I haven’t been able to de-brain this one for days. Eerily procession-esque, I think this is one of their very best.

Posted by tee in fun stuff, sidetracks
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Tags: media, music, video

Possibly the best Tiramisu on the planet.

In the middle of freshman science at HC Wilcox Regional Technical Vocational High School in Meriden, Connecticut, a long-haired blonde girl leans over and asks me if I can cut her hair after school. So starts an on-again-off-again friendship that wanders through some 23 years, surviving (sometimes just barely) boys, brawls, beer, bangs (and then no bangs, and then short bangs, and then long bangs, and then no bangs), bad bleach jobs, and a collection of inopportune stalls in a blue Chevy Citation.

I hadn’t seen Joanna – we were known back in high school as Joey & Toni – for more than five years when we stopped by her Connecticut apartment for an hour on our way through in 2004. In October 2005 I flew out and photographed her wedding. And then last Thursday evening she found me on Facebook and sent a message: Wanna take a road trip to Mammoth Lakes on Sunday?

On Friday she booked her ticket and a room at a Mammoth lodge, and by Saturday afternoon she and I were sitting at Pirate’s Pizza, laughing over antipasti and paninis, waiting for Sunday to come so we could drive the four hours south to surprise her sister, Kristen, at her 40th birthday party.

And that we did. Great food (understatement), great party, great people (we had a blast!), and it was good to see Jo and Kristen again. We drove back early Monday morning – I had to get back to projects and she had to catch a flight home – and that was that. Talk about whirlwind. Totally worth it.

If you ever find yourself in Mammoth Lakes, California, stop by the Whiskey Creek and ask for the chicken in peanut ginger sauce and the white russian tiramisu. You won’t be sorry. And if you’re ever in Meriden, Connecticut, stop by Jo’s house and pick a potato out of her yard. Anywhere. I can’t vouch for how sorry you may/may not be.

Posted by tee in de la vida, reviews
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Tags: california, food, friends, mammoth lakes, photos, road trips

Free bike sharing program launched in Denver via Rand McNally
This is pretty groovy. Would’ve been even better had it been implemented during the summer’s spike in gas prices, but now Denver’s ready for the next one. And there will be a next one. More than 30 stations around downtown Denver will be stocked with loaner bikes to locals and tourists. Bring it back by 10am the following day, and your bike rental remains free.

Chickpea Pasta with Almonds and Parmesan via Real Simple
I’m not usually an Almonds lover, but this sounds so good I’m willing to fake it. Chickpeas? Pasta? Parmesan cheese? Garlic? This one’s being bolted to the fridge right away.

All the top news about LIFE via Alltop
Guy Kawasaki is driving me and just about everyone else on Twitter nuts with the omnipresent Alltop.com links, but I gotta say: I really love this web site. Researchers, journalists and nosebags would do well to keep it at the top of their bookmark stash. And a couple of days ago, they picked up Adventure Journalist in their Life section. How cool is that? Even if I am out of my league there.

Retro Vespa lamps via Re-Nest
Whoa – these are wild. Vespas are fun and have a sharply-devoted following, so these headlight lamps must be a collector’s dream. This would go really well in our game/brainstorm/guest/movie/all-purpose room in the basement. Anybody know where you can get them now?

Carnival of the Arid via Coyote Crossing
Chris Clarke - author, blogger and desert-lover extraordinaire – is rounding up a collection of great desert storytelling (including visual) for his Carnival of the Arid on February 1st. I know I’ve got a lot of fellow desert rats out there who can evoke it well in words and images, so I encourage all of you to click and read what he’s looking for, and if you have something that fits, submit it!

Pass it on.

Posted by tee in sidetracks
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Tags: community, food, good stuff, recipes, urban biking

I’m sure I’ll raise an eyebrow or two by saying so, but Reno can be such an aesthetically beautiful example of man transposed onto nature. This drive doesn’t capture that so much as it reminds me of it. Wish YouTube wouldn’t compress so heavily, this was nice and crisp (and so smooth) right out of the camera.

Music by Eric Shiveley. http://www.ericshiveley.net.

Posted by tee in general
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Tags: driving, flip mino, nevada, reno, video

On my way home from a great night out with a friend, I made a quick stop at Raley’s Supermarket on 7th and Keystone to tie up a very simple list: a big bag of dog food, eggs, champagne. At an aisle end-cap I eyeballed a display of fluffy dog beds on sale, the kind we’ve been looking for (though admittedly never expected to find in a grocery store), so I picked up two of those and threw them in the cart, too.

Out at the truck, I unloaded the champagne and eggs on the front seat floor, then the dog beds on top of the seat. I had to push and squish them in there to get the door shut. I turned around to grab the bag of dog food in the bottom of the cart to throw it in the bed of the truck, but suddenly there was no cart. There was no dog food. I looked around. Nothing.

Then I heard someone behind me gasp, and then someone else. Then a little way off, a “no way, look!”

