Andy's Truck Adventure!

Two 50s in three weeks

2011-10-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

I ran two 50-milers in three weeks. The first I did in a sluggish 11:55. I wore the wrong shoes and tore up my feet. Not only horrible blisters but a lost toenail (gross!), completely destroyed my heels and irritated my achilles. Not good. I'd never had such problems running a 50 before.

The second 50 I ran in 10:40, much better (though still slow). My achilles bugged me from about mile 15 on so I stayed slow and modified my gate to protect it. Coming in under 11 hours qualified me for Western States 100 so my slow, guarded gate forced me into a lot of clock-watching. It was also pretty hot (around 90 degrees) and only one aid station had ice so my brain boiled most of the day.

6 weeks rest means no running, more swimming and a bit of time at the gym.

Quick update

2011-09-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It's been almost a year since I broke my ankle and moved into a room. Well I still live in the same room, have been running some races, including a 50-mile run just recently! I'm studying a lot these days and working toward a good career change and life change. I still use my truck to sleep in when I go places (cheaper than a hotel). My mattress is still in the back of the truck so when I go camping or climbing I sleep well.

More adventures to come!

5 years, 2 months, 19 days (or 1907 days)

2010-10-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to stay up and will, at some point soon, be transformed into just adventures and other exciting things I do. But officially, my truck life has ended. I started at age 25 and ended at 30. A big section of life. There's a lot to think about and a lot more to write about, but not yet.

Comment Moderation and Other Nonsense

2010-08-12T00:42:00.000-07:00

For some reason spammers (pointless air-wasting people and their idiot programming skills) have taken to finding random old posts and mass-spamming in the comments field. Well no more! From now on you'll have to use those obnoxious random text generating boxes AND I'll moderate. This way no more time-wasting people can bother me.

On a more positive note, things are looking up. The air is warm, the grass is green...

Up

2010-08-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

I'm still here and still trucking. 5 years has come and I'm now 30! Based on the direction my life is taking I'll be out of the truck very soon. Can't do it forever!

I have a lot to share but I'm going to wait a little longer before I do. Don't want anything that I'm working on to get jinxed before it starts. I'll be back to posting regularly very soon!

For those still following: THANK YOU!!!

Here's a few photos from stuff I've been up to (San Diego 100, Badwater, climbing, birthday pie in-the-face):

Boring Update

2010-04-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

Hello. I am still alive.

I haven't posted because I'm tired of credit card companies reading and quoting this thing to me. I'm very very poor these days. Not sure how I'm actually getting by. But meals come regularly, which is good.

If you are a creditor/debtor please shove off at this point...

Ok, so other than that I've been running a lot. The foot issues I had from the Tahoe 72 are gone. I started barefoot running as a supplement to my regular runs and it cured me in such a short time. And now I'm even tougher. Gonna run a 100-miler soon!

And other than that I'm studying hard for what is coming!

So how's everyone doing?

In Hiding

2010-01-20T11:35:00.001-08:00

I'm still out in the cold and struggling to get by, eating less often than I'd like and being assaulted by credit card companies. I'm in school, which is great, but I have nothing else going. I got horribly screwed over by the Rope Access company owner, a real jerk, and can't afford anything at all now. I'm doing a little massage, though it's barely more than enough to get me gas money to get to the appointments. So everything is tough now.

I made the blog private for a while because credit card companies were reading on here, seeing only the positive parts of my life. That's what this blog was created for - for my family and friends to follow the fun stories and cool adventure of living in the truck. But it's not cool now. It's actually pretty bad these days.

Despite all the bad things, being poor, being a bit hungry, and being assaulted by credit card companies, I'm still moving forward. I'm training hard, hoping to run a 100-mile race this year, and trying to make my way through the beginnings of a new school program that will one day get me ahead.

Hiding, Gaps, and Where-the-Hell-I've-Been

2009-12-30T23:55:00.000-08:00

As you, if anyone reads this, may have noticed the blog is currently set to 'private.' Also of note is where I've been. Still living in the truck. Credit card companies assaulting me at every turn; beasts.

I'm trying to get around, trying to get a hold of enough money to just get by. I'm particularly poor right now and am not always eating. I've spent a little time sleeping on some couches as the weather has turned colder.

School is currently only on the weekends and will be through May.

It's an uninteresting time right now.

On the road again.

2009-10-14T22:34:00.001-07:00

Well, after living indoors at my parent's house for nearly two months it's time I get moving again. I'm heading back to LA. The classes start this weekend and will be weekend-only through May. I'll be back working and trying to get by. Studying, training, living.

This means that nearly 5 years of my life, half my 20's, will have been spent living in my truck. Wild. A story, for sure. Something to tell potential offspring if I even have the audacity to reproduce, which is questionable.

Goodbye bedroom. So long kitchen, with all your neat cooking utensils and oven and stove. Later electricity. I'll miss you most private bathroom - I love how, within your confines I don't have my naked ass stared at by really hairy middle-aged guys. *sigh*

And thus the journey continues!

or

Boldly going to where no homeless guy has gone before: Chiropractic school!

or

On the road again...

Accepted!

2009-10-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

As of friday, 10/2, I have been accepted to Southern California University of Health Sciences to get my Doctor of Chiropractic and Master's of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine! I'm really excited!

And...

Back to the truck! I start a weekend-only intensive prerequisite program on 10/17. I'll be back living in the truck from 10/15 until probably August. So the adventure continues. I'll be working, studying, training, and taking my weekend classes. Then, in August, I'll be going full-time in my DC/MAOM program. At that point I'll have to live somewhere so I'm hoping to rent a room very close to the school, which is in Whittier, CA (South East LA county, right next to Fullerton - a familiar area).

Back to the truck! I guess I just can't seem to stay indoors too long, can I?

I am very excited for the future!

Kayaking the Lower American River

2009-10-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

The day after the race I was already really bored! I guess I have a hard time not doing anything. I took my kayak out down the Lower American river, from Sunrise Blvd down to the first rapid, the San Juan rapid (class 2). It was a blast! The hardest part was kayaking back up river for 2 miles at the end! That was a workout!

Tahoe 72... well, 30 miles of it.

2009-10-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

On September 26-27th was supposed to be the Tahoe 72-mile run. Sadly the race director forgot to put that on the permit to CalTrans and, being the fat, lazy slobs that make up many overly comfortable government employees, he couldn't get them to amend it. So many of the registered runners decided to do the run anyway. I was one of those.

The race started at 10 PM and was to run through the night.

I ran with the front group for a while. Then I had to stop for a bathroom break at around mile 10. After that I began slowing a bit due to some preexisting conditions: I've been in the beginning stages of plantar fasciitis, had some Achilles tendon pain, and some anterior tibial tendinitis. All of that, especially the pain in my foot, was slowing me down a lot.

After 30 miles of running, at 4:30 AM, I decided to call it. The pain in my foot was getting pretty bad. This was to be my last run before a 2-month hiatus. My great crew, Jen and Ryan, were there with me the whole time. Ryan had even paced me the last 7 miles. But in the end my much needed time off came early. The worst part is that 30 miles of running didn't leave me sore or tired at all. Barely a workout! I guess I'm getting pretty burly.

At this point I haven't run in a little over a week. I've been active but I can't wait to get back out there.

Application Process

2009-09-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Applying to a school is a silly process. Each school wants every transcript from every other school you've attended since high school. So I'm having to get my high school transcript, my transcripts from five community colleges, and the one from Cal State Fullerton. Seven! Do you know how much that costs?! And then there's the two applications, each costing $50! And if they accept me they'll want between $250-500 as a deposit! Ouch!

I know that in four years I'll be able to have a career that'll help me pay these things off and will feel rewarding but can't they charge me for all this stuff at that point and not now? They should assume that I'll be able to afford these fees when I'm, I don't know, A DOCTOR! But now?! I have lived in my truck for four years, much of that time doing alright because I wasn't paying rent. There's no secret money here. Yet still the processes of all these things suck my bank account dry.

I'm just saying...

Do you realize that in two weeks from this very moment I will be running around Lake Tahoe. This'll be hour 3 of my 72 mile run (hopefully to finish around 14-15 hours). I want it to be here already. I'm anxious and excited to run this race, anxious for the school to accept me, anxious to change things around again.

Ready...Future...GO!!!

...are we there yet?

The Plan

2009-09-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

So the last three weeks I've been back at my parent's house in Sacramento. I was up in Chico again for a few days. I ran around The Buttes, the world's smallest mountain range (wiki it). It was a 30-mile run through some beautiful farmland and almond orchards.

Last weekend I got my mom to do her first race: The Mather Mud Run (for Air Force week)! It was awesome! She and Jen did the 2-mile race, consisting of two loops around the park. There were obstacles and, as per the name, a big mud pit! Ryan and I did the 5-mile race, same course just with 5 laps. We came in 22nd and 23rd out of 179 people with a time of 32min15sec! Great!

In about 2 weeks comes my big race: 72-mile Midnight Express Lake Tahoe Ultramarathon! Running around Lake Tahoe, starting at 10 PM on 9/26! It's going to be wild (and tough)!

After that, though, comes the reason for this post's title: The Plan. I have decided, after a lot of thought, that I want to become a chiropractor. Well, actually a chiropractor/ART practitioner/massage therapist/trainer/coach. A far cry from my bachelor's degree in Film. I'll be taking accelerated weekend courses to cover my prerequisites that were not required for my film degree - biology, chemistry, physics, pre-calculus, psychology. I'm working on applying to Southern California University of Health Sciences, a great chiropractic school down in Southern California. Which means I'll be heading back down, as early as October. It also means I'll be back to living in the truck again for while. In a few years I'll be a doctor of chiropractic. This means I'm thinking about my future. Basically, I like helping people, being involved in the endurance sports world, and I would like to make a good living doing that. (I don't want to be poor forever).

So that's the plan! Exciting, nerve-wracking, expensive. But back in SoCal are some great friends. I just wish there were a few others that were with me (I'm not going to name names).

Slimmons with Richard Simmons!

2009-08-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we had the pleasure of going up to Beverly Hills to the Slimmons studio, Richard Simmons gym. Classes are $12. On saturday mornings Richard Simmons teaches the classes. When we found this out we knew we had to go.

The studio was packed! There were at least 60 people in there, all laughing and doing these silly dance moves. Richard is hilarious. He's very nice, genuine and truly cares about everyone there. He talks to everyone and listens and is just such a good person. And then the music starts, way too loud. We were sweating to the oldies (remixed with a beat) and he was just nuts. He yelled silly things and ran around and danced and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was a wild man. And at 61 years old he shows no sign of losing energy. If you live in the OC/LA area I highly suggest you get out there and go to Slimmons. It's really fun and you get a great ab workout from all the laughing!

And since we're on this topic here's me:
2003: 236 pounds
2009: 180 pounds

This is what ultrarunning, climbing and other exercise can do!

