Christmas 2010 at April’s

19 01 2011

With both parents passed away and a brother in Minnesota and cousins back in NY/CT, I was an orphan this year. So when my friend April Obern and her beau Jim Dockwiler asked me for Christmas dinner I accepted thankfully!

April invited some other orphans, too, like Olga and Lisa. Brother Kevin drove over from La Grande for the celebration. Also in attendance were several members of April’s immediate family. I arrived to a merrily decked out house, and the cooks were involved in what seems an American holiday tradition – fretting over the meal!

In this case the culprit was the gravy…April is gluten intolerant so they were making “alternative gravy.” Someone had an idea to add ‘coconut flour’ to thicken it…and with that, all hell broke loose. I tried it and thought I could deal with it…

This is the offending element! Must fix!

However, most others simply turned their noses at this stuff. So Jim toiled over an alternative gluten-free concoction, which turned out to be the choice for the day’s dinner!

A little of this and that...

I am impressed with April’s cooking! The salads, sweet potato side, dressing, and especially the home baked pies (one was pecan topped pumpkin pie) were to die for!

OK, DIG IN….Time to let go all thought of restraint, and enjoy the spread!

That's a gobbler, quacker and a clucker!

Vegetarians, close your eyes! We are having a Turducken…a duck stuffed in a chicken stuffed in a turkey. Simply scrumptious. And when combined with the accompaniments…

Carnivore at heart!

The company was warm and the conversation vibrant!

Kevin gushed with stories about backpacking and climbing/exploring far east Oregon and parts of Idaho. He has a lot of stories about hiking the Wallowa Mountains, Elkhorn Mountains, and Blue Mountains, as well as the Owyhee River. I’ll have to head out there and let him be my guide!

Olga is a reporter and was looking for contacts on an assignment. She hails from Moscow, a city I’d like to visit one day. She took her Mom to see Lady Gaga! Wow, I had a hard time imagining that!

Well, the clock struck 3:30 and it was time for me to head to my next Xmas “dinner,” which I’m afraid would just be dessert, at most!


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Last 2010 Post: Nordic Ski – Teacup Nordic Club on Mt Hood, OR

1 01 2011

Got to get this one in before the clock ticks over to 2011! Two weeks ago went on a purrrrrfect Nordic ski day with my buddy Jessie Bader and her friend Nancy Zink. We went to the groomed trails of the Teacup Nordic Club.

It had snowed, snowed, snowed and there was zero wind, so the woods were absolutely GORGEOUS, to die for!

Oh, the cathedral of snowy trees!

Nancy offered to drive up, she’s got a hybrid Toyota Prius, and since she and Jessie are only like 5’5″ tall each, I had plenty of room in the back!

As we ascended the mountain, the forest was all fresh snow! It was going to be a really good day!

I am an intermediate XC skier and Nancy is a skate skier. Jessie is a newbie…very careful on her new skis!

On arrival we went to the Teacup Lodge to get situated.

It was real busy at the lodge, both inside and out!

I found one girl who was very interested in Mommy’s fancy parka!

OK, we had some lunch and then, it was time to hit the trail! It wasn’t long before I just had to shoot a photo of my reindeer antlers. Got to ham it up!

Every time we got to a little decline, Jessie got nervous. We all encouraged her to just ride the track down, but each time she “over thought things” and fell backward. Next time she’ll get it I’m sure. Otherwise, the snow was perfect and the holiday mood was truly bright!

So MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! And best to everybody in 2011!


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Huh…I’d Better Get My Ski Agro On…for I’m Wearing Lindsay and Bode’s Boots!

23 12 2010

Last spring I bought some Rossignol SAS Pro 120 boots on sale…they seemed to fit Okay at the time but were a bit quirky to me. For one thing they were all white. Turned out these were freeride boots – it seems Lange and Technica also have white freeride boots! They seemed to fit fine, though the flex seemed soft. Still, I just couldn’t get over the all-white look. Like a blank canvas for painting.

My main objective was to finally get boots designed for shaped skis. I’d heard the flex was softer forward but the same torsionally as before. I was anxious to see how they worked with shaped skis. I made a lot of fun of the white blank boots.

Lindsay does the Rossignol SAS 120 in some kinda style

Little did I know Lindsay Vonn, the downhill gold medalist had done a photo shoot in these very same boots. I just dunno.

