The Picture Says It All...
Close Up Of The Magicians' Postcard - God Bless The USA!
De-throating Roy.Friday, May 19, 2006
Vegas Photos
The Picture Says It All...De-throating Roy.
Roy Horn's Esophagus Tastes Like Pork Loin
(Los Angeles, CA) - Man, I 'm beat. No energy to be witty or reflective... just the facts folks. Spent the last 2 days in Las Vegas. The highlight - Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden. Hard to believe that the playground for a couple of Botox-bloated, German, maorexic magic nerds could be so amazing. But the beauty of the animals speak for themselves. There were a couple of large dolphin tanks and "The Garden" with several different species of large cats - White Tigers, Snow Leopards, Jaguars. But the most striking for me were the white lions. Strong, alert & meticulously groomed... the male lion was quite impressive. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos... guess you'll just have to roll over to Roy's and see for yourself.
I'd love to say the I spent my nights in Vegas drinking martinis and rolling stones at the craps table but the better part of both nights was spent watching T.V. and eating pizza. This morning I woke up early and made the final drive of my trip back to L.A. Back to reality and back to work...
I'd love to say the I spent my nights in Vegas drinking martinis and rolling stones at the craps table but the better part of both nights was spent watching T.V. and eating pizza. This morning I woke up early and made the final drive of my trip back to L.A. Back to reality and back to work...
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Sequoia Photos
"General Sherman"
The Facts
The Branch That Fell From Shermy This Winter. It Weighs So Much That It Sunk Almost 5 Feet Into The Ground! This Branch On It's Own Is The Size Of A HUGE Oak!
Another View Of The Branch.
Kickin' It On The Top Of Mono Rock. Check Out My New Fly Threads... Got The Shirt At Upper Playground In San Fran.
The Bigguns
(Las Vegas, NV) - Crossed from Cali to Nevada today to spend a couple of days in Sin City. The Highlight on the way was passing from King's Canyon into Sequoia NP, home to the world's largest grove of Sequoias. I've been to several different groves of Sequoia (Merced, Mariposa & Tuolomne Groves in Yosemite) but none of them really hold a candle to this one. Not only does it have the largest concentration of trees of all groves but it also holds the largest tree in the world... General Sherman. To give an idea of the enormity of these trees, this winter a lower limb of Shermy broke off and plummeted to the ground below crushing the perimeter fence and sinking almost 5 feet into the frozen ground!
In the center of the grove stands Mono Rock, a bald, granite monolith towering over the giant forest that allows for 360 degree views of both parks. It's like "Angel's Landing" in Zion NP for the safety concious crowd. Definately a nice little walk... a 300' elevation gain that even the most inactive person can tackle. An easy stroll that allows maximum panorama with minimal effort.
In the center of the grove stands Mono Rock, a bald, granite monolith towering over the giant forest that allows for 360 degree views of both parks. It's like "Angel's Landing" in Zion NP for the safety concious crowd. Definately a nice little walk... a 300' elevation gain that even the most inactive person can tackle. An easy stroll that allows maximum panorama with minimal effort.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Kings Canyon Photos
My Whip
My Crib
The Yucca Plant In Full Bloom. It's Hard To Tell Without Anything To Show Perspective, But This Stalk Stands More Than 7 Feet Tall.
Park Hopping
(Kings Canyon NP) - The last two days have been pretty laid back and spontaneous. Monday morning was largely spent click-clacking on the computer putting up some bloggin's. Then the larger part of the day I spent zipping around the National Recreation Areas, National Historic Parks & National Parks that are peppered thrimoughout Northern San Francisco.
The main goal was to collect stamps for my National Parks Passport. The Passport is a booklet sold by the National Park System that is holds your collection of park cancellations (or stamps in laymans terms). Each National Park & Recration Area has its own unique stamp located somewhere in the park that you dip into an ink pad and pound into your passport as "proof" of your visit. Some parks have only one stamp, whereas others have several unique stamp in many "secret" locations throughout the park. There are literally HUNDREDS of stamps! After seeing some of the collections of hundreds of stamps that my collegues have, I picked one up and it's become a nice diversion/obsession.
