V6P 4D1
We rent the lower right quarter of the house from a large Greek family. The entire extended family lives together, big ol European family style. The parents don't speak much english and the grandparents not a lick but the little kids love it.

Montcalm St. looking south towards Richmond
The neighborhood is called Marpole and consists mainly of middle class immigrants who love their gardens. The block is usually pretty calm with the occasional Lamborghini or police car flying by on Grandville or Park.

Typical nice car, house and garden (aka hedgework) combo all too often in this city.

Another typical Marpole/Kerrisdale street

The livingroom is where all the quality time takes place. The carpet and one lazyboy were given to us by the landlords but the rest came from thrift stores and allies. We have wall hangings from Bolivia, pictures from Romania and Austria, Lake Superior Agates, handmade furniture and bean bags; is there anything more classy than that combination?

My room: a queen size bed and enough floor space for a few loads of laundry.

This is where the real magic happens; the kitchen. The little hall way goes to our rooms and the bathroom.

Fall colors at the cliffs

The hidden spots to the northwest of campus are what make UBC what it is; unbelievable.

Sitting in the "hand of god"

From Queen Elizabeth Park on 33rd and Cambie looking towards North Vancouver.

Queen Elizabeth Park looking up Lynn Canyon and Seymour

Maybe a Japanese Maple or something of the sort

On the Faser River looking south towards the light polluted Richmond

The best part of living super far south is that we can walk to Costco and cab home. The fridge is full and it snowed a foot in Whis last week....hmmm I feel it coming

Deek's Heaven

2008-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tyler preping the pack in the trailhead parking lot just off the Sea to Sky at Porteau Cove, 50km (30mi) from Vancouver.

Radu soaking up the views at the 6km (3.7mi) mark. The trail wasn't nearly as well kept as the Garibaldi hike we took earlier this year, but we also didn't see anyone this time around.

Radu and Tyler looking out towards Horseshoe Bay and the Sunshine Coastal Mountains.

The campsite viewpoint; to the right is the hut and left, the outhouse.

Awww, the hut, rustic yet still very civilized with a checker board carved into the table with tiny wood cookies as pieces.

The hut was built in the 90's for mainly winter use, or by lazy college kids in October. The ladder on the left goes to a cozy little loft.

Outcrop with a great view of the area, from here we headed up the scree....

The only sketchy part of the trip was climbing around all these loose rocks.

But well worth it

Gambier Island and Horseshoe Bay

Tyler and Radu

Looking north towards the Tantalus Mt. range

I google earthed the area we hiked and the town in the picture is called woodfibre, silly Canadians.

North again towards the Tantalus range

Awww morning light is the best

Tyler posted

View from the campsite

Outhouse view

I cam almost hear the snap, crackle and pop

Frozen pond in the morning

The outhouse

Deek's Mountain, all the good views we got were from those big rocky cliffs

Tyler taking the final steps

Then a sun set drive on th Sea to Sky back to Vanny

The Beach (Agates to Kits)

2008-10-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Vanier Park - Vancouver
Between Ganville St. and Kits Beach

Lake Superior Agate
Moose Lake Agate and Geological Interpretive Center

Downtown Vancouver with Burrard St. bridge
from the north end of Kits Beach

Minnesota State Fair fireworks from our back yard....
with a 400mm lens

More than a billion years ago, the North American continent began to split apart along plate tectonics. Molten lava upwelled into iron-rich lava flows throughout the Midcontinent Rift System, including what is now the Minnesota Iron Range region. These flows are now exposed along the north and south shores of Lake Superior. The tectonic forces that attempted to pull the continent apart, and which left behind the lava flows, also created the Superior trough, a depressed region that became the basin of Lake Superior.

