Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Family camping trip



Last week was our annual family camping trip on Ebbets Pass. Aunt Ginger, John, Danny, Ronnie and I went up early to ensure we got a good spot, and then it gave us some time to get a nice hike in on the PCT before the rest of the group arrived, I also climbed to the top of Tryon Peak on Friday by my self, it was a nice climb but most of the climb was lose rock making it interesting. Danielle's parents Dave and Diane were the only ones to show up on Thursday. On Friday Danielle and Janet, Gail and Tracy, Dad Joe and Stephine and Ginger her boyfriend Alex and Cece all arrived making it a huge party. We had a great time just hanging out while some of us played Poker, Horseshoes, Hiked and took tons of Pics. We were missing a few friends that couldn't make it,l hopefully they can make it next time. I hope everyone had a good time, I know I did.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sonora Pass



On the way home from Macy's parent's I stopped and took a few pics of the wild flowers, they are in full bloom it was amazing. Yea I am a dork.

Macy's B-Day at the Lake



This weekend we were at Macys parents lake house. We got together with some great friends that we haven't seen in awhile. Saturday we spent the whole day on the lake wakeboarding, riding the jet skis and just chilling in the water, its was great. I want to thank Mark and Marylin for having us to there amazing home and wish Macy a happy 21st B-Day. JK

Tahoe City softball at it's finest



Last week was Porters softball game in Tahoe City, that was against our biggest Competitors shop in town Dave's Board Shop. There were lots of bets flying around, in the end Porters came out on top and there was some amazing [lays by all but especially Nate and Danielle. Below is the long post that Aaron the coach put on the Porters blog, it's funny if you have the time to read it.

Thursday's double header was a big success for the Porters Invincible Softball Victory Juggernaut, as the team won both games to raise their record to a glorious 4-4. The main event was the second game against blood rival Dave's. Matt Connelly, our faithful Line/Orage/Icer/Full Tilt rep, graced the field with beats from his on-the-go DJ booth, complete with gas generator. This added a lot to the already exciting atmosphere. Dozens of fans filled the stands. Some were family or friends of members of both teams, and others were merely strangers, neighbors, and possibly drifters who were helplessly drawn to the music, yelling, and boozy jubilation on the field, much like moths to the proverbial flame.And never has the burn of that proverbial flame felt hotter, nor sweeter, my friends! What ensued was a well-played and high-stakes battle for the domination of Tahoe City itself, a game that will be remembered by generations of Tahoe children to come. Old men, probably the drifters mainly, will whisper of it late at night, when the distractions of the world have faded away and left them utterly alone, with nothing but their regrets, their indiscretions, and the memories of THIS SINGLE GAME haunting them in the inky darkness. Porters started slow, gaining only 5 runs by the 4th in what started to look like a disappointing effort. Up by 5, Dave's seemed to have the game under control. BUT SOME THINGS CANNOT BE CONTROLLED (!!!!): such as Nate B.'s hot bat and bare chest; such as Danielle D.'s bottomless competitive fires; such as Kevin's ultra-aggressive 3rd base coaching; such as Chappy's unbending consistency on the mound. Rallying with a red-hot 6th, Porters took back the lead at 19-12. In the dramatic and tense 7th, Dave's crept back into the game with their 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th runs. Just when we started to get that unsettled feeling in our guts that 'crap, they are going to take this from us!" or "crap, maybe I shouldn't have eaten all that beef jerky and Doritos with my Coors Lights!", we made the final out. The game had so many moments to remember. Kevin making a diving catch after hurting his leg. Nate's 3 home runs. Houston and Rau smoking cigarettes behind the bleachers. Nicky B. dancing to "Apache" in the outfield. Danielle's diving catch in front of the Porters dugout. Pete and Peters was excellent afterwards, with dozens of shots being shot, many drinks being drink-ed, and much fun being had. We love the Dave's crew and will always drink with them, win or lose. Chappy at one point had me circle the bar taking shot orders from the Dave's team, which was awesome. Me (holding up a pen and pad like a waiter): "Hey guys, do you want Jagr, Petron, or Jameson?" Franny: "Jagr!!"......"wait, is this really happening?!" Me: "this is really happening!" Franny: "Oh.......Jagr!!!"