So Monday was spent popping around San Francisco on stamp collection duty. It was am impressive day for me too knowing that I've been to this city probably 10 times but didn't know that all of these incredible spots were there and so accessible. First was the San Francisco Martime NHP home to a fleet of old-timer boats and vessels. Then off to the Presidio which has served as a military base for centuries. The Presidio is part of the greater Golden Gate National Recreation area which encompasses the Golden Gate Bridge as well as 80,000 acres of parks and shorelines. I popped between 10 or 12 spots checking out the vistor centers and some of the viewpoints and most importantly scooping up stamps. I really liked the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The cliff-hugging, windy roads gave way to incredible views. Who would have imagined that only 3 miles from San Francisco I would be without cell phone reception and also be able to spot a bobcat?!
I spent the evening at my Uncle Bob's house although I wasn't much for company. I ate the Thai that he had ordered and fell asleep 5 minutes into a movie he started.
Tuesday I decided to start my journey southward to Hell-A. King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were on the menu for today and I made a beeline south. I've never been to either park, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but so far I am quite impressed. Only had the chance to check out King's Canyon yesterday. It's almost like a mini Yosemite. It's a much tighter Canyon and the peaks enveloping it are more jagged and snow covered. Two rivers flow from the heights of either side of the valley converging on the valley floor into an explostion of mist and spray. The waterworks here are more impressive that even Yosemite due to the narrower river and the sheer walls. The first thing that goes through your head when you see the river is "DANGER". Not even the most skilled riverkayaker could enter that water and exit alive.
Camped in one of the park campgrounds last night surrounded by the towering cedar and sequoia giants and visited by a family of dauntless deer that had no problem chewing on grass that was just feet from me.
Today I'm off to check out "General Sherman", the largest tree in the world and drive through some of the old growth forests of Sequoia NP ("ancient growth" may be more appropriate when talking about 3000-4000 year old trees).
The main goal was to collect stamps for my National Parks Passport. The Passport is a booklet sold by the National Park System that is holds your collection of park cancellations (or stamps in laymans terms). Each National Park & Recration Area has its own unique stamp located somewhere in the park that you dip into an ink pad and pound into your passport as "proof" of your visit. Some parks have only one stamp, whereas others have several unique stamp in many "secret" locations throughout the park. There are literally HUNDREDS of stamps! After seeing some of the collections of hundreds of stamps that my collegues have, I picked one up and it's become a nice diversion/obsession.
So Monday was spent popping around San Francisco on stamp collection duty. It was am impressive day for me too knowing that I've been to this city probably 10 times but didn't know that all of these incredible spots were there and so accessible. First was the San Francisco Martime NHP home to a fleet of old-timer boats and vessels. Then off to the Presidio which has served as a military base for centuries. The Presidio is part of the greater Golden Gate National Recreation area which encompasses the Golden Gate Bridge as well as 80,000 acres of parks and shorelines. I popped between 10 or 12 spots checking out the vistor centers and some of the viewpoints and most importantly scooping up stamps. I really liked the Marin Headlands just north of the Golden Gate bridge. The cliff-hugging, windy roads gave way to incredible views. Who would have imagined that only 3 miles from San Francisco I would be without cell phone reception and also be able to spot a bobcat?!
I spent the evening at my Uncle Bob's house although I wasn't much for company. I ate the Thai that he had ordered and fell asleep 5 minutes into a movie he started.
Tuesday I decided to start my journey southward to Hell-A. King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were on the menu for today and I made a beeline south. I've never been to either park, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but so far I am quite impressed. Only had the chance to check out King's Canyon yesterday. It's almost like a mini Yosemite. It's a much tighter Canyon and the peaks enveloping it are more jagged and snow covered. Two rivers flow from the heights of either side of the valley converging on the valley floor into an explostion of mist and spray. The waterworks here are more impressive that even Yosemite due to the narrower river and the sheer walls. The first thing that goes through your head when you see the river is "DANGER". Not even the most skilled riverkayaker could enter that water and exit alive.
Camped in one of the park campgrounds last night surrounded by the towering cedar and sequoia giants and visited by a family of dauntless deer that had no problem chewing on grass that was just feet from me.
Today I'm off to check out "General Sherman", the largest tree in the world and drive through some of the old growth forests of Sequoia NP ("ancient growth" may be more appropriate when talking about 3000-4000 year old trees).