Anyway not knowing what to expect, I just figured the new “feel” of the boot was a “freestyle” feel. Come November I finally put the Rossis to the test. And things got off to a bad start. I just could not get the same level of power and precision I had grown to look for in my old racing boots. I tried bigger socks – something I knew was a no-no. Still, I was moving forward/backward in the boot. I went to Hillcrest Ski Shop to talk to Greg Coulter, their master boot fitter. He suggested closing the power strap behind the buckles instead of in front – that would snug up the fit. So, I went out and tried that on the hill. Better, no doubt. But I never got the power and fit I knew I ought to have.

So I returned to the shop and Greg pulled out the liners and said, “step into the boot shell for me.” I did that and then he reached behind my heel and said, “two plus fingers back there. This shell’s too big! Who fit you?” I had a receipt. So then began my career in the Head Raptor, which is the race boot Lindsay Vonn and Bode Miller use today…

Bode in the Head Raptors

Greg pulled out a box with these gray Head boots. I’d never used Head boots before. But his choice was right. I think he heard my talk about race boot experience. I pulled them on, and right away I felt more at home.

Not only did they fit more snugly but they had the familiar race boot feel.

My Head Raptors with the soles boot planed...ready for agro skiing!

I was like, “now this is MORE like it!” I even had the soles shaved/planed to compensate for the natural off-angle of my shins/feet. All serious racers have this done. And only a master bootfitter like Greg Coulter can do it. Your feet do not naturally perfectly sit on the ground flat with the ground, there is always a degree of off centeredness. But it’s best to have your skis flat to the slope. So you can have your boot soles shaved off so that they lie flat on the ground.

Lindsay Vonn takes a corner!

I went out on the slopes with these boots and knew within four turns I had a winning pair of boots! When you just ski with stock boot soles, when you turn, your body compensates for the differences in foot angle. But when you have had the soles planed, both right and left turns are more equal. Amazing!

Bode bombs a GS gate

But now I have no excuses…now I’d better get out there and ski like these gold medalists…! I have no more excuses. I got the fit just like they have!

I intend to make the most out of my new boots this winter! Lindsay just won the Val d’Isere downhill this past weekend.

Should I get a helmet? Hmmmm….


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I’m the Luckiest Man Alive – I Mustn’t Take it for Granted!

21 12 2010

Much in this blog is about my passion for an active outdoor lifestyle. If it weren’t for a few big lucky breaks, everything would be different. Or everything would have been over nineteen years ago. I met someone recently who, like a ghost, reminded me how lucky a man I am.

Each December I reflect on a near death experience I went through during the holidays in 1991. Back then I lived in Boston, MA. On Thanksgiving Day my friends all participated in a 10K “Turkey Trot” race. I was in MBA school, had a great part time job, and was headed that night to my ski house in Killington, VT for the long weekend. I had trained for this race and was really excited. But 100 yards from the finish line I suffered a brain aneurysm, fell to the ground, incurred a concussion and was rushed to the hospital.

It took the docs 24 hours to diagnose the aneurysm. My prognosis changed from “you fainted and will go home tomorrow” to “you just managed to survive a brain aneurysm where 75% die instantly, and on top of that you hit your head – that should have done you in!” And, “you have a choice – brain surgery, or no brain surgery. If you choose surgery, you may suffer permanent damage…or emerge OK and able to go back to your normal life. If you do nothing, chances are the aneurysm will rupture again, killing you. You’ll never be able to engage in activity that will raise your blood pressure for that will increases chances of a new rupture.” YIKES.

I chose surgery. I made it. I went back to school. Eventually, I went back to the ski house at Killington. Today, I kayak, backpack, exercise regularly, and have 100% use of all the parts of my body.

How lucky was I? VERY. Another 50% die within a week of a rupture, and another 50% within several months. For those who make it through those hoops, many have significantly diminished body function.

I’m writing this because the other day I met another aneurysm survivor – my first EVER. They all DIE. I was at physical therapy for a plantar fasciitis condition on my foot, and the guy on the table next to me turned out to be another brain aneurysm survivor. But even though he, too, is lucky – he lost most control of the left side of his body – and has not completely recovered since it happened in 1983. He has not been able to return to his active lifestyle. Still he was in good spirits about everything.

It was then I realized maybe I’ve taken my luck a bit for granted…a BIG wake up call…so I say here and now I am one of the luckiest people on Planet Earth. Being alive, and with all my faculties intact. That in and of itself is a gift from above. THANK YOU. Peace.


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Let the Ski Season Begin at Mount Hood Ski Bowl!