Time for a Change

2009-07-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

After 4 years I've decided to stop for a while. I'm moving back to my parent's house for a while. I'll be in Sacramento getting some new massage and other certifications, helping out around the house, working on writing and training harder. So many friends have moved away. Most, in fact. And while I'll miss my friends that are still in Southern California I am excited to live indoors for a while. I get to cook normally again, which means I can try to perfect my sushi-making.

Don't feel like I'm abandoning the world of truck-dwellers and homeless fun-havers. I'm not. There will be road trips o'plenty and I'll sleep in my truck for those. And since I'm not wanting to permanently reside in Sacramento I'll probably live in my truck wherever I go next. I'm excited.

But I'm really excited to leave OC/LA. I really dislike the traffic.

Maybe I should have a party, coming and going!

4-Year Anniversary of Living in the Truck!

2009-07-29T17:39:00.001-07:00

Wow! Amazing! I have lived in my truck for 4 years now. Four years! Crazy!

To celebrate I had a couple beers last night with my friend John and tonight I'm going to my friend's Nathan and Meg's going away party (they're off to Portland in a few days). And, by-the-way, Nathan and Meg just got engaged a few days ago! Congratulations!

In four years I had the chance to help others work out logistics so that they could have an easier time living in their cars and trucks. I love it!

Mt. Whitney

2009-07-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The day after Badwater I woke up early for my chance to summit Mt. Whitney. I did, in 5 hours 40 minutes (sorta fast). It was AWESOME! And I got to talk to some great people on the trail. Its a tough trail, especially with the section of 96 switchbacks. That part drags no matter how good you feel. Above 13,500 feet I started to feel the effects of altitude: seeing stars and breathing hard. I doubled my calorie intake and pushed for the summit. At the top, once I rested a little, I acclimated to being on top of the country. At 14,496 feet Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. [Alaska has the tallest in the country in Denali National Park, Mount McKinley 20,320 feet.]

My camera battery was nearly dead so I didn't take many photos... but this is what I have:

Badwater Ultramarathon

2009-07-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile running race that starts in Badwater, the lowest point in Death Vallley (-282 feet below sea level) and ends at the Mt. Whitney portal (8,312 feet). Runners have 60 hours to complete the course, 48 hours if you want the belt buckle (who wouldn't?). The race took place July 13-15. It was 124 degrees in Furnace Creek, making it well into the 130's in Stovepipe Wells. Hot!

I was a crew member and pacer for Art Webb, 67. He was the oldest runner out there this year but he didn't act it. He's completed the race 11 official times and once unofficially (long story). As crew our job was to take care of any of his needs: hydration, nutrition, sanity, etc. We had a crew van stocked full of ice chests with ice, drinks, food and more drinks. The crew was Art's wife Christine, Miguel, Angela and me. Here's how it went:

Our stocked van, which we would drive about half a mile at a time, leapfrogging Art:

The day before we settled into our rooms at the Furnace Creek hotel. There we met several of the most amazing runners in the world. Since everyone knows Art they all welcome him in. Here is Jorge Pacheco, one of the most amazing ultrarunners of all time. He was a really nice and very humble guy.

Race day: we were part of the 10 AM start time. There are 3 starts of 30 runners (90 total; 6 AM, 8 AM and 10). All the badasses start at 10. Here we are before the beginning!

Here's one of the racers. He ran the entire race in the tu-tu. Cool!

Here's the 10 AM lineup! From the left is Dean Karnazes, Pam Reed, Monica Sholtz, some other people I don't know, Art is in the back somewhere, and on the right, the shortest one in the blue hat is Jamie Donaldson, women's winner and current female record holder on the course.

The guy in blue (a Brazilian and champion of the Brazil 135) ended up winning, beating even Jorge! But Jorge is still recovering from a bad foot injury (he ended up in 6th, which is still absolutely amazing!).

Here's Art running!

By mile 17, the Furnace Creek checkpoint, Art had started having some serious problems. The drink powder mixes we had been using had coated his stomach and prevented the absorption of fluids and nutrients. This brought him from severe dehydration to hyponatremia (low sodium), a very serious condition. His body was really deregulated and he was overheating so we put his numbered stake in the ground and he went and jumped in the pool to cool off. After that he got onto a lawn chair in the shade. We had to put bags of ice on him and just ride out some serious cramping and other issues.

After a while we took him to see Dr. Lisa Bliss, former women's winner and current race doctor. She's awesome!

After 9 hours down and getting through all the issues we went back out to where we left off in Furnace Creek. At 11:15 PM it was still 100 degrees. We started slow by speed-walking for hours. Miguel and I took turns walking with Art. After a while we started running again and at that point he began getting fired up and wanted to finish under 48 hours for the buckle. Here I am running with Art!

After pacing Art all night Miguel and I took our turn to rest, sleeping about an hour and a half in our small room at Stovepipe Wells (mile 50-ish). At that point Angela and Christine took their turn pacing and driving the van. When we caught back up he was already at Towne Pass, getting ready to run down into Panamint Valley.

This part is too funny to leave out... at one of the turnouts we were waiting for Art and Dr. Lisa and another of the medical staff were there to cheer him on. As Art ran up he stopped, shouted if she wanted to check his urine now (for proper kidney function) and started peeing on her car (a rental). He peed on the hood, fender and tire, lifted one leg like a dog and started hopping! It was so hilarious! One of the funniest things I've ever seen! And this after having run 65 miles (and at age 67)! Unbelievable!

At Panamint Springs, the far side of the Panamint Valley, we passed six resting runners. A while later we passed our first moving runner, Bill Bradley. Bill had completed Race Across America (a bike race from San Francisco to NY) 9 days prior to Badwater and two weeks later was set to swim the English Channel! Wow! Later on we passed the official entrance sign to Death Valley National Park:

At mile 90, the Darwin checkpoint, Angela and I took our turn to rest. We headed back to the hotel room in Lone Pine and grabbed a little food and a few hours sleep. We had expected Art to be around Keiler by 3:30/4 AM so we set our alarms and made our way out there. But to our surprise Art was only a few miles from Lone Pine! He had picked it up and was running 8-minute miles! He had picked up so much time through the night that all he had to do was walk the final hill slowly and he would get the belt buckle. Amazing!

There weren't too many people awake when we passed through Lone Pine but the ones who were up cheered him through. We turned onto the Whitney Portal road and walked up from there. After many miles of uphill speed-walking, up the switchbacks, we made it to the Portal and to the finish line!

Finish time: 46 hours 35 minutes!

Art getting his belt buckle from race director Chris Kostman:

The whole crew at the end!

Art enjoying not having to run anymore. Soon he'd be eat a huge pancake.

Back at the hotel another runner, Marshall Ulrich, a friend of Art's, was there to hang out a bit. Marshall had to drop after 36 miles because he is not done recovering from injuries sustained while setting the record by running from coast to coast in 52 days. Marshall is a very rare endurance athlete, very amazing, and a really nice person. You should probably open another tab or window and search Google for Marshall Ulrich. What he's done is nothing short of absolutely out-of-this-world! Totally hardcore!

He are Art's prizes this year: His race number was 11, same as the number of times he's now 'officially' finished the race. He was awarded the 10-time finisher plaque before the race started this year, and his finisher medal and the belt buckle!

Some of the runners summit Mt. Whitney after the race, since the race used to end at the summit. Permitting issues prevent this from happening now but for those lucky enough to get a permit they'll get the chance to go from the lowest point in the US to the highest point in the lower 48 states! Art decided not to summit this year... but someone had an extra permit, which I took! Next post: Mt. Whitney!

Western States 100

2009-06-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the Western States 100, a one hundred mile ultramarathon, running from Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe) to Auburn, through some of the toughest and wildest trails. Western States is considered one of the most challenging 100-milers, as if to say that there are some "easy" 100 mile runs somewhere. Go to the website and read its history. You'll be inspired!

To get into Western States you have to run one 50-miler in under 11 hours, run three 50s in under 12 or run any 100-miler. After qualifying you can enter your name into their lottery. Of the few thousand people who apply around 400 get accepted...

I'm applying for the race for 2010. I hope I get in because the race itself is on my 30th birthday. It would be really awesome to run one hundred miles on my 30th.

Which reminds me: my 29th birthday was this last friday. It was fun. I'm still not getting older.

So, back to the race:

I started out the day working at the Robinson Flat aid station, mile 29.7 of the race, and the first main aid station with medical. As the runners came in our job was to take their water bottles and packs off, fill up their bottles, get the runners weighed (monitoring for dehydration and hypo/hypernatremia) and guide them to the food before getting them out as fast as possible. I met some amazing runners there:

Former champion and course record holder Scott Jurek came through in third. He was having a bad day and ended up dropping at mile 46. He's probably the most amazing distance runner of all time! Very nice guy.

And one of the last to come in was Gordy Ansleigh. This whole thing is his fault. He was the first real ultrarunner/racer. Read the history on the website to learn about him. I got to spend some time with him before he left the station. He ended up dropping at the next station, sadly. He's completed the race 22 times out of 24 attempts (I think).

After leaving Robinson Flat we headed to the Forest Hill high school, serving as the aid station at mile 62. I put my name down to be a pacer, in case there was a runner out there that needed one. While waiting we saw some amazing people come through. Dean Karnazes, the runner known as the "Ultramarathon Man", came through and ended up dropping there, surprisingly.

Somewhere around half of the runners dropped at some point that day. It was very hot. Almost every big-named ultra runner dropped. The two that didn't were winner Hal Koerner and 4th place female Nikki Kimball (who was expected to win). It was shocking to have Nikki get 4th and Scott Jurek drop. Another amazing runner, Michelle Barton, also dropped (mile 66) after some problems. Off day for so many!

But not everyone dropped out. At Forest Hill I was called up to be a pacer. I met Bill Thomas there while he was contemplating dropping out. It was his 20th 100-miler (11th Western States) and he was running it with his son Ryan (his first 100). After some convincing and cajoling Bill decided to go a little farther. So just after 7 PM on saturday Bill and I left Forest Hill and got onto the Western States trail. He had run 62 miles so far and he was tired but looking good.

Sunglasses gave way to headlamps as the night wore on. We ran and talked for ages. Bill, having been there ten times before, was an excellent trail guide. He knew stories and locations and about where we were all the time. We ran through the night. At mile 80 (for him; mile 18 for me) we got to the Rucky Chucky river crossing. Olivia was there waiting for us and snapped some photos of us crossing the river. It was quite cool and chest-deep in one spot.

After the river crossing I had some stumbles and trips and near-falls that ended up agitating my knee. Bill was on a roll because we had closed a big gap on his son. So with ten miles to go I told him to just go and not to wait for me. At around 3 AM I was hobbling alone. I came across an aid station where I stopped to wrap my knee and address some other problems that had arisen. After 45 minutes there I limped out, getting to the spot where I was to leave Bill in the first place. I was done limping at 5 AM and we made our way to the car so we could try to get to the finish line for Bill. We got to the finish line and he had already finished and was asleep somewhere. He made it! Bill finished after running for 24 hours and 47 minutes! His son had finished a little over an hour before that. So they got to share it together!