Bangkok



After three unforgettable weeks in Nepal we spent are last 10 days in Thailand. We really enjoyed Thailand and would defiantly come back there again, the people were very friendly and the food is to die for. We spent 5 nights in the Arun Residence which is a little guest house on the river just across from the Wat Arun and Next to the Wat Po and Grand Palace. The room was amazing. I surprised Danielle and rented the Arun Suite which was on the top floor with it's own private deck overlooking the Arun and the river. I also surprised here with a massage for two in our room, it was the first massage I ever got, not bad. Then we had a candle light dinner which was perfect, followed by a private long tail boat ride through the canals of Bangkok. We walked, took taxis and Tuk Tuk's all over the city. If you like to eat or shop this is the city for you, the dollar goes a long way so you can eat a good dinned for less then 2 USD. Bangkok is a huge airport which is only a few years old and is a great hub to South East Asia and India and I would strongly suggest a stopover in Thailand if you can, you won't be disappointed.



After 4 nights in Bangkok we took a bus to Pattaya which only cost us about 4 usd each way and it was even air conditioned. We stayed in Jomtien which is a little slower pace than the city of Pattaya which is known for it's night life and wild girls. We stayed in the Grand Jomtien Palace which was a great room for $30 USD we spent most of the time just relaxing on the beach. We did go diving one day with Mermaid Dive Center which was a great company to deal with. Or last night we went to a Muay Thai fight at the Fairtex center in Pattaya which was a cool experience the fights were intense and the crowds were crazy the locals were betting throwing up hand signs to place there bet, we had a lot of fun. After Pattaya we spent one last night in Bangkok stuffing or selves with as much yummy Thai foods as we could handle. Then tryed to pack all the goodies we bought in our bags, some how we made it all fit.

On our return the flight to LA was cancled so we had to fly through Toyko. It made the flight home long, it ended up taking about 35 hours of flying or sitting in a airport before we got back to Reno. The trip overall was amazing and I would do it again in a heart beat. Not sure were we are going next, but we are deafintly going on another jurney soon keep you updated as plans are made.

Kathmandu



After an amazing two weeks in the Himalaya's we were back to the busy city of Kathmandu. We ended up spending three nights in the city since we finished our trek early. The city is very poor and dirty, they don't have a garbage system that I could see, they were just burning the trash in the streets. We did do a lot of exploring and walked all over the city, we saw some very cool old buildings and temples that were so intricate. There were also some times while walking the city that were very sad, we went through some extremely poor areas, saw dead animals in the river just a few feet away from were kids were playing and mothers washing there cloths. Being in a third world country makes you really appreciate what we have in the states and how lucky we are. For as poor as the people are we had very few people begging for money which amazed me since there are people all over the state expecting handouts. I don't think I would plan a trip just to go to Kathmandu but it is a good city to experience on the way to the mountains.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Golfing at Wildcreek



After sleeping in after the party Johnathan talked us into going golfing? Lets just say I haven't played in over a year and it was ugly. Danielle kicked both of are buts. She has some natural talent for sure.

Congratulations to Alex and Kathy



Congratulations to Alex and Kathy for getting married over the weekend. They acutely got married on Friday with only a few friends and family then had a party at there house on Saturday for all there friends. Alex and Kathy are my business partners at Porters and great friends. They are both great people and would do anything to help a friend. I am wishing them a long and happy marriage.

Everest Base Camp Trail - From the top back to Lukla



We'll all good things must come to an end. The trek was one of the most amazing experience's we had ever done in our lives, We met so many nice people and saw so many amazing things. In total we hiked 77.42 miles climbed 24,839 vert and did a trip that we will never forget. We got from the top all the way back to Lukla in 4 days about half the time it took to climb up, but going down is so much harder on your body, the knee's take most of the abuse. The flight back to Kathmandu was just as crazy as the landing, they hold the brakes get the props going full speed then take off and we are in the air in about 10 seconds just before the runway drops off a cliff. The flight was a short 29 minutes, then back to the busy city of Kathmandu. More to follow on the rest of the trip in a few days.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Sunrise over Everest on Kala Patthar



