New Years Resolutions: My goals for the upcoming year.

For the last couple of years I have made a trip to Moab, Utah, but on both of those occassions I have been mostly just passing through. A couple of days can really do the place no justice, so I would really love to spend a couple more days there. In both of my previous journeys I went to Arches National Park and looked around, but this time I would like to take a closer look at Canyonlands National Park. I think that this is the place to camp in the area, from the research that I have done. I also would like to try and accomplish another goal of mine while in Moab, that being to go on a river rafting trip on the Colorado River. I know that this section of the river is by no means hard core, but neither am I, so it may all fit in great. I would really just love to spend a little time out there and enjoy the amazing place for what it is.

As I mentioned before, another goal for the coming year is to go white water rafting. I know that there is some amazing sights to see on the south fork of the American river that is not too far from here, so that would probably be a great place to go. I know that my brother and his wife have expressed interest in this as well, so maybe I could even have a group to go with?? Either way I really hope to give this a whirl this year, and I see no reason not to.

My third resolution for the new year is to not only set a personal record for the most nights spent in the field and in a sleeping bag, but to set a standard of living for myself. In previous years my life has taken a down-turn in the amount of life that I have been living and I hope to stop all that. Being outside is who I am, and what I need, so why not nurture that? I see no reason not to!

Fourth I would like to try and visit as many of the national parks in California as I can this year. Lassen, Yosemite, and Mojave are all definately on the agenda, but there are many here the I am sure are amazing, but no one knows about. I'm not too sure why I have this need to see all of these places, but I do. Many people have their negative thoughts on National Parks, but I really feel like they are a site to see, plus they are an entry way to seeing more of the area. As an example, you go to Rocky Mountain National Park one year on vacation, then you love it so much you decide to research areas around there that are equally as cool and take trips in the future to them as well. This is the way that I do it, and I know that many others do as well.

My final resolution is to build my truck to a capable companion on the many adventures I have planned. Like a gift from an unknown friend, this vehicle has proven to me to be so amazingly worth the price I paid for it that I almost feel guilty.....almost. Maybe it's just me, but I am greatful, and the project has been giving me a very positive outlook on life. It feels great to accomplish goals and make something work!!!! It's amazing how much I need a project in my life, I go through withdrawals when I don't have it. This may be strange, but it's great to feel like you are actually capable of fixing things, rather than making them worse.

That being said, I am very eager to get going on this next year, I know that it is going to be amazing.

An expedtion video to keep you occupied

This is a pretty interesting trip!!!!

Maybe I'll be the next one to go on a trip like this!

Another saga begins....

A couple of weeks ago I bought another project. This would be a 1979 Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 truck and the purpose of this project is to give me a vehicle to base my future adventures out of. All in all, the rig is great shape for it's age, but in time will be completely rebuilt. The intention is to build a vehicle to camp in and carry gear on the adventure called life, and on top of that do it without drawing unneeded attention or carrying a burden of a price tag. I believe it's possible to have an amazing life, without paying an amazing price tag.

I've already got busy on the build up. Modifications so far are 33" Goodyear MT/R tires , an aluminum camper shell, Midland CB radio, Icom 2 meter ham radio, and an 800 watt Coleman power inverter. I've also gone through the truck and fixed all of the little things that seemed to be wrong. Like I said before, the truck is in amazing condition, considering it's age.

For the next couple of posts, I will go through and show all of the things that I am doing to the truck, and explain why I am doing it. I'm excited about this new chapter in my book of life, and I hope to show you all the cool things I can do with it.

Sorry for another distraction...

I know that it's been a while since my last blog, but I'm back now. Not a whole lot has been going on with me, just living life I'd guess. I haven't even owned my own vehicle for a while now, mostly due to having much else to pay for, but also because I haven't really needed one. A couple of short weeks back I bought an old Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 with the plans to make it into my next adventure and mini-expedition rig. I'll post up some pics and plans for that when I get around to it in the next couple of days.

Other than that, the kids are good healthy and work pretty much sucks. Same old, same old. I hope to change all of that pretty soon, so I will let you know when it all starts happening.

I went down to the river last night.

Yesterday my brother Ben came up with his wife Amber and their son Xado, so we went done to Purdons crossing on the Yuba River and had a camp out. I haven't slept so good in a quite a while, due to having a new born baby in the house, so I was very greatful to sleep under the stars. The weather was perfect, just right I would have to say. I went for a swim in the river this morning, such a nice way to start the day.