And then I stayed awake long enough to get back to my parent's house where I promptly passed out.

My knee was swollen sunday and monday, as were my feet. Problems I've not had. I doesn't hurt now but I'm hoping to figure out what the problem was. Maybe just the stumbles and trips and other jarring motions.

Next up: Badwater (July 13-15th)!

"The Incinerator," 5.12b

2009-05-20T15:21:00.001-07:00

Mentioned in the last post, I successfully climbed my project route, which I'd been on 3 days last year. Here are a couple photos that were randomly taken. I wish there were more but I'll be back out there in a week and a half so I'll see if we can't get some better coverage. Awesome!

The Champion (and other cool stuff)

2009-05-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just found out, via a letter and a gold medal in my PO Box, that I won my age division at the OC Marathon. I ran the marathon terribly slow due to hydration and IT Band issues (blown out shoes). I finished it in 5:20-something, which is terrible. I did run 6.5 miles to the start of the marathon, giving me a 32+ mile day. But still, slow!

Why am I a champion then? Because everyone else in my age group is in the 'elite' catagory. So by being slow I get to win! How great is that?! Talk about celebrating mediocracy! Well I'll take it!

In other, more exciting news, I climbed the route I had been working on a bit last year. It's a route called "The Incinterator," a 5.12b in Holcomb Valley (Big Bear, CA). I'm really excited because it just flowed and I pulled the crux (hard part) with finesse.

So as far as athletic goals for the year - I have no climbed a 5.12, ran a 50-mile ultramarathon, and gotten a lot fitter. Still to come this year are a sub-6:00 mile (just one is fine) and a half-iron distance triathlon. That will lead me into next year where I'll continue climbing and run a 100-mile ultra and do an Ironman triathlon. Awesome!

Changes: oil and otherwise

2009-05-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at South Coast Toyota in Costa Mesa waiting for my oil to be changed. I have a coupon.

I'm sitting here pondering a few things. Things like: what's going to happen in the next few weeks, based on the contacts I've made and whatnot?

I have a question for some of you readers out there: I am drawing a blank on design ideas for a business card for myself (used for networking and connection in film,etc.). If you have any ideas feel free to let me know! We're interacting now! Less a blog and more of an interactive "talk to a truck-dwelling guy" experience.

Connections

2009-05-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Look, I'm updating more frequently!

So here's what's going on: I'm looking for work. I'm trying to use and make new connections and contacts for the entertainment industry. I've decided that my brain needs more stimulation than it gets performing the mind-numbing tasks of rope access. I've updated my resume and am passing it around to a few people. I haven't narrowed down a particular aspect of the industry that I want to be in because I'm just trying to get in but what I'm probably most capable of is:

Pre: writing and editing
Production: rigging, camera department.
Post: compositing, rotoscoping and special effects.

If anyone has any contacts or available help feel free to pass it along. Honestly, I really just want to use my brain and not dress stupidly fancy in a workplace. I'd like a good, decent-paying career that can get me out of debt and help me to get on the track of eventually getting into a place.

Here's my resume (in .png format. Email me for a different format if needed).

Thanks for the help or, at the very least, the time you spent here!

Bad!

2009-05-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been a month since I've posted last. I've been busy. Working, training, other. Still, no excuse for at least dropping in to update.

Still living in the truck, of course. Still doing fun things...

I DNF'd (did not finish) at the Leona Divide 50 mile run. I ran 30 miles before IT Band issues got the best of me.
Ran the OC Marathon, plus an additional 6 miles to the start) but ended up feeling very jarred from 32 miles on flat pavement.

Turns out my shoes were so overly blown out that they weren't supporting my stride anymore. Oops. New shoes purchased and new races coming. Also been climbing in Joshua Tree a bit.

Living in the truck right now is cool but as the summer heat comes in the nights begin to get hot and I begin to get [even] less sleep. That's the hardest part and the hardest time of year. But there's so much fun to have that I'm not going to let a little lack of sleep stop me.

Anyway, I've got some stuff to do so I have to run but please, if anyone's still out there, comment or email me so that I'm reminded to blog more. These days I'm so distracted by so many things that I keep meaning to get here and never seem to.

Ok, so...

2009-04-11T13:46:00.001-07:00

So I've slacked, as of late. I've been working and training so much that my time online is about zero. Bad excuse but at least its true.

Since my last post I've: climbed several times at Joshua Tree, done another triathlon, ran a 5k (and got 1st in my age group!). But mostly a lot of working. And I'm now a Level 2 IRATA Rope Access Tech.

I've said that I am going to put together a list of suggestions for those that are going to live in their cars. I still intend on it. I just need some computer time. But I wanted to let you all know, if there's anyone left, that I'm still living in the truck and am going to stick with it for a while to come. Expect more soon!

...On living in a car

2009-03-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

From the few comments I've gotten, some emails, and some personal requests it appears that people are interested in how to live in a car, the logistics, the day-to-day, and so forth. In this stage of our economic situation and with layoffs and foreclosures hitting millions it looks like this is to be quite the serious topic. And since I've been quite successful living in my truck for over three and a half years now it looks as if I'm a bit of an expert. Granted, my situation is much different than anyone else's, but I have gone through some very hard times and some great times. So what I'm doing right now is letting you know that I'm putting together ideas for how to successfully live in a car, the 'Andy' way I suppose, and will be posting it when I finish.

Note: My postings are infrequent these days because of my work schedule and access to good writing areas. I can do small posts from my iPhone, which I really should be doing more often, but the really good stuff has to be done on the computer. I'm working on trying not to be so scattered. Thanks for reading!

Christine Goes to New Zealand!

2009-03-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Christine is leaving us for (at least) 6 months! She's headed to New Zealand!

You can read all about her adventures and experiences by reading her blog.

Good luck Christine! Have fun!

Joshua Tree (again)

2009-03-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm catching up a bit...

This was a couple weeks ago now, out in Joshua Tree again. This time I climbed with Eddie and Olivia.

Olivia's first night climb and first multi-pitch!

Eddie belaying me.

Me leading a couple different routes...

Topics of Interest

2009-03-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hi there, whoever's out there and still reading. Last post I mentioned that I want to post more, including articles that have more depth than just my adventures. Seems that some people are looking for a little more "meat.". So on top of my own ideas for posts I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed anything as it relates to homelessness, living in vehicles, or anything somehow related.

In a bit busy right now preparing for a triathlon this weeked and working on other stuff but I'm hoping to start posting more in-depth articles soon.

Not Moving Inside

2009-02-28T01:54:00.000-08:00

After some careful thinking (and a lot of really bad feelings) I have decided not to move indoors. Basically, I love the truck living and I'm actually quite excited to continue on, this time with a renewed sense of appreciation. I'm going to be making some changes in the way I do things. That includes the blog. I've been inactive for so long, only posting the cool, fun stuff I do. While that's all pretty awesome and exciting I'm going to be working toward posting more and getting back to the core reasons why I've chosen to continue living this way.

Looking forward to sharing the next, possibly most interesting part of the journey, with all of you!

The End is Near...sorta

2009-02-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

Well it looks like there's a temporary end to my truck life. On Wednesday, February 25th I'll be taking a room in Long Beach for a little while. Mixed feelings about it really. And I intend to hit the road again at some point soon.

Living inside for at least a couple months will let me regroup, reorganize and rethink my current systems for living in my truck. Perhaps I can eventually move toward a motorhome or something. I like being on the road.

But the main reason for having chosen to live inside is writing. More on this as time goes on...

Joshua Tree Trip for Christine's Birthday

2009-02-20T13:38:00.003-08:00

Christine's 28th birthday was marked with an awesome trip to Joshua Tree for some climbing and random goofing off.

Here's Christine's first night climb!

Me leading Dog Leg (5.9)

Eddie leading Hobbit Roof (5.10b)

I finally soloed The Eye (5.4)

General thematic trip photos:

Happy Birthday Christine!

Avalon 50!

2009-01-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

11:41:38...106th place.

This was my first ultramarathon and I feel pretty good about it. I ran 50 miles on a very hilly and tough course, perhaps a hard choice for a first 50. But I did it! I'm really happy.

I got to run and talk with some amazing people from some hardcore ultrarunning veterans (Badwater finishers and Western States 100 finishers, etc.) and some really cool first-timers (like me!). It was hot and hilly and really painful at times. And I am so happy that I finished well, without any injuries. My smallest right toe is a huge blister and that's it. No limp, not terribly sore, but completely fatigued. (I also lost 4 pounds - who needs a diet plan?!)

Here I am finishing! Olivia was so kind for waiting for me at the finish line.

I'm so happy to be done and completely wasted!

I was so happy to sit down and not have to get up again for a while.

After the race I started convulsing and my body temperature got pretty low. We went for dinner and then slowly made out way to the campsite (1.5 miles away). I was thrilled to be in my sleeping bag, knowing I didn't have to move again for many hours.

UPDATE: The day after- not really sore. My muscles have no power so walking up stairs is tough. I have to work tomorrow but I'll be taking it easy. I'm really happy that I did that and I'm looking forward to running another one soon!

Cindy's Birthday!

2009-01-05T02:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my friend Cindy! She's actually "twenty-10."

Sadly the only picture of Cindy that was taken today isn't a good shot so instead I'll show you Pickle, Cindy and Eddie's new puppy, climbing his gate. He can actually climb over it. I guess this dog is going to fit right in.

And as we were out during the day (and crossed over into Vancouver, Washington) we got a great view of Mt. Hood off in the distance.

Happy Birthday Cindy!!!

Forest Park Trail Run

2009-01-05T01:43:00.000-08:00

Every May there's a race called the Forest Park 50k Trail Run, a 31 mile race through the beautiful trails of Forest Park in Portland. Its held in May for a reason: May is dry.

On January 3rd we went for it on these trails. Here were the conditions: around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, luckily not raining or snowing. The trails were a mess. They were rivers of mud and/or covered in very wet snow. There was debris and fallen trees and branches on the single-track trails. And the mud is very slick, causing even the slightest downhill to be more like a slip-n-slide or a ski run. It was really hardcore!

We ran 17 straight miles before having to bring it to an end and run/fast-walk out for 8 miles. All of the falls we took and the evasion of mud traps and slips and everything really took its toll on us. My IT Band got fairly hammered, which is a problem I haven't had in a while. So we had to abandon a burly run and finished the day at exactly 25 miles covered. Still a really nice day out there but I can definitely see why they put the race on in warmer and much dryer weather. We're looking forward to coming out in the spring and running the whole 50k course. Here's the photos:

Here we are in action, running along the trails:

Here's some of the snow and mud up close!

One of so many nice views from the park...

And as per usual, after doing something fairly hardcore, here we are tired and hungry at the end:

We'll be back to finish this one when the season is right. My got a bit muddy on this one!

UPDATE: Two days later and my right IT Band is feeling much better. Probably back running in 2-3 days!