The hike to Kala Patthar at 4:45 in the morning was one of the hardest hikes of our lives. We started early and didn't have time for breakfast, we chocked down a clifbar and hit the trail, it had snowed about 4 inches at our guest house overnight which surprised us all since it doesn't snow often in the summer. It definitely made or hike up the hill a lot tougher. As we started there was only 3 people ahead of us and the sky was the clearest we had seen on the whole trip, I was so happy and amazed by the beautiful views. As we got about a quarter of the way up Everest started to come in to or view and it was amazing we could look in any direction and see huge mountains towering over us. As we got top the top of Kala Patthar there was about a foot of snow and the view was breathtaking and made the whole trip of dealing with clouds and rain worth it. This was one of or lifelong goals and it felt good to accomplish it. Within 30 minutes of us getting to the top the clouds rolled in and blocked all the views, we had perfect timing. I know I have said these a few times but I want to thank Santa and Binod from Itreknepal.com they made or trip perfect and a trip of a lifetime. When we got back to our guest house we had a huge breakfast to give us energy to start the long trip back down.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Everest Base Camp



Getting to Base Camp was an amazing experience, from Gorak Shep it looks like it's about a 30 minute hike but the terrain is so rough that it takes about 2 hours to get to base camp and the ice fall. Base camp is just a bunch of rocks were they set up the tents to prepare for there expeditions to the top of Everest, but the ice fall was amazing it is the Khumbu Glacier and it's constantly flowing down hill. The ice fall is one of the most technical parts of the climb to Everest, the Sherpas set up ladders to help people cross the ice, even with all the support a lot of people have fallen in crevasses and died. We spent about an hour at the edge of the ice fall and jumped across an ice river and player on the glacier. It was a little freaky we found a few bones, some were for sure yak but not positive about all of them, our guide Santa from Itreknepal.com said he once found a human leg with a boot still on it in the ice fall, kinda freaky but sadly a lot of people have lost there lives on Mt. Everest. When we were on the ice fall we heard several loud booms from ice crashing down in the glacier, it's constantly moving and shifting that's what makes it such a dangerous place. We had such a good experience there, it's amazing to think of all the great athletics that have gone through there to climb up Everest and Nuptse. I will always remember this great experience and glad I got to do this with Danielle. If I ever had a chance to go back I would do it in a heartbeat.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Everest Base Camp Trail - Lobche to Gorak Shep



We woke up from Lobche with blue bird sky's. We had great views of all the surrounding peaks Awi Peak, Arakam Tse, Chloatse, Tangboche Peak, Mehra Peak and the most dominating was Nuptse. I rushed out of bed in my fleece and ran out side to get some pics this was the best morning of the whole trip and it was worth the wait, Santa my guide from Itreknepal.com had me do a short hike up this hill to get views of a few more peaks, it was amazing. I was hoping it would due this tomorrow when we were going to climb Kala Patthar to get the full 360 view of the mountains and Mt. Everest. We hiked to Gorak Shep which was a tough hike on its own then we ate lunch and gathered energy to make the 4 hour trek to base camp.

Everest Base Camp - Pheriche to Lobuche



Today's hike was really overcast all day not even a speak of blue sky. Just before we got to Dughla the bridge was down crossing the river so we had to jump across the rocks of the river from the Khumbu Glacier it was really sketchy for me and Danielle's legs are a lot shorter we got across safe but it was a tense moment. After the river it was straight up a rocky cliff to Lobuche. We stoped at a guest house in Dughla and had some tea with a big group of trekkers from all over the world there was about 10 of them and I don't think any of them were from the same country, it was nice to talk and chill before the final push of the day.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Happy B-Day to Danielle



Yesterday was Danielle's B -Day so we took off from work and went to Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, it was about a 2:45 minute drive. We met our friend Danny for breakfast then carpooled to the Park. Danielle, Danny, John and I went on a few rides then mainly seen all the animal shows it was hot so we were trying to sit in the shade at the shows to stay cool. We had a ton of fun and were back in Reno by 11 we are crazy I am still tired from our trip and tent sale now this, I am just worn out. Danielle is in San Diego for a few days at a Reading teachers conference and John is in Oroville I am bored at home all by my self.