4 12 2010

Alex, excited with his new setup!

The meteorologists say this is a La Nina winter! In the Pacific NW, this means a good snow year! So far it hasn’t disappointed!

I made it through my first day skiing without incident! Actually a couple of days…ha ha. Last year at this time I was down and out with a dislocated shoulder – suffered at the hands of a 13 year old snowboarder when I was pushing off to start my first run!

So Friday Alex and I headed up to Mount Hood Ski Bowl. Alex showed up with a brand new setup of K2 Rictor skis and Tecnica boots! He went to Hillcrest Ski Shop poking around for goggles and wound up going for a whole new ski package.

Alex got himself a new technology ski – with “all terrain rocker,” meaning the tip has more upturn/softer than the tail section. Here is a video with a so-so explanation… Anyway they should be easier in powder!

Friday was a sunny day in the Cascades and we got a number of photos, what a nice view of Mt. Hood! The high school race team showed up in the afternoon and we checked out the girls team running gates. It was exciting and educational watching their technique!

Looking forward to a great 2010-11 ski season!


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The Cabin at Lake Billy Chinook – Cove Palisades State Park

18 11 2010

Since I’ve lived in Oregon, I’ve heard about Lake Billy Chinook. I only knew it was some kind of big lake in the canyon of the Deschutes River or something. I also heard lots of motorboats and houseboats plied its waters.

So, it wasn’t all that high on my list of places to visit. If it was full of jet skis I didn’t want to be there. However, I got an invitation to share a cabin post season – and that piqued my interest.

Seems sometime in October the marina and campgrounds close, and therefore the power boats dwindle. Yet, being in Central Oregon, this lake is bound to have some decent weather – it might be a spot to escape the rain on the west side of the Cascades.

Everyone was really stressed out at work the week before we went. Office network upgrades, e-mail server blowups and mid term grading dominated agendas. So it was GOOD to get away to such a quiet spot.

We reserved a cabin at Cove Palisades State Park managed by Oregon State Parks for two nights in early November. The cabins turn out to be very nice! And they have a nice view, and though a bit close quarters, they are suitable nonetheless. Each has a kitchen (no stove) and outside propane grill with burner.

Who's gonna do the dishes tonght?

April, Warren, Jessie and myself quickly settled in and enjoyed the first night’s meal. Mine was soul stuffed with crab (Trader Joe’s) accompanied by green beans/hollandaise, with a baked potato. Then we rallied for a game of “Therapy!” That’s a fun way to learn about each other!

We also went outside to see the 100% clear sky and fabulous stars. We were able to get decent reception on our iPhones, and made use of the star chart software. Plus I brought two powerful binoculars. So we could check out Jupiter and the crab nebula! Way cool.

Suiting up!

Saturday we had omelets and then took off in the kayaks. I didn’t know that Lake Billy Chinook is formed by three rivers – the Metolius, Deschutes, and Crooked Rivers. Each can be followed to its confluence with the lake. Today we paddled out to the Metolius arm, because we knew there was an island where we could have lunch.

The lake is indeed inside deep canyons.

The walls are vertical in places. All along you can see the colonnades formed by cooling basalt during the epic Oregon basalt floods. We were the ONLY boats on the lake pretty much all day. We only saw two other boats.

Skullduggery kayak detailing

Fauna consisted of seagulls, cormorants, king fishers, terns, feral goats, ospreys, bald eagles, falcons, deer and pigeons. We knew other wildlife abounded, though.

We returned to the cabin about 4:00. I showered and then set about preparing the evening’s dinner – a burrito bar. Tortillas, onion, beans, sour cream, guacamole, tomato, salsa, olives, bell peppers and more graced the table. But during dinner prep and following, everyone seemed to collapse. It couldn’t be today’s paddle – we didn’t paddle very hard, or far. The likely culprit was work. Work had exhausted everyone – and their bodies were letting them know it was time to recharge!

Glassy reflections everywhere on Sunday

Only Jessie and April were cognizant enough to play the night’s game, Scattegories. Warren fell asleep on the couch and I tried and failed to follow the game!

Sunday we awoke refreshed and whipped up a feast of pancakes topped with nuts and raspberries, with bacon on the side.

Chefs at work!

Then off to explore the Crooked River arm of the lake. Along the way we were privileged to witness two very healthy coyotes padding along the rocks on one side of the canyon!

I’d definitely recommend the cabins – especially in the off season!


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