5,800 Miles

Sunday, January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted to my blog! So, I thought I'd look through some of my old photos and post a few. I'll be traveling to Berkerely and San Francisco twice in February, so here are a few of my favorite photos from the Bay Area.

A busy alley way in Chinatown

Fisherman's Warf

Tuesday May 31, 2011

2011-05-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A serious injury to the big toe on my left foot is forcing me off the trail at Wrightwood, California, near the 350 mile mark. I have a ticket on Amtrak to take me back to Oregon.

I'm sure I'll be loosing my big toe nail, but that's OK ... I've lost it before and I know it will grow back. Walking in Sandals seems to be OK, it's just painful when I try to wear my shoes and hike with my back-pack on.

I have a lot more photos to up-load, and I'll do that after I get back to my own comuter.

Be safe on what every trail you choose to hike!

O. Ikem Sofar

Sunday, May 15, 2011

2011-05-15T19:32:00.002-07:00

210 miles total, 13 miles today.

This is the under-pass for Highway I-10. It's a great place to hide out and enjoy a cold soda from a local trail angel! The wind was really blowing hard today.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

2011-05-15T19:32:00.001-07:00

197 miles total, 15 miles today.

Friday, May 13, 2011

2011-05-15T19:31:00.002-07:00

184 miles total, 12 miles today.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

2011-05-15T19:31:00.001-07:00

172 miles total, 6 miles today.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

2011-05-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

166 miles total, 15 miles today.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

2011-05-15T19:29:00.001-07:00

Another zero day! 151 miles total.

Monday, May 9, 2011

2011-05-15T19:28:00.001-07:00

151 miles total, 14 miles today.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

2011-05-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! 137 miles total, 10 miles today. I haven't quite reached my goal of 18 miles per day, but it will come in time.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

2011-05-15T19:26:00.002-07:00

127 Miles total, 18 miles today.

I got an early start at about 6:00 a.m. The other hikers in the room I was staying left even earlier, and I doubt I will ever see them again. Speed Bump, Top Shelf and Wired. They were nice to let me stay in their room last night.

Friday, May 6, 2011

2011-05-15T19:26:00.001-07:00

109 miles total, 10 miles today.

I left most of the items that were in my pack in a large garbage bag at the Front Desk of the resort and just took water and few snacks for the "slack-pack" 10 mile hike on the section of the trail from Barrel Springs to Warner Springs Ranch Resort.

I started at about noon, but it didn't take too long for a driver to stop and offer me a ride. They weren't going all the way that I needed to go, so at about the 1/2 point, I jumped out and crossed the street to start looking for my next ride. Before I could even get out of the first car, a second car had already pulled over to offer me a ride the rest of the way. I wasn't even exactly sure that I was headed in the right direction! I was frantically looking at the map to make sure it was the right way!

It was a very warm afternoon for hiking, and I only saw two other hikers for the entire 10 miles. Most people like to do this part of the trail early in the morning to avoid the heat.

This is Eagle Rock, and the rock formation looks like a large Eagle getting ready to take flight.

When I got back to the Ranch, I fully intended to get the rest of my things and continue on down the trail. However, from the gate, I could hear a lot of people at the Cantina, laughing and having a good time. It was close to dinner time, so I thought "OK, just go back in and enjoy a nice dinner before hiking."

Well, it was just too tempting not to stay another night! One of hikers offered to let me sleep on the floor of their room, so I decided to soak in the hot pool one more time and stay the night.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

2011-05-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

I took a Zero day today. After a wonderful breakfast by some trail angels (China Doll, Riffleman, Princes and Bat Boy) that were camped in their RV's near Barrel Springs, I hitched a ride to Warner Springs Ranch Resort. It was an easy hitch, and it was great to get to the Ranch early in the morning rather than in the afternoon like all the other hikers I was hiking with.

First thing, I went and did my laundry ... no line and no waiting, except I had to walk across the street to the little store to get laundry soap and change for the washing machine.

Next, I was able to get on a computer and up-load some photos. Again, no line and no waiting.

By the time most of the other hikers showed up, I was soaking in the hot pool! What a great place to take a zero day!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

2011-05-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

101 miles total, 16 miles today.

I made it to Barrel Springs today. It was a hot, hot, hot day! In the middle of the day, I stopped and rested for a while, mostly to get out of the mid-day heat.

As night approached, I started to hike with a hiker by the trail name of 8 Miles. I turned on my headlamp to light up the trail.

As we approached the Springs, you could see two RV's that had set up camp near the road. A lot of hikers were there, and they were all talking and laughing. It was like a beacon in the night, inviting anyone and everyone to come join them.

Right at the springs, sereral hikers had set up their tents, but I decided to go straight to where the RV's were parked. They had lots of food: chili, hot dogs, cold beer and soda, fruit, and at least 30 folding chairs for hikers to sit and eat. They had a nice fire going, and the trail angels were wonderful people. I ended up setting up my tent right near the RV's, as a few other hikers had done the same thing.

2011-05-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

85 miles total, 17 miles today.

The town of Julian is well known for it's apple pie. The Mom's Bakery and Deli was giving free 1/2 sanwich and a cup of soup to PCT hikers! Can't beat free food! It was wonderful pie, too!

A lot of hikers are headed to the Warner Springs Ranch Resort, and it's a very nice place! Great rooms, two swimming pools, wonderful food and beverages. It will be very relaxing to take a zero day there.

2011-05-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 2, 2011

68 miles, 16 miles today

It was a good day today. Windy at times ... maybe as high as 40 m.p.h. The wind kept the tempatures cooler than they would have otherwise. There were about 20 hikers camped where I stopped for the night. I had to use my light for the last hour of hiking as it was getting dark. It was a very nice place to camp.

Mt. Laguna Store

2011-05-03T14:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 1, 2011

52 miles total, 14 miles today

I had a great time hiking with other hikers today. There are so many new trail names to keep straight that I'm having a hard time with it. I'm having some issues with fuel, because if you try to mail fuel anyway other than ground, the post office wants a $25 haz-mat fee. Hopefully I can get this all figured out soon.

If you look at this picture closely, you can see some small white spotches at the top of the mountain. The white stuff is snow, high on the mountains. I left a note on the trail for other PCT hikers to notice the snow. At the pace that I'm going, I should be to that snow in about 2 weeks or so.

This is a Mt. Laguna Store. They also have rooms that you can rent here. It's very hiker friendly, and they have a wide variety of hiker food that you can buy. When I arrived, several hikers were hanging out in the front of the store, taking a nice break.

2011-05-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 30, 2011

38 miles total, about 6 miles today.

There have been a lot of snakes along the trail here in the desert. You can often hear them shake their rattles when you approach. Some of the hikers have ear plugs in ... I'm not sure how well they can hear the snakes!

I think I might have a touch of heat stroke yesterday, so I was really taking it easy today. I got out of the mid-day heat, and will continue to do the same thing as days progress while I'm still in this desert area.

2011-05-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 29, 2011

The wild flowers in the desert add a lot of color to the hike.

I hiked about 10 miles with two day hikers, Don and Keith, that were staying at Lake Morena Camp Ground. It was nice to have the company to hike with.

Long March to Lake Moreno Camp Ground

2011-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 28, 2011

19 miles of hiking, 21 miles total.

I got up early, and I knew it would be a hot day.

At the Start of the Trail

2011-05-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Martha and I went to the great Mexican Restaurant on the way to Campo. She had just eaten lunch, but I was very hungry, so I had a nice meal. By the time we got to the start of the trail, it was about 6:30 p.m. Another hiker had just arrived, and he got started before I was ready to leave.

