South East Alaska

One short week of illness after trekking across the rugged mountains of NE India I had the amazing opportunity to glide through the waters of South East Alaska on the Friday Harbor based boat, "Pacific Catalyst 2". You can go to their website here: http://www.pacificcatalyst.com/index.htm

I could not recommend more highly this trip and this boat. We were given every opportunity to experience the breathtaking vistas and natural beauty of this amazing and rugged region. While doing so, we were pampered and fed amazing food, shared great company and a lot of opportunities to learn from the on-board naturalist and guide (and San Juan Islander) Shannon Bailey.

If ever there is a need for perspective and personal healing in a world of pain, anguish and disaster it is being in the very fingerprints of God's Creation. Listening to the wind, the eagle, the bear and the whale--all formed by the same hand.

Hope you enjoy the pictures below.

mde

Alaska Photos #2

Alaska Travel Photos

the culprit

I have returned home to San Juan Island safe and sound--but as sick as a dog--that is sick...so, since Sunday I have been sleeping, coughing, tossing and turning, coughing some more...sleeping while coughing and all the other variables possible with the above options. In short, while this visit to NE India was indeed a special one--it was an extremely strenuous one. In the next days I'll share a bit more of the highlights.

Above is the culprit of the rat infestation. The Bamboo tree's seed pod. It is highly nutritious for pigs, goats, cows and many other helpful livestock--but the rats are far more aggressive.

NE India Travel Photos

High in the mountains of NE India live a minority ethnic group called the Hmar. These beautiful and resilient people have experienced trials common to indigenous peoples around the world-lack of respect, void of support, and a general ignorance as to their existence.

I had the great privilege to spend some time in these rugged mountains this past week. I visited villages who told me that I was the first westerner that had visited them in nearly 100 years--the last being a missionary from Wales by the name of Roberts...who is lovingly remembered by all in this region because he developed a ministry model of indigenous missions. As a result, this tribe, once known and feared as head-hunters has since come into an amazing communal identity with Christianity and an obvious relationship with Jesus. Through generations of being a forgotten people they grew strong, not requiring the support of a central government

In 2006 however, a horrible rat infestation decimated their mountain crops leaving them highly vulnerable. Rice farmers tell stories of them sleeping in their hilltop huts (such as the one pictured above), planning to begin harvest in the morning...and then through the night hundreds of thousands of rats emerging from the jungle like flooding river, eating everything, from seed to plant both in the ground and in storage. Over a period of 8 hours these villages lost the equivalent of 10 months of food.

Since this time the indigenous church has joined together with the communities and they have purchased rice and dealt with the massive logistics of transporting it to these high mountain top villages--as a result of their tireless work not a single person has died from famine, though times have been tough.

They are an inspiring people

apologies

To those out there who have followed the Cascadiantrail--I apologize for the lack of interesting postings. That will be changing soon as I am returning from a very interesting trip now and will be going on another in a few weeks.

I look forward to sharing these experiences with you all and reading your feedback.

Please feel free to ask follow-up questions that you feel might be interesting.

mde

Moving

No matter if the move is accross the country or accross small San Juan Island it still tires me out...

Most of our belongings are stored in friends garages or in a storage unit...but we still seem to be able to accumulate stuff. This stuff has now been transported from a great house in a beautiful setting to another great, though small, house in a different, but still great, setting.

Since I am not writing from my computer I cannot share photos of the house yet...but if you scroll down to the posting of the grassy slop and lighthouse overlooking the ocean--or of my sister and my dog--just know that we are quite close to that location.

This is the far southern tip of the island, and it is the area that Andrea grew up. I have really been looking forward to being out here this Summer as there are miles of secluded beaches (NW style) rocky bluffs, wind and waves. Today as we drove our belongings on the road at the top of the bluff there was a bald eagle just cruising the updrafts--hardly moving at all. I saw him see me...neither of us blinked

The Big Nasty

Note to Self (and you),

When you find that it has been difficult to make a decision regarding choosing one thing over another... after you make said decision, it does not help to go to the location where the alternative choice is being rolled out of a crate still with the bubble-wrap on.