Views of Portland

2009-01-05T01:30:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from the Portland City Grill, a restaurant very high in one of the buildings in downtown Portland. This happens to be one of the few times when there was blue in the sky and the only time we saw the sun for more than a glimpse.

Here's the streets of downtown Portland, next to the Park Blocks. We are right near Powell's Books, the most amazing bookstore in the world.

Here's Eddie and Cindy caught in a random outbreak of snow outside a local brewery.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:41:00.001-08:00

Recently Eddie and Cindy moved to Estacada, OR. So the day after Christmas I took a road trip...

Here's Mt. Shasta!

Shasta was so cool I had to look back.

When I finally got to the house I got to meet Pickle!

This is the new house, part of what used to be a forest service compound. A friend of ours bought this whole property, including 3 houses and several other structures. He's got big plans.

A 5 minute walk down the street and 10 steps into the brush offers a view of a nice waterfall going into the river.

And now, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2009. in 28 more days I'll have lived in my truck for 3.5 years. We celebrated the new year by sitting on the couch with a sleepy puppy. What we found was the first event to kick off the new year with a burly start...

So we'll see how it goes on saturday at the Bad Ass 50k (31 mile run) outside of Bend, OR!

Holiday!

2008-12-24T09:42:00.001-08:00

Hi everybody. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, etc...!

I Photoshopped a strange card for everyone. I used to make weird digital images for holidays and birthdays and whatnot and I thought it would be a good time to start again.

My favorite part is the Darth Vader with the Santa hat floating in the water...

Refinery week

2008-12-24T09:36:00.001-08:00

I spent another week in a refinery. This time it was ExxonMobil (often referred to as "CherMobil")

Wearing all that stuff sucks. We wear helmet, ear protection, flame retardant coveralls, safety glasses, H2S monitors, steel-toed boots, and gloves. And all was doing out there was standing near some pipes. Well, after not working that much for the better part of a year and a half (how did I go that long?) I need the money. Rope Access pays very well and requires little. Plus, being a climber, I'm already comfortable with the rope access part. The rest of the job, inspections and all that, is something I don't know. But hey, we celebrate the paycheck now!

Old Climbing Photo

2008-12-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

By old I mean sometime this last April (I think).

Here I am rappelling into a bag of trail mix that Christine is holding up. Joshua Tree.

Tinsel Tri

2008-12-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

The Tinsel Triathlon takes place in Hemet, CA each year. It's a short reverse triathlon. 5k run, 12 mi. bike, 150m pool swim. Very short. Olivia and I ran it together in 1:14:12. It was a blast.

Me with another finisher medal from yet another race...

Olivia is a tough triathlete. She always surprises me how much she improves from each race!

We rocked!

This is the coolest guy ever. I want to dress like this from here on out. Seriously, awesome!

Climbing in Malibu

2008-12-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

Last saturday (sorry I'm a week past due) a few of us went climbing out in Malibu Creek State Park.

Though we didn't do any hard routes I did manage to have a great time and even managed to safely rig a piggy-back climb. I climbed a 5.6 with Olivia on my back. All was rigged for safety so no worries. I made it about half way before we had to switch to a simul-climb, having about 4 feet of rope between us. Then we downclimbed because being lowered may have been not as comfortable for our belayer.

Olivia and me belaying

Getting to and from the area we were climbing required a traverse over the water! Awesome!

2 more from Death Valley

2008-12-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 of the photos from Brightroom (event photographers):

Death Valley Marathon

2008-12-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, 12/6, I ran the 11th Death Valley Marathon. It was wild. There were only 149 runners, of which I finished 77th, mid-pack. I expected to finish around 3:40 but ended up with some pretty bad electrolyte-related problems that put me back an hour for a 4:40:22 finish time. It was around mile 15 that I started to falter and by mile 20 I was out of it. Eddie joined me for the last 3 miles and when I got to where he was waiting I was in a haze, many parts swollen, and ready to stop running. But I pressed on and finished the race.

Lesson: Death Valley is an extreme environment year round. Though it was in the 70's and not well over 100 degrees the dryness evaporated my sweat before I felt the moisture. This caused me to not realize that I had lost so much sweat. By the time I realized, around mile 11, and started trying to replace electrolytes, it was too late. So the next time I run in Death Valley (and I'm quite looking forward to it) I'll be much more careful and I'll run with Endurolytes electrolyte pills (we used those in our Grand Canyon R2R2R run this summer).

I talked to quite a few other runners who each said similar things. Apparently a lot of people just didn't know it would be so harsh. Despite the physical degradation and mediocre performance I had a great time on the run, talked to some cool people, and very much enjoyed the scenery. We ran on Highway 190 out and back from Furnace Creek. This stretch of highway is only a small part of the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile run from Badwater, Death Valley (lowest point in US) to the Mt. Whitney portal (highest point). I'm not ready for it yet but in a few years I'm hoping to be ready to run it myself..

Here's some photos:

Eddie and Cindy drove around until they found me-

And with 3 miles to go Eddie joined me as I half ran-half staggered toward the finish-

Coming in delirious and covered in my own salt!

And now for some Death Valley photos:

Badwater, the lowest point in the western hemisphere (-282 feet below sea level)

Walking around below sea level

Salt:

Sand Dunes (if you look really closely you can see people standing on top)-

As I was driving back (on Hwy 14) I came across a double rainbow. The main one was very vivid and the second only shows slightly. They were amazing. Then the sun set and the rainbows went away, leaving me with some great colors. I shot these with my crappy point-and-shoot while driving. I wish I had a nice DSLR and some good lenses. All in good time.

"Prop 8: The Musical"

2008-12-03T18:43:00.001-08:00

In this blog I haven't gotten political before... so here I go:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

A Thanksgiving update

2008-12-02T01:08:00.000-08:00

For the week of Thanksgiving I spent most of the time in Sacramento at my parent's house. Several friends came. Thanksgiving morning we ran the Folsom Turkey Trot 10k. I ran it in 46:01, which isn't bad at all. Here I am finishing:

After the race we had a fun Thanksgiving with some of my best friends and my family. It was pretty cool.

A couple days later we went to San Francisco. We went to the store Sports Basement, which is AWESOME! Then we walked to a little tiny pub called the Black Horse London, which is only slightly bigger than my truck. It's owned by James, a great Irish guy with a big sense of humor. There's no fridge there - just a bathtub full of ice and beer. You could barely cram 15 people in there and all there people there were great to socialize and drink with. This was one of the best pubs I've ever been to and the next time I'm in San Francisco I'll definitely be going there again.

At some point during our 7-8 miles of walking we spotted a few Smart cars parked next to a small SUV. This was pretty funny... but you couldn't live in one of those.

Now back in Southern California but heading to Death Valley this weekend for the Death Valley marathon.

I'm a bit behind...

2008-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason I haven't been posting lately. Might be laziness or convenience or any other excuses. I did post the Muddy Buddy, which was the last really interesting thing I've done.

I'm currently in Sacramento again. Just arrived yesterday and am staying for a little over a week. On thursday, Thanksgiving, I'm running the Folsom Turkey Trot 10k. Then, just after I get back to SoCal I'll be off to Death Valley to run the 11th Annual Death Valley Marathon! I'm excited about that one.

That's it. Nothing really new going on at the moment. No stories to tell. Nothing terribly exciting for me. I'm training: swimming, biking, running, climbing, going to the gym. Eating... that's it.

I have decided, though, that I'm going to stay living in my truck until I'm debt free. For those that thought I was long ago - for this last year when I've hardly been able to find any work - how do you think the bills got paid? Credit. That's all there was. So I'm going to stay in my truck until its paid off. I'll probably hit the 4-year mark!

And, as a side note, I'm very happy that the economy has pulled down gas prices. Living in the truck hasn't been this good for a long time!

...long time

2008-11-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been posting much lately... again. I did a bunch of cool stuff - the Lake Tahoe marathon, the Bonelli Olympic Triathlon, the Long Beach half marathon and most recently (this morning), the Muddy Buddy.

So as you can see I've been very busy training. I'm going to run a 10k on Thanksgiving. Then, on December 6th, I'm going to run the Death Valley marathon and spend a few days out there star-gazing. According to the latest National Geographic Death Valley is one of the few areas around to see the Milky Way thanks to light pollution from all the cities. In Orange County and LA I can count somewhere around 10 stars or so. Anyway, after that, in January, I'll be running the Avalon 50, a 50-mile ultra marathon on Catalina Island. And the next weekend after that, though still not confirmed, I'll be running the Carlsbad half marathon.

Lots of training. I'm doing some contract work in LA, forcing me to living in Manhattan Beach four days a week. Kinda lame but there are some cool training spots out there. I'll be in Sacramento for Thanksgiving. And that's pretty much it for now.

Muddy Buddy!

2008-11-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Muddy Buddy is a team event that takes place in San Dimas, CA at Bonelli Park, the same place as the olympic-distance triathlon I did not long ago. The course consists of running and biking, with obstacles at each transition. Each section is around a mile long. One team member starts running, the other biking. At the first obstacle you switch. This happens for 6 miles. At the end you crawl through a mud pit together. It was so much fun!

Eddie and I were a team: Elasmobranchiomorphi

We came in 19th with a time of 47:39! Awesome!

Now then, here's some photos:

Eddie and me before the race, in costume as sharks. Our team name is a classification of some sharks, skates, and rays. They have to keep moving, letting the water pass through their gills, in order to keep breathing. Keep moving to stay alive!

Here are Cindy and Olivia crawling through the final mud pit!

Here is Eddie and me after the race. The grey paint came off and was replaced by mud.

Here are four of us: Me, Olivia, Eddie and Cindy

This was an awesome race!

Uploaded - 10\30\08

2008-10-30T07:53:00.001-07:00

Refined

2008-10-30T07:44:00.001-07:00

Coming to you, bored, from inside a refinery in LA.

Yawn.

A couple more Bonelli Olympic Triathlon photos...

2008-10-09T10:39:00.001-07:00

Here I am during the run in the Bonelli Olympic Tri. Cool stuff.

For this coming week, which I will be posting, I have devised a plan. I will be running the Long Beach Half Marathon. So I decided that I should just keep going. I'm going to run 7 half marathons in 7 days. On the 7th day I'll add an extra 8.3 miles. That will put me at 100 miles in 7 days. I will be running the course of an official half marathon almost every day, totaling 13.1 miles a day, which isn't bad at all. But over 7 days it will be interesting to see how, or even if, that breaks me down. Stepping up this training is also crucial to running 50 mile races, which will start in or around January.

Article in Drake Magazine

2008-10-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

To see the article by Abby Wolner click HERE and then click on "Folks."

Here is the article's text. But if you go to the link you'll also see the funny graphic by Elsa Becker.

Dude, where's my house?

Andy Bussell gives "mobile home" a new meaning.

Written by Abby Wolner

Drawn curtains, scented candles, and the music of a guitar: These sound like the trappings of a tricked-out bachelor pad, but in fact, they’re the few luxuries of a homeless man. Andy Bussell doesn’t have room for much else—home sweet home is the back of his Toyota Tacoma. This 28-year-old Californian has lived in his truck since July 29, 2005—by choice.