I hiked about 2 miles before it started to get dark. I was hiking with my headlamp, so when I caught up to the spot where the other hiker had set up his camp, I decided to stay there, too.

Camped at the Beach

2011-05-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Diana and I met for a very nice lunch at a buffet in Chino, close to where the truck driver dropped me off. I also did a little shopping, and found a new cell phone case. Then she took me to the train station so I could ride the MetroLink and Amtrak to San Diego, It was a great train ride!

Before heading to start of the trail, I really wanted to spend some time at the beach. I was hoping to camp on the beach, but I couldn't find a camp ground, so I just waited until dark, then put my tent up by the parking lot, several hundred yards from the beach. I got up early the next morning, before anyone else got there, and headed down to the beach.

Later in the day, I took the bus and the trolley out to Adventure 16 to meet Martha. I still had a few things to buy, like a stove and some fuel. Then we mailed my day pack and city clothes back home and we were off to Campo!

Heading South To Campo, California

2011-04-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

The last 24 hours have been very exciting for me.

I really didn't know how I was going to get to the start of the trail. Mostly, I was counting on something from Craig's List, and I had planned to stop and visit a friend in San Francisco on the way. I didn't want to pay a lot of money. Amtrak would have been about $175 or so.

Several different offers came together, but then fell apart. The best was a guy from LA that wanted to pay me to drive a U-haul truck from Eugene to LA. That one fell apart over the weekend.

Then I heard from a guy in Portland that wanted $45 to ride to Oakland. That looked like it would work, so early on Monday, my roommate Jo dropped me off at the Taco Bell near I-5. I heard from the driver that he was tied up in Portland traffic and would be delayed, so I walked over and sat on the edge of I-5 to wait for him.

As I was sitting on the side of the freeway in the rain (for about 1/2 an hour), a large semi-truck pulled up and stopped. I though maybe he wanted directions or something, because semi-truck drivers rarely give rides. The driver asked where I was headed, and I told hime San Diego. He said, "Throw your pack in, I'm headed to Riverside, California" and we were off.

He was a really nice guy. In fact, he bought me dinner.

It was about 8 am the next day when we rolled into L.A. I tired to pay him for the ride, but he wouldn't take anything!

2011-04-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

I did some important shopping at REI for some up-graded gear for my hike. There were still a few items that I wanted before I headed to San Deigo: a new, light weight cooking pot, better rain gear, a new pair of wool long johns, and a pair of hiking shorts. While I was in the camping section, I also picked up a new air mattress. It's very light, and can roll up not much larger than a soda can. It will provide some extra comfort as well as warmth.

My head lamp was having some issues, so I also got a new light.

I think I've got all the gear I need now.

On Monday, I'll be headed South to San Diego. I'm not exactly sure how I'll be getting there, as I have a couple of options. Someone from Portland contacted me and offered to pay me to drive a car to LA. That would be awesome if it comes together. I have also posted to Craig's List that I need a ride, but it's still a bit too early. It seems that people don't think to check Craig's List Rideshare until the last minute, so I'll be re-posting later this week.

If all goes well, I might try and stop in San Francisco on the way South.

Tomorrow, I'll be finishing up the packing and renting a U-Haul truck to take all my stuff to my storage unit. That will be a big job!

2011-04-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

It's official! On Monday, April 25, 2011, I'll be headed to San Diego so I can start my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail ... all 2,650 miles this time.

When I tried to hike the trail in 2008, I didn't make it all the way to Canada, but I did learn a lot, took some great photos, and lost about 50 pounds. I'm really looking forward to loosing that weight again!

Here are some important rules that I set for myself to help me make it all the way to Canada this time:

#1. Don't go home ... for ANY reason! If I want to make it to Canada in a single season, it has to be my #1 priority. Everything else will be priority #2, #3 and so on. If something really important comes up, it will just have to wait until I get home in September.

#2. Take a zero day now and then. It's important to take a day of rest. If I don't, it will affect my body and my spirit. In 2008, I don't think I took enough zero days where I found a nice place and just sat there, relaxing and enjoying myself. I plan to do that about every week or two this time.

#3. Hike one more mile. In 2008, there were plenty of times when I would come to a great place to came in the late afternoon, and I'd say "You better camp here ... there might not be a better place" only to hike about a mile the next morning and find an equally if not better place to camp. So, this time around, I plan to hike "ONE MORE MILE" at the end of the day. Now, don't get me wrong. I might stop at a great camping spot, take off my pack, cook my dinner and relax for a while. But after I've taken a break, I want to get going again and hike "one more mile" before I end for the day. If I do that often enough, it will boost my total mileage and help me get to Hope, BC Canada by September 15, 2011.

So, sit back, book-mark this site, check in once in a while, send me a text to 541-549-1339 (Yes, I'm taking my cell phone, but I won't have service very often), drop me a word of encouragement every once in a while, come visit me on the trail when I'm passing by your neck of the woods, and look forward to seeing me again in September, 2011!

Monday, April 11, 2011

2011-04-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

Monday, April 11, 2011

I just returned home from an exciting trip to Willow Creek, Idaho to attend a wonderful campout with Boy Scout Troop 728 from Beaverton, Oregon. We had 3 full days of scouting activities near Emmett, Idaho.

Troop 728 has posted photos on their website, so I won't be posting any photos ... actually, I didn't take any. So, chech out their photo gallery here.

Stay tuned for more exciting news ...

Saturday, October 9, 2010

2010-10-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 9, 2010 - Pullman, Washington

I had a great trip to Washington State University in Pullman, Washington over the week-end. My bus was for the Mascot and the University of Oregon Cheer Leaders! They were great!

Final score: Ducks 43, Cougars, 23.

Go Ducks!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

2010-09-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

I went to the Eugene Saturday Market today. It was cloudy and lightly raining, but here are a few of the shots that I took:

Sunday, September 12, 2010

2010-09-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I took a group from Colorado to Newport and Florence.

We started the day at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

It was a beautiful day with no clouds and very little wind. We had a fun time there!

There are two black specks in this shot of the bridge (above) that look like two birds ... look closely at the bird on the right. (It's not a bird, it's a helicopter.)

Then, we took a short drive down the beach towards Florence, to the Heceta Head Lighthouse and beach.

I love my job!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

2010-09-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

On the drive home from Albany, there was a beautiful sunset. I had to stop about 5 times along the freeway to take these shots!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

2010-09-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

I went camping with Amy and her family to House Rock. This shot is one I took sitting by the evening campfire.

My camera is taking some amazing photos. I think this is the greatest camera I've ever had!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

2010-08-29T00:06:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fuller Ridge on the Pacific Crest Trail near Idylewild, California.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

2010-08-28T23:58:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

2010-08-18T19:49:00.001-07:00

While riding my bicycle home from the river, I saw this beautiful sunset over the Willamette River. I didn't have my camera, so I used my cell phone to take this shot.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

2010-02-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Life is going very well for me. I've found a great place to live in Eugene, and I'm working at Experience Oregon in Junction City.

Experience Oregon is a family owned charter bus and tour company. I'm a driver and they also use me in Community Relations, helping to market our services.

Today, I'm with the University Of Oregon Basketball team as they take on the OSU Beavers in Corvallis. The Ducks have been playing well lately, and they would really like to take home a win!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

2010-01-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

I took a group from the U of O for a day of snow boarding and skiing today. It was a great group and an awesome day at willamette Pass Ski Resort.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

2010-01-21T14:30:00.000-08:00

Things have been very busy for me lately ... looking for work and looking for a place to live. I've been staying in Salem, but I'm looking for a place to live in Eugene, Oregon.