The 2008 Triumph Thruxton is beyond sweet!!!

But alas, my decision had been made...and the wise route taken. Rather than spending quite a bit more hard earned money I bought a beast...and transported "The Big Nasty" on the back of my "Moon-ride" Pathfinder (see archive post about "moon-cars")

so, I now introduce you to my new friend: THE BIG NASTYI was, to be sure a site to behold driving down the road with this machine strapped to the back...I'll get her off the rack later to day and fire her on up...become prepared ... for a regular series of blog posts with titles such as "The Big Nasty Meets the Island" or "Me and the Big Nasty".

If anyone desires to come visit...you can have your picture taken with the Big Nasty--wow...what an honor!!

mde

Coffee Shop WiFi

Just when I thought I had exhausted all the free WiFi coffee shop locations I stumbled into Griffin Bay Book Store on Spring Street in Friday Harbor... it's a book store in the front and a coffee shop in the back...sort of sneaky really. I came in here for a birthday gift for my nephew...walked out with a Jack Johnson CD and the soundtrack from "Once Upon A Time in Mexico"

I'll share with you if either of these CDs are any good.

so, I'm here...listening to sleepy music and working away...but to stay awake I thought I'd share with you that while the hybrid electric-gas engine is a great idea...and the coffee-shop bookstore is also a pretty good idea...this one makes me sleepy...and I prefer Front Street still.

I'm not sure anyone really cares...but...the coffee ( a small single shot Americano) and the chocolate-coconut bar were good.

On to the next Coffee-shop Wifi review...but first...it's TurboTax time!!

Dreams to Drool: The Progression Toward Reality

I have been dreaming of riding a 2008 Triumph Thruxton around the windy roads of San Juan Island...while the photo is of a red bike, my dream has me straddling a black one. Leaning left, then right I hug the corners of my little island utopia where white puffy clouds cast no shadows and the lush green vegetation need no wet rainy spring to sustain it. Regardless of the direction my minds eye takes looks there is no traffic in my vision and the snowy peaked mountains of the majestic Cascades and mysterious Olympics beckon me from across the frosty, windswept but simultaneously placid ocean...


As I seek the logistics of fulfilling this daydream I find similar machines--not EXACT... but compatible with the pulse racing affect of the two-wheeled freedom of expression. It is the 2003 Triumph Thunderbird Sport... Interesting, as I test it on my dream's perfect roads... A little research shows that while orange is a cool color....the 2004 version of this same bike is black with a small bit of yellow...a little less orange might be nice...

Now my dreams take me down the same roads though now I alternate between the mighty Thruxton with it's throw-back cafe-racer lines of the 70's and the slightly classier, less aggressive posture of the Thunderbird Sport


Then the impossible happens...I stumble upon the best of both worlds...a slightly used 2004 Triumph Thruxton...black with a checkered flag stripe down the middle of the tank and back fender...just like God Himself had intended...no overdose in vitamin C from the tangerine influenced Thunderbird--its thousands less than the transcendental red machine that first inspired the dream--it is in a word PERFECT.



The dream is nears reality...in real life some extremely important developments occur that promise to provide the resources necessary for this black beauty to be propelling me along the gem infused black-top of the world in my mind.

Reality Check

I wake up with embarrassing drool coming from the side of my mouth and gouges in my cheek from my fingernails and a pounding head-ache and find that I have sufficiently talked myself out of my own dream and have a 1984 Honda XL 600 Enduro...

Possibly I'm not classy enough for a Thruxton I think to myself before drifting off again...this time I'm blazing up a mountain road covered in timeless pine needles as I wind up the twisting dirt tracks that lead me into Cascadias remote wilderness.

I'm still smiling

bumper stickers

I saw a good bumper sticker today. It read:

" If you love Jesus, seek justice, any fool can honk"

I tried to find a picture of this bumper sticker online just now and could not (easily and quickly)...but in the search found an interesting blog.

http://www.fischtank.com/ft/inthetank.cfm

as well as a bunch of hilarious bumper stickers... Wondering if anyone else has been inspired by bumper philosophy lately?