tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35522441803485217932024-03-05T21:45:17.022-08:00The DeJong DiariesThis is a Blog of our daily life for our family and friends.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.comBlogger461125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-81426609574065261282011-08-17T20:26:00.001-07:002011-08-17T20:41:31.108-07:00Falling out of the sky!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROLPhJi93uhjcm1PiBqpMzA0q34SIBbFmSvfM0AxenazvYmwKo1idlVdXhhRk58GC-T5iV8GGXSpsDfIQ6W3Sz6xK6FTuWk7wG5-PMViGzMIQcyyPBXl0jIsoNFIYUj0Tuxh-YZTQj0yL/s1600/Skydiving+Freefall-12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROLPhJi93uhjcm1PiBqpMzA0q34SIBbFmSvfM0AxenazvYmwKo1idlVdXhhRk58GC-T5iV8GGXSpsDfIQ6W3Sz6xK6FTuWk7wG5-PMViGzMIQcyyPBXl0jIsoNFIYUj0Tuxh-YZTQj0yL/s320/Skydiving+Freefall-12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642035450068543666" /></a>
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<br />I'm not sure if anyone even looks at this anymore. Sorry for not updating this for months. It seems as I've used facebook more the blog gets forgotten. I'll try and update this at least once a month.
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<br />For my Birthday John took me skydiving. We had a blast. I took my Contour video camera along for the ride. I hope you enjoy the clip.
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<br /><iframe width="525" height="430" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s7NJBbu2e8Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br />Here are stills I pulled out of the video.
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<br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="334" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5642034702058997377%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-46683384297164291982011-04-15T00:29:00.000-07:002011-04-15T00:44:10.136-07:00Euro Trip 2011 - The Netherlands - Dynamite Soccer and More!I (this is Danielle writing…) finally arrived to Amsterdam on Sunday morning to greet Jason, John, and Joe. I changed and we headed out into the town. The first thing we did was try to get some herring, Joe‘s favorite Nederland treat, but they were closed. We walked around for a little while and then headed off to the soccer match. Ajax vs. some team in green…sorry I cannot remember their name. (I might have been sleeping though some of it). Ajax dominated most of the time and I woke up startled after someone threw a stick of dynamite on the field. That will teach me to sleep during a game. Sorry, but I had only slept about 3 or 4 hours in 48 hours and was beyond exhausted!!! Anyway, there was a section across the stadium that was extremely rowdy. Imagine that at a soccer match…? They were lighting smoke bombs, chanting, and of course, fighting. Security pretty much had them surrounded. At least it was entertaining to watch. Ajax ended up winning 2-0. <br /><br />After the game we headed back towards the hotel, grabbed a beer, and then hit the pavement again. Being there for such a short time really makes you want to run a hundred miles and hour through the city so you can see everything, but my body finally gave in and I was asleep by 10pm. Monday morning we went to Anne Frank’s house, did some souvenir shopping, and headed to Purmerend via the bus to spend the next two nights with cousins Evert and Bea. We can’t thank them enough for putting the four of us up at their place. They even let us use the car the next day to drive around and do more sightseeing. They guys took me to a few places they had already been, but thought I might like - Zaanse Schans which is an open-air museum with windmills and a wooden shoe factory and also Westzaan, the town that Joe and his parents lived in before moving to the States. I really enjoyed seeing it. <br /><br />It is spring in the Nederlands and the flowers are blooming! We went to Keukenhof, a huge flower garden. It was amazing to see all of the colors and different types of flowers. The smells were incredible. Our last stop was Volendam, an old fishing village. Joe wanted us to take a photo in old traditional Dutch clothing. It was pretty hilarious to dress up! Wednesday Jason and I said goodbye and jumped on a train to the airport to head to Berlin. The Nederlands was so enjoyable. I hope we can go back there sometime. We are also looking forward to the next time family can come out and visit us in the States. On to our next adventure…<br /><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="330" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5595564435207488993%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCMq00J78qafPvAE%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-7163887890913339852011-04-08T12:22:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:27:18.825-07:00Euro Trip 2011 - Burges, Belgium<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="330" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5593293633439116833%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />I'm running out of time, so I can't say much about Burges. But it is a really cool city with a ton of sites all within walking distance. And between the Chocolate, Waffles and beer why not come. <br /><br />Were heading back to Holland tomorrow. Looking forward to exploring the city and seeing Danielle.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-83221140253496658042011-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:15:35.580-07:00Euro Trip 2011 - Paris<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="330" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5593291175597767921%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />This was my second trip to Paris but Dad’s and John’s first. We spent a day and a half and never stopped going. We bought a subway pass and were exploring all corners of the city. We spent most of our time in the main tourist sites. Which are breath taking and keeps you energized with every new site. The first night we walked from the Champs Elysees to the Eiffel Tower. The line to go up wasn’t long so we went all the way top the top. My dad doesn’t like heights so he was a little freaked out. But he was really glad he did it. It was an amazing view of the city. We worked our way back to our hotel but didn’t get back tell after midnight.<br /><br />Thursday we started at the Arc De Triomphe then strolled the Champs Elysees. I’d already been to the Louver so I split for a few hours while Dad and John check it out. I was told if you spend one minute at each piece of art. It would take you four months to see the whole museum it is huge. I just strolled the streets and had lunch. Once they were done we went to Notre Dame. The line was long so we took a break and had a drink. John and dad ordered a large beer which ended up costing 20 Euro a piece and was the size of a pitcher. We hadn’t ate so by the time they were done they were a little drunk, especially dad. We then went into the Church it was an interesting stop with dad buzzing. To wind down Paris we relaxed on the lawn adjacent to the Eiffel tower. It was entertaining to see the cops chase of the people selling trinkets. It was a game of cat and mouse. The cops would show up and they’d run. Once they were gone they would slowly come back and it would happen every fifteen minutes. There is great people watching. Our final trip of Paris was a boat ride down the Seine river. It was a new perspective of the city I’d never seen. It was a good trip besides the fifty middle school kids on the boat. <br /><br />Overall we had an amazing time in Paris. I’m sure I’ll be back again sometime soon.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-59681033745160827322011-04-08T11:59:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:05:03.329-07:00Euro Trip 2011 - Normandy<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="330" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5593287845167191073%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br />On Tuesday we spent the day up and down the coast of Normandy, France. This wasn’t in any of our plans. But on my flight I meet a lady that had visited Normandy on her last trip to France and recommended it if we had time. I mentioned this to John knowing he has interest in old war books and movies. He was really excited about it so we changed our plans. We spent the day in a few museums and old war bases. We also went to Utah and Omaha beach were the US troops stormed onto Europe in WWII. It was very interesting and sad especially the cemetery. There were 9000 buried their and a wall of the missing 8000 long. We all had a great experience there and am glad John wanted to go. He planed the day and it turned out great.