the stringdom

NEW MATT STRINGER.COM

2007-08-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

So it's been quiet here at The Stringdom. With summer vacations and preparations for the arrival of the baby in November, I've missed the past couple of 5k's at the DSE. But one of the things I have been up to is redesigning my illustration website. It's now got a whole new look, as well as a few new illustrations and poems. So click here to check it out. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

WALT STACK 5K

2007-05-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

4th race of the season was last weekend and it netted a new personal best. Coming oh-so-close to my goal of breaking 20 minutes, I finished at 20:04, which was a 5 second improvement on my previous best time of 20:09 a few years back, and a 42 second improvement over the last race a few weeks back. Other than the Easter Roller Coast race I've seen a steady improvement in my times each time out, which is encouraging. In this last race, out of 95 runners I finished 10th overall and 4th in my age group (30-39). Next race is 5/27.

EMBARCADERO 5K

2007-04-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my 3rd 5k race of the season. This one was back down at the Embarcadero and a similar course to the Waterfront 5k that I ran back in March. After the very slow time I ran 2 weeks ago, due to the hilly course in the Presidio, I rebounded nicely with my fastest time of the year so far, breaking 21 minutes. My time, 20:46, was actually my 2nd fastest 5k ever, only bettered by the 20:09 I ran a few years back. Out of 111 runners I finished 20th overall and 5th in my age group (30-39). Next race is 5/6.

EASTER ROLLER COASTER 5K

2007-04-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

So my second 5k race of the season was last weekend. As the name of the race implies, the course was really hilly, and like riding on a roller coaster, I sort of felt like puking at the end. The course started at the west end of Mountain Lake Park before moving along the south edge of the Presidio golf course, up to the Presidio gate on Pacific Avenue before turning around and returning the same way. The first 50 or so yards that I could see from the starting line looked easy enough but I knew I was in for it when the race director described at the start, "We go up a hill and then down and then up another hill and then turn around and return. It's really tough." That was an understatement. The series of 4 hills kicked my butt. Below are the official results. Out of 111 runners I finished 35th overall and 9th in my age group (30-39). My time was actually about 3 minutes slower than my first race back in the beginning of March. So that wasn't entirely encouraging but I chalk that up more to the course than my conditioning. Or at least I hope. We'll find out at the next race which looks like will be on 4/22.

LIFE OF A NBA BALLER

2007-03-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've had the opportunity to experience some pretty sweet sporting events first hand. In 2000 I attended the NBA All-Star game in Oakland and witnessed a collection of the best basketball players in the world on the same court. In 2001 I went to Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa and watched Baltimore crush the NY Giants. While the Super Bowl and even the All-Star game were once in a lifetime experiences the trips I've taken with the Golden State Warriors the past 2 years have been more of an insider's experience. Most recently, last weekend I got to fly with the Warriors on the team's charter plane up to Portland for their game against the Blazers. Getting to travel with the team you learn a few things about the life of an NBA player:

1. Flying on a charter plane beats commercial by a mile.

2. Thanks to the player's union you only stay in 4 or 5 star hotels. This is written into the CBA (collective bargaining agreement). As a result on our trip we ended up staying in the Benson Hotel, which is apparently where the President stays when he visits Portland. Not too shabby.

3. When on the road you must use an alias when you check in at the before mentioned 4 or 5 star hotel (presumably to thwart the groupies and autograph seekers). Some of the better aliases used by some of the Warriors were Rick James & Bart Simpson.

4. It's good to be a NIKE guy in Portland. We got invited to the Nike Employee Store in Beaverton where they have all the latest Nike gear not yet out in the stores and all for 50% off. Of course if you are actually a player under contract with Nike you get it all for free.

5. Even if you get blown out by an inferior team, in a game you really had to win to keep pace in the playoff race, you still get a steak dinner on the charter flight back home and your Bentley, Rolls or Benz is still waiting for you in the private lot when you land. Win or lose, life is good.