I found a new job working at a charter bus company in Junction City, Oregon called Experience Oregon. They're a small family owned company, but they have great equipment and I enjoy working for them. Here's one of the buses that I've been driving.

I took this shot with my cell phone while taking the U of O Stunt and Gmynastics Team to a meet in Tacoma, Washington last weekend.

The next big project for me is to find a decent, safe place to live in Eugene. This is turning out to be a much more difficult task than I thought it would be. I've looked at a lot of places and talked to a lot of people. Mostly, I'm getting leads from Craig's List. What I've seen so far is either too expensive or too dirty and smells like a dog lives there. And I won't settle for any place that smells like smoke!

As soon as I have a new mailing address, I'll let everyone know.

Thursday, Dec 3, 2009

2009-12-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

Things have been really busy here in Sisters for me. I've made an important decision ... I'm moving back to Salem in search of a job!

I've given my 30 day notice for my 2 bedroom house, and I'll be looking for a place to rent in Salem.

There are several different jobs listed in Salem, so I don't think it should too difficult to get a job there, although I know that a lot of people are looking for work right now, so there will be lots of competition.

I'm also trying to sell a few things on Craig's List before I move. If I can sell a few of these items, I won't need as large of a moving truck and I can save a little money. Check out these postings on Craig's List:

Oak Dinette Set with 4 chairs
http://bend.craigslist.org/fuo/1493246929.html

47" round Dinette Set
http://bend.craigslist.org/fuo/1493254153.html

Beige Loveseat
http://bend.craigslist.org/fuo/1493264994.html

1990 Ford Conversion Van
http://bend.craigslist.org/cto/1490474446.html

17' Coleman Canoe with paddles and 2 life jackets
http://bend.craigslist.org/boa/1490555918.html

If you need any of these items, let me know!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

2009-11-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

When I woke up in the morning, there was about 2" of new snow that fell overnight. The street is covered in snow, and it looks very slick! I decided to travel back about 4 miles to the town of Burns to find a place to eat breakfast, then I'll travel slowly back home to Sisters, Oregon.

It's great to be home again!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

2009-11-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

I made it to Burns, Oregon tonight. It was a long drive, and I'm tired. Stopped at a drive-in restaurant and ordered some Fish and Chips ... an odd meal to have out here in Burns, so far from the ocean!

Just outside of town, I was able to find a nice place to pull off the road and camp in my Ford van for the night. It will be another cold night, I'm affraid!

Friday, November 20, 2009

2009-11-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 19, 2009

2009-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

Arches National Park, just outside the town of Moab, Utah.

This is an amazing place. The rock formations are incredible. I stayed last night at the Lazy Lizard Hostel in Moab, and it was the perfect place to stay. They had nice showers, and the price was very reasonable. I went to the grocery store and bought a "you bake" pizza. It was great!

This is Landscape Arch ... one of the longest natural arches in the world.

Later in the day, I took a group hike to the Firey Furnace area, and it was a great thing to do. We hiked for about 3 hours, and I was amazed by the narrow passages and arches along the way!

Earlier in the morning, I met another hiker by the name of Jason, from California. He invited me to camp in his campsite, and another hiker by the name of Clay also camped there. It was a great evening by the campfire, enjoying chocolate chip cookies!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T10:19:00.001-08:00

I'm still in Moab, Utah, and it's a wonderful biking and hiking town. It got very cold last night, but the sky is blue and the sun is shinning, so I know it's going to be another beautiful day.

Before I forget, I want to put in a plug for a great web site for bikers called "www.warmshowers.org" . This is a site where people sign up to host bikers, and they have over 10,000 members all over the world. You can also read stories from world cyclists. I've used this site to find a host, and I'm also a member that will host other bikers when I'm at home. Check it out, and if you like a bike riders, sign up to be a host. Oh yeah, IT'S FREE!

Today, I'm thinking about going to Slick Rock to mountain bike, but I'm a little worried that it's too much of a challenge for my skill level. If it gets too bad, I'll just walk! Hopefully, I'll have some good pictures to post later!

Happy trails!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

2009-11-17T14:33:00.000-08:00

Vail, Colorado to Moab, Utah! Another beautiful day with clear, blue skys and cool tempatures.

I took a little hike today near Arches National Park. The canyon trail was called the Courthouse Trail.

I didn't get started until late in the day, and the trail wasn't very well marked. I could have hiked further, but there was a point on the trail when I should have crossed the stream. I didn't cross, but followed a trail that stayed on the near side, and I could only go about 1 mile before the trail ended as a sheer cliff wall fell into the creek below. I wish there would have been a sign saying to cross the creek, but I just decided to hike back out at that point. I think I hiked about 5 miles total, or maybe just a little more. It was beautiful, and I'm looking forward to going back to Arches National Park tomorrow or the next day.

This is a great little town. There are a ton of restaurants and bike rental / ATV rental / Jeep Rental shops and tour guides.

I was told that this is the slow season, although I think the weather is perfect for hiking. The trailhead had one other car, and I didn't see a single person on the trail.

There is also some great Mountain Biking Trails near here, so I'm planning on checking that out, too.

I'd like to be back to Salt Lake by the weekend, so I can spend a few days here, seeing the sites and exploring. I took all these photos with my cell phone. I'm pretty happy with the way they are turning out. At some point, I'll need to get another Canon Camera, but for now, these are just fine.

Monday, November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

This is a shot I took on my cell phone of Vail, Colorado ... You'll have to read below to find out how I got there!

But first, back to my story ... when I got out of John's truck, I was at a rest stop in Iowa, not quite to Des Moines. It was cold and a little windy, but there was a lot of traffic, and I didn't think I would have too difficult of a time getting rides ... NOT THE CASE!

After trying for a long time, I decided it was time to head on down the road. This wasn't easy because I had my bike, my backpack, and my large yellow duffel bag that fits in my trailer. If I had my trailer, it wouldn't be so bad, but without the trailer, I have to balance my duffel bag on my handlebars. It's a challenge, to say the least.

I made it to the next exit and tried to hitch-hike there, but still no luck. There was a small town about 3 miles away on a side road, so I headed that direction. In the back of my mind, I thought that I might try to buy a cheap car rather than waiting for rides. I went to a Chevrolet dealer, but they really didn't have anything. They sent me to another small auto lot, and I looked at a Ford Explorer for $1,285 ... a lot more than I wanted to pay, but I was kinda stuck there. I was headed to the bank to get the cash while Jim, the salesman, tried to find the key. He searched all over and couldn't find it. I took that as a sign that it wasn't the right thing to do.

So, I'm off on my bike again!

Along Highway 6 though this part of Iowa is a fantastic bike trail called the Raccoon River Valley Bike Trail, and it goes about 56 miles. I rode for about 20 miles until it started to get dark. I know that it's impossible to get a ride after dark, and the trail is fairly remote, passing farms and pastures, so I decided to try hitch-hiking again.

To my surprise, I actually got 4 rides that night, all the way to Omaha, Nebraska.

Nebraska ... what can I say? It is NOT very friendly for hitch-hikers! Nor for bike riders for that matter! Early the next morning, I tried to hitch again at the I-80 on-ramp near a bunch of gas stations and truck stops. I sat there for a very long time, but no one would stop. There were plenty of pick-up trucks, but no one willing to pick up a guy and a bike sitting along side the road with a sign that read "North Platte". Back on the bike, riding.

I worked my way about 15 miles to Highway 6, a nice route that runs parallel to I-80 through several states, and even though there was a lot of room to pull over, no one would give me a ride! I had pick-up up a newspaper at the McDonald's Restaurant where I had my breakfast, and there was a 1990 Ford van listed for $800. Not quite the $500 I wanted to spend, but at least I'd be back on my way again. I called the number, and the owner was willing to come and pick me up, even though it was about 20 minutes away.