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-74006421172323661302011-04-05T14:51:00.000-07:002011-04-06T12:32:51.338-07:00Euro Trip - Castles<embed height="330" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="500" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5592219432492537201%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US"></embed> I don't have much time so I'll keep it short. We hit up a few castles the main one being Burg Eltz. It is set in an amazing area. Unfortunately it was under construction so the pics suck. We did take a tour inside. It was really cool. When we left Eltz. We headed out of Germany and headed to Luxembourg for a quick city tour and to visit the American war cemetery. Luxembourg is an amazing stop. The city is beautiful with lots of history to see. John wanted to visit the American cemetery. He is a war buff and General Patton is buried there. We showed up about 15 minutes after it closed and John was bummed. He saw a worker exiting and sweet talked her into letting us in for a few minutes. She ended up letting us in and gave us a 30 minute private tour. I was truly a amazing experience and continued to make this trip first class. This morning we decided to head to Caen France to visit some war sites of Normandy. We spent most the day driving. But we toured the city of Caen. It is mainly a day tour for visitors of Paris, so it really seemed like there weren't many tourist's in town tonight. Tomorrow were visiting some of the war sites than off to Paris. I'll try to do another post in a few days. Check back.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-28525670097763969092011-04-04T13:15:00.000-07:002011-04-04T13:41:12.751-07:00Euro Trip 2011 - A First Class Trip<embed height="330" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="500" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5591825276888431185%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US"></embed> Thursday morning I set out for another travel adventure. This time I was going to Europe. The best part is, I was going to spend part of it with my dad Joe and brother John, and the later half with Danielle. I’ve been wanting to go to the Netherlands and see were my dad grew up and meet family. The time has finally come. The trip started off great. I took a 6am flight from Reno to Salt Lake city. I had a short layover then on to Newark. When I boarded the flight to my surprise I was bumped to first class, thanks Delta Medallion. I was happy that at least part of this long day of flying would be in comfort. I had a nice big seat and we were served lunch, snacks and drinks. I also had a great passenger Sandra that has spent a lot of time in Europe and gave me a lot of good tips. After having a great flight I landed in Newark with about a 1:15 layover. I ran to the sky club to get a few snacks, then back to the gate for my next flight to Amsterdam. I was booked in Coach and Silver Medallion members aren’t eligible to be upgraded on international flights. But today It must have been my lucky day, the flight was oversold so they need to bump a few Medallion members up to first class. When they called me to the front desk I couldn’t have been happier. I wanted to jump for joy, but I played it cool. We boarded the flight a minute later. I had a huge lazy boy type seat, there must have been 6ft of room in between each seat. Once we seat down we had slippers, Bose noise canceling headphones, down blankets, pillows, champagne and a lot of other nice goodies. I had the biggest grin on my face. I couldn’t believe I was sitting in first class for the price of coach. Thanks to my friends James and Janet for giving me a few tips on being loyal to an airline. And it has sure paid off. The flight was purely 1st class. The food and service was amazing. I was actually able to get a little sleep. Once I arrived in Amsterdam I had about 1.5hrs until John and Dad got in. With me flying 1st class I was able to get in the KLM club. I had just ate a great breakfast on the plane, so I wasn’t hungry. They had showers, so I decided to freshen up before they arrived. It felt great to wash the filth from sitting on a plane all day. After the shower I was able to use Apple Face Time and video chat with Danielle. It’s an amazing app and it’s free to talk to each other. I love technology. I saw dad and John’s flight land so I went to the gate to meet them. Once they got off they looked beat. They could see I was looking chipper and when I told them I was in first class they didn’t want to talk to me. I felt bad, but great at the same time. Getting through customs was a cinch. Once there bags arrived we exited the airport and our family was waiting for us. My dad’s cousins Evert and Ton were gracious enough top pick us up. When we got out of the airport my dad kissed to ground. We all laughed at him since it was a parking lot. We loaded into Ton’s van then off to Evert’s house in Purmerend. We arrived at Evert and Bea’s, they live in a nice neighborhood with a canal a 100 yards away. They have a cozy house with three floors. They set us up on the top floor. We dropped our bags and relaxed in the living room catching up. They also noticed I was looking chipper and we told them I was in first class. From that time on it’s been a running joke. Through out they day when dad and John looked sleepy and I was wide awake. They would say look at Jason he’s first class. Grandma Irena also informed them that I don’t eat beef. So they said they got 1st class chicken / kip just for me. It’s been a running joke for the last 3 days, I love it. We spent most of the day trying to adjust to the time change and we relaxed at the house. Ton came back over with his wife “Tiny” in Dutch it’s sound like Tien. The day was a lot of eating, drinking and great story telling. A perfect way to get the feel of things. We did manage to take a few walks around the neighborhood to get some fresh air and snap a few pics. In the evening Evert and Bea’s daughter Karin came by She is the same age as me and we really hit it off. She speaks great English and help translate for John and I. She really wants to come to America and we would love to have here. We managed to stay up until 9pm and John and I sleep through the night. Dad was up at 2am and manage to get another hour of sleep. But his body was still a little off. The next morning Bea made a great breakfast and I had some of my favorite treats from when I was a kid. We were picking up our rental car today and Ton and Evert drove us to Hertz back in Amsterdam. I got a great deal through my American Express discount and we rented a Renault Scenic. It is a nice little car, we were lucky it had a built in Tom Tom GPS but the maps only had Netherlands , Belgium and Luxemburg, We would have to go with the map for Germany and France. After we picked up the car we headed out on our own. The first stop was Westzann this is the town were my dad lived and were my Grandparents got married. We stopped at both the houses my dad lived in. One was completely remodeled but the other remained the same. We also went to the futball/soccer club that my grand father played for V.V.V. Westzann. It was great to see the fields it has been redone with artificial turf. The club house even has a bar in it. Next we went to the City Hall where my grandparents were married. It was really cool to see all the places I’ve seen in pictures since I was young. Dad then brought us to a preserved tourist town named Zanzaase Schans. It was really cool. They have a wooden shoe factory that was cool to check out. We even saw a demonstration on making wooden shoes. There is four working windmills on the river. We walked through one