The commonly accepted theory of Agate formation:
The Multiple Solution Deposition Theory

The formation of agates begins with an empty gas pocket or
vesicle that became trapped within cooling lava. At some point after the lava cooled and hardened cracks developed connecting the vesicles and produced a network through which ground-water flow. The timing of when the ground-water moved through the lava flows could have been shortly after they were deposited or millions of years later. As water moved through the lava pile silica was dissolved from the host rock and carried as a solution into the vesicles.
Once the silica-rich solution enters the vesicle, it fills the cavity which allows a thin layer of fibrous quartz called chalcedony to form on the inside surface of the cavity. This initial layer becomes the first band of agate in its formation. At some point, negative fluid pressure sucks out the solution leaving the cavity empty except for the thin layer of agate. Subsequent events of positive and negative pressure fill and empty the cavity. During each event a layer of chalcedony or agate is deposited that progressively fill the vesicle forming the agate.

webdom.org/pages/LakeSuperiorAgateActivity.pdf

(Page 14)

Looking towards Howe Sound and sunset from Kits

Downtown Vancouver with the north coast mountains

Looking west towards UBC and past
from Kits Beach

A nice shot of Radu

Check this poster from the Natural Resources Canada website:
(Map from previous post stolen from here)
http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/vancouver/poster_e.php

From Van up the Sea to Sky to Lake Garibaldi

2008-09-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

A model of the coastal mountains from Vancouver north to Squamish. Highway 101 running the entire west coast changes to the 99 in British Columbia and from Vancouver to Whistler its called the Sea to Sky. The road is being redone for the Olympics, but that is another story.

The following are courtesy of Grey's boredom from various Whistler rides:
Highway 99 at its best; from a window seat

37 km (23 mi) north of Squamish and 19 km (12 mi) south of Whistler is our destination: Lake Garibaldi. The 9km (5.5 mi) hike is basically all switch backs but very doable.

The Sphinx Glacier
Elevation - 1450m
Significantly smaller compared with two years ago around the same time

Lake Garibaldi and the glacier

Lake Garibaldi and the Battleship Islands in the foreground

Lake Garibaldi and the volcano Mount Price

Lake Garibaldi

Battleship Islands and Mount Price

Lake Garibaldi with the Battleship Islands and Mount Price

The usual

Sphinx with the Battleship Islands

Lake Garibaldi

Most spectacular moon rise ever seen

Radu posing as if he discovered the west

-The Grouch-
No Slow Thinkers

Now don't you love it when your friends get you thinkin?

Do something innovative never even thought of

Get you all inspired and fired up to live life

You tell em what they did was tight you’re fully motivated

You might have hesitated now you’re on the move though

Without some of my friends I probably move too slow

If that ain’t cool so I need reinforcements

And to be around positivity makes more sense

Its intense

Tryin to top a legend

But I make due and get praised from my brethren

Then they taught me and the lass is the past

It keeps me on point with my foot on the gas

You gotta give respect where its due and stay true

Its neither all about them nor all about you

Surround yourself with prosperous people

If you will try hard to be more than equal

All my people are big risk takers

No time wasters

Nothings left to lose all slow thinkers

Nice Long expose with unintended people walking through with flashlights. There were honestly well over a hundred people in the campground that night.

I'm zoned in on my own flaws known as raw

But I hate most all I've ever done

Still I'm feelin like I'm the one

I get the underground thing and people are having fun

I'm part of that, that's where my heart is at

Beating, reaching you when I'm constantly seeking new angles

Man I take out the tangles and redirect just where the pain goes

I wanna paint the perfect picture

I wanna paint the perfect picture

I wanna paint the perfect picture

Paint the perfect picture
Grouchy

Break on the hike down

Cloquet Forestry Center

2008-08-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

Forest resources program introductory field session at Cloquet Forestry Center, August 2008

FR 2101--Identifying Forest Plants : Students study the field identification of approximately 120 species of common northwoods trees, shrubs, and nonwoody vascular plants.

FR 2102--Northern Forests Field Ecology : Introduces students to the natural history of northern/boreal forests with respect to soils, ecological characteristics of trees, community-environment relationships, stand development, succession, and regeneration ecology.

FR 2104--Measuring Forest Resources : This course introduces land survey, tree/forest stand measurement (mensuration), and forest sampling techniques. Acquaints students with the use and care of selected instruments and introduces them to the measurement techniques used in field forestry and timber cruising.