Bussell’s homelessness was not supposed to be permanent. “Originally, my goal was to do it for one year,” he says. He wanted to test his personal limits and avoid a steep rent. The biggest downside was the lack of comfortable space, but over time, Bussell has learned to call the truck home. “It was kind of a hard transition,” he says. “Now I don’t have a problem with it.”

After three years, living in his car is nothing to Bussell. “It’s just like any routine,” he says. Bussell parks his truck in inconspicuous spots overnight and showers at the gym after a morning workout. Since he has no refrigerator, he buys food in small quantities.

The truck has four “rooms”: The tailgate serves as a porch, and the truck bed is the bedroom. The glove compartment is an efficient office, and during school, the front seat acts as a library. Bussell hosts a tour of his home in all its automotive glory on Youtube.

Calling an automobile home has its ups and downs. The covered truck bed houses not much besides a twin mattress. Part of Bussell’s motivation to eventually move out stems from lack of space. “I have a lot of gear spread out at different people’s houses,” he says.

Dating poses another interesting challenge. Bussell is pretty tight-lipped about the subject, however. “I’ve dated in the car,” he says. “[Relationships are] very short lived.” Finding someone who doesn’t mind nights in a truck seems tough, but Bussell is less forgiving: “I don’t think it’s the car.”

But Bussell still finds his lifestyle socially rewarding. “It’s been really interesting getting to know people who did similar things,” he says. Though Bussell’s homelessness is more choice than necessity, it has taught him a lot about himself. “Nothing phases me, and I can take pretty much anything.”

Truck dwelling is only a small part of Bussell’s daily life. “I keep myself so busy that it doesn’t matter where I sleep,” he says. “There’s only a six hour window where I’m not awake.” For the other 18 hours, Bussell is living life to the fullest. He rock climbs and competes in triathlons and marathons.

And as his car ordeal shows, he’s willing to be different. “Someone will introduce me to something I haven’t tried before and I just fall in love with it,” he says. Some of Bussell’s odder hobbies include street luging and ultramarathon running (50 to 100 miles). Bussell also owns his own Apple-consulting business. “My life is an adventure,” he says, “a testament to one person’s will to hold fast, to set goals and achieve them, and to almost always look on the bright side of life.” That’s a pretty optimistic outlook for a homeless man.

More Tahoe Marathon Photos

2008-10-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of the official photos from the Lake Tahoe Marathon.

I really love these events. At this point it's what I live for!

(Wow, this sure does look like one narcissistic posting, doesn't it.)

Bonelli Olympic Triathlon

2008-10-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

The Bonelli Olympic Tri is a tough event. I didn't do that well. Mostly it was the bike segment that killed me. I did get 2nd place in the Men's Mountain Bike division. But I got 165th overall. I finished in 3 hours 49 minutes - VERY SLOW! Here's a quick breakdown:

Swim: 39 minutes. My swimming is getting better. Technique has improved with coaching, endurance is getting there.
Bike: 2:03. This is what killed me. I rode a mountain bike on a road coarse and it really hurt. The winner's overall time was faster than my bike time (1:58)! That sucks. I need a road bike.
Run: 58 minutes. This was ok. I'm not fully recovered from the Tahoe marathon yet but I ran this one pretty fast. I'm fairly happy with it but I know it'll get better.

Overall I'm very happy because I finished and had a good time. But I do want to perform a better, for myself, as time goes on.

Long Beach Half Marathon next weekend! 3 events in 3 weeks!

Lake Tahoe Marathon

2008-09-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

Sadly I finished in 5:16:12 (official time) - not horrible. I was on track for a much faster finish but hit some snags... Didn't train altitude. Early on I was having trouble with my foot. It developed pins and needles sensations. So I spent about ten minutes fiddling with that before it slowly went away. Then came the really brutal hills - 2 very steep ones - that required walking by even the strongest runners. Then, at about mile 20, I began having stomach problems. Not really sure what it was but it slowed my down to a slow, pathetic walk.

But I beat my previous time from over a year ago at the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll marathon. That one was where I got injured pretty bad and managed to finish in 6:59. So almost 2 hours faster this time and with no injuries. The stomach pain went away slowly about 30 minutes after I finished.

The best part is finishing. A marathon is just about finishing, not getting hurt and enjoying yourself. And I did that very much today. I talked to some great people from all over: a guy from Argentina, an awesome lady (whose name I forgot) that works at the Fleet Feet running store in Laguna Nigel that I go to. She ran the Tahoe Triple - 3 marathons in 3 days! I talked to a few other ultra runners and some really nice people along the way. It was a blast!

Here's my finish:

Looking forward to the next races. I'm hoping to have recovered enough to do the Bonnelli Olympic Triathlon in San Dimas next sunday (10/5). Then there's the Long Beach Half Marathon (10/12). Then I get a few weeks off before the Muddy Buddy (with Eddie). Then I'm going for the Twin Peaks 50 miler on December 13th. And in between that I'm going to bike from Sacramento to Orange County, covering 100 miles a day on bike and 10 miles a day on foot. Se we'll see how everything plays out in the coming days and weeks. Obviously any one of these plans can change based on recovery and whatnot.

Cash Only plays at Street Vibrations...

2008-09-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

My old friend from Tahoe, E.J. is in a couple bands. I did see them both play when I was in Tahoe. Here are the photos from his second band, Cash Only, a Johnny Cash cover band. They played at Bar USA in Reno for the Street Vibrations biker festival. Here's E.J.:

Here's the singer Davin. Notice the Hells Angels banner above that booth on the left...

They played for over three hours there. Nasty cigarette smoke filled the air. Fat, tattooed slobs drank cheap beer as scantily clad disgusting "women" danced, guts a-flapping. Yuck!

After the show we went to the Peppermill casino for some late night food before driving back up to Tahoe.

I also saw E.J.'s main band, The Hyenas, play at a bar up in Tahoe. Very cool.

Jen and Ryan's Wedding - a few photos...

2008-09-28T22:44:00.001-07:00

Here's our happy couple!

And here we all are. I'm in there somewhere, all dressed up.

Here I am with Ryan:

There are many more photos. Some of them would make great blackmail material. Maybe I'll post them later.

Rockin' at Home

2008-09-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

As an update, while waiting for the photos from Jen and Ryan's wedding, and while waiting for the Lake Tahoe marathon on sunday, I've been rocking out. In this photo I'm playing and singing for my mom and the dogs. She managed a few photos of me before I realized what was happening.

I'm leaving for Tahoe in the morning to hang out with friends and watch my friend E.J.'s band play. Then, come sunday, I'll be running the 26.2 miles from Tahoe City to Pope Beach at South Lake Tahoe! I'm hoping a few people come out to watch me finish. I know at least Mom will be there.

Ryan and Jen: Wedding II (The Sequel)

2008-09-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

First of all - Photos to come.

Ryan and Jen got married last November in Iowa (where he's from). They decided to have a wedding in Forest Hill (near Sacramento) for Jen's family and all their friends. And I had the pleasure of being a groomsman. It was a blast. I went up to their house on friday night, rehearsal on saturday, wedding on sunday, and got home monday morning (today). Let me just say that I don't drink often. When I do its usually one Guinness on occasion. This weekend I ignored that and had... some drinks. It was fun and very wild. This was one of the best weddings I've been to (at the Monte Verde Inn, Forest Hill, CA). And the cake was the best wedding cake I've ever had. Mmm!

I will be posting photos of us on here as soon as they get them.

remote blogging!

2008-09-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

I am impressed! I have a new iPhone and I' blogging from my spot on the street. Like a whole new era for homeless blogging! It's exciting really.

Look for more! Cool posting coming soon!

Status Update

2008-09-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo from the Triathlon a few weeks ago. I just recently acquired it from the photographer's website.

So here's the update: been working a bit. Been training a bit more. Been sick most of the week, which is lame.

I'm heading up to Sacramento next week for a wedding and marathon. I'll be up there for about 1.5 weeks. Should be fun.

That's my update. Fairly uninteresting at the moment unless you're here with me doing fun stuff.

Climbing at Castle Rock (and not posting enough)

2008-08-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much going on lately. I've done a little work with Global Ascent, doing some rope access in an oil refinery. That was interesting. I've also been working with my business partner on getting our Mac consulting business up and going. And I'm still training pretty much full time for running, climbing, biking, swimming, etc. I've had a real struggle lately taking time off to recover. The last three days I've actually been pretty good about it. Friday I did nothing and ate a good amount of protein. Saturday I did a light hike and climbed three easy routes at Castle Rock in Big Bear, the hardest was this 5.10a (below):

Sunday I spent a little time at the gym and a lot of time trying to find the best deal on a bike. I think I might be picking one up soon. And that's it, that's the whole update. My life is pretty bland these days (for me).

Triathlon Results...

2008-08-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a breakdown of my performance (with commentary) from the triathlon:

Total Time: 1:25:20
Place: 211th

Breakdown:
Swim: 12:51
Transition 1: 4:11
Bike: 41:56
Transition 2: 0.38
Run: 25:42

Now then, about that...
I knew I choked on the swim, after tasting the diesel in the water. So with some better training and change in my swimming routine and location I'll be able to easily beat that. Transition 1 was a barefoot run on concrete for about 400 meters or so to the bike staging area. I don't do well barefoot, my feet are sensitive. I also spent the time to put on socks and my running shoes. I don't own bike shoes. During the bike section I was passed by so many people. I only passed one guy. I was on a cheap mountain bike trying to compete with a difficult road coarse. With some light training and a road bike I could have shaved at least 10 minutes off the bike time. Transition 2 was fast. I parked the bike, tossed my helmet and hit the ground running. My run made up a little time but looking at the official split I'm surprised that it took me that long. Again, a slight change in my training to add speed workouts. I'm conditioned to run really slowly for long distances and need to pick up the pace for shorter stuff.

All-in-all I'm happy that I did pretty well and that I finished. And I know, based on my current level of fitness, that I could do it in 1:10, which was my hope anyway. So the next sprint tri I do I'll definitely work harder and do better. Training begins again today.

Dean Karnazes (again)

2008-08-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

After the triathlon we went to the local Barnes and Noble bookstore. Dean Karnazes, the cool and amazing ultra runner was doing a talk, answering questions and signing his new book that came out today.

Here's Eddie, Dean and me (just after the tri):

Tonight I'll start reading the new book "50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!" I'm sure it'll be awesome. You should read the first one, "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner."

...then go out and do something!

Lake Arrowhead Triathlon

2008-08-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

On saturday 8/16/08 at 7:15 AM I was running down a tiny beach into the water of Lake Arrowhead with about 500 other people for the Lake Arrowhead Triathlon, a sprint distance event. 600 yard swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run. I finished in 1:25:20, which wasn't bad for the fact that I rode the bike section on a mountain bike (costing me about 10 minutes) and choked on the lake water that tasted of diesel fuel. Still, not a bad finish time at all! And I made up for a bit of lost time on the run section, my strongest event. Eddie finished in 1:12 and Cindy finished in 1:45. It was so much fun!