that had huge stone rollers to crush flour, salt and other things. It was pretty cool to see all the moving parts. It was a very picturesque stop. We then went to an area of Purmerend were my dad spent a summer with his aunt when he was a teenager. We had a snack at the Snack Shop where he always went to as a kid. It wasn’t the same, the shop was now run by a Vietnam’s family. We still had some fries there. We then went back to Evert and Bea’s house. They were having a BBQ for us and some other family was coming over. You wouldn’t believe the spread. They had a ton of great food and of course the 1st class chicken for me. Oh was in tasty. All the same people were there form yesterday. Bea and Tiny were getting everything ready and Tom manned the grill. It was a nice day, so we enjoyed our dinner outside. We again had a great time talking and drinking into the night. Thanks again to Karin for keeping john and I in the loop. Another cousin of my dad’s came over after dinner. Peter and his wife Monique. It had been about 18 years since my dad had seen Peter and it was the first time we meet. We stayed up late into the night. Bea finally had to kick out her daughter so we would all go to bed. It was a great day. The next day was Sunday, we were heading out on our road trip. Bea again had a great breakfast ready for us and even had us make sandwiches for the road. After we ate we hit the road. We were heading to the Rhineland area or Germany. Getting out of the Netherlands was easy. We had the GPS to guide us to the border. Once we got into Germany it was a different story. We got turned around in the first mile, then ended up at a dead end road. We wasted about 10 minutes driving in circles then we were back on track and heading in the right direction. After a few hours on the Autobahn we got to our destination in St. Goar on the Rhine river. It is a cute little medieval town on the river. We hit up the castle as we came into town. Rheinfels Castle is now only a shell and not functional anymore, But you can imagine it in it’s prime. The castle was built in 1245. It was amazing how old the castle is. It was built over 500 before America became a country. We spent about an hour walking down dark hall ways and steep spiral staircases trying not to fall in a hole. I wish I had my flash light it was pitch black in a lot of the castle. It was amazing to see all the rooms and tunnels. We then went into the town of St. Goar to find a room. We are here during the slow season so a lot of the places were closed. We ended up finding a great place called Hotel an der Fahre. They gave us a huge room overlooking the Rhine for 70 euros with breakfast. We checked into the room and took a short rest before heading out for dinner. We walked the main street and check out all the options. We ended up finding a great place the Siberian Rose. We all ordered traditional German food. Dad and John order some type of schnitzel and I forgot the name of mine but it was a minced pork wrapped in Cabbage with potato’s. It had such a great flavor. We had a tasty waffle with fruit for dessert. Defiantly a meal we will remember. So far the trip has been amazing. I can’t wait to see what else is to come. Check back in a few for more on our Euro Trip 2011.Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-74404895460259030732011-03-30T21:04:00.000-07:002011-03-30T21:29:50.107-07:00Europe Bound!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH74221VhZids-6oRUUeP2E5DHJMBqEX7c3wMKQA1XjSe-1VRJA3wyv7xMz_qW7H3HWE_nstAoo3CMAeWLZcekok_414lCZ8EidaB_i0Mzz0QcH-pJJBHQWqnGDnkCXV7AaT_MX1nXkDE/s1600/Griswold+Car.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH74221VhZids-6oRUUeP2E5DHJMBqEX7c3wMKQA1XjSe-1VRJA3wyv7xMz_qW7H3HWE_nstAoo3CMAeWLZcekok_414lCZ8EidaB_i0Mzz0QcH-pJJBHQWqnGDnkCXV7AaT_MX1nXkDE/s320/Griswold+Car.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590096528767345282" /></a><br /><br />Tomorrow I am Europe bound! My dad, brother, and I will first be landing in Amsterdam and then we are off on road trip around Western Europe. I am excited to be traveling with my dad and brother. I can't remember when the last time we all took a trip together was. My dad, who was born in Holland, will be able to show us not only where he lived before coming to the States, but also things like where my grandfather used to play soccer and where they were married. It will be an intriguing family history lesson. Normally these Spring trips leave Danielle to work at home, but this time the end of the trip coincides with her Spring Break from school. She will join us on the 10th and be able to spend about 8 days. Danielle and I will leave from Amsterdam and hit Berlin and also Prague before heading home. Of course camera and computer will be in hand, so stay tuned for pictures and updates. Let the traveling begin! I hope our rental company gives us an up-to-date model...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-65343566807939823902011-02-25T20:03:00.000-08:002011-02-25T20:06:19.121-08:00Another Friday Gift<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wpQm9aHr5AnobEAT064cyCGG0JZvaFIHYPRXz5DJeiVl81I5V19nY3mYcydCVQfkuvRfQyBsjxRv747W3cO7IBiO95yxpkZ1JK0jmUCxfT-IvrWzs-DEOgtf_vOezCwGrMmYKyJVmKM/s1600/IMG_3167small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wpQm9aHr5AnobEAT064cyCGG0JZvaFIHYPRXz5DJeiVl81I5V19nY3mYcydCVQfkuvRfQyBsjxRv747W3cO7IBiO95yxpkZ1JK0jmUCxfT-IvrWzs-DEOgtf_vOezCwGrMmYKyJVmKM/s320/IMG_3167small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577844515456292402" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrI8Eykf7GR9Zycd02-zWnx_72IrEdHyOIQhs13vPzTu-YepW8QIqA2534vlwEQIIB_B_qwaRWugmT9o6CLmD6zi5SzRacLeBLWmcjtIpTAlrqMZyl6RvzDdZ0DHdpfTt0D4xsPxyRGQ/s1600/IMG_3169small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRrI8Eykf7GR9Zycd02-zWnx_72IrEdHyOIQhs13vPzTu-YepW8QIqA2534vlwEQIIB_B_qwaRWugmT9o6CLmD6zi5SzRacLeBLWmcjtIpTAlrqMZyl6RvzDdZ0DHdpfTt0D4xsPxyRGQ/s320/IMG_3169small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577844508450006306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRHxUQ8WogRBHpcS6xZzlcYY9LfGB0MWHowDRrJHq1Nef1O_XIzkX05Q9BsXOKTXXstIhMNWSpODtQsuxed8BVGKX4X09G5BnbcwE_a5NhWNLGKR1H6R1dyqgVqQmuRCrB9qj9GEfC_g/s1600/IMG_3174small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRHxUQ8WogRBHpcS6xZzlcYY9LfGB0MWHowDRrJHq1Nef1O_XIzkX05Q9BsXOKTXXstIhMNWSpODtQsuxed8BVGKX4X09G5BnbcwE_a5NhWNLGKR1H6R1dyqgVqQmuRCrB9qj9GEfC_g/s320/IMG_3174small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577844504595900370" /></a><br /><br /><br />We knew that a pretty potent storm was headed for us last night, but it was still a little uncertain what time it would actually hit us. About 6am I received a call saying we would be on a two hour delay at school, so I went back to sleep. When I woke up a little later, I looked out the window and thought “Hmm…this is going to be an interesting drive.” Actually I was pretty pissed that they didn’t call a snow day. It was dumping outside and visibility was minimal. Our students come from all parts of Reno and driving at this point has become pretty dangerous. I started to get ready so I could head out on the road when the phone rang and explained school would be cancelled. Jason had already made the call to work from home and it was a good thing because the freeway headed to Truckee was closed anyway. So instead of heading to work, we fired up the snowblower!