My new van is a real beater! I'm too embarrassed to post a picture of it! It starts, it runs, the tires aren't too bad, but it sure does use the oil. I can't tell if it's burning it or just leaking it, but I have to add at least 2 quarts with each fill up!

Made it all the way to Denver last night, and there was snow in Denver! Today, I've continued on to the mountain town of Vail, Colorado. (I'm up-dating my blog from the Vail Public Library!) It is so amazing here right now. About 12" of new snow fell over the weekend, but today the sun is shining and the sky is bright blue! All the green trees are covered in white snow! It's very cold today, maybe about 25 degrees or so, but I really love it here!

There are a lot of hotels and resorts here. The main downtown area is all foot traffic only ... cars are banned! I wish more towns had the same policy. In fact, the buses are free to ride, so you really don't need a car here in Vail.

I should make it to Salt Lake City by tomorrow to get my bike trailer and the rest of my gear, then I'll be heading South towards Tucson, AZ. I think I'll stop at the Grand Canyon on my way. If there's not too much snow, I'll try to do some hiking there.

I'll up-date my blog again from Tucson. Stay tuned! Happy Trails, everyone!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

2009-11-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've up-dated my blog, so here it goes. Mostly I've been sending up-dates to www.twitter.com/stephen_fosdick and www.facebook.com/stephen_fosdick, so check those out if you want the most current news about where I'm at and what I'm doing.

I was back in Sisters, working at the ACE Hardware Store when I was offered a job with a trucking company in Des Moines, Iowa. Since I wanted to have my bicycle with me, I set out with my bike and trailer for Iowa in late October. On the way, though, I received an e-mail from CR England in Salt Lake City. They seemed to have a pretty good thing going, so in route to Des Moines, I stopped in Salt Lake City to check them out.

They offered me a 2-week paid training, both in the classroom and out in a truck with a trainer. The 4 days in the class went very well, and they even provided dorm style housing at no cost! Then I got matched up with a trainer named John Fenty from New York City. He was a good trainer, except he was on his cell phone all the time. I had a difficult time hearing him because he spoke very soft, he has a New York accent, and the truck makes a lot of noise (from the road). Often, I thought he was talking to me or asking me a question when actually he was on his phone talking to one of his friends or to his wife back home.

For the most part, I thought I was doing OK. I still have a difficult time with the shifting (It's a 8-speed). Once on a slight downgrade, I had it in 7th gear when I should have had it in 8th gear. I tried to shift into 8th, but because of the turck's governor set at 62 mph, and my speed at the time was about 68 mph, I wasn't able to shift into 8th gear until I slowed back down. This is called "coasting," and you have less control of your vehicle when it is not in gear. John got really upset with me for coasting.

Later, while we were driving in Chicago at night, I missed a turn. I was trying to follow the instructions from the GPS, making sure I was shifting properly, and making sure I wasn't running over a curb or another vehicle. John flew off the handle at me and said that I wasn't paying attention, yet he was on his cell phone rather than helping me with the turn-by-turn directions.

At that point, he asked me to pull over and he took over driving. He also just stopped talking to me. I didn't feel very safe being in his truck any more, being he wasn't talking to me, so the next morning while we were in Iowa headed for Colorado, I decided to get out of the truck and find my own way home.

John was really up-set at me now! But in the end, the experience showed me what this company was like, and I didn't want any part of it. I'm SO GLAD that I hadn't signed a 6-month lease for a truck like they wanted me to.

Now I had to find a way to get my bike and duffel bag back to Salt Lake City, and I need to find a job somewhere ... stay tuned!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

2009-09-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've up-dated my blog. Sorry about that.

This is my new scooter! It gets about 100 miles to the gallon, and I really enjoy riding it. It's a 150 cc scooter, and can easily go 55 mph, so riding it on the highway here in Central Oregon is not a problem.

I bought my scooter from the Scooter Station in Portland. I wasn't planning on buying it, but after I took it for a test drive, how could I pass it up?

After working at the Catering Company in Tucson this summer, I came back to Sisters and returned to work at the ACE Hardware Store. I'm still trying to purchase my own Semi-truck so I can drive long-haul. This is the truck that I'd like to buy:

It's a good time to be buying stuff right now ... prices are low and for used equipment, there's a good selection to choose from. This truck is a 2005 Volvo (one of the best trucks on the market for safety!), and it has a large sleeper unit behind the cab. I could see myself driving this around the country for the next couple of years.

I did some more hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, and while I still have not completed the entire 2,600 miles yet, I know that I will soon.

Friday, July 10, 2009

2009-07-10T14:05:00.001-07:00

Another day, another adventure.

Started riding my bike to San Rafael Park, and then up McCarran Parkway to the East Keystone Canyon Trailhead. There's also a West Keystone Canyon Trailhead, but this location is mostly for off-road vehicles rather than bikes.

This shot is looking back to the parking lot at the trail head. There's a porta-potty at the trail head, and the parking lot is linear rather than circular.

I stayed on the wide track up the center of Keystone Canyon. There was a single track that branched off to the right, but it went back to San Rafael Park. There was also a single track that branched off to the left. I'm not sure where that trail went. The main trail was very easy to follow and not a difficult trail at all. Soon, you could see the power lines that lead all the way to Releigh Heights Park.

This looks up the canyon. The sky was nice and blue. It was warm in the morning, but not too bad.

The trail is a nice trail ... good for someone like me that is not as experienced as most when it comes to Mountain Biking!

I took a short break in some shade near this part of the trail.

This is up near the top, looking back towards the radio towers.

I ended the ride at the top of the canyon, near where I hiked yesterday at Releigh Heights. I wish I had gone the other direction (down hill vs. up hill). Oh well! Still a great day of riding!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

2009-07-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still in Reno, Nevada, waiting to get dispatched to a forest fire. It's been pretty quite, and a little boring!

Today, I rode my bike to Releigh Hights Park, not too far from the condo, and went for a nice hike up Peavine Peak. Didn't make it all the way to the top, but it was a great place to hike. Mostly fire roads criss-cross this area. It was a little difficult knowing which road to take to get to the top. The views back to town and back to the condo were great.

I found this scorpion near where I stopped to take a break.

This is from the high point on my hike, looking back towards the condo and North Valley Regional Park.

I left my bike by the three water towers at the end of Wellington, otherwise known as Releigh Heights.

This shows Peavine Peak, 6,600 ft elevation to the NW of Reno.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

2009-07-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Went for a nice bike ride near the condo here in Reno. There's a large park near the condo, and behind the park is a small pile of rocks to climb. This shot shows Lemmon Valley:

This shot is looking towards the North Valley Regional Park and our Condo is just on the other side of it. In the background, you can see 395 that runs North of Reno. It's about 6 miles to downtown on Hwy 395.

Later, I found some great flowers to snap some shots of:

I'm still having a little trouble getting shots from my camera to my phone. I did buy a 4 gig micro-chip that I can transfer directly from my camera to my phone, but it turns out that most pictures on my camera are t00 big for my phone to process. I can view them, but if I try to send them or use my phone to post here to blogspot, it just doesn't work. I still have to get on a computer, like I'm doing right now.

By the way, if you are trying to send me mail, the best way to do it is to send mail to my Post Office Box in Sisters. The full address is:

Stephen Fosdick, P.O. Box 1596, Sisters, Oregon 97759

I have someone checking my mail about every two weeks and sending it to me where ever I might be. I'm expecting to receive a bundle of mail tomorrow. Of course, if you just want to send me a text or e-mail, those go straight to my phone so I get them right away.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

2009-07-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

The sunsets here in Reno have been amazing. I was on a short bike ride near our condo, when I stopped to snap this shot.