Study break...

Luther's 1970 VW camper bus,
road tripped to the cabin and Duluth

Sitting on the dock, stunning light

False-lily-of-the-valley
Maianthemum canadense

Wild blueberries
Vaccinium angustifolium

Sunset snag

Field trip to Minnesota point in Duluth to study natural succession of sand dunes

Minnesota point looking towards the lighthouse

Nice view of successional transition from dunes to forest

Minnesota point

Brandon gazing into Lake Superior
(notice fog over Duluth compared to previous pictures)

Sonya unable to resist the yoga urge
Minnesota point

Eric - Jay Cooke state park

St. Louis river - Sonya
Jay Cooke state park

St. Louis river running through Jay Cooke state park

Brandon reading why the river looks so brown and dirty. Excess acid from abundant decaying organic matter seeps into the water, creating a darker color.

The only classroom suitable for an ecology class focusing on norther Minnesota forests

St. Louis river flowing through Jay Cooke

Forking St. Louis river
Jay Cooke state park

St. Louis river
Jay Cooke

View from the Cloquet fire tower

Brandon lost in the view over 100ft+ red pines and the sunset

Sunset from atop the Cloquet fire tower

Dusk from the fire tower, followed by a flaring green rainbow of the northern lights

DNR type 2 bog... wet meadow

Dead and dying trees

Dr. Thomas E. Burk

200 lbs male back bear trapped by fisheries and wildlife students. Only females are tagged because they don't wonder nearly as much as males.

Bear trap

Wildlifers and forestry students investigating the bear trap and bear

Colorado

2008-07-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Skyview Park
Thorton. Denver

Eldorado Canyon

Looking past the Continental Divide Overlook
Eldorado Canyon

Eldorado Canyon with the
Denver - Winterpark train tracks on the right

Cooling off after the strenuous hike
Eldorado Canyon

Gazing out through Eldorado Canyon
on the outskirts of Boulder

Trying to be artsy

Denver - Winterpark railway
Boulder burbs
Eldorado Canyon

Shirt Tail Peak 7,240 ft.
Lower right of ridge was climbable
Eldorado Canyon

Chipmunk
Chief Mountain

Chief Mountain summit
11,700 ft.

Chief Mountain trail

Mountains outside Denver
Skyview

Downtown Denver

Fading Peaks
Chief Mountain

Chief Mountain view

Atop Chief Mountain

View of Mt. Evans Scenic Byway

Awww
Whenever I close my eyes

Longboarding

2008-07-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

With everything great comes pain.

20 MPH ha.......

.....lightspeed more like it.

Tyler
Safety first, always ride with a light.

Minneapolis was blessed with some quality hip hop this weekend. The Grouch of the Living Legends crew on Friday night, followed by a Traditional Methods reunion Saturday at the West Bank Music Festival.

Some-sometimes I just try to relax
Kick back, put my feet up on the table
and be able to enjoy life
Often times I can't
be caught up in so much activity
don't got time to view the landscape
Fools is always hittin me up to do music
but I just wanna lay down
These females is either trippin or never around
and my sound is never quite the way I want it
But somehow, some way or another
I manage to find fun in this life I lead
So I travel on with my brothers sure of that
If you don't feel it, so be it -- I still exist
And in my world, I'm the King of this shit
Self-proclaimed

-The Grouch-
Gibberish

Old MN pictures

2008-06-21T19:59:00.001-07:00

North Shore

Burnside Lake
Near the BWCA and Ely

Old school cross country skies, the only way to ski

Difference between paranoid and suspicious

Scary similarities in the hip hop game and our foolish politicians.....
More reading:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/31/mlk.fbi.conspiracy/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO

Props to J Smooth at illdoctrine.com check him out

So I was bored today....... Minneapolis

2008-06-13T20:28:00.001-07:00

Lyndale Avenue User's Manual

We could try to change to make a new life
don't mean we gon' do right tonight.

Hey sister, don't let them touch you,
so friendly when they're close enough to cut you.

Hey mister, don't let them break you.