Europe Bound!

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...

Another Friday Gift

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!

Just In Time for the Weekend

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!

Laguna Beach

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.

SIA 2011

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.

Dragon APX Bonnie Belle Cabin!!!

The last three days I was fortune enough to be invited on a backcountry trip to Silveton, CO by Dragon Alliance. Though I’ve been lucky enough to travel for work at porterstahoe.com 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.

I flew out of Reno, NV Wednesday morning to Grand Junction, CO. I meet the Dragon crew, - Mike from Transworld Business, five people from other retailers and Gabe Taylor, a Dragon athlete, at the airport. We packed the rental cars to the brim and piled in for a two hour drive to Ouray, CO. I’d never been to Ouray or even heard of it, but it’s a cool little mountain town that happens to be an ice climbing mecca. 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.

In the morning we met for breakfast, all dressed and ready to ride. We were heading to the Bonnie Bella 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 Bonnie Bella cabin 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.

After the scenic 4.5 miles ride, we climbed a ridge and the amazing Bonnie Bella Cabin 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 Dragon APX goggles. It is a rad frameless goggle.

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 Dragon 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, Dragons Team Manager 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.

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 Silveton 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.

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 Silverton Mountain. 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.

For those of you that don’t know of Silverton, 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 Dragon crew for showing us Silverton in style. I’m not sure Silverton will stay so remote forever, so go enjoy it while you can.

Sunday's Sunrise Snowboard Session

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.

Fat Cat Gone Wild

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.

Happy New Year - yes we are alive!

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!

Taking 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.

Mt. Whitney Summit Hike!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hopefully we will all do it again. Hopefully Danielle and Adam’s mom can make it next time.

Spain 2010 Madrid

Madrid 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.

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.

Spain 2010 Holy Toledo

As 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.

Spain 2010 Alarcon and Windmills of La Mancha

Alarcon 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.

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.

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!

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!