On the game itself, Baron Davis, or B. Dizzle according to the hotel roster, was a last minute scratch and the Warriors played terribly without him. As the TV play-by-play guy joked on the media bus after the game, "We should just run a scroll at the bottom of the screen reminding the viewers: WITH BARON GOOD, WITHOUT BARON BAD." And they were bad. Stephen Jackson didn't disappoint either, living up to the semi-crazy rep he's gotten the past couple of years stemming from his role in the Palace brawl, by getting a technical for tossing the ball at the ref's feet and then getting tossed from the game for continuing to argue the call. On the Portland side, Brandon Roy should clearly be the rookie of the year. He was the best player on the court. Despite their record the Blazers actually have some nice young talent on their squad. And since they are in the western conference if you translated their record to the east they probably would be in the playoff mix (see the Toronto Raptors). So a stinker of a game but a fun trip. Of course Baron was back last night at home and the Warriors routed the Mavs ending their 17-game winning streak. With Baron good...living the NBA lifestyle even better.

WATERFRONT 5K

2007-03-05T22:30:00.000-08:00

So I won't announce this with as much fan fare as the miracle mile attempt which I fell flat on my face with last year, but I've decided to get back on the horse and dust off the running sneaks. Though, this time instead of targeting a 4:59 mile, because there doesn't seem to be any mile races in spring or summer, I'm hopping on board the 5k circuit. 5k, or 3.1 miles, is the next distance up from the mile and they are much more plentiful in terms of the number of races.

To prove, to myself, that I'm more serious about sticking with the running this time I decided to join a running club called Dolphins South End Runners. They are one of the better-established running clubs in SF, having been around for 40 years. They have races almost every weekend, not all 5k's necessarily, but are fairly low key stressing personal bests and the social element of having fun + running. And since their motto is "Start slow and taper off" which pretty much described my attempt last year to resurrect the running regime I figured it was a good fit.

So yesterday, after only really training 2 weeks, I ran my first 5k down on the Embarcadero. Out of 110 runners I finished 16th overall and 4th in my age group (30-39). Ironically enough my time, 21:13, was actually the identical time to the last 5k race I ran back in 2003 during the original running regime. So not a bad first effort, though well off the winning pace. Here are the complete results:

When I was actually running consistently a few years back, which I detailed in the previous Miracle Mile post, my best 5k time was 20:09. So I'm hoping over time as I get in shape to try to better that mark. Next race I'm tentatively targeting is on 4/8. More updates to follow.

BACK TO SINGAPORE

2007-03-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wrapping up the trip, we rolled out of KL Saturday morning and a 6-hour bus ride later we arrived back in Singapore that afternoon. After being turned away from the hostel we originally stayed at on the front end of the trip because it was full we ended up finding a better place just down the road but still in the Bugis Village/Little India quarter. Since we were departing for home the next day our only two main objectives were to go see Raffles Hotel, named after Sir Stamford Raffles the founder of Singapore, and then make it to the night safari. Time permitting I was also hoping we could make our way back to Chinatown to make a return trip to this great dim sum stall we had eaten a week ago when we first arrived. We successfully went 3-3.

After cruising by Raffles Hotel where there really isn't much to do other than look at it, and since we or rather I wasn't appropriately dressed since apparently gentlemen must be wearing long pants to enter the hotel if they are not guests we just took the obligatory pic from the exterior and then made our way to Chinatown in search of dim sum. The weather was a little spotty, which if you've noticed has been the running theme of the trip. Having learned our lesson in KL, when it really started to open up we simply found a dry covering and waited a few minutes for it to subside. The rain passed, at least temporarily, and we were chowing down on some shrimp dumplings, pot stickers and sipping on a refreshing homemade green apple fruit drink in no time.