Life is going pretty good now, I have my daughter with me half the time and work is going great. It really is nice to be cooking again. I missed using my talents very much. Cooking has been a passion of mine for so long, I don't think that it will ever really go away. I good with this, because you have to be passionate about something.

I also found out today that a young friend of mine took his life on Saturday. Adam Kennedy was a good man, he worked for me at my restaurant for a year and half. I'm deeply saddened by this, but I know his whole life was a struggle. This is the second friend this year to go this way, so it's really making me wonder whats going on. I'm greatful I have the joy in my life that I do, because this is what keeps us on the right track. Peace to my friend, I hope it's better now.

I started my new job today!

Back to work in Nevada City, and back to work in the restaurant business. I started at "Posh Nosh" today, and I had a blast! It's nice to be back doing what I know and love, because cooking is such a part of me now. I've been doing it so long, and in the end I will probably still be doing it. I've had a goal for many years to become a master chef, and some day I may even make it there. I'm not sure that I will accomplish this working at Posh Nosh, but hey, it's good to be working and cooking again anyways.

I'm not too totally sure of how this will effect my travels and adventures, but I'm sure I'll figure out a way to keep it going. Now that I'm back in the area I've been able to see it in a whole different light, so I expect to see some different places and a fresh look at some places I've been a few times.

How about a cheese cake recipe for the road?

Cheese Cake

crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup ground nuts
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
mix together with hands and press into a 10" cheesecake pan, covering bottom and 1" up the sides. set aside.

filling
3 (8oz) packages Philadelphia cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 pint sour cream

Cream sugar and cheese until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating only until incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour into cheesecake pan.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour, turn of heat. Leave in oven with door closed for 1 additional hour.
Cool completely and refrigerate at least an hour before removing from pan.

Last Tuesday at 8:32 am my wife gave birth to the newest member of the family. Elijah Clayton Collins was born at our home in Colorado in a kid swimming pool in the living room. Both mom and baby were perfectly healthy and this was an amazing experience for all of us. We were truly blessed, because not only were we privileged enough to have a healthy baby, but we had an amazing midwife whom we respect very much. For anyone thinking of having a baby in the future I would highly recommend this path. Hospitals are not for me or my wife, so this was truly a dream come true for both of us. Everything is so much less stressful when you are at home and comfortable, rather than at a hospital with everything cold and strange.

I'll leave with a couple more pics of the boy. Enjoy

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado

Yesterday we decided that we would take a little trip up to Pikes Peak, since this will be our last weekend of exploration out here in Colorado for a while, because we are moving back to California in a week or so. On our way across town I started seeing a whole lot of race cars coming from the same direction we were headed, when I realized that the Pikes Peak Hill Climb was this weekend! Sure enough once we got out to the turn off for the road up to Pikes Peak it was closed off to visitors. We had to come up with plan B and quick! I remember a friend telling me about a road that went from a town on the west side of Pikes Peak south over Cheyenne mountain and back to the Springs, so we stopped in Woodland Park to check out the map.

Sure enough there it was, and it looked like it would be a good trip. We headed south on highway 67 down through Divide where we saw amazing views like this one the whole way.


From highway 67 we turned off on to the Lazy S Ranch road and then quickly onto Colorado Road #8. While I'm not sure exactly of the path we took, because I have pictures of signs that mark the road and the map says that we went a different way, but hey it's all good right? Anyways the road is good the whole way, so no four wheeling or anything, but there were many side roads that spurred off where one could definitely find some fun.

The road carves through some pretty amazing rock outcroppings that are nice to take a look at, it's pretty amazing what man will do to make a road.


The road even travels through a pretty cool tunnel.




Also along this amazing road we saw several rock outcroppings that were each magnificent in their own unique way.








There were also several lakes in the area that were amazing as well.



All in all this was a beautiful drive through some of the best of what Colorado has to offer and there wasn't a boat load of people like some of the other places we've been to while we were out here. Colorado is an amazing state, there is much to do and many places to explore. I know that I haven't been to all of them, but in my short time out here I've gotten to see many of the best. I'm very greatful for the last couple of months, I hope to see more in the future.

Speaking of the future, there are two places that I did not get to see while out here, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and the area around the town of Telluride. Maybe next summer I'll be able to take some time off and come out for a visit.