Here was the winner, Claudio, who finished in 55:20! It would be really awesome to have all the coolest gear and be able to train full time professionally. Maybe I could work up to that too.

This was my first triathlon... and there will be many more coming!

Next event: week of kayaking around Santa Cruz island.
After that: Lake Tahoe marathon!

Ian and Angela's Wedding!

2008-08-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Ian and Angela!!!!

After a mere six (6) years together!

So, sunday August 3rd in Temecula, CA we gathered in the heat and direct sunlight to celebrate the marriage of my friend and former Apple co-worker Ian to my other friend, his very very very long time love, Angela.

Here they are JUST after the whole bit with the "I do's" and the kissing:

Here are the Apple people that were there. Some of us don't work for Apple anymore and a few of them still do. But it was awesome hanging out!

And of course the lovely Steven and Rosanna! Two of my closest friends!

Here I am dancing with... the groom? He dipped me so gracefully.

This is amazing: Alan Karl, the World Rider himself, one of my biggest inspirations! He was part of what inspired me to move into the truck in the first place. He just got back, less than a week prior, from three years riding around the world! I've linked to his site several times, including over to the right in that bar over there. Yeah, that one. He's had such an amazing journey!

Weekend of British Comedy!

2008-08-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Friday night (8/1) Cindy, Eddie and I went to the Hollywood Bowl and saw "Eric Idle: Not the Messiah (But He's a Very Naughty Boy)" He created an opera from the film "The Life of Brian" (Monty Python). It was pretty funny, very creative, completely over-the-top, and quite well done. He was accompanied by the LA Philharmonic and a Scots band (bagpipes). At one point he even played a leaf-blower with a keyboard on it!

Then, saturday night, the main event! Eddie Izzard!!! Again Cindy, Eddie and I went, this time to San Diego, to the Spreckles Theater:

We sat so far up!

This was the best I could get without some major flash photography. The show was two hours long and of brilliant proportions. In the past he would talk about history, politics and religion in a mostly non-invasive, silly way. This time he had much more of an opinion about those topics. I loved it because we share a similar opinion and because it was hilarious!

Photos...

2008-08-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking lately. I haven't posted and I've got a few photos to post.

Sailing with Nathan - Nathan and I went to San Diego for a day, visited a couple breweries and went sailing with his aunt. Very cool!

The next day I went climbing with Jen in Holcomb Valley. I got on my "The Incinerator," 5.12a/b for the second time and almost had it. Next time it's mine!

Jen did her very first lead climb! "Coyotes at Sunset," 5.8 is one of the longest routes out there and makes for a great first lead. She did great and is becoming quite the climber!

3 Year Anniversary - Living in a truck for 3 years!

2008-07-29T09:57:00.001-07:00

Wow! Can you believe this? Three years living in my truck now. Three times as long as I planned. Interesting. Very interesting.

July 29, 2005 was the first night I lived in my truck, no more apartment, nothing but the stuff in the back seats. What a journey. I have done so much stuff while living like this. I've had a pretty normal life... sorta. Normal for anyone with a little taste of adventure.

Cheers! 3 years and counting!

And I got to celebrate early by eating home made pizza by Meg and hanging out with Meg, Nathan and Angela. A few high quality beers, a $150 bottle of wine (Nathan is more of a culinary snob than I am!) and good company. A great way to start my lonely anniversary! This pizza was so amazing. Photo does absolutely no justice. And I get to eat some for breakfast!

So for the day I get to participate in a photo shoot with some friends, maybe go to the OC Fair (I still haven't gone to see my bloody photos on the wall) and maybe more. This is one crazy life adventure and I love it!

You should all move into your cars.

Recovery Update

2008-07-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Its thursday, five days after the run, and I thought I'd give you an update on how I'm feeling. Sunday was really bad. We couldn't move at all. Monday I limped pretty bad. Tuesday I limped a little. Wednesday I was walking fine but my left big toe still had some numbness. Today I feel really good. Yesterday I biked for 35 minutes and swam 600 meters for some movement. Today I swam 600 meters again. I'm anxious to get running again but I think I'll wait until saturday or so.

Also, I'm really excited to have the Lake Arrowhead Triathlon coming up. I'm also looking at registering for either the Muddy Buddy (with Eddie) or, if he can't do it, I'm going to register for the Helen Klein 50 miler in Sacramento! Whatever happens there is still so much to do and I'm more inspired than ever!

More Grand Canyon Photos courtsey of Doug and Janet!

2008-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Doug and Janet for sending me these photos from their Grand Canyon trip. We met with a short hike left to the North Rim, the halfway point for Eddie and me. We had talked to a bunch of really nice, amazing people along the trail. Mostly we ran into people starting at Roaring Springs on the north side because its not recommended to go farther in the summer unless you're backpacking.

The big send-off! Our new friends waving us on from the North Rim!

Here's the other side of that.

Our friends! It was so awesome meeting you all!

A view of the Grand Canyon from Doug's eye. Have a look at that gorgeous rainbow! Amazing!

The Next Day - Leaving the Grand Canyon

2008-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Pain! Agony!

Five hours of sleep and sitting in the car for an 8+ hour drive didn't help us. Eddie and I hobbled about when we got out of the car to eat. Cindy drove most of the way and Eddie and I slept on and off. We were in pain.

Cindy and Eddie at breakfast:

We sat in this weird swing table. Underneath was posted this sign. I brightened the part that we though was amusing.

Me, in the car, tired.

Once we hit Barstow the rain began and the temperature fell almost 30 degrees. Bit drops hit the car and traffic slowed.

Being in a car for that long after such an epic day caused great pain. I was given a bath with epsom salt and a meal and I went to bed. And that is the end of our epic Grand Canyon trip.

NOTE: Today is monday, two days later. I'm sore, especially my calves and feet, but am otherwise fine. I'm actually looking forward to the triathlon we've got coming up and to whatever else comes along! I'm very proud to have done what we just did!

Post-adventure Washing

2008-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Cindy met Eddie and me at the top of the trail with a hug... and the car. The showers were closed and we were really filthy. So she drove us right up to the bathroom at the campground. She just hung out at the door watching us bathe in the little sinks... and she laughed at how pathetic we looked and sounded. Well deserved.

Here I am trying to get my shoes off:

Here's one of my six blisters. They don't hurt at all actually.

Eddie washing his feet in the sink. At the precise moment of the photo he screamed because soap got into his heel blister.

Here I am looking a little worked.

And here we're both washing our armpits. Much needed.

We both bathed fairly thoroughly in those sinks and with that cold water. But it was nice. Then Cindy drove us the remaining 50 yards (or less) to the camp site where we pretty much just passed out.

Grand Canyon R2R2R - Summer!!!

2008-07-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

At almost 50 miles, crossing the Grand Canyon twice is an impressive feat. Crossing durning the summer seems to be unheard of. I have searched the internet for several hours trying to find any account of someone else doing a summer R2R2R (Rim to Rim to Rim). Nothing. No one out there that's done it? Doubtful. But we're certainly in a very select group. Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the canyon where the Colorado River is got up to 109 or 110℉ in the day. Heat, sun exposure, and rough trails make this a pretty hardcore trip. All along the top of both sides of the canyon are signs warning people and giving examples of people who have died that were in great shape. What they should do also is post signs of success stories, like ours, people who prepare and pack correctly.

All in all we finished in 21 hours 43 minutes. Slower than expected but we ran into a snag - IT Band syndrome, an overuse injury common in marathoners, took our speed down significantly. This time, though, it was Eddie's knees and not mine. So we had to slow up. And then at about mile 35 we started to get a bit tired. But for a summer R2R2R that's not bad. Under 24 hours on those trails is pretty awesome! We're really excited and had such an amazing experience! We also made some friends on the trail and talked to a bunch of great people from all over, which made the experience all the more exciting.

I'll walk you through our trip, photo by photo...

We started running down the Bright Angel trail at the South Rim at 3:15 AM. Here we are about to leave:

Sunrise was 5:27 AM. About that time we were crossing the silver bridge over the Colorado River.

At 5:40 AM we ran into Phantom Ranch, 9.6 miles from the top. At Phantom Ranch we stopped for some water and so I could cover the first blister on my foot. We talked to a few people, ate a little bit and then took off running.

Eddie running out of the narrower sections of the Box Canyon area... I'm running behind him fumbling to take a decent photo.

Before we got to Cottonwood we decided to take a quick break.

Cottonwood Campground, about 6.8 or so miles from Phantom Ranch. Another stop for food and water and a little rest. Arrival time 8:30 AM

Sweating and dunked in water, I'm still feeling good at Cottonwood.

Eddie filling up on water.

After Cottonwood, nearly two miles up, is this other ranger station. More water and some gel shots and whatnot.

Me on the way up to Roaring Springs...

And finally the first half is done - the North Rim!!! Arrival time 1:10 PM.

We stayed for over an hour, drying feet, resting, eating lunch and talking to some of our new friends. Though we had stayed longer than we liked it was nice to talk and good for the feet to let them breathe for a bit. We left the North Rim at 2:35 PM with a grand send off from our new friends.

We were moving a bit slow from a bit of knee pain so our plan for an 18 hour trip was out. But we were prepared to be longer by having tons of extra food and water.

Here's the view from the lookout point just below the North Kaibab trailhead:

Eddie, back at that ranger station again, just past Roaring Springs.

We got back down to Cottonwood and took a very short break for food and water. Arrival time: 4:45 PM.

And of course we had to take the detour over to Ribbon Falls. I love this waterfall. I went there in summer 2006 during my big road trip. (That was when I first had the desire to go rim to rim). Arrival time: 5:20 PM.

We kept going, though by mile 35 we were starting to slow and get tired. We hit Phantom Ranch again at 7:25 PM, about 20 minutes before sunset. Another fairly short stop for water and food. At this point we knew we needed to keep moving. The knees get stiff if you sit for too long. My right knee was feeling a little weak and Eddie's IT bands in both knees were really affecting our pace.

Just past Phantom Ranch, getting ready to cross back over the Silver bridge and go up to the South Rim. Only 9.6 miles to go!

We moved slowly for a while. Then finally decided to take some caffeine shots. We reached Cindy by radio at the 3-mile water station. The moon was so bright that we turned off our headlamps and hiked by moonlight. It was awesome. The caffeine really hits Eddie and Me and we picked up the pace.

And finally, at 12:58 AM we arrived back at the South Rim. Tired and happy to rest. Total time rim to rim and back is 21:43. Perhaps if we had limited our rests and socializing we could have shaved two hours off the time. Without knee pains we could have gone even faster. But you know what - it doesn't matter! We did it! A summer R2R2R with no real problem in under a day! Awesome!!!