Monday, May 15, 2006
Yosemite Photos
Yosemite Falls Going Strong
View From The Top Of Yosemite Falls
Some Sort Of Skink-like Lizard I Saw While Hiking Up Yosemite Falls. Looks Like A Snake With Legs.
The Merced River Raging Through The Canyon.
Bobcat That I Saw Chillin' On The Driveway Of The Nike Missile Site At The Marin Headlands Just 15 Minutes Out Of San Francisco.
Season 4 On The Horizon
(San Francisco) - It's that time of year again. Summer is pushing Spring to the side and a new season of "Tour Leading" is dawning. I finished off my 3rd year with a five month stint in Mexico & Northern Central America. I had the opportunity to explore several new locations that were new to me, the most notable being Lago Atitlan & Antigua in Guatemala and the ruins of Copan in Honguras. I capped off the 5 months by leading a trip of 9 of my relatives (Mom, Dad, my brother Steve & his wife Melanie & 5 of my aunts and uncles) on a 2 1/2 week route around the Yucatan. Then in mid March it was back to LA to wind up my season and then back home to Wisconsin for 1 1/2 months of "life restructuring".
But now it's almost time to get back on the road. Domestic life in Wisconsin had me itching to latch back onto the wheel of my Ford E-350 van and drive deep into the wilds of Aventure Tourism. At the moment I'm slated for a 26 day circumnavigation of Alaska that departs on June 5th. Things were looking pretty solid for a stress free departure although after talking to the head the van fleet it looks like there might be some slight glitches... like the fact that they are vanless. Looks like the order that was put into the Ford Van Factory has been lagging and it might take a while for the vans get delivered. But if the vans get in on time I'll be readying my gear, pimping my van and rolling up to Seattle before Memorial day to squeeze in a little R&R before heading "North to the Future".
At the moment I'm hanging out in San Francisco awaiting word from the office about when the vans arrive. I flew out here on May 10th to bomb around NorCal for about 10 days before heading to LA. I rented a car and drove out to Yosemite on Thursday. Yosemite in late Spring is when the park is at the peak of its splendor. Everything is green, the trees and flowers are blooming, the air is crisp and the snowmelt from the Sierras turns the sometimes tame Merced river into a bubbling, mist spraying machine. Apparently the mountains amassed a higher than average winter snow cover and the river and waterfalls were more powerful than I have ever seen them. There were literally hundreds of waterfalls spitting out from every granite monolith and sequoia forest in the park. Much of the three days that I was there was spent watching the water. Mornings on a massive boulder watching the churning rapids, one afternoon hiking to the top of Yosemite falls and falling asleep to the turbulent gurgle-roar of the Merced.
My visit to Yosemite also coincided with one of Tiffani's trips, so I was able to spend some with her group and watch her at work as a guide. Yesterday both her group and I packed up and headed back through the summer-like weather of the Central California valley back to San Francisco where I find myself now typing away awaiting dinner at my uncle Bob's house.
But now it's almost time to get back on the road. Domestic life in Wisconsin had me itching to latch back onto the wheel of my Ford E-350 van and drive deep into the wilds of Aventure Tourism. At the moment I'm slated for a 26 day circumnavigation of Alaska that departs on June 5th. Things were looking pretty solid for a stress free departure although after talking to the head the van fleet it looks like there might be some slight glitches... like the fact that they are vanless. Looks like the order that was put into the Ford Van Factory has been lagging and it might take a while for the vans get delivered. But if the vans get in on time I'll be readying my gear, pimping my van and rolling up to Seattle before Memorial day to squeeze in a little R&R before heading "North to the Future".
At the moment I'm hanging out in San Francisco awaiting word from the office about when the vans arrive. I flew out here on May 10th to bomb around NorCal for about 10 days before heading to LA. I rented a car and drove out to Yosemite on Thursday. Yosemite in late Spring is when the park is at the peak of its splendor. Everything is green, the trees and flowers are blooming, the air is crisp and the snowmelt from the Sierras turns the sometimes tame Merced river into a bubbling, mist spraying machine. Apparently the mountains amassed a higher than average winter snow cover and the river and waterfalls were more powerful than I have ever seen them. There were literally hundreds of waterfalls spitting out from every granite monolith and sequoia forest in the park. Much of the three days that I was there was spent watching the water. Mornings on a massive boulder watching the churning rapids, one afternoon hiking to the top of Yosemite falls and falling asleep to the turbulent gurgle-roar of the Merced.