It's been warm here, but not too warm to take a nice bike ride.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

2009-07-04T07:31:00.001-07:00

Went to a nice concert in a park by the river in Reno. Richie Havens played his guitar and sang songs.

In the background, there was an awesome sunset behind the stage:

It was a nice evening for a concert. I'm guessing about 3,000 people came to hear him sing.

The weather has been great here in Reno, but everyone is getting bored and it will be good to be out in the field working.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

2009-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day in Reno. Beautiful sunshine, the Truckee River bike trail that runs from Sparks through downtown Reno, and a nice lake and marina at Ledgend's Casino.

Then it happened ... my camera slipped out of my pocket while I was riding my bike.

A woman walking along the river saw it fall out of my pocket and tried to catch me, but I didn't hear her calling for me.

I spent most of the day on Friday trying to track down where someone would go if they found a camera and wanted to turn it in. I stopped at the Reno Police Department, the Parks Department, the Street Department, and the Bus Central Office. I left my name and phone number with all of them.

I called the local newspaper to place a "LOST" ad, but they wanted almost $40. That seemed like a lot, so I didn't place the ad.

Craig's List is a good place to put a "Lost and Found" ad, and it turned out to be the ticket. The woman that was looking for me had just called the newspaper. The clerk told here that I had just called to place an ad.

Barbara is a local resident of Reno, and she's a wonderful representative of her community! We met at Meadow Wood Mall. I tried to pay her for all her trouble, but she would not accept any money. Thanks again for returning my camera!

This is the bike path that goes along the Truckee River near Downtown Reno.

This is the marina near the Legend's Casino in Sparks.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

2009-06-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

It took two days, but we finally arrived in Reno, Nevada. This will be our new base of operations. Now, we are just waiting for the fire season to start and that first call from the forest service saying that they have hungry fire fighters out there waiting for us to come and fix them dinner!

Word around the house is that we might have a few days off. Some of the crew has been talking about going up to Oregon, and I might go with them. Otherwise, I might try to go to LA for a few days. When I went through LA at the end of the Aids Life Cycle a few weeks ago, I really didn't get to stop and see anyone there, and I really wanted to. This might be the perfect time to take a quick trip there. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Meanwhile, I'll explore Reno some and post some pictures of the place.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

2009-06-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

I went for another hike to Pima Canyon today. This time, I went in the late afternoon. It was very hot, but I took lots of water, so it wasn't so bad. These were very unusual red flowers:

As the sun started to set, the view was awesome! You can see some of the city lights as the sky grew darker.

Remember, you can find out the lastest about me by going to my twitter site: http://twitter.com/stephen_fosdick . I've been trying to send up-dates via my cell phone with the lastest information about what's going on with me!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

2009-06-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

After working for a few hours making lunches with some of the other crew members, I met a friend here from Tucson and went for a hike at Sabino Canyon, on the East side of town.

We hiked about 8 miles, then it was a 10 mile bike ride back to the house. It was a warm day to be hiking, but that helped to keep the crowds away. As long as you have plenty of water, the heat is not too bad.

Monday, June 15, 2009

2009-06-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

I got up early and went for a great hike at Pima Canyon, not too far from where we are staying.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, there was less shade to find on the trail.

I ended up hiking about 4 miles total, and it was a great time out on the trail. I wish I'd had enough time to hike farther, but I had to go into work today to make some lunches for fire fighters, so I had to cut it short.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

2009-06-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still here in Tucson AZ. I really thought that I'd be on my way to Reno by now, but there is a fire somewhere near by, and 5 of us went down to work to make 250 sack lunches. Others have been going in to make dinner and breakfast. Until I hear something different, we'll be staying here.

I saw this tribute to a fallen bike rider here in Tucson. It reminded me of a similar one I saw last year on my coast-to-coast bike ride:

Thursday, June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Almost every night, there's a wonderful sunset here in Tucson. This shot was from a couple of nights ago:

Today was another beautiful day here in Tucson. I rode downtown, in search of some additional bike components. I needed a front brake and I also needed a new front derailer.

On the way downtown, I rode through the University of Arizona Campus. It's very bike friendly.

It was another warm day today ... probably about 85 - 90 degrees or so. I rode about 20 miles.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

I don't want to say I'm outraged, so I'll just say I'm "IRKED". Tucson seems to be fairly bike friendly, with lots of bike lanes going in every direction, some fairly decent bike shops, bike racks on all the buses - that sort of thing, but yesterday just seemed to be a bad day to be on a bike.

IRK #1 - Major businesses that give me a bad time for taking my bike in their store. Right now, I don't have a bike lock with me, so if I'm in a place where I fear that someone might take my $20 bike if I leave it parked by the front door, I just take it the store with me. Maybe I'm wrong here, and if I am, please set me straight, but aren't these businesses screaming for us to give them our hard earned cash! I was shopping at Target yesterday for a card and few other items, and I had my bike with me in the store. As I was leaving, the security guard came up to me and was harassing me publicly about the fact that I'm NOT ALLOWED to bring my bike in the store. Then I tried to stop at the Super Wal-Mart ... this time, the greeter at the door, the one that is supposed to make you feel good, wouldn't let me enter the store because I had my bike with me. I was polite (I hope) and simply told the greeter that I would leave in search of a business that wanted my money and that was more than happy to let me bring my bike with me into the store, like CVS Pharmacy, Safeway and Walgreens Pharmacy. I'm not calling for a boycott of TARGET and WAL-MART, but if you feel the same way as I do, please let me know, or better yet, find a different place to spend your money.

IRK #2 - Stupid drivers! Tucson seems to be full of them, and yet, I'm sure they don't have a corner on the market. Yesterday just seemed to be the one day of the week that they were all out in full force. I was in a bike lane approaching an intersection. Tucson has a good record of providing a bike lane that is positioned between the right turn lane and thru lane, with dashed lines and a sign that says RIGHT TURN YIELD TO BIKES. Nonetheless, a large charter bus that came up from behind me practically ran me over as she was trying to merge into the right turn lane and I was trying to go straight.

Then at another busy intersection, I was going straight with the green light, ringing my bell and keeping a steady pace, and was almost t-boned by an on-coming car that was stopped but waiting to make a left turn. Had I not panic stopped, he would have taken me out completely. I'm fairly confident that he saw me, but he was in a hurry and just didn't care.

At yet another section of the same road (Ina Avenue), where the posted speed is 45 mph, and the road narrows from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and the bike lane disappears, I tried to stay as far to the right as I could, yet cars were whizzing past me at 45 or more within inches of my bike. One car in particular flipped me off as he passed, as if to say that I didn't belong on his road. Come on, drivers ... slow down, pass when its safe for both of us, and give a little space between your car and my bike! You'll get where you're going soon enough.

Bike riders, we must unite against stupid drivers, many whom are talking on their cell phones or worse yet, TEXTING, rather than keeping a sharp eye out for bikes. That's why I won't talk on my cell phone while I'm riding my bike! So if you call me and I don't answer, you can assume I'm on my bike right now. Leave me a message or send me a text, and I'll respond as soon as I can.

BE SAFE OUT THERE, and keep on pedaling!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

2009-06-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I hope you are enjoying the adventures of my new job with Port-A-Pit Catering. My first assignment has been to help serve food to the 2,100 bicycle riders and an additional 800 or so volunteers as they ride their bikes and drive their trucks from San Francisco to Los Angeles, about 560 miles total over 7 days.