And, for anyone looking for tips here's what we recommend:
-train in the heat. Get to know your body and how it responds to extreme environments.
-Hammer Nutrition makes electrolyte pills called Endurolytes. Get them. Recommended by several Badwater runners.
-Bring extra food - nuts, gels, bars - stuff you can just cram down your throat. Don't bring anything too complex. The appetite changes out there and you need to replace a lot of calories to maintain.
-Look at your urine. Gross, I know. Look at the color of it. You can gauge how your body's chemistry is and see if you're lacking anything.
-Bring and emergency blanket. You never know.
-Trekking poles. Not allowed in regular ultra-marathons. Running with them and hiking with them can help save your lower body and give you extra balance and stability on uneven terrain. Well worth it.
-Learn to rest. Rest is good for you.
-Enjoy it. This is a national park, one of the seven natural wonders of the Earth, and an amazingly beautiful place. Look around, take it all in. Its gorgeous!
-Talk to people along the way. Have a great time. Celebrate your big adventure. It is truly epic.
-Drink water often... but remember that sodium helps your body regulate the absorption of water. Meaning if you drink too much water without enough electrolytes you could end up with hyponatremia (water intoxication).

Well, have a great time out there! Be safe!

Woohoo!!! More ultras to come! This is only the beginning!

Getting to the Grand Canyon

2008-07-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Highways: 55, 91, 15, 40.

We drove through the night, leaving Costa Mesa at about 10:30 PM and getting to the Grand Canyon at around 8 AM. We slept at a truck stop for around an hour between 3-4 or so.

We stopped at Williams, about 55 miles from the Grand Canyon, for some breakfast.

We all had the special... strawberry french toast. It was good.

After breakfast we hit the road - on to the park!

In the park we camped at Mather camp ground.

We went to check out the view and look at the trailhead. On the way we saw this cool train:

Here we are hanging around the edge:

Eddie and Me:

Cindy:

Indian Garden, 4.6 miles down:

Bedtime -sunset back at camp.

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Tired from the almost 2 hours of sleep and driving the night before and having to wake up at 2:30 AM we went to be fairly early. The next day would be epic.

Epic Ahead

2008-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

First, someone commented on one of the postings saying that what I'm posting these days is off topic for my blog. I say: This blog documents my life and what I'm doing and what I'm interested in posting. You're an idiot... and a coward for remaining anonymous. Go away.

Now then, having said that, let me tell you (except for the above person there) what Eddie and I are about to do. We are about to run the Grand Canyon, north rim-south rim- and back the the north rim. Also called a R2R2R run. Its 50 miles. Most people do this as late as May or around November but we are doing it now. July 19th. The hottest time of the year. With the Badwater Ultramarathon going on right now we're inspired. Of course, we're also trained and prepared. The weather will be in the 80's on the north rim, where we'll start, hit the 105-110 range at the bottom and be back into the high 80's at the south rim - during the day. But to do it right we'll be starting around 3:00 AM and running though the dark as much as we can. We're not going for records, just safety and survival. This will be a real gauge of where we're at and how close I am to my goal of running the Western States 100 (Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA - 100 miles).

We are really excited! We'll be leaving thursday night, hanging out on friday, and running saturday.

In other news: I was 3 moves away from hitting this 5.12a out at Holcomb Valley a couple days ago. Then it rained and hailed. But I was so close! Next time I'll hit it!

My Birthday!

2008-06-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

June 26th, 1980.

That makes me 28 now. But because I'm so active and have so much great stuff going on in my life I feel like a million bucks! I'm not getting old, Its not "all downhill from here."

The first part of the day takes me to the beach, Big Corona, in Corona Del Mar.

I was having a great time...

...and got a pie to the face thanks to JenRaven.

The pie was good. Chocolate cream.

After that was yoga and climbing. Then a bunch of people gathered at Karl Strauss brewery (home of really gross been and no healthy food). But it was a bunch of my friends and other climbers so we had a great time. I ended up wearing a plastic tiara, plastic clip-on earrings, and some Mardi Gras beads. I looked pretty hot.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Dad's Knee (or Kneecap Recap)

2008-06-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

It has been about two months now since Dad's knee replacement. He walks at least 2 miles a day and works out pretty hard. He has more strength and range of motion now than he has in many years. And, along with the mountain of other hardware inside his body, he looks like the terminator. Or, put another way, he's a couple million shy of being the $6 million dollar man. A couple million more and he'll be working for the government.

Anyway, here's Dad's new knee!

If he can be so active and in such great shape after some 15 surgeries, including knee replacement and a major spinal surgery, than everyone should be able to do some exercise too. This is motivation people! He doesn't let all these things keep him down! Get motivated and get out there!

Half Dome Run!

2008-06-28T12:30:00.001-07:00

The day after giving up our El Capitan/Zodiac trip Eddie and I went for a long time goal: the Half Dome hike. Neither of us had ever done it, despite its popularity. Round trip is 17 miles. The sign says allow 10-12 hours. We summited in 3 hours (about 8.5 miles, 4,500' elevation gain, and including the cables). We took an hour on top and then about 30 minutes coming back down at Nevada Falls to hang out, cool ourselves, and get a drink. We ran most of it. It was cool.

Here is Nevada Falls

Here are the switch backs/stairs.

Traffic at the cables. We ran up the outside of them, prompting people to say things like "be careful" and "you guys are crazy" and other stuff.

This line was taking people around 30-45 minutes to get to the top. We did it in 5 minutes.

From the summit we looked over we saw some climbers on the Northwest Route.

Me on the Diving Board, 3,500' above the Yosemite Valley floor.

Eddie on the Diving Board.

Running back down we stopped at Nevada Falls to cool our legs, get some food and water. My feet were so cold!

Eddie cooling his junk in the stream.

At the end of the day, back in Camp 4, I caught a glimpse of Half Dome.

2008-06-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are few other photos I wanted to put up:

Try not to get lost in Yosemite!

And don't crawl in here.

But mostly watch out for the crazy animals!

We saw a baby rattlesnake on our path up to El Capitan. The babies are more dangerous because they'll keep pumping venom and not know when to stop.

A marmot at the top of Half Dome. We watched another one steal some guy's whole bag of chips.

The squirrels are so bold. They'll walk up and slap you and take your food. This one punched me square in the jaw with a right hook. But there was no way he was taking my PowerBar Gel. No way.

The Story About El Cap and Zodiac: Why We Didn't Make It

2008-06-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well, let me just give you the quick quick version: Donny sprained his ankle. End climb.

So, let me just fill you in with a couple details. Day 1: we showed up at 3 AM, squatted at Camp 4. By about 2 PM the next day we were hiking up to the base of El Cap, over to Zodiac. At 3 PM I aid climbed the first one and a half pitches, about 120 feet of scary A3 climbing (complete with really scary hook moves) that took me until about 8 PM. I rappelled down and we took off to get food (lovely pizza after so long without eating). Day 2: we woke up pretty early. We were about 3/4 the way up to the base to give a three day push to the top when a rock Donny was hiking over moved. He fell, rolled his ankle, and then the rock rolled over his ankle (insult to injury). Luckily it was a sprain and not broken but that was the end. He was carrying a 180+ pound haul bag on his back so its not like he was just being a klutz. Sucks! So Eddie and I took all the gear down the car, ran back up with empty haul bags... back at the base of the route we set up, Eddie ascended the line I had fixed the previous day, lead the rest up to the second pitch's anchors and rappelled down. Then we loaded up the haul bags again and hiked out. So Eddie and I really labored that day. When we got to the bottom the three of us went to the river and cooled down.

Even though we didn't get to finish the route (beyond the 150' we did do) Eddie and I still had a blast hiking with massive haul bags and all that. We will return soon... next time for, perhaps, the Nose (or some other route).

Now then, how 'bout some photos?!

Here we all are with our haul bags:

Donny

Somewhere around 180 or so pounds. At least 8 gallons of water, a mountain of gear, and anything else that can be crammed in. These things are heavy!

And that's me with another really heavy bag. Sticking out of the top were the porta-ledges (for sleeping).

Eddie with a massive haul bag weighing over 80% of his body weight!

Behind this bag is Eddie. That's all I'm gonne say.

Here we have the rack, all the climbing gear we were about to use. What a bunch of junk!

All the stuff:

Right off the ground, just getting into the groove.

Here I am near the first hook move. There was an empty hole where a rivet formerly was. I had to use the bat hook, the smallest of the hooks, and put it in there. It scraped and shook as I weighted it and stood up on it. The scariest part was that if it blew out I'd have hit the ground from about 40-50 feet. The pieces below me were crap. I was shaking and scared out of my mind.

Here I am past the scariest sections. No more risk of a ground fall if I fell.

The next day, after Donny's injury, Eddie and I had to clean the gear that we had left fixed up there. So here is Eddie ascending the fixed line I set up from the previous evening.

And after he ascended the line he cleaned my anchor and led the rest of the way to the second pitch where he rappelled down and pulled the rope.

And that was that. A total of 150 feet up on Zodiac. But our Yosemite trip was not even remotely a total bust...

Brad Aid-Bouldering A3, Camp 4, Yosemite

2008-06-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Brad, who has recently decided to live and work in Yosemite Valley for a year. In Camp 4, on the side of the Midnight Lightening boulder there is this scary old rusty rivet ladder, put up sometime in the 70's (we think). Each rivet is rusted through. But he went for it and did it. Pretty bold!

Zodiac, El Capitan, Yosemite National Park

2008-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Donny, Eddie and I are leaving in a couple hours to go climb Zodiac, a route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. I'll take tons of photos and, of course, post them when we get back. Even if there were WIFI on El Capitan I still wouldn't defile its wilderness or grandeur, though I do want to share the photos as fast as I can.

You can follow along by checking SuperTopo's Forum and searching for the posting titled "El Cap Report" and the date. We will be climbing from 6/18 through 6/21. The photos will be small but you'll see our 3-man team and probably read a caption about this team on Zodiac.

Here is our route, Zodiac, on the right side (facing the wall). 1,800 feet of climbing!

And here is the whole of El Capitan. Doesn't look so big, right? The highest point is over 3,000 feet.

Bat Survey

2008-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I go to help a team of biologists (and Eddie) on a bat survey on the outskirts of Orange County. We hiked out, set up some recording devices, counted bats, and had a few small nets set up to catch a few for quick identification (we let them go immediately).

Here's the hills and part of the area we were studying:

A few of them hiking up the dry creek bed that we set up some recorders in... and where Eddie and I almost had a mountain lion run-in... either we were in front of it or it was in front of us... and we were running (oops!):

Here is the set up of one of the devices:

And now, the big brown bats:

OC Fair Photos

2008-06-12T12:18:00.001-07:00

I have two photos that will be on display at this year's Orange County Fair. Go and check them out.

Mt. Rainier:

A small waterfall at a tiny stream in Yosemite Valley:

Bolting and Climbing in Big Bear

2008-06-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Eddie leads a group from his church climbing outside once a month. Last time was Joshua Tree. This time was Castle Slab. I usually tag along. This time the trip had two purposes: one was to have the group climb some routes and the other was for Eddie and I to bolt our new route "Unas, Slayer of the Gods" (5.11a) for the new guidebook.