My visit to Yosemite also coincided with one of Tiffani's trips, so I was able to spend some with her group and watch her at work as a guide. Yesterday both her group and I packed up and headed back through the summer-like weather of the Central California valley back to San Francisco where I find myself now typing away awaiting dinner at my uncle Bob's house.
What Did Dave Do During The Off-Season?
(San Francisco) - My good friends Rob and Karen had a baby boy named Maitland on April 5th. We connected right away*(see footnote) and while I was back in Wisconsin we spent lots of QT with each other.
Although Maitland mostly slept while we were hangin', there were some quality moments. I'll never forget the memories... Rob and I gobbling down entire French Silk Pies, flipping between episodes of "The Real Housewifes of Orange County" and "Robot Chicken" while Maitland sucked on my cheeks thinking they were boob and filled his pants. Thanks for the fun Maiters. Hard to believe that the next time I'll see you you'll probably be eating squash puree, crawling around and, well, still pooping in your pants.
* - Well, almost right away. It took me a little while to get used to the crusty, burnt raisin vestige of his umbilical cord.
Although Maitland mostly slept while we were hangin', there were some quality moments. I'll never forget the memories... Rob and I gobbling down entire French Silk Pies, flipping between episodes of "The Real Housewifes of Orange County" and "Robot Chicken" while Maitland sucked on my cheeks thinking they were boob and filled his pants. Thanks for the fun Maiters. Hard to believe that the next time I'll see you you'll probably be eating squash puree, crawling around and, well, still pooping in your pants.
* - Well, almost right away. It took me a little while to get used to the crusty, burnt raisin vestige of his umbilical cord.
Maitland Floppin' Out
Maiters and Me
Have Fun Getting His Ass Wiped
Maitland and His Pops
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Mowin' Down Those Trees Like I'm Mowin' The Lawn
(Milwaukee, WI) - My uncle Dick called me last night to help him with a job. He's an arborist and he's usually a one man sawing machine. This job though was a bit more technical involving thick limbs hanging precariously above the flat tar roof. So he called in the troops (me) to help.
When we got to the job Dickie clamped on his tree climbing foot spike and scaled the first tree. Dickie has skills - his climbing abilities rival those of a nimble lemur. With a couple of ropes and a pair of German-made chainsaws he tore apart 2 50 foot ash trees and a 25 foot mulberry tree in mere hours. It was pretty amazing to see trees that took fifty years to grow get leveled in an afternoon.
It was a fun afternoon and the "workday" really rolled by fast. What made it even cooler was the home owner Percy. The 88 year-old transplant from West Virginia was the kind of guy that you could kick back with over a couple of Mint Juleps and shoot the shit for hours. And the kicker... the guy made us a couple of killer meatball sandwiches for lunch!! Gotta feel bad for the poor guy though. Dick runs a "I cut & you clean" tree trimming business, so he's got about 4 tons of tree to move on his own!
Dickie high up in tree #2.
Uncle Dickie & Percy.
When we got to the job Dickie clamped on his tree climbing foot spike and scaled the first tree. Dickie has skills - his climbing abilities rival those of a nimble lemur. With a couple of ropes and a pair of German-made chainsaws he tore apart 2 50 foot ash trees and a 25 foot mulberry tree in mere hours. It was pretty amazing to see trees that took fifty years to grow get leveled in an afternoon.
It was a fun afternoon and the "workday" really rolled by fast. What made it even cooler was the home owner Percy. The 88 year-old transplant from West Virginia was the kind of guy that you could kick back with over a couple of Mint Juleps and shoot the shit for hours. And the kicker... the guy made us a couple of killer meatball sandwiches for lunch!! Gotta feel bad for the poor guy though. Dick runs a "I cut & you clean" tree trimming business, so he's got about 4 tons of tree to move on his own!
Dickie high up in tree #2.
Swingin' & Chainsawin'
Lumber Paydirt - There were 4 piles of logs like this. We must of felled a couple tons of wood.
Uncle Dickie & Percy. Tuesday, May 02, 2006
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