I'm working in the Salad Kitchen, and each meal (dinner and breakfast), we serve clost to 3,000 meals. There's a second team doing the same thing, so we alternate between stops. Today was a travel day for us. We'll get all set up here in Lompoc tomorow morning, and will serve our first meal here tomorrow night. The days are long and the work is not easy, but I'm having a lot of fun, meeting a lot of people, and I'm really enjoying hanging out, when I can, with some of the bike riders.

I hope you are following along on Twitter! You can view my short up-dates at www.twitter.com/stephen_fosdick, but since I'm not posting photos there, you'll need to come here to see the photos!

This is the field of flowers next to the park at Lomboc.

Standing on the roof of the kitchen truck, you can see the tent city in the background.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

2009-05-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day at Port-A-Pit Catering. We left Sisters very early this morning, and drove to Santa Cruz, California to support about 2,200 bicycle riders that will be riding 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles, starting tomorrow. Santa Cruz is the first camp, and there will be a very large "tent city" set up to accomidate all the bike riders and the 800 volunteers. We will be serving about 3,000 for dinner Sunday evening and about the same number of breakfasts on Monday, then we tear down the kitchen and move it south to the next stop. A second unit is doing the same thing, and we leap-frog locations. That way, we have enough time to get all set up before the bikers arrive.

Tonight, the crew got Prime Rib for dinner. This shot shows Aaron grilling the Prime Rib over a charcol pit.

After dinner, we drove to a motel near the downtown area. I had a nice walk downtown. There were a lot of people there, and people on the street corner playing music. About 100 people were watching the Black Bird Raum play some funky music.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

The sky put on quite a show tonight ... what an incredible sunset!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

2009-05-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

I took a nice canoe trip last week, floating about 100 miles on the Willamette river! The weather was great, the water was high, swift and cool!

You can see the rest of my canoe trip photos here.

I'm also on Twitter now! Check it out at http://www.twitter.com/stephen_fosdick. This is an easy way to keep tabs of me during my travels!

Friday, April 17, 2009

2009-04-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is my entry in the My Own Two Hands Parade this afternoon:

The entry was called "GOT WORMS?", and I did this to show that you REALLY don't need a car to survive in Sisters, Oregon! I can even go fishing in my canoe only using my bike! I had a great time in the parade, along with several other bikers and kids from all of the Sisters Schools that made masks and great costumes for the event! My entry won the "BEST OF THE SHOW" award from Eurosports! Wow! Was I ever surprised!

Then, later that same day over at Bronco Billy's, there was a great Chili feed and students that participated in the Americana Project performed several of their original works, sang, played instruments, and had a great time at "SOMETHING WILD"! It was very good! Sisters has some awesome talent amongst its young adults!

Sorry that I don't know their names, but here are two of the performers playing an original song:

Saturday, April 11, 2009

2009-04-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air today!

On my way to the grocery store, I stopped and watched a baseball game between the Sisters High School Outlaws and the Sweet Home Huskeys. It was a great day for a game, although it was just a bit windy.

I took this shot two blocks from my house. And just down the street another block or so is where I took this photo:

Friday, April 10, 2009

2009-04-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

I took this shot on August 23, 2008 in Central Oregon. This is the image I'm using to print flyers about a free event on Friday, May 1, 2009 about the Pacific Crest Trail.

Jonathan Erickson of the United States Forest Service will make a presentation regarding the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail, stretching from the Mexico Border to the Canadian Border, passing through the Sisters area on its way.

The event will take place at Sisters Christian Church, 302 E. Main Street in Sisters, and refreshments will be served.

An estimated 300 thru-hikers will stop in Sisters to re-supply with food and fuel as they head North towards Government Camp and Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood. Sisters is referred to as a Trail Town by a number of popular PCT guide books, and it's not uncommon for hikers to stay in a motel for the night, looking for a place to take a shower, do laundry, check their e-mail or post to their trail journal or blog. Many will make their way to the post office for packages, or travel to Bend to repair or replace gear or buy new shoes.

The 2,000 mile marker is located in the 17 mile section of trail that lies between Highway 242 and Highway 20. The primary means of getting to and from Sisters is hitch-hiking. While there is considerably more traffic on Highway 20, most hikers report that it is easier to get a ride on Highway 242 because most of the cars traveling on this route stop at the Dee Wright Observatory where the trail crosses the highway.

Volunteers from the Pacific Crest Trail Association will be on hand to discuss some training opportunities for anyone interested in trail maintenance. An 80 minute DVD about the trail will be shown as a part of this presentation that includes incredible video of some of the scenery.

I'm also planning on having a slide show of some of my photos from the trail. I hope you can all come.

If you need more information, please send me an e-mail (stephen_fosdick@yahoo.com) or call me at (541) 549-1339.

Monday, March 9, 2009

2009-03-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am outraged! Hang on to your wallets, folks. Oregon's state legislature won’t be happy until they have every last penny they can get! The latest proposed grab comes from Rep. Wayne Krieger, R-Gold Beach. His house bill 3008 proposes a $27 annual registration fee for bicycles. I’ll be paying $81 per year to license the three bikes I own! And what about my bike trailer. I suppose they will want me to register that as well. YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

The administrative costs associated with this new program will actually cost MORE than what is expected to be raised! In other words, this law will USE MONEY THAT COULD BE USED FOR ROADS on the administration expenses of a bike registration program while doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to improve bike safety.

This is NOT the time for the State of Oregon to charge a new tax or fee that will discourage the use of bicycles. Childhood obesity is skyrocketing. As a nation, we are importing more foreign oil than ever. How will people within our community that can’t afford to drive a car be able to afford to ride their bike?

The arguments I’ve heard to support this fee are ridiculous! Rep. Krieger claims that this law would help law enforcement officials return stolen bikes to their rightful owner. Bikes already have serial numbers, and it’s the responsibility of bike owners to be prepared to give this information to law enforcement agencies if their bike is lost or stolen. I don’t think we need another layer of government to process bicycle serial numbers.

Rep. Krieger had the gall to say that it’s about time that bicycle users should start paying for roads. I’ve been a home owner and an automobile owner for well over 30 years. I PAY PROPERTY TAXES AND GAS TAXES! In fact, I don’t know a single other bike rider that doesn’t pay property taxes and gas taxes! Even though I’m currently renting and I don’t directly pay property taxes, you can be assured that the money used to pay the property taxes of the house I’m renting here in Sisters comes from the amount I pay in rent each month! If I wasn’t paying the rent, where would the money come from to pay the property taxes?

Law enforcement officers have more important things to do than stopping bikes to check for registration! For example, they could be watching out for cell phone use while driving, or worse, texting while driving! These distracted drivers are often driving faster than the posted speed and often never see cyclists, let alone other cars! I’d gladly pay the proposed registration fee if it really was going to make riding a bike safer, or it would be used to encourage the use of bikes, especially with kids, but this poorly written proposal is not the answer!

Please contact your state representative by phone, fax or e-mail and let them know how you feel regarding house bill 3008.

District 53: Rep. Gene Whisnant (R)
900 Court Street NE
Suite H-372
Salem, OR 97301-4051
Phone: (503) 986-1453
Fax: (503) 986-1561
WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/whisnant
E-Mail: rep.genewhisnant@state.or.us

District 54: Rep. Judy Stiegler (D)
900 Court Street NE
H-489
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 986-1417
Fax: (503) 986-1896
WebSite: http://www.leg.state.or.us/stiegler
E-Mail: rep.judystiegler@state.or.us

Saturday, February 28, 2009

2009-03-03T22:18:00.000-08:00

I love this town!