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-74161041898778053622011-02-25T20:01:00.001-08:002011-02-25T20:03:38.515-08:00Just In Time for the Weekend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhZJ3bh8j4AGj-QKZ4bOcRbE7Dud6p_wI1Hn-b48JCXFBvCLMzPQAVaTqbB-Bj17WNd-9TM32wS3IayNEACYX5FG0It2uS3s8EmOx1svtBZq6XZgLsb1y0beNr2Z7PCklX7DXxo0w_n4/s1600/IMG_3125small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhZJ3bh8j4AGj-QKZ4bOcRbE7Dud6p_wI1Hn-b48JCXFBvCLMzPQAVaTqbB-Bj17WNd-9TM32wS3IayNEACYX5FG0It2uS3s8EmOx1svtBZq6XZgLsb1y0beNr2Z7PCklX7DXxo0w_n4/s320/IMG_3125small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577843676722270914" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1funHRIiwf50io8ZDFf3NUmabPZUIjwsGEm9WRYuS_3TlGTdhSRTPixOUBh22QPmMlRdYTOLLhSKgQhRoYjCeUhRI2fBJpDmrHket2et6B2RnaERDfZXreHn4tLz5JXaldkE9dzaNVQI/s1600/IMG_3130small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1funHRIiwf50io8ZDFf3NUmabPZUIjwsGEm9WRYuS_3TlGTdhSRTPixOUBh22QPmMlRdYTOLLhSKgQhRoYjCeUhRI2fBJpDmrHket2et6B2RnaERDfZXreHn4tLz5JXaldkE9dzaNVQI/s320/IMG_3130small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577843685296674338" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI1xzlGZMiFgebXqwp9n9z1cquudWJXLnJIxwPSv-zrWYPvcLws65wmzgwwoWRIraJGF4Gob2A7U00kIcw34TNMXrVLTjNgiJisY-83jFT4oBmTTnArcwupxYhpod-lFlJ2chJ9fnEmk/s1600/IMG_3135small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizI1xzlGZMiFgebXqwp9n9z1cquudWJXLnJIxwPSv-zrWYPvcLws65wmzgwwoWRIraJGF4Gob2A7U00kIcw34TNMXrVLTjNgiJisY-83jFT4oBmTTnArcwupxYhpod-lFlJ2chJ9fnEmk/s320/IMG_3135small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577843682505290626" /></a><br /><br />The week leading up to President’s Day Weekend we went from sunny and 60 to snowy and 30 degrees. My school had two late start days in a row followed by a day off. I ended up with a four day weekend. Not too bad if you ask me. Jason and I woke up right when we got the call and headed for NorthStar. I was literally waist deep. It pounded most of the day and night and when we woke up the sun was out. Time to bust out the shovel!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-40476081143923925632011-02-25T19:56:00.000-08:002011-02-25T20:01:08.453-08:00Laguna Beach<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUCHXm3afI4Dzf0PMiGZhwEehFjhlzTlYc14anmKIRuPqfiXto8XNNBSAn7LUNNs1Vt5X4y3dJSvk53Xg6_uhLtkMYefMBt0fIIICMe6xi4vrgpXW1Zd1vEvgMUaxBm0HmSarTQe47_w/s1600/IMG_2461small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUCHXm3afI4Dzf0PMiGZhwEehFjhlzTlYc14anmKIRuPqfiXto8XNNBSAn7LUNNs1Vt5X4y3dJSvk53Xg6_uhLtkMYefMBt0fIIICMe6xi4vrgpXW1Zd1vEvgMUaxBm0HmSarTQe47_w/s320/IMG_2461small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577842481289063298" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXK7bDttn0fVSAYAm6hCC8KwoaAcWzW1LvHkICIyn-d6zwSgnvuPKd5TF6Av_fR306mr7M2O9UU20Wa0KVqq61t7h2q7gvFZr7DDBasuouQlddxpWvPwNkLRD59xPOoufc5AcN3_wU0E/s1600/IMG_2457small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXK7bDttn0fVSAYAm6hCC8KwoaAcWzW1LvHkICIyn-d6zwSgnvuPKd5TF6Av_fR306mr7M2O9UU20Wa0KVqq61t7h2q7gvFZr7DDBasuouQlddxpWvPwNkLRD59xPOoufc5AcN3_wU0E/s320/IMG_2457small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577842478183214018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZm3PsFBEukqfcSbZrtcbxgE3FcHhq8DawWmDz__M5AmhZsACuwccP6MaFrbiVOuoILWuL1cZNTkFooc7J2z5hGxuiUjzVeBWv62mjqC3G-QtPhg6VFb0x2HiZTgUrj7m3x77rldnc1g/s1600/IMG_2452small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZm3PsFBEukqfcSbZrtcbxgE3FcHhq8DawWmDz__M5AmhZsACuwccP6MaFrbiVOuoILWuL1cZNTkFooc7J2z5hGxuiUjzVeBWv62mjqC3G-QtPhg6VFb0x2HiZTgUrj7m3x77rldnc1g/s320/IMG_2452small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577842473258843746" /></a><br /><br />Jason was able to have some fun in the sun before the snow came back to visit. Here are some of the amazing pictures from his trip. Needless to say, I was very jealous even though it was a quick 36 hr trip. I know he calls it work, but come on! :-) Laguna Beach in February never looked so good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-71151450964646710482011-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:002011-02-25T19:56:40.442-08:00SIA 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTto5T9kAybr9AR_NA54UKwGHdwNIe8F7TnqzaLL5PlorAo3ujrRsU5-bcUPYn0MnLkQu3jfU2_f-PEHd7hwXOy9Jdk1W2IwMDMgdj9KP9DIDu3qFrJ5zj-PtbJKZg0gFA7_roDcMxU4/s1600/IMG_2450small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTto5T9kAybr9AR_NA54UKwGHdwNIe8F7TnqzaLL5PlorAo3ujrRsU5-bcUPYn0MnLkQu3jfU2_f-PEHd7hwXOy9Jdk1W2IwMDMgdj9KP9DIDu3qFrJ5zj-PtbJKZg0gFA7_roDcMxU4/s320/IMG_2450small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577841418090492722" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeJRaMsz8u7nCCTRAwmyY0NYZck4mBy6p-_ap7aYwgQqwWlI_2RZlT3HN5Zct9pAYEFFv3ZI15KxzsupiPZqu7KS-8KR7hGX-Lth9XU8-aarN_VbpVXa4_hKwM9JraXYUC5RsARpq7OA/s1600/IMG_2449small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeJRaMsz8u7nCCTRAwmyY0NYZck4mBy6p-_ap7aYwgQqwWlI_2RZlT3HN5Zct9pAYEFFv3ZI15KxzsupiPZqu7KS-8KR7hGX-Lth9XU8-aarN_VbpVXa4_hKwM9JraXYUC5RsARpq7OA/s320/IMG_2449small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577841414377525570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIak-GVUW5Zxd7md9TQdOs_lir79N0POyro22xzKzNQ7AbEP-8fwDwyfJaWkTvTJuaC1flXx-IPJkC1_VCB5kdkyIeB-tKpj6wpupk_DR_X8ytq7PMCL7ltG4Ch_FnJcSGdSvQWT7gRZs/s1600/IMG_2451small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIak-GVUW5Zxd7md9TQdOs_lir79N0POyro22xzKzNQ7AbEP-8fwDwyfJaWkTvTJuaC1flXx-IPJkC1_VCB5kdkyIeB-tKpj6wpupk_DR_X8ytq7PMCL7ltG4Ch_FnJcSGdSvQWT7gRZs/s320/IMG_2451small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577841409791854498" /></a><br /><br />Denver – the annual snowsports industry show has come and gone. Burton had an interesting display of snowboards from past to present. I am sure Jason was reminiscing of his days with his first snowboard...a Burton Air.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-74806243228823504012011-01-17T21:46:00.000-08:002011-01-18T08:47:01.929-08:00Dragon APX Bonnie Belle Cabin!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH07uhhME2rnfZm2HDAwj3OQA1SXf55iVzADS3349uEAHa5soY5t-aFaouN4rYurTC31g5BlXbyqiDj6lFIO-I3-I6wGbyJ84v3CupNClahYSF9sw19uNHYtJwPSG-51DOXh8alzjaUAbO/s1600/IMG_2285.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563398954019751090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH07uhhME2rnfZm2HDAwj3OQA1SXf55iVzADS3349uEAHa5soY5t-aFaouN4rYurTC31g5BlXbyqiDj6lFIO-I3-I6wGbyJ84v3CupNClahYSF9sw19uNHYtJwPSG-51DOXh8alzjaUAbO/s320/IMG_2285.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The last three days I was fortune enough to be invited on a backcountry trip to Silveton, CO by <a href="http://dragonalliance.com/">Dragon Alliance</a>. Though I’ve been lucky enough to travel for work at <a href="http://porterstahoe.com/">porterstahoe.com </a>to some of the best mountains in the world, this trip was like no other. In the matter of two days I snowboarded off snow cats, snowmobiles, lifts and helicopters.<br /><br />I flew out of Reno, NV Wednesday morning to Grand Junction, CO. I meet the <a href="http://www.dragonalliance.com/en-us/">Dragon crew</a>, - Mike from <a href="http://business.transworld.net/">Transworld Business</a>, five people from other retailers and <a href="http://gabe-taylor.com/index.html">Gabe Taylor</a>, a Dragon athlete, at the airport. We packed the rental cars to the brim and piled in for a two hour drive to <a href="http://www.ouraycolorado.com/">Ouray, CO</a>. I’d never been to Ouray or even heard of it, but it’s a cool little mountain town that happens to be an <a href="http://ourayicepark.com/">ice climbing mecca</a>. There is an ice climbing park in town that is built to attract tourists from all over the world, but we were just using the town as a quick stopover. Once we got into town we checked into our hotel then headed straight to dinner. We went to a Mexican restaurant called Buen Tempo, which at first I didn’t think a Mexican joint in the middle of Colorado would be that great, but I ended up being wrong. After dinner a few of use decided to hit up the Ouray Hot Springs. It was a great way to end the night.<br /><br />In the morning we met for breakfast, all dressed and ready to ride. We were heading to the <a href="http://www.bonniebellecabin.com/">Bonnie Bella </a>in the Silverton Backcountry for an overnight backcountry excursion. I only had room to pack a few essentials. We drove the last 20 miles up the sketchy Red Mountain Pass. The road is a step mountain pass with hundred foot cliffs off the sides with no guard rails. Once we got into Silverton, we drove straight out to the backcountry access area. The owners of the <a href="http://www.bonniebellecabin.com/">Bonnie Bella cabin</a> were waiting for us with 4 snowmobiles to shuttle us up the canyon to the amazing cabin, but first we had to sign release waivers and show our beacons, probes, and shovels. The canyon is extremely narrow with 27 avalanche paths, so being quick was essential. We had to double up on the sleds, which I have never done. Each person needs to stand on a side and as the hill changes slope you need to lean from one side to the other to make sure the snowmobile doesn’t roll.