Fetch....

Wanted to start this week off with another Duke kicking ass pic. Going through, no joke, thousands of pictures and video clips from Duke's lifetime has been healing to the soul.

Chill

Duke loved chilling amongst the forest. I used to walk through this stretch of green with him often. I carried a camera and would often stop and geek out on a single composition for hours. Often times I completely forgot Duke was even with me, and then I remembered and would scan around in a momentary panic. He would be a few feet away, chilling, watching for danger at my back, soaking in the earth, the green. Just like this....

Head First Pup

Humility

Duke had humor. His humor was humility. We used to live in this house our good friends Bill and Kris owned in SE Portland. It had this back covered patio with 4" by 4" support beams. One fine afternoon, Gina casually tossed a toy into the yard from the patio for Duke to chase down like a lion and shake to a humble tatter. As he launched from the patio he ran square into the beam head first with enough force to shake, what felt like, the entire backyard. Duke bounced back, reset and pounced on the toy bringing it back to us as if nothing happened. In a matter of seconds we noticed a good size lump forming, but he couldn't care less.

One of my favorite humbling moments for him was in the Olympic Mountains of Washington. The 3 of us sauntered to the top of Mt. Ellinor to find a good gathering of Mountain Goats roaming about. We of course put him on his leash and kept him well away from the Goats. More out of respect for their habitat than for his sake. However one of the large momma Goats and her Kid decided they were going to walk right up to Duke and Gina in the middle of a switchback on the trail that backed up against a vertical step of rock. Neither of them had a retreat path. I was quite nervous of what a momma Goat may do to Gina and Duke considering her Kid was right behind her and they were in the way of progress. I was also concerned how Duke may react. Well, as momma approached, Duke backed up, rolled over and showed full submission to the impressive beast encroaching. He knew, this was her terrain and respect was the best tact.

Another time, while visiting my parents in Michigan at my childhood home, my mother in law Barb and I walked him down to the swimming hole of my youth. It was on the Sturgeon River which has steep undercut banks and a swift current. Duke was attempting to drink, catch a fish, see his reflection, something, when he slipped face first into the drink. Unable to get any purchase with his paws and pull himself out, I ran over and yanked him out by the scruff of his neck. He was breathing heavy and completely soaked, but within moments,  Duke seamlessly moved onto his next curiosity. A friend who was with us said "He will never forget what you did there, you are now best friends for life." If that's the case, I've pulled him out of more holes than I can remember making us best friends several lifetimes through.

In The Snow

The time Duke, Gina, and I walked through a snow storm somewhere near Trillium Lake. Duke was always up for anything from backcountry skiing to high winds to canoeing, riding in a bike trailer, ripping through the woods chasing us on our mountain bikes, swimming in the Clackamas, or just chilling on the couch...

Thanks Buddy Duke....

This guy loved sand. He would never venture into the ocean until recently, but he always loved sand. Whatever, rolling, running, diving, digging, sleeping, chilling, all of it, all good. Duke's energy around this stuff was contagious. As adults, we often times forget that rolling around in the dirt is completely rad and Duke never let us forget. 

The Chillest Oregon Stampede ever......

Rad folks, 124 miles, 9454' of elevation gain, 11 hours on the bike, 8 hours chilling, 19 total hours out, 60% Gravel, and Rad Folks......

CLICK HERE to see the whole story. 40 miles from the end, beers and burgers called.

We talked for about 15 minutes trying to figure out which way to turn before seeing the MAPS box 5' from us, doh!

Desert Sun

keep on keeping' on 2 wheels

Oregon Outback Bikepack 2014

'merica, bikes, whiskey, good times...

Sharing a new set of images from a bike ride we did in June. Click any image or this LINK to see the entire journey as it rolled away on two wheels. 

Aaron and I rode through mostly high desert from Klamath Falls, Oregon up to the Columbia Plateau where the Deschutes and Columbia Rivers Converge. Brian joined us for the second half in Prineville, OR. He lifted our spirits and tired bodies the rest of the way all while hammering some of the hardest climbs through the Ochoco Mountains. We camped out for 6 nights and rode 7 days carrying everything we needed to survive including a fair amount of whiskey to ease the pain in our arse's each night. Wooooeeeee.....

Aaron, me, and Brian, solid crew...

Aaron hammering the pin back into his pedal

North Trask Bikepack.....Again (with a Rad! crew this go)

Crushing Silos mid-ride

Check all the Pics HERE!

Click any of the pictures or the link above to see all of the pics from this kick-ass overnight ride. If you so desire....

Smitherman, and a bike with a kickstand

Kevin and his new ECR

Top o' the hardest climb of the day. 90ish degrees F didn't help much.

North Trask River Bikepack

Click image to see more...

Click here to see all of the images from this trip.....

Geesh, I take pictures everyday, almost. And, what happens to them? Well, they sit idle for way too long, years sometimes. These are not that old, but definitely fall into the category of, did I even do that trip?, oh yes, here are the pictures to prove I'm still sane. A day may come along when I can't find the pictures to prove it, but for now I hope you enjoy these....

Last August I packed up the rig and set out after work from my studio in PDX towards the Oregon Coast via the North Trask River route. It was exceptional, peaceful, everything you could want from a last minute bikepack. But only better.

Check the GPS Track out HERE...

Click image to see more....

Click image to see more...

Wandering with 3 Monks and a Dear Friend....

To be honest, I'm not sure how to talk about this trip or describe it for that matter. It was.......peaceful. Seriously, it was the most peaceful I have felt with a group of humans in the wilderness, ever. I've felt similar peace before in the woods, by myself, but never with a group. When traveling with multiple folks in wilderness there is almost always a discussion going on or an issue that needs attention. Not the case on this trip.

'Equanimity' may be the closest word that express what I felt. Not that I even came close to having equanimity in its true form, but I thought about this topic much while wandering with 3 Theravada Buddhist monks and my good friend Brian. According to Wikipedia equanimity is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. Way above my head, but maybe someday I will at least be able to come close.

Click here or the image below to see the photo gallery from this journey.

Ajahn Sudanto wandering towards Mt. Jefferson. Go here for the entire photo gallery.

Find more information about the monks and the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon, WA. http://www.pacifichermitage.org