This is the creek that runs through the Middle of Sisters. The new snow made for a great back-drop. This is about 5 blocks from my house.

Friday, Janurary 20, 2009

2009-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

It was a perfect day at Hoodoo Ski Resort today!
A snow boarder took this shot with Three Fingered Jack in the background.

This shot shows Three Fingered Jack and Mt. Jefferson. The sky was so blue!

They have a very nice lodge at Hoodoo Ski Resort.

One of the groomer machines was getting the runs ready just before they opened.

I rode up to the hill on the Hoodoo employee bus for $3. Not too bad! The bus left at 7:10 a.m., and we were up at the lodge before 8:00. It gave me some time to relax, enjoy a cup of Hot Chocolate, and get my ski boots on before the lifts started up at 9:00.

I was very surprised to see so few people there for as nice of day as it was. There were no lines and the runs were not very busy at all.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

2009-01-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's turning out to be a GREAT Year, and I'm loving my new life here in Sisters, Oregon. It's hard for me to believe that it was a WHOLE YEAR AGO when I was just getting started on my 5,000 mile trek!

Here's some very important news ... I finally have a local phone number! Please up-date your records to show my new phone number: 541-549-1339. I hope you'll call me or send me a text message ... I always enjoy hearing from friends!

I took this shot at the end of November. I was about 2 miles from my house, looking up at the Three Sisters.

Right before Christmas, 2008, we had a very nice snow storm here in town. Most of the snow is gone, but I'm sure we will have more before the winter is over!

Friday, September 5, 2008

2008-09-05T10:37:00.001-07:00

Greetings from Sisters, Oregon.

My emotions are very mixed right now, and in a lot of ways, it is sad for me to report that I've decided to call off the rest of the hike on the Pacific Crest Trail for this year. I'm currently in the town of Sisters, Oregon, looking for a place to live and thinking about my future. Jokingly, I've told some people that I'm actually homeless right now, so one of my top priorities is to find a place to rent and get settled back into "Town Living." I'm not sure it will be an easy transition, considering that I've been on the road or on the trail since last February!

There were a lot of factors for me to consider as I made the decision to leave the trail. I still have some work to do to complete my federal and state income taxes, and I really want to get them finished and submitted before my extension expires in the middle of October. I also had a very cold and wet night on a ridge on Mt. Hood last Saturday Evening.

So, for now, I'll resume a normal "city" life here in Sisters, Oregon. I'm already making my plans to finish the PCT in 2009 (I have about 800 miles of the trail to finish).

I'm not calling this endeavor a failure by any means. I did walk over 2,000 miles to get from Mexico to Sisters, and I rode my bike over 3,000 miles from Florida to California. Along the way, I lost over 50 pounds, and I discovered a lot about myself. I had a lot of time to think about important things, like a couple of books that I've written outlines for, what I want to do in the future, some projects I'd like to volunteer some time towards, and some other "self-improvement" activities I'd like to work on. I think I have enough to keep me very busy for at least the next 12 months anyway!

Sometime in the next week or two, I'll be adding a number of additional photos and stories to the blog, so do check back from time to time to see what I've added. I'm still working on my celebration party here in Sisters during December 2008 and early January, 2009. If you are thinking about coming, please send me a short e-mail (to stephen_fosdick@yahoo.com) to let me know. It's going to be a fun time here in Sisters.

Thanks, also, for all the good thoughts and prayers that you've been sending my way. They made a big difference!

O. (Oscar) Ikem Sofar

Monday, August 25, 2008

2008-08-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Zero day in Sisters, Oregon, checking out the town and resting.

Sorry that there isn't more detail on the days that I've added. I still have a ton of detail that I need to add to my blog from earlier, too. It's tough when you only get to a computer once every two weeks or so, and then you only get 1 hour per day at most public libraries. And the worst part is I can't add any of my photos here. The photos from the last week or so have been great and I'm really looking forward to sharing them.

Keep checking back and I'll try to get the details posted soon.

O. (Oscar) Ikem Sofar

Sunday, August 24, 2008

2008-08-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Highway 242 to Highway 20. 17 miles of slack-packing!, 2006 miles total.

I reached the 2,000 mile mark today!

This is a shot of Mt. Washington.

Wombat and I left our backpacks at the Sisters Motor Inn and hiked 17 miles in 4 hours! What a pace, but it was sure nice. A trail angel came and picked us up because the cars were just zooming past at the top of Santiam Pass on Highway 20.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

2008-08-25T11:35:00.002-07:00

Mt. Bachelor to McKinzey Pass Highway 242. 24 miles, 1989 miles total.

Mt. Bachelor at Sunrise.

Friday, August 22, 2008

2008-08-25T11:35:00.001-07:00

Horseshoe Lake to Mt. Bachelor. 15 miles, 1965 miles total.

Mt. Bachelor at Sunrise.

South Sister Mountain at Sunset.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

2008-08-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

Charlton Lake to Horseshoe Lake. 23 miles, 1950 miles total.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

2008-08-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Maiden Peak Ski Hut to Charlton Lake. 10 miles, 1927 miles total.

I found this great ski hut about 6 miles from Highway 58 Willamette Pass.

This hut could easily accomodate a dozen or more people. It was a nice place to get out of the rain!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

2008-08-25T11:30:00.002-07:00

Diamond Peak to Maiden Peak Ski Hut. 15 miles, 1917 miles total.

Stopped at Shelter Cove Resort today to pick up a box and purchase some more food and supplies. Could have easily stayed here over night, but needed to get in a few more miles.

Finally, at about 3:00 pm, I got back on the trail, hiking about 6 miles to the hut. I didn't even know about the hut until I was on the other side of Highway 58 and decided to look ahead in the Yogi Guide. I didn't know if I could there before dark, or if I could even find it, but when I did get there, I was the only one there! It was a great place to spend the night!

Monday, August 18, 2008

2008-08-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

Windgo Pass to Diamond Peak. 16 miles, 1902 miles total.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

2008-08-25T11:29:00.001-07:00

Tipsoo Peak to Windgo Pass, 19 miles, 1886 miles total.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

2008-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

Crater Lake National Park, North Boundry to Tipsoo Peak. 20 miles, 1867 miles total.

This shot is a little fuzzy, but I wanted to include it anyway. The moon was only visible for about 2 minutes before it tucked behind the clouds. It was a great big orange ball from all the smoke. There wasn't a lot of light, hince the fuzzy photo.

Friday, August 15, 2008

2008-08-25T11:25:00.001-07:00

Crater Lake National Park, Mazama Campground to North Park Boundry. 17 miles, 1847 miles total.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

2008-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Snow Lakes Trail to Crater Lake National Park, Mazama Campground. 26 miles, 1830 miles total.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

2008-08-25T11:23:00.002-07:00

Freye Lake Spur Trail to Snow Lakes Trail. 18 miles, 1804 miles total.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

2008-08-25T11:23:00.001-07:00

Brown Mountain Shelter to Freye Lake Spur Trail. 15 miles, 1786 miles total.

Wow! Wild Huckle Berries! They are so sweet, and there are millions of them all along the edge of the trail! It's a wonder that made any distance today with all these berries to eat! These are a lot like Blue Berries, except that with Huckle Berries, they grow one berry to a stem while Blue Berries usually have several berries on the same stem or cluster.

Monday, August 11, 2008

2008-08-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hyatt Lake Campground to Brown Mountain Shelter. 20 miles, 1771 miles total.

There was a nice shelter here at Brown Mountain, and there were several hikers there cooking dinner. One of the entries in the journal stated that a bear likes to hang hout here, so after dinner, even though it was getting dark, I decided to hike on a mile or two, and I ended up camping just along the trail. I didn't see or hear any bears.

