Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wikipedia Forever

Wikipedia Affiliate Button

I just donated $10 to Wikipedia. It's not much, but it's kind of all I could afford right now. Wikipedia is the best webpage there is, and it's truly the most useful and noblest use of the Internet.

Iron Mountain

At the end of October, Dad, Patrick, Steve Dockstader, Kathy Rodean, and I made an ascent of Iron Mountain out in East County, San Diego. It's a 6.5 mile hike with about a 1000-foot gain (Lat:32.972N Lon:116.977W). It was a nice, cool, cloudy morning and we had a lovely time. I wouldn't call it crowded, but we did see more people than I've ever seen on a trail at one time. Old people, young people, dog people, running people...lots of people! Which is good! If lots of people use parks they won't close them and turn them into McMansion colonies.

(click on any photo to see a larger version)

Here we are setting out at the crack of dawn. Note dad's razor: a well-kempt hiker is a happy hiker. Patrick's face exudes joy at being up early to witness the miracle of the dawning of a new day.


Patrick finishes the last few drops of his special hiking tea (bourbon) and gets ready to hit the trail:


Devil bunny!


The target: Iron Mountain:


I was in last place, yes, but only because I was carrying a generator and all the stereo equipment:


It didn't seem like anyone was going to take a picture of me, so I took one of myself:


This is what hiking looks like:


Trail wolf!!!


Patrick strikes a visionary pose at the summit:


Dad, Steve, and Kathy check out the view:


Kathy, Patrick, Dad, and Steve


Die Männer Meaney:


Here's how people look at you when you climb up on a rock:


We found a sparkling natural spring. Patrick drank some of the water and then didn't talk much for the rest of the day:

LA County Fair!

So, like, months ago Mindy and I went to the LA County Fair. It was awesome. We totally got in touch with our FFA alter-egos and saw some really cool stuff. I'd recommend the fair to everyone.

The scene when we arrived:


Mindy getting pumped for some Faire action:


"The World's Biggest Horse?" I'm not sure, but it was really big!


Damn, that's a big horse!


In Pirate Land:


Arrrr!


Oh, man: hedgehogs, as we found out, are SUPER cute:


This stuff was everywhere. If I were still an omnivore I would have definitely tried some...I think:


Mindy doing a very convince ginger-bread man impression:


Baby goats = also super cute


Watch out behind you!


Le Grande Wheel:


Aboard Le Grande Wheel:


Would you like to be stuck on a ferris wheel with a man smiling like that? I wouldn't.


Shot from the top of the Ferris wheel. 1/4s exposure or something.


What sort of creature is this?


White Mountain: the biggest steer in the world. My favorite part of the fair.


White Mountain's stats:


White Mountain:


I haz an apple!


I no likez thee apple anymoer:

First post in a LONG time

Oh, man: I don't even remember where this was! Up in the Santa Monica mountains, obviously, but I couldn't say for sure. Oh wait: it's up above the Pacific Palisades. Yeah. Patrick and I accidentally drove through a forest and up to a reservoir trying to find the trailhead. There were a bunch of a firemen at the reservoir and a cop who told us to go away. It was really strange. The firemen were just sitting there. What were they doing!? I'll never know.

The route was pretty. A little dull at times, but we found some rocks to scramble on towards the end. Halfway through the route we recognized Eagle Rock (from Temescal Canyon) on the horizon and headed for that, but it turned out to be much farther away than it appeared and we had to turn around before we made it so I could get to rehearsal.

We also saw a coyote trap (the human kind, put in place by scientists studying coyotes, not poachers) that had a clean section of cow femur in it. Either the flesh just rotted away or some clever coyote got in there and got all the meat off of it without getting caught.

Oh, yesh, itz byooteefull:


Hier ist meine lieblingsChapparal!


Mire! Jo estoi en le piedra!


Me too!


Plenty of shots of this rock:


Oh yeah, still on dee rock:

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Knotts Scary Farm!

Here's a picture I took at Disneyland, I think:


Brandon and Rosie jammin'


Here I am with the fire performers. They were totally awesome. We're friends now:


Post flume:


Corey, Brandon, Holt, and Rosie wait for dee coaster


Ahhh, an actor popped out of the bushes!


Brandon gets ready for Carousel. (Sorry it's blurry: it was 1/8 s exposure and I was hanging on a swing, jeez)


"The Lifeclocks are a lie - Carousel is a lie!!"


This one was scary:


Ahhhhh. It moved too. This one was a pants-changer:


Oh man: Steele and Brandon 30 seconds before we found out we were NOT on the mellow kiddy coaster we thought we had gotten onto, but on the crazy super-fast upside-down coaster.