It may be a little bit for my next adventure, but I'm sure it will be good. Next stop Northern Califonia!

I made my annual pilgrimage to Moab this weekend

This weekend I got to back to one of my favorite places in the country. Moab, Utah. There are few things better than going for a swim in the Colorado river, or exploring the slick rock and arches around this amazing place. If you have even the tiniest outdoor bone in your body, you have to go to Moab. There is hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, four wheeling and camping that all ranks in the top of their class compared to any place in the country.

We were only there for a short trip this time, due to the wife being 9 months pregnant and all, but we had a great time for sure. We went for swim in the river to get cooled off and have some lunch, then spent the rest of the day exploring Arches National Park. This got the kids seal of approval, and there were many promises to return for more exploration in the future.


This is my new favorite arch in the whole park. After checking it out a bit this thing is super cool, it's called the double arch and is right by the "windows section" and the even cooler "cove of caves".


The infamous balanced rock in arches national park.


Next year we are planning to camp out in and explore Canyonlands National Park for our 3rd annual Moab trip. I did a quick pass through last year, but didn't get to see hardly any of the park, so next year it gets a thorough going over.

Check out some websites about the area:
Arches NP
Canyonlands NP
Moab, Utah

Found a pretty cool Baja Video today

Below is a video of an area I would love to explore. It just seems so far away from everything that I see in my daily routine and that is so very inviting to me. Wouldn't it be nice to be on a boat in the ocean with a school of dolphins swimming all around you? I'm sure it would be more than nice. The adventure, the sights and the amazingly different world that people live in down there is calling my name and someday I will get down there to see it. For now I'll have to watch video's like these over and over again to get some kind of fill. Enjoy:

Got a little exploring done today

We went up to Denver and checked out a couple of things. First we went to a little state park south of Denver called Roxborough. It had some pretty cool sandstone formations, but was pretty small. We explored the whole park by noon, and got a little lesson from a park ranger about how the rocks were formed. Pretty amazing stuff, but over my head to explain here. Their website is pretty good here.

After that we decided to go on up to Denver and check out the city. I've been all around the down town area, but I haven't ever seen the actual city center. It's one of the cleanest big cities I've ever been in. Not saying that I would ever live in a big city, but this is one of the nicer towns in my opinion. We ended up at the REI in town there and it was very nice. I love those stores and this is one of the nicest I've been to. Always good to get some time in there.

Anyways...We had a good time and are going to spend all this week getting ready for our trip out to Grand Junction Next week. Hopefully we don't have a baby on the way!

Alaska is looking mighty fine.

Thinking more and more about a trip up to Alaska in the future. Videos like this are fueling the fire quite a bit, but there is just so much amazing things to see and do up there. It's calling me and it's getting louder.

I need to get the vehicle situation under control first, though. Maybe this time next year I hope to get up there. The Toyota is gone now, and next up in the vehicle line up is looking to be a Jeep Cherokee. It will take some work, but I like that well enough. This go around is going to be a family expedition style 4x4, so a little different than the past in some aspects. The more I look at the XJ platform the more I like it, so I'm starting to get pretty excited. I'll post up some pics when I get the thing here in a couple of weeks. It's a 2001 from Arizona, so no previous wheeling and no rust. That's a good place to start.

For now I'll have to drive the chevy, it's 2 wheel drive, but it does ok.

Enjoy the video.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Today we took a trip down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and we had a blast. This is the tallest dune in North America and after hiking to the top I can vouch for that! If you want some good exercise try hiking up 1000 feet in 1/2 mile in sand! While the park was pretty crowded, because it was the weekend before the 4th of July, the people were pretty concentrated in the campground and picnic area. It didn't take too much walking to get away from the people, mostly due to the fact that not many people wanted to walk in the deep sand.

There is a road that goes over the Sangre de Cristo mountains called the Medano Pass trail, and I would highly recommend this route if you are going to this park. If I were to recommend a path I would enter into the park from the main entrance, then play in the park for the day, and after that head out of the park on the 4wd trail. This way you get to go from the desert valley, to the dunes, to the mountains and see the whole evolution of Medano Creek.

Other than hiking in the dunes and up the mountains, you can also take a dip in Medano Creek as well, and it sure is nice after a trip up the dunes!