Here is the wall with "Unas,..." and a couple other cracks.

Here I am drilling one of the bolts:

And here's Eddie drilling bolt four:

After some time drilling and a little more cleaning the route was ready for its first leads. Since I was the first to show interest in the line I got to be the first to lead it. So here I am on the crux section, first ascent, first lead, of "Unas, Slayer of the Gods:"

And here is Eddie on the second lead of "Unas,..."

Some of the others from the group got on the route on top rope. One of the guys did, which was very cool. Bruce also got on the route and did some struggling. The crux section is very bouldery and a bit overhung with no footholds and good but a little slopey hands. It takes some good power to get through it. Its a really awesome, classic route!

Eddie, Cindy, Olivia, and I camped in Holcomb Valley that night. Eddie and I went for a night run with our headlamps, saw a frog, listened to the noises of the forest, and looked up at the night sky before finally going to sleep on a bed of pine needles. In the morning we went over to Lake Arrowhead and biked around the lake. The road around the lake is ten miles and is the bike and part of the run for the upcoming Lake Arrowhead Triathlon (Aug. 16th) that we're competing in.

Ultramarathonman - The film and the man himself!

2008-06-02T12:40:00.000-07:00

Dean Karnazes, the Ultramarathon man, just ran down the state, from San Francisco to San Diego, from mission to mission, over 700 miles. He did that in 9 days.

On Thursday, May 29th, he came to the premier screening of the film "Ultramarathon Man" by JB Brenna of JourneyFilm. I ran pieces of the Pacific Coast Highway in loops, down from OC to Encinitas, where the film screened at the La Paloma theater. It was a great film.

But, I also got the meet Dean and his parents, who had been his chase car in their RV called "The Mothership." Dean is a big influence on me and on what Eddie and I are doing this summer. He's an amazing athlete with more endurance than any other living thing on the planet. He's also really nice and very cool.

Look at the size and definition of his legs...

Here is the outside of the theater just before the screening.

There were tons of runners there at the theater, including very strong ultra runner David Goggins. Most of the people were gearing up and getting inspired for the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon a couple days later (I ran last year but can't afford this year).

Weekend in Joshua Tree

2008-06-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

A friend from Rockreation, Caroline, had a birthday weekend in Joshua Tree with climbing and hiking and whatnot. I carpooled with a few other people to save on gas. It also meant that I had to sleep on the ground (night 1) and then ended up sleeping in the back seat of small car (nights 2 and 3). And it was quite cold that particular weekend. Here are a couple photos from the trip.

Ah the fans of renewable energy...

Green is good!

That rock on top of the pile is called Headstone. It's about 40 feet tall and has a couple really cool routes on one side. Since the people I was climbing with were mostly new climbers we set up on the easy routes on that side.

This is Marcus, the only other experienced climber on the trip, on the boulder-traverse called "Gunsmoke" V2.

Quick Addressing of a Question

2008-06-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

I was asked about how I'm coping with gas prices, especially while I can't seem to find any work. Here's how: It is not in my budget to eat or drive now. So I'm only eating out of the generosity of friends here and there and I don't drive if I can, which means I'm not leaving Costa Mesa. It also means I've had to refine my job search to only Costa Mesa with the possibility of Newport Beach, Irvine, or Santa Ana.

In other words: big disaster.

OC Register Article

2008-05-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Famous/Infamous again. This time I'm not front page news, as if living in a truck was truly newsworthy. The photo is certainly not flattering. And, as per usual, there is SOOOO much more to the story than what was told in that short article. So if you've not seen it here's the link:

"Guy Who Lives in Truck"

I've got a ton of plans through the summer:

-Climbing El Capitan (finally!) with Donny
-Running 48+ miles across the Grand Canyon with Eddie
-Volunteering at one of the aid stations for the Western States 100
-Watching and cheering in Death Valley for the runners of the Badwater Ultramarathon
-Crossing Joshua Tree National Park in two days (also with Eddie)
-Kayaking to and around the Channel Islands
-Some "extreme ironing" on Mt. Whitney (you'll have to Google that yourself)
-The Lake Arrowhead triathlon
-Seeing Eddie Izzard!!! (in San Diego)
-One day assault of the "Narrows" in Zion National Park
-Multiple peaks in Tuolomne... we'll figure that one out later.

Somewhere around there work should happen too. But let's face it - that stuff is way more fun!

MobileTechStudios

2008-05-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

As of this week my business partner and I are ready for service. Our business, MobileTechStudios, is available for IT, Support and Training - in home, on set, in studio.

Check out the site and our services!

MobileTechStudios

or email us for questions:

team@mobiletechstudios.com

Climbing and Bolting Around Castle Slab, Big Bear

2008-05-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Just outside of Big Bear City is a climbing area called Castle Rock. It's funny that, growing up, we used to climb at the Castle Rock in Tahoe. Both are granite. Anyway, behind Castle Rock (Big Bear) there is a big slab called... Castle Slab. Creative. And behind that lies a whole area of untapped climbing. Bruce, a friend who lives up in Arrowhead, has been cleaning, bolting and establishing the area recently. On the most recent trip up I joined them for some route-finding.

From the top of Castle Slab - Big Bear Lake:

Bruce had found a route out there that he dubbed the Conklin Face. Until that day he hadn't completed the route. After working the moves on top-rope we all did it (with some falls). Then Bruce, Eddie, and Chris bolted it. The Conklin Face is coming in at a rating of 5.11d/12a, very crimpy, very sharp little holds.

Here is Chris hammering and drilling the last bolt:

The Conklin Face, post bolting, ready to be lead for the first time:

Here's the bolts just after drilling finished:

Here is Bruce on the route:

Here is Bruce on one of the better holds:

Here is Eddie leading the route:

Though I had climbed it on top-rope I took a good little piece off my knee and the tips off my fingers so I didn't try it again. But as we were heading to another spot I found a route that I'll be coming back to clean and bolt. It happens to be right next to this really burly crack that Eddie intends on leading. I'll get some photos of those next time. Going back up soon!

Newport Beach Film Festival

2008-05-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

The Newport Beach Film Festival went on from April 24th to May 1st and showed some really great films. Closing night I went to the Lido Theater (below) to see the film "Captain Abu Raed," a great Jordanian film.

Here is the film's poster outside the theater:

The inside of the Lido Theater, just before the final screening.

I hope next year's festival get even more good films. As a screener (and hopefully a programmer for next year) I'm excited to watch the next batch of submissions, which will start flowing in around November (I think). Everyone should go next year!

Joshua Tree National Park - Climbing weekend extravaganza!

2008-05-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

This post coming to you only a week after the event. Why? Because I was sick from all the sun exposure and I didn't feel like posting.

We left OC on friday night and camped in Joshua Tree National Park through sunday afternoon. Fantastic. The weather was hot but gorgeous. Eddie leads a group of climbers from his church every month or so outside on a climbing trip somewhere and I tend to tag along and help set up top-rope anchors. The group that goes is usually the same, a very nice group, I might say.

The first place we went was a rock called Hall of Horrors, west wall, west face. Here is Cindy on one of the routes:

After a few good hours there (and some decent on-sites) we went to another wall, Old Woman Rock, and climbed one of the Joshua Tree classics, "Double Cross," a stout "5.7+" that climbs more like a 5.10ish crack. Really fantastic route. I jumped on the route next to it, some face climb whose name I don't remember, but is rated 5.11b. A nice on-site there also. I was happy about this one. After being back less than 6 months after injury its nice to be getting back to a good strength.

During a bit of a break Eddie and I finally got some food. I/we love...LOVE curry. I don't think he knew I was taking this:

And look, a pretty little desert flower:

Day 2 - Eddie and I woke really early and headed out to climb a route called "Overhang Bypass" (so named because it traverses the bottom of an overhang. Then we went to another route on a rock called Headstone. All that before breakfast. But the highlight was me being tossed off a 5.10d crack. It was hard for a .10d though. Sloping finger locks in this crappy crack, rock sweating in the sun, no good foot placement. The rating may be sandbagged, as per usual in J-Tree, so I didn't feel quite so lame being tossed off such a grade. Another highlight was watching Eddie teach Olivia how to lead a crack - "trad" lead, using cams and nuts and whatnot. Here's the best shot of Eddie soloing a 5.2 instructing Olivia on her very first cam placement.

If you don't get the climber slang head down to your local rock climbing gym and ask. Its easy.

Michelle and Kiley visit

2008-04-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

After leaving the hospital I went to my parent's house in Sacramento to care for the dogs and do some other stuff. Which means I get to hang out with my good friends that I don't see so often. Michelle, my long-time great friend, just recent had her first baby, Kiley. Honestly I think all babies look like aliens. Its just how it is. Cute? I guess. For an alien.

Here's Michelle being a mom:

And here is Gizmo being very gentle, sweet, and incredibly curious:

Even I got in there. I held her. She drooled on me. She filled her diaper with a previous meal. Great. And she moves around a lot so I had to do that 'bump up and down, anything to appease the baby' thing. It was funny.

This is my hand in hers. She's tiny. Two and a half months (about).

The next day I went climbing at Sacramento Pipeworks (rock climbing gym) with Michelle, Kevin and Kiley. Kiley is too small for a harness now but just wait...

Dad's Total Knee Replacement

2008-04-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

I awoke at 5-something AM and saw Mom and Dad off. I was to join them at the hospital. My dad was set for a total knee replacement at 7:30 AM by a well renown doctor for this sort of thing. He works on famous people and sports stars and was tough to get so they made a good choice.

Sunrise from the hotel window:

Here's the old knee, the original. The left (light circle) is pretty far from normal. Some noises, pain, and limited range of motion. Time for a new one.

After the surgery, bleeding from the knee a bit (normal) and breathing into his lung device:

Loosing a pint or so...

Here's the new knee, still swollen and stitched, but working. Already walking a bit with two canes until the trekking poles show up. Look at the pretty colors! He should be dancing again in no time!

San Francisco with Billy and Vanessa

2008-04-18T17:19:00.001-07:00

I left Costa Mesa sunday morning at about 8:00 AM and drove straight to the Emeryville where I met with Billy and Vanessa. We went into the city (San Francisco) and straight to Golden Gate Park to walk around and whatnot.

Here is the lovely couple:

I did a good flagpole but my crappy dying camera is so slow that it only got the part where I was coming down.

After the park we went to Pier 39 and had dinner at Neptune's, a nice restaurant at the end of the pier (and out of our budgets). The food was very nice. We shared a bottle of Pinot Noir, not great but not bad either. Again with the happy couple:

After dinner the sun was gone and the bay breeze picked up enough to send shivers down our spines. Here is a lonely pier 39 once the shops were closed.

And here is what Billy and Vanessa did most of the day:

It was awesome hanging out with them. We had so many good jokes going and so many laughs.

2 Years, 8 Months!

2008-03-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

I'm growing ever closer to the 3-year mark here. Crazy!