<br /><br />After the scenic 4.5 miles ride, we climbed a ridge and the amazing <a href="http://www.bonniebellecabin.com/">Bonnie Bella Cabin </a>was finally in site. The cabin sits in complete seclusion from everything. Sitting on the top of Skull Mountain at 12,000 ft., there is amazing terrain in all directions. After arriving, it took about 2 hours to get the crew and all gear to the cabin and setup. I was starting to get impatient because I was one of the first to arrive at the cabin and had all that terrain just staring at me, but since there was about 14 people, it took awhile to get everything ready. The Dragon crew also surprised us with a pair of 2012 <a href="http://www.blogger.com/dragonalliance.com">Dragon APX goggles</a>. It is a rad frameless goggle.<br /><br />Finally we were all geared up and were hitting up runs just 40ft off the back of the cabin. The runs were about 2,200 vert ft of step untracked powder. We were all screaming with joy as we ripped turns through the trees. The minute we got down we jumped on the snowmobile for a shuttle back to the top. We called one of the zones “Mario World“. There were perfectly spread out rollers and pillows of snow to fly off. After a handful of runs we moved zones to the front bowls of the cabin. It was just as fun. I felt like a kid in a candy store, I just couldn’t get enough. As fast as I could get down, I was on my way back up. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear. We ended the night with one last pow run in the woods behind the cabin, where the snow cat was waiting for us at the bottom. Once back to the cabin we were all beat from a hard day of riding. We got changed into our lounging gear - many thanks to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/dragonalliance.com">Dragon</a> for hooking us up with down booties and fleece pants. Everyone hung out and relaxed on the couches, reliving some of the day’s events. Alex Pashley, <a href="http://www.dragonalliance.com/en-us/team/snow">Dragons Team Manager </a>and the man responsible for setting this fantastic trip, was cooking a tasty dinner of steak, shrimp and veggies. Every piece was devoured. Some fell asleep early, but others were partying hard. The 4 cases of beer were gone by 8pm. The crew was bummed, so Pashley got on his satellite phone and made a call to some friends in town. He got them to agree to meet him at the trail head with a few more cases. So Pashley and Drago jumped on the snowmobiles and raced down the hill to make the ultimate beer run. 45 mins later they were back, saving the party. The music was pumping and beer flowing, so someone had the bright idea of heading out in the dark and shooting a 9mm and 12gauge shotgun. There is a skeet shooter off the deck that they were using. About 20 skeet were thrown up and shoot at, but in the morning light we could see that only one was actually hit. The party settled down about 11pm when the solar batteries died, shutting off the music and lights.<br /><br />Friday morning we woke up to high winds and snow. You couldn’t see more than 50ft in front of you. We were really bummed because we had nothing but blue skies the day before. Between the bad weather and the hangovers no one was fast to get up and get moving. One by one we all stumbled out of bed. When most of the crew was awake Pashley started cooking up breakfast burritos. As we finished eating, the wind started to die down and the clouds started breaking. This was our big break. Our plans were to get picked up by a helicopter and do a few bigger runs in the valley. Pashley called <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.silvertonmountain.com">Silveton</a> to see when the heli could come pick us up. Warren Miller’s crew was in town and had the heli for the morning, so we got pushed until midday. We were all cool with that since we could do a few more runs in Mario World. We had barley touched the surface in that zone and had plenty of fresh lines. Once suited up we were able to get 3 amazing runs. With the snow and wind overnight, our lines were filled back in.<br /><br />We were all so excited to get on the bird. This was my first trip on a heli. We had to split into 3 groups of 4. We were all anxiously awaiting the chopper. Once the heli landed we quickly loaded and got our seat belts on. Within a minute we were in the air. The heli quickly flew up the mountain we had just boarded down. As we reached the summit we zoomed passed the Bonnie Bella and up the next ridge. It was amazing seeing all the terrain in high speed. We snowboarded on such a small amount of the terrain. The wind was gusting and the chopper bounced from side to side. Within a few minutes the pilot was spotting our landing. As you look down you wouldn’t think we could land on the small ridge, but we did. We had to wait for the last group to arrive before we could head down the hill. The ridge was really windy, so you had to sit on your board or it would fly away. We were just across the mountain from Silverton Ski resort, so the plan was to ride down then head through the valley to a road were a bus would pick us up and bring us to <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.silvertonmountain.com">Silverton Mountain</a>. Skyler, the guide, led the way. Once to the bottom, we were picked up by a bus and brought to the base of Silverton Mountain.<br /><br />For those of you that don’t know of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.silvertonmountain.com">Silverton</a>, it’s an amazing resort for backcountry terrain. Silverton Mountain is a unique mountain experience. There is one chairlift that takes you into a high alpine environment surrounded by amazing lines in every direction. There are loads of bowls, chutes, cliffs and wonderful natural terrain features to be discovered during a visit to Silverton Mountain. It is the highest Ski Area in North America with a peak of 13,487’ and it is also the steepest with no groomers to be found. The mountain is left in it’s natural state with the exception of the avalanche work. With the late start in our day we were only able to get one run at Silverton. Our guide Skyler took us to the top of the lift, then we hiked about 30 minutes up the ridge to 13,000ft. We took a run down a bowl named “Rope a Dope“. It was a nice untracked run with little hits and a natural half pipe. We again rode out to the road and took the bus to the resort. When we got back the lift was closed. There is a yurt, the only lodge, that has a great happy hour. With the trip winding down everyone was happy we had a safe and amazing trip. We had a few drinks in the yurt before heading to town to visit Montanya Rum Distillery. We only spent an hour there but the drinks were strong and the crew was wasted. The designated drivers, me being one of them, drove the crew back to Ouray. We got showered up and went out for our final dinner at the Ouray Brewery. The trip was an absolutely amazing time. I want to thank the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/dragonalliance.com">Dragon </a>crew for showing us <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.silvertonmountain.com">Silverton </a>in style. I’m not sure <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.silvertonmountain.com">Silverton</a> will stay so remote forever, so go enjoy it while you can.<br /><br /><br /><br /><embed height="330" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="500" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5563358726309095121%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-14697358323976334472011-01-16T17:57:00.000-08:002011-01-16T18:13:26.358-08:00Sunday's Sunrise Snowboard Session<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vQvysi28vHIG2UHb9jih8mdirJTJeF7lCVRNn9k8JwhmwEKAZ-SOJ4RabeGFYluseHVr4R664WQGSAjOyH8NYCIW07BKx0fOBNodPiyNyx8OMAUpHDIJ4xws8yvPYvG3txZXfAwn9o/s1600/IMG_2234.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vQvysi28vHIG2UHb9jih8mdirJTJeF7lCVRNn9k8JwhmwEKAZ-SOJ4RabeGFYluseHVr4R664WQGSAjOyH8NYCIW07BKx0fOBNodPiyNyx8OMAUpHDIJ4xws8yvPYvG3txZXfAwn9o/s320/IMG_2234.