View the Parks website here.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve:

* contains the tallest dunes in North America and one of the most fragile and complex dune systems in the world
* protects a globally significant, water- and wind-driven system, which includes creeks that demonstrate surge flow, a rare hydrologic phenomenon
* provides tremendous scenic settings that, for many, provoke strong emotional responses. These settings (including massive dunes surrounded by alpine peaks, a desert valley, creeks flowing on the surface of the sand, pristine mountains, and rural range land) offer spacious relief from urban America, exceptional solitude and quiet, and a remarkably unspoiled day and night sky
* hosts a great diversity of plants and animals, including insect species found nowhere else on earth. The system, which spans high desert to alpine life zones, supports rare biological communities that are mostly intact and functional
* contains some of the oldest (9,000+ years before present) known archeological sites in America. The dunes have been identified as having special importance by people of various cultures, and the area is recognized for the culturally diverse nature of human use
* provides special opportunities for recreation, exploration, and education in the highly resilient dune mass and adjoining creek environments.


The amazing Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background



Going UP!!



The view from the top of the Dunes



A little fun in Medano Creek out front of the Dunes

A word about a great piece of gear

I just wanted to put out a little review on a piece of gear that has served me very well. This sleeping bag is made by Sierra Designs and it's called a Sandman. I have had this bag for going on 4 years now, it's been with me from one side of the country to the other, in warm climates and cold and it's one of the best investments that I've made, ever. The zipper still works great and I am always comfy in it. There is very little wear and tear, and the temperature rating is perfect for many instances. The times I have gone camping and the temp was lower than the rating of the bag I just simply wore some clothes and the thing was fine. One time I had to add some blankets on top when I was stuck in Wyoming in a blizzard and it was 0 degrees with the wind blowing like no tomorrow. This put it well below the rating and it still did fine.

I love the flexability of the bag, because I tend to sleep on my side and I always struggled with mummy bags in the past. It's a little on the heavy side at 3lbs 12 oz, but that is because it is stuffed with polargaurd 3D. This is far better if you think that the bag will ever get wet, because it doesn't lose it's insulating properties when wet. For a traveler like myself that is not super concerned with weight and size this is the way to go. Highly recommended for the price, next time you are looking for a good sleeping bag check these out.

Rocky Mountain National Park

I took the family on a trip up to the Rocky Mountain National Park for a visit this past weekend. Every one did really well with the elevation and had a great time. Since most of this park is over 2 miles high in elevation I figured it would be an interesting place to go see. It sure was. We entered from the south entrance to the park and followed the Colorado River up an amazing canyon that has amazing meadows that are very inviting.

We stopped for a while to enjoy the scenery, but we also got a tour of a cabin that was built by a homesteader in the beginning of the 1900's. What an amazing show of how it must have been, hard is the only way to describe it. The area is beautiful, but you can also tell that it would be very difficult to outlast the winters there. Building a house from scratch to weather a winter at 9000 feet elevation is no small task. It's also a great reminder of the fact that people did do it, and of just how spoiled we really are now.

At the top of the road is some of the most amazing views one might ever see. It is truly the top of the world, and it feels great to look down and see things from a whole different perspective. It's also amazing to see how the trees grow up out of rocks, and they only have branches on one side. This is a pretty good sign that things get a little gnarly up there. I always love to see that, and I try and picture in my mind what it must be like. Truly a test, I'm sure.

Over all, I would rate this as one of the best parks that I have gone to. Very clean and well laid out. Plus fun for everyone in the family and very interesting. I'm glad we made the trip.

We went out to the Garden of the Gods the other day

What an amazing place. It's tucked back in the canyon to the west of Colorado Springs and I would highly recommend it to anyone that is in the area. We spent the day walking some trails and exploring all of the cool rock outcroppings in the area. The park isn't huge by any means, but for being so easy to get to you can't complain a whole lot.

We won the fishing tournament today!

Today we went to a fishing tournament here in town and we did pretty good. We got the biggest fish in the 5-8 year old class and the two younguns got 2nd and 3rd in the 0-4 year old class. Pretty good for them, I'd say. They caught 12", 11.5" and 11.25" trout. Pretty cool!

The lake was a little thing right in the middle of town at Memorial Park. At first I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but all the kids had fun. It was put on by a local fishing tackle store and it was a great little event. Food and prizes for the kids and a good time.