After re-fueling we made our way back to the hostel to double check our game plan for the night safari (if you recall, which you probably don't since it's been over a month since I wrote about the first visit to Singapore, we unsuccessfully tried to make it to the night safari on the front end of the trip). But this time even rain, which was coming down at a pretty good clip most of the subway and then 45-minute bus ride to the safari, didn't deter us. By the time we arrived the rain had slowed down. And since it was a Saturday night it was pretty crowded even with the rain. The night safari set up was much more Disney world than I expected, complete with the gift shops, performances and a covered tram that takes you around the safari. That being said, it was still pretty cool. The safari itself is an hour-guided tour on the tram. At the midway point you can also get out and walk on paths to check out some other vantage points of the animals. But we saw everything from lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, even capybaras which are the world's largest rodents that live in South America and which we saw when in Bolivia. Each section of the safari was a different geographical habitat. So you moved from the Himalayan foothills to Africa to Asia to South America, etc. Quite nicely done and our guide mixed in some eco-propaganda that forced the captive audience to ponder our impact on the animal world. Nothing like making tourists pay to get lectured. What really makes it great is that since it's a night safari in some cases you can't really even see the barrier protecting you from the animals and so often you felt quite close, almost too close, to the animals. Unfortunately there was no flash photography, and they were serious about it actually stopping the tram several times when people snapped pics, so we didn't get any photos of the animals. But if you want to see what we would have photographed, you can click here to check out some of the animals.

The next morning we packed up and made our way to the airport for our long flight home. Note if you ever are stuck in the Taipei airport with a couple hour layover, like we had, they have free massage chairs. Just ask for the tokens in the duty free shops. That's it, sorry for the long delay in getting all the posts up. The trip was a blast; we're already planning our next adventure.

KUALA LUMPUR

2007-03-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

As we were leaving Pangkor Island via the ferry we actually hadn't yet decided our next destination. When we previously decided it was time to shove off from the beach we had thought we'd head to Kuala Lumpur to get a taste of the big city in Malaysia before heading back down to Singapore. But we had a few people give us mixed reviews about KL, as everyone in Malaysia calls it, that we paused to reconsider. At breakfast the morning of our departure our French woman friend was trying to persuade us to instead visit Melaka, a smaller more colonial looking city on the coast, which temporarily had us swayed in that direction. But while on the ferry we reconsidered and upon disembarking in Lumut we boarded a bus bound for Kuala Lumpur after all, and we were glad we did. KL ended up being very different from Singapore, the other big city we visited on the trip, in that where Singapore felt small, clean and safe, KL was big, frenetic and not as sterile, not that I felt Singapore was sterile. But Kuala Lumpur was definitely more like your typical big Asian city, along the lines of Bangkok.

We arrived in KL late afternoon. Our bus dropped us in the heart of Chinatown so we found a hostel close to the bus station. That evening we walked around Chinatown and checked out the main Jl Petaling market that has everything from sneakers to watches to hand bags galore. It's suspect as to whether they are all just knock-offs or whether because most of the items are made either in China or Indonesia they just get the overruns (or are stolen) from the factory to sell at cost. Probably a mix of both. Either way there are bargains a plenty. We didn't make any purchases that first night but rather just sized up our opposition to get our bargaining skills ready for the next day. After dinner it started to slightly rain so we ducked into a pub for a beer. The slight rain turned into a sustained downpour and our one beer ended up turning into several. We passed the time talking to a couple from Calgary who was on a 6-month trip around the world. From Venezuela to Egypt to Dubai they regaled us with stories of each spot and new must see places that we had to add to our already too long list of future trip destinations.

On Friday morning we woke up early to head over to the Golden Triangle, KL's business district, which contains most of the big high-rise buildings including the Petronas Towers, formerly the world's tallest buildings until 2004. You're allowed to go up to the sky bridge that connects the two towers together 41 floors above the ground. Due to the high demand of the sky bridge they limit the number of people who can go up it every day, which requires you to go over early in the morning to get a ticket for a time slot at some point during the day. Since our sky bridge passes weren't until later in the afternoon we set out to check out the rest of the city. Cutting across the town we decided to stop in the Chinatown market so I could buy a pair of sneaks as my flip-flops were hurting my feet and my other shoes, my hiking shoes, were pretty much too muddy from the jungle to really break out. After some hard bartering I scored a sweet pair of 3-stripe Adidas for the low low cost of $10 US. Not a bad deal.