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562971251761295570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4T57VGGuibtRbhw09dTtXhqlO2O0GrsTMY1sNtvB9CTnSefdQzDmhJSlCw7O-0i_XCbCCPCOIx2uOuPgj3Jlo_quEf4wFhGkUWfg0dqKDitc7BQ906DAR9LvvsSCZVHb-zB_7DEay_E/s1600/IMG_2233small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4T57VGGuibtRbhw09dTtXhqlO2O0GrsTMY1sNtvB9CTnSefdQzDmhJSlCw7O-0i_XCbCCPCOIx2uOuPgj3Jlo_quEf4wFhGkUWfg0dqKDitc7BQ906DAR9LvvsSCZVHb-zB_7DEay_E/s320/IMG_2233small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562971256147891266" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuQ12qW7s332lcpK69_L8AvCJTn-YKreyYjTkFEO0xRRBeS5wbu2-8cUR7qiJh63ptfdZdHSz7QA9z-hnlyLYJE90A-lYv1Fn_KhcXAND58odtbQJKFqYYjkt5uJp3ZRwgwWy6HdmN_M/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuQ12qW7s332lcpK69_L8AvCJTn-YKreyYjTkFEO0xRRBeS5wbu2-8cUR7qiJh63ptfdZdHSz7QA9z-hnlyLYJE90A-lYv1Fn_KhcXAND58odtbQJKFqYYjkt5uJp3ZRwgwWy6HdmN_M/s320/IMG_2213.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562971246737197122" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYkJxA7etEXON3T9TP7Oqr4AhAZIL__DrhbTy6DuD5KcoZ3pv55SYOrpoA15kpRKNSbrmQFKUB9QHq4xk3ZdN_OkDYT3HbcoG9X9vng-6Tnn4U9X6B3fhwyGwTWwPRaZf8fexob_KJMs/s1600/IMG_2238.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYkJxA7etEXON3T9TP7Oqr4AhAZIL__DrhbTy6DuD5KcoZ3pv55SYOrpoA15kpRKNSbrmQFKUB9QHq4xk3ZdN_OkDYT3HbcoG9X9vng-6Tnn4U9X6B3fhwyGwTWwPRaZf8fexob_KJMs/s320/IMG_2238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562971256672627874" /></a><br />Instead of heading out to a resort to rub elbows with the giant crowds, we decided it would be more peaceful to snowshoe and snowboard by ourselves on Mount Rose. We could get some exercise and still throw in some snowboarding while we were at it. Jason, Eric, and I headed out Sunday morning to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over Reno. While it is of course fun to do endless laps at Squaw, there is something exciting about hiking up to the top of a hill and take the quick way down on your board.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-78816773740645728352011-01-16T17:46:00.000-08:002011-01-16T17:57:41.986-08:00Fat Cat Gone Wild<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvT8LptSYlLJo-gfq6Ps081Yvy4S2FDZHdtv4WbDLhI2ijT7xUvEOv3eXSKa1uer-zqQNj0LS-UHc2-C31EuCOMAJF4zGg5JIVwEd8qShivYoIwEeR50v-P5joyzHCHc7faYrBbVcr3c/s1600/IMG_2231small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvT8LptSYlLJo-gfq6Ps081Yvy4S2FDZHdtv4WbDLhI2ijT7xUvEOv3eXSKa1uer-zqQNj0LS-UHc2-C31EuCOMAJF4zGg5JIVwEd8qShivYoIwEeR50v-P5joyzHCHc7faYrBbVcr3c/s320/IMG_2231small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562968022405846434" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNF2BnU2vtMw_dN8xQbtqhKEpNRaou9BFqacLhqI57E2uApx4jNcyYedmFj14mximXkBmE-7CgR9QasBr8x-iCeyVRgle0VWAziLgHnrg7dOAj8VqJYlNb1GUND9cuI7t5iHY7PI3njxk/s1600/IMG_2230small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNF2BnU2vtMw_dN8xQbtqhKEpNRaou9BFqacLhqI57E2uApx4jNcyYedmFj14mximXkBmE-7CgR9QasBr8x-iCeyVRgle0VWAziLgHnrg7dOAj8VqJYlNb1GUND9cuI7t5iHY7PI3njxk/s320/IMG_2230small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562968019239600930" /></a><br />We were having a nice Saturday morning when our cat, Boots, decided he wanted to eat one of the plants that sits on top of our DVD tower. Well, the top is only 6 inches wide, not nearly enough room for a cat to land, so when he jumped, he and the plant came tumbling down, crashing right on top of our glass coffee table. Boots ended up with a tiny cut on his paw, but the plant and the table did not fair as well. As you can see the table is beyond repairable. The sight of a cat smashing threw a glass table with his back was as much frightening as it was amazing. He may have lost one of his nine lives that day as well as helping us realize he needs to go on a diet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-24013173116017956872011-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:002011-01-09T19:18:55.462-08:00Happy New Year - yes we are alive!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoRzVKJV-LPwV42n9D7rr6t_BmuUNcVxj4wVAtcvF3_UaNtKoXDp1fj2NbQGOFbLZOZ7yFgeM3gnSxHnGgRgwp6R80OErRHnqZddbjaakktVfj6VRepJIsjTKHETkLCRaLcCMxzQnArE/s1600/happy-new-year-2011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoRzVKJV-LPwV42n9D7rr6t_BmuUNcVxj4wVAtcvF3_UaNtKoXDp1fj2NbQGOFbLZOZ7yFgeM3gnSxHnGgRgwp6R80OErRHnqZddbjaakktVfj6VRepJIsjTKHETkLCRaLcCMxzQnArE/s320/happy-new-year-2011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560391223205075490" /></a><br /><br />Well the holidays came and went without a blog post. Shame on us! It was, in part, due to the amount of work we both have had in the recent months. Prior to Thanksgiving, Tahoe received a killer storm, kicking off our season with a huge bang. Since then it has been non-stop with orders, helping in the store, and when we can sleeping and eating. Besides being busy with teaching 8th grade English, Danielle graciously put in about 110 hours over her Winter Break, helping the Porter's Truckee Store. My craziness is just truly beginning, though. January is filled with trade shows, so I will be gone a lot. There is always something to look forward to of course...vacation. In April, we will be visiting Holland and a few other nearby countries. Though we haven't had a ton to blog about recently, we will be starting up our post again. Happy 2011!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-40425553005513204232010-11-05T17:56:00.001-07:002010-11-05T22:41:24.944-07:00Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple!Last week Jonathan, Danielle and I took an amazing trip to NYC. We boarded a red eye flight Wednesday night from Reno and arrived in NYC 6am Thursday morning. We wasted no time, as we went straight to the subway and were in the city by 8am. After a quick bag drop in the hotel we hit the streets full speed. We squeezed in everything that we could. Short of falling asleep on the subway, I think we got our moneys worth. Some of the sites we were able to see were the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center, Wall Street, Empire State Building (from top at night), 30 Rock (from top during day), Central Park, Times Square, and so much more. We also went to the Letterman show and a Broadway show called Million Dollar Quartet. It was interesting to experience such a big city lifestyle. One of the coolest things from a family historical point was looking up the ship manifest that our great-grandfather came over from Holland on in 1920 when we were on Ellis Island. It was amazing to see how all the immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s were welcomed to America. Although we wish we had more time, we were able to see most of the sites and look forward to a time when we can experience more of what New York has to offer. <br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="330" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5536303334064426817%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26authkey%3DGv1sRgCJ_R1s2IsNzkDA%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-30478736045686494382010-10-12T19:59:00.000-07:002010-10-12T20:05:24.750-07:00Mt. Whitney Summit Hike!!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pF5lkhyVKKv_Idoyq2yr7UfuMwJE-3J7hZqpfIJg2ADPxvZjLxTsuW4PsusaETZ9k3fqcrnlbo5tEqlKslrA6Dajc6HZ9d9FQndXunWLFxVwupyL8Y26Dje0QRC6ds2ahXpp5zeOlu7j/s1600/IMG_1422-1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527360846166376450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pF5lkhyVKKv_Idoyq2yr7UfuMwJE-3J7hZqpfIJg2ADPxvZjLxTsuW4PsusaETZ9k3fqcrnlbo5tEqlKslrA6Dajc6HZ9d9FQndXunWLFxVwupyL8Y26Dje0QRC6ds2ahXpp5zeOlu7j/s320/IMG_1422-1.