put a fork in it

weight watcher

the road winds on, and the time spent out here is starting to wear. dcp was in charge of the dinner reservation, had to wait a bit because the bistro was of full of a group he described as a 'weight watchers' group...i think he meant 'wildlife watchers'.  same thing i guess.  we push on despite the diminishing weather with hopes of windows to shop, if only the landings don't get ruupped by the sledders.

down to one, solo session, the streaker is still focused on the job at hand. the 700 club as reliable as hell as the cylinders freeze solid on the rest of the machines...the black barred villager ready to have the miles of up rewarded with a first track on the monster that awaits.

UT_ID_MT_WY_MT

Sunrise greeted us as we ventured out of utah heading north, unsure of the route we would take, or where we were going.  The warm light faded leaving us with nothing, not that barren landscape outside offered much of a view anyways. We simply knew that North was the only direction to go. And as the ribbon of pavement under our wheels turned to sheet ice, we knew it was the adventure, not the destination, that we were after.  So after witnessing 4 high speed out of control ditch jobs, 1 rollover, 4 dirty truckstops, 15below0 temps, and 11 hours on the road, I was missing my bed in utah. 

 

Today was another story.  The subzero temps were still here, but a brilliant blue sky warmed our souls and brought us to the next location.  A newness to everyone in our crew, new places, new sites, and a new plan.  A place rich in history and bursting with endless possibilities of how we would interpret it with our snowboards, we laughed at our new friends and new sights.  It's gonna be a good week.

deep freeze

-6F outside of my window, this is my bed, logan utah.  The cold penetrates into your soul, freezing whatever it touches.   Embedded where the snow is good, and that keeps us here for now.  At least we are out of the car, and settling into the snowboarding.  

Just down the road there is a place called the Sinks, where record temps have hit -88F in a lunar like windswept landscape.  We're not going there.

Difficult to focus that the mission here is the photography, so cold that even getting to your gear is nearly impossible.  Let alone seeing with it.  Yesterday was a struggle...our jumps got poached by some local crew, my batteries died, my sled blew up, and the cold, did I mention it was cold?

The freeruns helped.  Craig always said that if you didn't freeride, you were faking it. I think Jake would agree. Jess and I got some thanks to DCP.  

The build came next and the good days promise to come soon.  

mass exodus

this was my bed, minden, nevada. rain to the top at sonora, back the hotel by 1pm and we weren't  the only crew with this plan. no choice but to leave. another 8 hour drive on the agenda, chasing and pushing north to find the snow.  more and more thoughts turn to the absurbity of it all, the horrific environmental impact these moves are making.  

control

this is my bed...room 218.  sat up in the dark room not knowing where I was. this always happens as the season starts.  behind the wheel again early pushing on to arrive Truckee on time.  the roads seem fine but the californians think differently.

4 on and off twice until the dry road of I-80 took us East into Truckee. Quick look at New Donner on the drive over, snow everywhere.  Lake Tahoe on the horizon and the the shooting season begins.

676 miles

Leaving the rain of Portland for the sierra snow. F250 loaded for the first trip of the 2008 season, up early for the long haul with no expectations besides the unknown. My Mark III arrived just in time from Canon, recalled update.  And with a new ProFoto 7B in my kit, it feels good to be getting out to 'see'.  Late start waiting for coffee, but that's to be expected.  Our crew is exciting, and bit worth the mission at hand...Nate and Timmy have compiled Jussi, DCP, and Frederik, and Tahoe is only the starting point.

Our rig rolls smoothly through the surprizingly mountainous terrain of Southern Oregon.  Ashland approaches and as the signs start signaling chain restrictions, the stress begins to build...