Tent sales and 4th of July


We got off the plane unpacked and went straight to the Tahoe city Porters tent sale, it was a lot of work and we were worn out but we did really good so it was worth it. 4Th of July we stayed in TC and watched the Fireworks from the roof of the store we had the best seat in the house. There was a ton of traffic to get home but we had a lot of fun.

More Pics to Follow

I have a ton more pics and will post a few blogs each night check back for more to come.

Everest Base Camp Trail - Dingboche to Periche



The hike to Pheriche was short maybe 30 minutes but Santa wanted to get us out of Sherpaland and to the Nicest lodge of the whole trip the White Yak. The only thing that sucked is the boss was out of the town with the keys to the bathroom so we couldn't use one of the nice bathrooms inside and had to go use the Nepali toilet outside. Besides that the White Yak was an amazing guest house with great food, I would highly recommend it.

Everest Base Camp Trail - Pengboche to Dingboche



The hike to Dingboche was rainy pretty much the whole hike. When we arrived we stayed at Sherpaland which was our least favorite lodge of the trip I don't recommend it, they had young kids working there and were burning yak shit which made the dining room stink. The girl that ran it was also to busy talking and was a bad cook. We were supposed to stay there for two nights but Santa could tell we weren't happy and moved us to Pherice the second night. The on;y thing that came out of Sherpaland was we made fun of Binod for the rest of the trip saying he liked the girl that ran the place and it was going to be Binod land soon. Ha Ha JK.

Everest Base Camp Trail Namche to Pangboche



The hike to Pangboche was similar to Namche down to the river then a steep climb to the village, it rained on us towards the end but just lightly, we went to the Monastery which is one of the biggest in the mountains but it was closed. We stayed with 3 Americana's at the guest house were we swapped story's about the trip nice to here the trip from another persons perspective and also see why our guides were the best thanks to Itreknepal.com there guide was boring.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Namche to Khumjung day hike



Today we took a day hike through Syangboche and to Khumjung which was Sir Edmond Hillary's favorite village and home to the Hillary school which was packed with happy kids playing on break when we walked by. We also went to another Monastery were I took a picture of a Yeti skull that was in a metal case that a monk opened when I donated some money, I had no clue what it was but Santa told me when we left? Not sure exactly why they have it. The hike was really steep coming down and warn out our knees.

Everest Base Camp Trek - Monjo to Namche



When we started the day we had to go through the Sagarmatha National Park entrance were we had to get our back country permits and get our T.I.M.S cards filled out and stamped. After the quick stop you drop down to the Dudh Koshi were you follow the river for about 30 minutes then straight up the hill to Namche it is one of the toughest climbs of the trek. When we got to Hotel Everest, which was one of our favorite hotels on the whole trek, we relaxed and had lunch before Santa took us on a tour of the city and monastery. Namchee is a big village and it's the biggest concentration of Sherpas in one village. We are staying here two nights to help acclimatisation.

Everest Base Camp - Lukla to Monjo



We were so happy to finally arrive in Lukla, we spent one and a half days in the Kathmandu airport, which isn't pretty, waiting for the weather to clear enough to make the short flight to Lukla. When we took off I think it was a 14 seater but it was stuffed with rice that Danielle had to sit on, the landing was the craziest thing I have ever seen in an airplane. The runway is about the size of a aircraft carrier and they have to make a sharp right after landing so they don't crash into the wall. Upon arrival we met out guide Santa and Porter Binod from Itreknepal.com, We had a quick lunch then hit the trail. We had rain most of the day since we started in the afternoon. We were planning on staying the night in Phakding but we were making good time so Santa decided to have us go to Monjo which made the next day shorted which is the toughest section of the trip.