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Climbing Mt. Whitney has been on my radar for the last 5 years. I could never seem to get a group together or secure the Permit which is the really tough part. But this year was different. In January Danielle, Aunt Ginger and I, decided to put in the for permit sometime in mid July. After talking to my buddy Adam we had 5 people that wanted in. We applied for the permit March 1st, it’s a lottery system. We were luckily enough to get a spot. I put 10 different days to maximize our chances and it worked. <br /><br />Our permit was for July 12th – 14th. By the time July came around there was only 3 of us doing the trip. Danielle and Adam’s mom were injured. So on July 11th Aunt Ginger, Adam and I went to Whitney Portal Camp. On the drive down 395, we drove up Tioga pass and did a day hike at Saddlebag Lake just before the Yosemite entrance. We did this to get above 10,000ft and start to acclimatize to the elevation. After an hour we jumped back in the car to Lone Pine. Once we arrived in Lone Pine we picked up our Backcountry permit from the rangers station. They also gave us our WAG bags which will serve as our toilets for the 3 days. Once we were all set, we went up to our camp for the night Whitney Portal camp ground. We set up camp, had dinner at the Portal store, then head off to bed early. We had a big day ahead of us.<br /><br />We awoke early to the sun rising. We weren’t in a hurry since we were doing the Whitney trail over three days. We planned on getting on the trail by ten. After taking our time packing up we went back to the Portal Store, and had a huge breakfast. If we would have known, we could have all ate one and still been stuffed. It was such a waste of food but the squirrels seemed fat from raiding the garbage cans. After a huge breakfast we all took our last trips to the bathroom. We were all hoping to empty out the intestines, so we wouldn’t have to bust out the WAG bag day one. I was able to not bust mine open until after dinner. I don’t think any of us made it to the next morning. Anyways after we were all relived we were on the trail. The total trip is 22 miles with a 6486 vertical foot climb. A lot of people do it in one day but it takes most 16 hours. We wanted to take our time and enjoy all the trail had to offer. We split it into 3 days. Day one we went from Whitney Portal to Trail Camp 6.3 miles 3675 vert. The trail was really well maintained and marked. We took it slow and steady and took a few breaks along the way. Lone Pine Lake 2.8 miles in was amazing it’s a small lake dammed in by huge boulders. Once we left we noticed it was starting to get cloudy. I stopped and covered my pack and got my rain gear ready. After another mile it started raining. It wasn’t bad since we were all ready. We just had to watch each step since it got slippery. After a few miles we were at Trail Camp. There was a break in the rain so we rushed to set up camp before it unleashed. Just after the tent was set up it started pouring. Adam didn’t bring a tent. So we all piled in my tiny backpack tent for a few hours until the rain let up. It was a little cramped but we played cards and tossed back and forth so our legs didn’t fall asleep. Just before night the rain stopped and the skies cleared. We rushed out of the tent and made dinner before it got dark. After a quick bite we were off to bed.<br /><br />I awoke to the amazing colors of the sun turning the mountains a golden color. There were a lot of day hikers going past the camp as early as 5am to get up and back before dark. I got out of the tent a little early and explored the area and took some pics. When I returned Ginger and Adam were roaming the camp. We made breakfast, filtered our water used the WAG on last time. Then off to start the trail to the top. Today we were starting off on the toughest part of the trail 98 grueling switch backs. The switchbacks are only 2.2 miles but with 1620 vert. We took our time and took a few breaks to refuel. The snow run off was heavy and came straight down the trail in many spots. You had to tread lightly or you might slip on the slick rocks. We also had to go through a few patches of snow if it wasn’t hard enough. Once we made it to the top of Trail Crest we took a well deserved break. The next few miles were along the ridge gently rolling up and down. After the first part this seemed like a walk in the park. Once we arrived at the top you can see the Smithsonian Hut, I think Ginger thought it was a mirage. She didn’t think we were acutely there yet. We all signed the registry. This is how the Forest Service keeps track of how many people summated each year. Only 30% that start make it to the top. I was really proud of my group especially Ginger she did an amazing job. We stayed on the summit for about an hour. Taking photos and calling all our loved ones. Verizon should do a commercial up there. Anyone with AT&T couldn’t make a call. I let a guy borrow my phone. I should have charged him $20 bucks. After a rest we went back to trail camp and rest are abused bodies. I soaked in the freezing lake. I think it was the coldest water I’ve ever been in, no joke. We could have packed up and went all the way down. But we had already done 9.4 miles with 2811 vert up and down. There was no reason to push through it and not be able to walk the next day. We had dinner, played some cards then off to bed.<br /><br />I again awoke to snap a few pics. I think the sunrise today was even better than yesterday. We all got up early today. I still managed to get another walk around the camp before we ate and packed up. Once we started hiking the 6.3 miles back to the car. Ginger was like a freight train heading down hill. There was no stopping her. Once the end was in site we could barely keep up with her. Before we got to the car we all decided to weigh our WAG bags and see who top shitter was. I’m sure everyone reading this has their money on me. You would have all lost Ginger was the winner or loser depends how you look at it.<br /><br />I want to thank Ginger and Adam for an amazing trip. Without them it wouldn’t have been the same. Ginger is 54 and passed tons of people along the way. She is in amazing shape, congratulations Ginger.<br /><br />Hopefully we will all do it again. Hopefully Danielle and Adam’s mom can make it next time.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516225353098818865%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-87634968471699335312010-10-06T20:21:00.000-07:002010-10-12T14:03:25.631-07:00Spain 2010 MadridMadrid was the final stop on our Euro trip. Once we got into town we decided to return the rental car. There isn't much need for a car in a well established city. Madrid has a great Subway and Bus system.We traveled all over the city on foot and Subway. We saw all the tourist spots and had a few great dinners. <br /><br />On our return to the airport we decided to take the subway. Which would have worked great, but when we left the hotel they informed us they were on strike and no trains would be running for a few days. We decided to head to the station and see if we could catch a bus instead. In the end we walked a few miles to find the bus station that went to the airport. After waiting for the bus for 30 minutes with no sign of it. We had to jump in a taxi to ensure we wouldn't miss our flight. Once we arrived at the airport we had plenty of time. Our flight was delayed several hours which made for an extremely tight connection in Dallas. In the end we made it home with out any problems. We had an amazing trip and I hope I return to Spain again some day. <br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516220196397684193%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-31813856867556706032010-09-28T21:57:00.000-07:002010-10-06T20:12:04.077-07:00Spain 2010 Holy ToledoAs we were heading into Toledo. I had heard there was amazing architecture and a ton of churches. But we didn't know exactly were to stay or what to see. We only had one night so we had to make the best of it. Once we arrived we stoped at a few different hotels, but they were all sold out. They told us good luck but all rooms in the city are booked. I was bummed but we decided to park the car and at least explore the city and have dinner. As we were walking through the amazing narrow streets of Toledo we went into a few small hostels. After some persistence we luck out and found a room for the night. It was getting late so we had dinner and watched a World Cup match. We went to bed early and planned on getting up early and exploring the back streets of Toledo. We really only had a few hours to see the city and we made the best of it. We took a self guided walk I got out of the Spain Lonely Planet book. It took us through some of the most beautiful parts of the city. The phrase Holy Toledo came from this city. There are 79 churches and 1 cathedral. There is literally a church on every corner. If I ever spend time back in Spain, another day in Toledo is definitely justified.