Now that they got a taste for it, they are ready to get some good fishing in this summer. I can't wait!

It's been a while

Here I am. It's been a half of a year since my last entry here and I have been very busy. I've got a new wife, a baby on the way in August, and I now live in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It's good to change things up every now and then, but I went full bore this time. It was time.

Since the last time I was here I've gotten a few good trips in as well. This being my first anniversary of my new found love for travel and even better expeditions I'd like to just take a moment to relive some great memories.

Yellowstone:


Snow Shoeing in the Sierras:


Crater Lake with my daughter:


The Grand Canyon:



Moab and Arches NP:



Great Sand Dunes NP:


Now that the baby is coming and I am married to an amazing woman, will I slow down? NO WAY!! In the end life is what you make of it. You can either spend your life working, or you can spend your life seeing the world and always be broke. I prefer the second. Luckily my family will go with me. I'll try a little harder to write in here more in the future.

I'm missing my daughter so much today.

It's setting in now and it's driving me nuts. I've talked to her 4 minutes in the last two weeks and I'm pretty sad about it. I try and call but no one ever answers. I don't ever know what to do. I guess I just need to adapt, because this will most likely happen again in the future, but it sure is hard. I love her so much, and I pray every day that she is taken care of. I know she is, but I just need to hear her voice telling me "I luuuv you too!" and "No daddy, real kisses" because she makes my world go around.

I still know what I'm doing is best for all of my family, but that doesn't always make it easy.

I know she won't read this, but I love you too.

Things are about to get real crazy in the world

Are you ready?

There is something truly huge coming and there is really nothing we can do but brace ourselves and be ready as much as possible.

The world as we know it is about to be completely turned upside down. Why?

We are about to attack Iran, and I believe that this will be the end of cheap oil. Not only will it be the end of cheap oil, but cheap everything, because everything is dependent on oil to be cheap. I know that the people in charge of the US attacking Iran are thinking about all this, but I really just don't see any way around this.

Hello World War 3. Is this going to be the War that comes to our shores? I sure hope not, but I fear that it will. The time is now to get ready, for our children and for us.

What am I talking about? Preps.

Preps are everything that you will need to help get through these hard times. Food, Water, Guns, Gasoline and everything else that can be stored to make things better later. There is little else that we can do but get it done now.

The time is here, be ready.

Colorado isn't the same this time around

The first time I came to Colorado I pretty much fell in love and thought that it was the best place ever. Now that I've gone some other places, then gone back to my hometown and now come back here, I don't think it's all that special. It may just be that it's 0 degrees outside and I'm not liking that all that much, but is' more than that. When I came and fell in love I thought that everything was cheaper and that every one here was so much different than people in Califronia. Now that I have been around a bit and actually had a chance to meet people and work with people it's turning out to be not all that different than California and I'm not so sure that it's really any more beautiful than were I was born and raised.

One time, someday, I will go somewhere and see some place that I will fall in love with and it will be everything I need from a place to live. It will be like that the first time, and then every other time I go there. I know it's out there, but where I have no idea. I just can't wait to give my family a great place to live, wherever it is.

Today is an interesting day to say the least

I was told by my ex that I am an unfit father. The lies and filth that she spews still amazes me. For a long time I let it effect me in a negative way. Verbal abuse is so horrible, there is no way to explain to the person that the things they say hurt you so deeply. They don't understand as well that a human being can only take so much of it before they are done, and that doesn't ever change from that moment on.

The reason for this all is that she found out that I am going to father another child. I am pretty proud that I am going to be a father of this child. I think that I am a great father to my daughter now. I love her very much and I will do anything for her. Someday I will be in a better financial situation and maybe have a good career where I can be there physically more for her, but for now I have to get myself together so that when this new child comes I will be able to do the same for him or her.

Being a father is one of the most complicated things in life, it seems. There is this balance that seems impossible to find between being there for your family and working to support your family. Unfortunately the way life goes sometimes you have to make choices that are hard to do, but you know that in the end it will be better for everyone.

Changing careers at 30 years old has been difficult to say the least. After I realized that my former career of 14 years was no longer going to not only provide for me financially, but it would make being a parent and loving husband very difficult. Working in the restaurant business is for single people and young people. I am neither, so I felt the need to adapt. Plus restaurants are high stress and low return on income with very little chances of having any real benifits. Not exactly something that is good for a healthy family lifestyle.