The wild huckleberries near the shelter were everywhere and very ripe! What a treat to have berries right along the trail!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

2008-08-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Pilot Peak Trail to Hyatt Lake Campground. 20 miles, 1751 miles total.

This shows the dry, grass covered hills near Southern Oregon.

It's fairly dry here in Southern Oregon. Finding water is not always an easy task. It reminds me of the desert of Southern California in many ways. I ate an early dinner, but when I got to Hyatt Lake Resort and heard that they had a nice Pizza Restaurant, I decided to eat a second dinner! While I was there, Phillip came by to order a pizza. I had not seen him since we last met in Independence, California. We had a nice visit while he waited for his order. Later, I decided to camp near them in the campground about a mile away.

After I ate my pizza, I ordered some Ice Cream! It's so nice to have restaurants along the trail!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

2008-08-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mt. Ashland to Pilot Peak Trail. 5 miles, 1731 miles total.

Back on the trail today! I decided to hike on from Ashland, after my knee started feeling better and my spirits were raised a bit! I can always come back to ashland in mid-October and finish the part that I missed. I've been told that the snow is usually late in this part of the mountains, and there's always next year!

I stopped at the market to buy some food, and prepared a couple of boxes to mail ahead so I'll more food later. I also downloaded all of my photos to CD's at the Alberton's Market and mailed them home. It's great to have lots of available memory for taking more photos!

The local RVTD city bus doesn't run on Saturdays, so I had to hitch-hike to the market because it was too far to walk! I did the math again, and if I can do 18 miles per day from here, I'll get to Canada by October 1st. That's a lot better that 21 miles per day.

I stopped at the ARCO gas station right by Interstate 5, and a very nice woman was heading South, so she gave me a ride to the Mt. Ashland exit, right near where the trail resumes. For most of the afternoon, though, it seemed like I was headed South rather than North. At times, I wondered if I had made a wrong turn on the trail, but soon, it curved around and headed North again, so I knew I was going the right way.

Friday, August 8, 2008

2008-08-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

Zero Day in Ashland, Oregon.

What a wonderful, relaxing, restful day I had! First, I went for a very nice breakfast. This town has a lot of very nice restaurants to pick from! Next, I headed for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ticket office, and was very lucky to obtain tickets for two plays: at 2:00 p.m. I saw "A view from the Bridge" in the Bowman Theatre, and at 8:30 p.m., I saw "Othello" in the Elizebathian Theatre. Both of these shows were excellent! I was also able to include a back stage tour earlier in the morning, and a free concert right before the evening play. I was a very good day, indeed.

My left knee is feeling much better today, and I'm ready to get back on the trail. Rather than going back to Dunsmuir, I'll stay here in Ashland and skip ahead about 200 trail miles, with the plan to come back to Ashland in October after I've reached the Canadian border to complete the part that I'm skipping. I've been told that the snow comes much later in the season here in this area, so I'm buying some time with this plan. It will also allow me to hiker shorter days and still complete the Washington and Oregon portion of the trail before the snow starts to fly in October.

I have a lot of things to due before I can get back on the trail here at Ashland: re-supply for the next part of the trail, send some food packages ahead for the parts of the trail that don't have decent stores near the trail, download my memory cards to CD's so I can take more pictures, and send my old backpack to Granite Gear. I'll do all that in the morning, and hope to be on my way to the trail head by noon or so.

If you every plan a trip to Ashland, Oregon, make sure you check out www.osfashland.org and plan to take in a play while you are here!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

2008-08-07T17:26:00.002-07:00

Trough Creek to Dunsmiur. 22 miles, 1508 miles total.

I had a box waiting for me at the Dunsmuir Post Office with a replacement backpack. The zipper on my original backpack broke, and Granite Gear sent me a new one. I was able to make it to the Post Office before 5:30 pm, but I didn't think I would make it. The on-ramp to I-5 was very slow. Fortunately, the very first car that went by stopped and offered me a ride to Dunsmiur!

I ate dinner at the Pizza Factory in Dunsmuir, and then caught the S.T.A.G.E. bus to Yreka (only $5!). From there, I was able to hitch a ride with a very nice family from Washington to Ashland, where I plan to stay for couple of nights.

On my hike to Castella today, there was a trail detour that was very steep down hill, and I think that I might have irritated my left knee ... the same knee that was giving me problems on the bike ride in Texas. I'm going to take two zero days here in Ashland to see how my knee does. I don't think that keeping the pace of 21 miles per day has helped it any, either. Last night, I hiked until about 10:30 p.m., and by the time I finally found a place to camp, I was sore all over. This could be the beginning of the end ... time will tell.

Another option that I'm considering is to skip ahead to this part of the PCT (at Ashland). That would allow me to drop back to about 15 miles per day and still make it to Canada by October 1st. Then, in October, I could come back to Dunsmiur and pick up the section of the trail that I'm skipping now. Part of this section is closed right now due to a fire, and by October, this closed section might be open again.

Tomorrow, though, I'm going to try to get a ticket for a play here in Ashland and enjoy a few days of relaxation!

This sign was posted on a tree right before the logging operation detour ... I guess it might apply to the whole trail, though.

I'm running out of space on my memory cards again. I need to find a place where I can download them to CD's and start fresh. I've been taking a lot of photos. Some days, it very hard to decide which photos to post here on the Blog.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

2008-08-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

Grizzly Peak Road to Trough Creek. 23 miles, 1486 miles total.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

2008-08-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

Red Mountain to Grizzly Peak Road. 23 miles, 1463 miles total.

Mt. Shasta

I'll be seeing Mt. Shasta for about 2 weeks on the trail.

Monday, August 4, 2008

2008-08-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

Burney Falls State Park to Red Mountain. 17 miles, 1440 miles total.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

2008-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Forest Service Road 22 to Burney Falls State Park. 27 miles, 1423 miles total.

Hat Creek Rim Trail.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

2008-08-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Old Station to Road 22. 20 miles, 1396 miles total.

The smoke in the air made for some very beautiful sunsets!

Friday, August 1, 2008

2008-08-02T07:24:00.001-07:00

Drakesbad Hot Springs Campground to Old Station. 23 miles, 1376 miles total.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

2008-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Chester, Highway 36 to Drakesbad Hot Springs Campground. 18 miles, 1353 miles total.

Trying to catch a ride back to the trail.

The smoke from a nearby forest fire had filtered down into the trees.

The servers are getting ready to serve Roast Duck at Drakesbad Resort.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

2008-08-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Forest Service Road 120 to Chester. 100 closed trail miles. I'm now at Trail Mile 1335.

A large fire has 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail closed between the Quincy - La Porte Road and Chester (Highway 36) closed to hikers, so there was a 26 mile hitch to Quincy, and a long bus ride to Chester (The fare was only $3, but the bus was full!)

We had a great "Birthday" celebration at a local pizza parlor, and camped just outside the City Park near a nice stream. It was a good thing that we didn't camp in the park because the automatic sprinklers came on at 4:00 a.m. and we would have been soaked. I'm still hiking with Sauerkraut, Alina, and Mainsail. Duce and Tugboat also camped at the park.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

2008-07-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

Summit Lake Road to Forest Service Road 120. 23 miles, 1235 miles total.

Had to get off the PCT here because of the closure due to fires. There are some new fires (within the last day or two) that are in addition to the other fires that have been going for several weeks.

I will try to make it to the town of Quincy (26 miles along Forest Service Road 120), but might have to camp along side the road because there is so little traffic here.

This cloud of smoke is from a new fire that just started today at 1:30 p.m.