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516219970946720721%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-75246712777588282772010-09-28T20:01:00.000-07:002010-10-06T20:05:49.649-07:00Spain 2010 Alarcon and Windmills of La ManchaAlarcon is a place most average tourists have never heard of. Danielle's great-grandfather on her mom's side not only shares the villages name, but also has roots from there, so she really wanted to visit. It was a few hours out of the way, but we made the trip worthwhile by stopping at a few other places along the way. Alarcon is a really small town with a river flowing into a big reservoir. There's a castle that has been turned into a hotel, a church and a dozen or so houses. It was a cute small village in the middle of farmland.<br /><br />After Alarcon we made a few stops in other small towns. My favorite stop was at La Mancha. It is a group of old windmills out in the open plains. While we were there two bus loads of Japanese tourist pulled up. It was funny because I fit right in with them taking tons of pictures from every angle.<br /><br />This day 6/26/2010 was Danielle's and my 6th anniversary. It has been the best six years of my life and I'm looking forward for all the years to come. Danielle, I love ya!<br /><br />What I didn't know until a few months later was I got a photo speeding ticket on the same day. Around he the end of August I got a certified letter from Espana. When I opened it up it was a picture of us in our C3 cruising down the freeway. I was driving 101km in a 80km zone. It sucked, but nothing I could do about it. At least I was able to pay it online. It was for 100 euro, but since I paid in a timely manner they cut it in half, so it cost me 50 euro. At least I got a souvenir picture out of it!<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516219735664944945%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-52588455076070361032010-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:002010-10-06T20:03:26.281-07:00Spain 2010 The Alhambra of GranadaBefore leaving on out trip to Spain. I had very little time to research our trip. While visiting with Uncle Jim he had suggested that we must see the Alhambra of Granada. I had read a few things about it but didn't really know how amazing it was. The Alhambra was a fortress built by the Arabic in the 9th century. In the 13th/14th century it was converted into a Palace complex adjoined to a small town. After the Christan conquest of Granada the Mosque was converted into a Church. In the 18th century it was abandoned to thieves and beggars. In 1870 it was declared a national monument as a result of the huge interest stirred by romantic writers. It now enjoys a UNESCO World Heritage status.<br /><br />In my experience it was truly amazing. The grounds were immaculately cared for. The Generalife Gardens were some of most beautiful I've ever seen. The Palacio Nazaries is definitely the highlight of the Alhambra. The rooms and courtyards are perfectly proportioned, with intricately molded stucco walls, beautiful tiling, fine carved wooded ceilings and elaborate stalactite like vaulting, all worked in mesmerizing, symbolic geometric patterns. When you buy your ticket for the Alhambra, which we did in advance over the phone, and is highly recommended. You have to chose AM or PM then you get 30 minute time slot to enter the Palacio Nazaries. They do this so you don't have to wait in lines and can enjoy the rest of the Alhambra while waiting for your window. The tile work and ceilings were what truly impressed me. <br /><br />After six hours exploring the grounds we head out of town to cut the time of our drive towards Toledo tomorrow. We spent the night in Jaen and watch Spain win one of there world cup games. Watching the locals go crazy over the cup was a highlight of our trip. The whole city stooped and watched the game. It was a truly cool thing to see. I wish the USA had the passion of the worlds sport real Football.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516218454417341233%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-87036687939833115972010-09-12T20:56:00.000-07:002010-10-06T20:01:16.598-07:00Spain 2010 Benidorm, Calpe & Jalon ValleyOn this part of the trip we stayed with Danielle's uncle Jim. He's lived in Benidorm Spain for the last 7 years. It is a huge crazy British tourist city, it has the second most skyscrapers to NYC crazy. Normally this wouldn't be the type of place we would even stay. But with Jim's local knowledge we were able to see some amazing places only 10 minutes away. His condo is amazing, it's on the top two floors of a high rise facing the beach. We stayed there for two nights and packed in a ton. He took us to a neighboring beach town Calpe which I really enjoyed it's a small fishing village. We then went to Jalon Valley which is a big wine producing area. We went to a winery were Jim filled up his Jugs for 2 euro. Danielle and Jim managed to taste most of the wines for free yea. We had lunch at a great family ran restaurant <br />La Piscina, then head back to Jim's place for a nap. We really enjoyed our time in Benidorm and it was great seeing Uncle Jim. Hopefully we'll make it back to visit again.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516219117873503841%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-80706543480253420832010-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:002010-10-06T19:58:35.941-07:00Spain 2010 Salou, Benicassim & ValenciaAgain sorry for not posting anything for the last few months. I've had a lot of people asking to see the rest of our photos from Spain. I've broke them up into a few slide shows from city to city.<br /><br />This first group is from were we left off posting. The photos are from the two days after we left Andorra.<br /><br />We stayed two nights on the coast before heading to Danielle's uncle Jim's. The first night was in Salou which ended up being a British tourist city. The were puds every few buildings. It wasn't our favorite place but it was getting late and we just needed a place to crash.<br /><br />The next stop was Benicassim which was a beautiful small beach front town. We spent a relaxing night at a nice beach front hotel. We did manage to get a few hours laying on the beach just relaxing in the sun. The next day we were heading to Benidorm to see Danielle's uncle. We stopped in Valencia for a quick tour of the city. I can't believe we managed to get in and out of the city with out getting lost. It was a huge city and we didn't have a map for it. I was a little tense but D gave me amazing directions.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="500" height="357" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjasond1400%2Falbumid%2F5516219401087592481%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677515736650799425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3552244180348521793.post-48809892854696752032010-09-07T21:24:00.000-07:002010-09-07T21:31:25.668-07:00Don't Give Up on the Blog!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6553wkv4bMSGXTDHraIhQ94adkycsKvqYeEupNrPJQo4J-87ExbN5YFqANPmJOLnNmykzuyHCfjJ6JGBVnr5WNAm8IIdeHIeceXF4q8LcHiVa36ZuZCh2I-YVkGTxLAL3WELoWPkmHsU/s1600/dont-give-up.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6553wkv4bMSGXTDHraIhQ94adkycsKvqYeEupNrPJQo4J-87ExbN5YFqANPmJOLnNmykzuyHCfjJ6JGBVnr5WNAm8IIdeHIeceXF4q8LcHiVa36ZuZCh2I-YVkGTxLAL3WELoWPkmHsU/s320/dont-give-up.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514395237091879282" /></a><br />First, let me send a million apologies for the lack of blog posts. Our summer has been extremely busy with working in the stores, tent sales, and trying to fit in sleeping and eating every now and again. School is back in session and life will finally slow down a bit. We will work on getting our camping pictures up from the beginning of August and caught up on everything else. We hope all is well with everyone out there. :-) Look for more posts soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0