Bhaktapur



When we arrived at the Kathmandu airport we were meet by our local Guide Shre from Itreknepal.com he brought us to the hotel and gave us a few hours to chill. After we rest we took a tour of the city Bhaktapur which is a medieval city about 10 miles from Kathmandu. This is were we spent our first 2 nights, it is a nice place to adjust to the third world shock before getting thrown into Kathmandu madness

Reno to Katmandu



We had been planing this trip for 7 months and it was finally here. It took about 32 hours to get to Kathmandu but it was worth evrey minute. You have to love all the Thai writing on the Diet Coke and Peanuts.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Home Sweet Home




Well it took about 36 hours to get home, twice as long as it should have due to our canceled flight but we are finally home. When you are on vacation you never want it to end but, when you get home it's so nice just to be in your comfort zone and relax. I am going to load a ton of pics to Picasa over the next week I'll make sure I put them on the blog for all to see. We missed you all a ton can't wait to see you all.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Things were going so smooth


Well we got to Bangkok airport last night to check into our flight and they said the flight to LAX was canceled, that would of have been if they told us. We had two options stay another night and catch a flight tomorrow meaning we wouldn't be home until the 4Th or wait 6 hours catch a flight to Tokyo then wait there for 7 hours getting to LA the morning of the 3rd and trying to catch a flight to Reno that afternoon? We chose Tokyo call us crazy but Danielle wanted to get home since she is leaving to San Diego for work a few days after we get home. I am doing this blog from the ANA executive lounge at least they hooked us up with free food at all airports and this nice lounge to chill in for the 7 hours in Tokyo. I wanted to try go to downtown for lunch but they said this airport is 2 hours from Downtown Tokyo so unfortunately we had to pass on lunch maybe next time. Looking at my watch we should be home about now, well not really its noon on the 3rd here which is when we should be home but since Tokyo is 16 hours ahead hopefully we will be home in about 16hrs wish us luck.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The trip is coming to the end

Wow I can't believe it's been a month already. We have seen and done a lot of amazing things and a few bad over the course. We are going to consume as much Thai food as we can over the next 5 hours then we fly out at 7 for our 18 hour flight to LA, we have to stay the night in LA then fly out the next morning getting to Reno by 11 on the 3rd, then being at work at a Porters tent sale in Tahoe City the next morning,wow I am going to be tired. I am going to post more pics and videos when I get to a faster conection at home. I guess all things must come to an end. I need to go pack.

Muay Thai Boxing


Last night we headed down to the Fairtex Boxing Stadium in Pattaya for a Muay Thai fight. I can only say that when we get home I have to load some of the video I took of the fights because describing it and posting one little picture just does not do it justice. The way the crowd screams and yells with every kick, the rapid hand gestures they use to place bets, it has to be witnessed to really take it in. We had a lot of fun until we tried to leave. The taxi drivers were being jerks and wanted to charge us triple what we paid to get out to the stadium. Danielle wasn't having it, so we started to walk. About two minutes later a motorcycle taxi pulled up and asked us if we wanted a ride. Now, when I say motorcycle, I really mean a 200cc moped. He quoted a cheap price, which was fine, but three people on a moped? Yes, it can be done. There was the little Thai driver guy, then Danielle, and I was on he back praying that we wouldn't hit a stray dog that dodges into the street so often or a pothole for that matter. We made it back to the hotel safe and sound, just in time to watch an electrical storm out on the horizon of the ocean. What a great end to our last night in Pattaya.

Taking a day to dive


Even though it is monsoon season and the diving conditions are not premo by any means, we thought it would be fun to take a day to dive and hang out on the boat. We hooked up with Mermaid Dive Center and motored out to the island of Ko Man Wichai, about 1.5 hours from Pattaya. The boat is actually quite large, holding max 35 divers. We only had about 11 on board with us, so there was plenty of room. Our first dive was a drift dive taking us around the point of the island. Visibility was poor, about 10-15 feet, but there was a lot of coral life. We saw a school of young barracudas and the same type of sting ray that killed Steve Irwin. The second dive was a back to the boat dive and we got to see more coral life and this time a turtle. It was a little strange not having our own gear with us because we had to use the metric system on our gauges. The crew was great and all in all it was a fun day. Special thanks to Frosty our Dive Master for showing us all there was to see.

Lounging Pattaya Style




So after the 80 some odd miles of hiking, the craziness of Kathmandu, and busy life life of Bangkok, we decided some beach time was in order. We have spent the last few days just hanging out on the beach soaking in the insanely humid air. The beach wasn't the cleanest we've ever seen, but it beats the city.