I decided to go into construction for a couple of reasons. First is that it is a career that can be very lucrative. Many people are doing very well in this career, and it is possible to either be self employeed or work for a larger company that will take good care of you. I'm not quite sure where I'll go on that one, but it's nice to have a choice. Second is that I have friends that do it, so I knew I would be able to get a foot in the door. Starting over at an older age is not always easy, so it's good to be able to have people take you under thier wing and teach you thier trade. I also like that I am learning skills that will teach me how to make my own home someday.

This crazy world

Every day I struggle with one question. Why are we here? I've read the bible, talked to many, many people about it and still I can make no sense of it all.


Some people will say that we are here for love. I'm not too sure about this. Love is a great thing, but I really think that it is a gift that we can appreciate while we go for a ride. I cant even fathom what life would be like without it in some form, very difficult at least, but it is not the meaning of life.

Are we here simply to eat, sleep and breed? Simply for the purpose of making our species live on? Could it be that simple? It makes sense, but I truly have to believer that there is more to life than that. Or else why would we live through the crazy lives we do anyways?

The bible says we are here as a test of our belief in God. I can believe that, and I try and remember that every day. But it doesn't really answer my question. There is so much in this world that has a negative push against believing and I know that it is only there to remind you that having faith is an important thing. In the end, what happens to us is by far the most important thing.

The only real answer I can come up with is that we are here to enjoy life as much as possible while doing it in a fashion that allows us to make our Creator happy. What else can we do?

Money

Why is it that everything has to depend on money? I can be having a perfectly good day, then realize that I am broke and everything goes bad after that. It seems like having money is the key to happiness, and that is pretty sad.

I'm not even really sure why, but when you have money you are happy and when you don't your are not. It's that simple. Not that you have to be rich, although it would be nice, you at least have to have money to pay bills and do the things you need to do during your daily routine. If you don't have that, you are sad. Right?

It seems so strange to me that this is the case, and I struggle with it a lot. In my perfect world I guess I would just have my place in the world and everything I needed would just come to me. There has to be a way to do it, but I have no idea how. I see people all around me that seem to live life like this. On the other hand I see people all the time that are not living like this. I don't like it and I want so badly to figure out how to not be sad from it anymore.

So what can one do to overcome this problem? I think that there are many things that can make this somewhat feasable. Living a sustainable lifestyle is a big one. By that I mean living on a budget that is not going to make you broke, and trying to avoid the many things in life that are nothing more then good sales pitches. It's hard, but it is possible. The only thing that makes this hard is when you miss out on what life has to offer, because you don't spend money on anything. Being broke (within your budget of course!) with a good feeling about what you have seen and done is a pretty good thing I would say.

In the end there is nothing about money that can make you happier than spending time with friends and family doing things you enjoy. Sometimes remembering that is important when you are having a bad finance day.

Made it the rest of the way to Denver today

The road was good and all is well, at least its a little warmer here.

It's really nice to be back in Colorado, actually. It's an amazing place, and I still would like to live here someday. Maybe someday.

I start work tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it. I've missed it the last couple of months. It's kinda interesting to roll into a different town and sometimes a different state every week and adjust to everything around you. The good thing is that it's not really evey boring that way.

I actually took some good pictures of the trip today, but I left the camera in the truck, so they will have to wait. Nothing too exciting, but still some pics of the Rockies and what not. We are about 20 minutes from Rockie Mountian National Park, so if I get some time I may go over there and explore around a bit. Hopefully anyways.

On the road again.....

Just got into Laramie, Wyoming for the night. What should have taken 14 hours has taken us 36 hours. It's been quite an adventure, thats for sure.

This is a picture of the truck and the co-pilot in Nevada just out side of Wendover. It's been snowing pretty much the whole time, from the Sierras to know.

The first day of travel we left at 6am from Auburn, CA and only made it to Park City, Utah. Traffic was pretty slow going up and over the Sierras, mosly because my windshield washer fluid froze and I had to stop to clean the windshield off every few miles.

Just after the above picture we ran into our first accident in the Ruby Mountains. That had us in a traffic jam for over 3 hours alone.


This is what the road has been like the whole day today.


And in case you don't already know this is what our view looked like during the second accident we ran into. It was about 30 miles west of Laramie.