My heart sank. If you’ve ever been to the Raley’s at 7th and Keystone, you know it sits atop a hill, with something of a steep approach from the street to the top of the parking lot. My truck was parked at the top of that hill. And right then, my shopping cart, with the bag of dog food still on the bottom, was racing down that hill at many many miles per hour, headed straight for Keystone Avenue. Straight for the steady stream of unassuming traffic moving in both directions.

There was no way to catch it, now, it was too far and going too fast. I held my breath. Fighting the urge to squeeze my eyes shut until the carnage was over, I watched that cart, wide-eyed, as it miraculously found a hole in traffic and careened out into the middle of the road, launching my bag of dog food up into the air, then continuing to speed straight up another small rise and into the parking lot of the tanning salon across the road before crashing and burning just short of its windows.

The bag of dog food eventually came down, it too, incredibly, missing any cars and smacking onto the pavement directly between the two opposite lanes. Unbelievable.

And then I did the only reasonable thing I could think of: I laughed. And kept laughing.

And then I eventually stopped laughing and gave the evil eye to all the people at the bottom of the hill who made no effort to stop my runaway cart and its cargo of dog food, and I started down the hill after it, repeating under my breath the whole time, “please don’t run over my dog food, please don’t run over my dog food…”

Happily, no one ran over my dog food and I dodged traffic, fetched it, heaved it over my shoulder, then ran across the northbound land to get the overturned cart, which someone across the road was now up-righting and sending rolling in my direction. I tossed the bag of dog food in it, crossed back and pushed it back up the hill again.

I drove home thinking how lucky I was that it didn’t hit anything or cause an accident; it so easily could have. And when I was done thanking the universe for that, the true blessing of the situation was obvious: “THANK GOD it was the dog food and not the champagne.”

Posted by tee in de la vida, favorites
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Tags: humor, tee

Over the course of almost 40 years, I’ve stood in thousands of beautiful spots. The Pacific Northwest was lush and delicious. Colorado, particularly the San Luis Valley, was mysterious and grand and very special. New Mexico was indeed enchanting, among so many other things. California is vast and diverse, region after region of surprises. Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Texas… all incredibly breathtaking in their own ways. The quilted fields of the Midwest, the rocky shores of the northeast. The magical subtleties of the Smokies and the rolling, misty hills that surround it. The towering, glittering buildings of Times Square. The towering, glittering peaks of the Canadian Rockies. The windswept coastal fields of New Brunswick.

I’ve seen, fallen in love with and been tempted, sometimes dangerously, by all of it. But nothing, nothing is Nevada to me. I tried to leave it. It was a valiant, five-year effort. And I’m restless, I may leave Nevada again someday. But I will always, always return here.

More photos from our hike yesterday.

Posted by tee in general
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Tags: day trips, hiking, nevada, photos

Alright, here’s the scoop: Tourism Queensland is searching for an experiential blogger/photographer/adventurer to spend six months on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, exploring the islands, writing a weekly blog, keeping up photo galleries, doing a video diary, and, you know, feeding the fish and checking the mail once in awhile.

I don’t know, do you think it’s up my alley?

“In between travelling to various islands of the Great Barrier Reef, the Island Caretaker will live at Blue Pearl, a beautiful three-bedroom home on Hamilton Island featuring stunning views of the Whitsunday Islands, modern facilities and exquisite furnishings.

The bright, airy interior features three spacious bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, state-of-the-art entertainment system, ceiling fans, air-conditioning and laundry facilities.

The Island Caretaker will enjoy Blue Pearl’s outdoor areas including a private plunge pool/spa with exceptional views, sun lounges, large balconies and the traditional Aussie barbeque. A golf buggy is also included with the house, so you can explore the island with ease.”

I passed over the first note I got about it; it sounded like a long shot (it is) with the potential for some complications (what would I do with the dogs?). But after watching it being passed around on Twitter and Facebook and in the news, it started eating away at me. So long shot or not, I’m doing it.

All they want right now is a 60-second video application that answers the question: why would you be the perfect choice for this job? And I figured how better to illustrate to the selection committee why I would do a great job of exploring, blogging about and photographing life in a new, beautiful spot than to tap Adventure Journalist readers about why they read here, and in some cases, have been reading here for nearly a decade?

I think I’ve got enough video volunteers now to help out with that portion, but some of you have asked if there’s anything you can do that doesn’t involve being on camera (I hear ya, brothers and sisters). The answer, of course, absolutely.

If you’d like to explain in 30 words or less why you think I’d be fantastic at helping to draw attention to and build awareness about the Great Barrier Reef area through blogs, photos and video – please leave those 30 words in a comment below. I’ll weave as many of those as I can in between the video clips, photos and other elements of the application clip. Later, if I were to get short-listed, those comments have a second chance to help when I’d link the committee back here as part of the longer application.

So cross your fingers for me! And thanks for all the offers to help, you guys are the best. You can learn more about the opportunity, and, if you’re so inclined, submit your own video application here. Better keep a hankie close by to wipe the nose prints off your screen when you’re done over there.

Posted by tee in fun stuff, wandering
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