The trip has actually been pretty fun and very different for me. I'll let you know how the last leg is tomorrow. For now....my bed awaits!

More on work...

So, adding on to our previous topic of work, what is it that makes you happy at work?

Pay is going to be the number one answer, of course. If you make good money it makes everything a little bit more tolerable, but I say that it is not the most important thing we need to be happy at work.

Next is benefits, nice to have, but many people work without them.

Perks. Perks are what make a crappy job worthwhile. If you go to work every day and get in trouble for what others around you do and what not you will not stay very long....but if you through in some perks it's amazing how long people will stay. What am I talking about? The main perks I can think of are training, discounts, gifts like tools and things you can take home as a byproduct of work. The happiest I have ever been is when my boss not only takes the time to show me how to do things, but they also help me with the tools that I need to get the job done. When you have your own tools you take more pride in the work you do, it's as simple as that. If your boss wants you to produce quality work then they have to get you to have pride in what you do. It's an amazing circle, actually.

Some day I will find a job that actually pays my bills, gives me the ability to go to the doctor when I am in pain and I have pride in what I do. I know it's out there, but where?

What is it about work?

In a somewhat general term we can divide life into 3 parts based on time spent doing things. The first 1/3 of life is spent sleeping. We sleep 8 hours a day (or so) and that means we spend 1/3 of our life doing it, right? The second 1/3 of our life is spent working, because we generally spend 8 hours a day doing it. The last 1/3 of our life is spent living, and I've definately talked about that a bit already.

This thing we do for 1/3 of our lives is something that I think about regularly. I have at some points in my life both hated and loved my work. I think that I am currently on the hate side of things, but not too much. It makes sense to me that if you are going to do something for 1/3 of your life, you should like what you are doing, right?

Then why do so many people hate their jobs? Why are so many people only going to work, because they have absolutely no other choice?

One reason I can think of is that people might be doing a job just to get by or learn a skill that will prepare them for a job they know that they will do later. I'm guessing this is what stage of my career I am in now. It kinda sucks, but you think every day you know this will end at some point and you are a better person for it, so you muddle through.

Another reason is if you are doing it because you have to support your family and all. This one to me is total bull if it goes on very long at all. There are always good jobs, you just have to find them and that doesnt happen by not looking.

The last reason is that you have some kind of addiction or problem and you just do it because you know you can get away with the things you need to and make a living. This sucks, but I see it happen quite a lot.

So you have this thing you have to go do for 1/3 of your life at least and I just cant get the thought out of my mind that this should not be a horrible thing. Not at all.

You know what amazes me even more? That there are so many people living life (unhappily for the most part) that have no dreams what-so-ever! How can you not want to think that there may someday be an end to everything around you that is bad and you may be able to find the one thing that truly makes you feel like the smart, intelligent, productive person you are?

I have had a dream, but it was squashed by the two people I thought would help me make it happen the most. That hurt bad, and I never really thought I would recover from it, but I have. A new dream has come to mind, and I can't wait to make it happen. I have no idea how it will, but I didn't the last time either. Some how, some way, it will happen. It will happen because I can make it happen.

Do you have a dream? If so, good. If not, why?

Last snow trip of the year was a good one

Well...my last trip up to the snow for 2006 was a great run and an even better way to put an end to the year. We made it up to Pinoli Ridge that looks out over the dam's of both Bowman Lake and Lake Spaulding. It was a beautiful day and the there was about 3 feet of snow or more at the top.

I only got stuck one time and it was only because I was fooling around and got what I deserved....




I went with two other rigs first was Chad's Chevy Blazer. It's a clean truck with a 4" lift and 35" super swampers. This was his first time out in the snow, so he got stuck a few times learning the ropes of snow. All in all he and his truck did very well and it was nice to get out with him for a day.




Then there was my usual companion Tim in his very built Toyota. It does good and he is starting to really get good at driving it. I'm proud of him, almost. Tim and I have recently started wheeling together quite a bit, but we have been friends for 10 years or more now. We started our outdoor journeys out with a backpacking trip to Lower Scotts Flat lake as kids. We always had fun then, and we do now.



So anyways, it was a nice trip, no one got hurt and nothing broke. It was nice to spend some time with friend in the high country and I'm sure that there will be much more of this kind of activity this winter. I'm just hoping the snow keeps coming and makes a good snow pack, so that we can have nice and full lakes and streams this summer!