After donning the newly purchased sneakers we continued on to the Lake Gardens district which sits on the hillside slightly above the city itself. It's essentially a large park that contains a variety of museums and other sights. Our first top was the National Planetarium, which wasn't impressive at all, but netted a visit mainly because of the cool air-conditioning we could feel pumping inside. From there we cruised by the Bird Park, which is apparently the largest outdoor covered bird park in the world. We opted not to enter but instead just walked along the outside viewing the birds from the street. Lastly, we made our way to the Tasik Perdana Lake, which sits at the center of the gardens. Though it was pretty much just a brown muddy lake. After walking around the gardens we made our way back to Chinatown for some lunch and for another cruise through the market as we had a few minutes to kill still before catching the subway back to the Petronas Towers for our sky bridge visit. It was about this point that the skies opened up sending everyone scrambling for cover from the rain. We waited it out for a few minutes before having to go ahead and make a run for it so we wouldn't miss our sky bridge time slot. Our crappy umbrellas provided virtually no cover and the streets were quickly flooding making it a hilarious and wet run to the subway. Just about everyone else had stopped in their tracks to wait out the deluge, except the two of us who were sprinting down the sidewalks, jumping over puddles and trying our best to stay beneath the few awnings that were providing brief cover. This was the hardest I�??ve ever seen it rain so needless to say by the time we made it the few blocks to the subway we were drenched, new sneaks and all. Though by the time we arrived at the Petronas Towers it had stopped raining and a short time thereafter we were more or less dry due to the high humidity and warm weather. Live and learn.

Despite the fact that it was still a little overcast and stormy from the rain shower that had just passed over, the sky bridge yielded some great views of the city below. Due to the amount of people that they herd in and out of the sky bridge each day, for free no less, you only get about 10 minutes on the actual bridge itself. Click here to check out a quick video I shot of the tower from the sky bridge vantage point.

After taking in the Petronas Towers we decided to tackle the KL Tower next. The KL Tower is the 5th tallest radio tower in the world and looks much like the CN Tower in Toronto or the Seattle Space needle. From the top we were considerably higher than the sky bridge and actually had some great views of the Petronas Towers that we had just come from. Following the KL Tower we walked back in twilight to Chinatown for our last night in KL. We braved the market one last time, finally ready to do some real shopping and managed to pick up a few good items, including a Rolex for K's dad (which I'm quite sure was the real thing given it's $3 US cost). The next morning we boarded a bus for a 6-hour ride back to Singapore.

PULAU PANGKOR

2007-02-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Leaving Tanah Rata and the Cameron Highlands on Sunday we were hoping that heading west to the coast would bring back the sun, though given our rainy weather and overcast skies as of late we weren't entirely optimistic. However, the sun god or gods must have heard our pleas because as the bus descended out of the highlands the clouds slowly started to give way to blue skies and by the time we made it to the town of Lumut, right on the coast, we were stripping down from our long pants to put on our shorts and tees as it was back to the full blown sunny blue skies that we last really saw in Singapore.

From Lumut we took a short ferry boat ride to Pulau Pangkor, a small island off the west coast of Malaysia, into the port of Pangkor Town. From there a taxi ride, in a pink mini-van, around to the western side of the island, arriving into the sleepy town of Teluk Nipah, where we were greeted with plenty of sun, sandy beaches and warm water in which to swim. The town itself was reminiscent of the town of Montezuma, where we stayed in Costa Rica, with one main street, a couple of places to stay & eat and a big half moon stretch of beach fringed with jungle trees. Upon arriving on Sunday, only about half of the restaurants and guesthouses seemed open and each day we stayed on the island it seemed even fewer were still open. A couple of days in and we had one option for lunch, though never the same place two days in a row, and two at most for dinner, if we were lucky. We joked that this was the locals' technique, simply to stop feeding us, in order to turn the tourists out of town when they were ready for a new batch to arrive. Though most likely there was just no rhyme or reason to which restaurants were open given it was low season and the kicked back lifestyle of island living seemed to trump actual work.

Sunday we checked into our guesthouse, a sort of beach bungalow set up, complete with hammocks to swing on, and then made a b-line straight to the beach. On Monday we spent the day lounging around on the beach, soaking up the sun and exploring some of the other beaches nearby. Just north of our beach was a cove called Teluk Coral, or Coral Bay. The water, pictured here, was especially green due to the coral. That night we made a return visit to this great Thai restaurant that we discovered the first night that sits right on the beach and serves up fresh fish as well as Thai dishes. Little did we know that after being open the first 2 nights of our stay, and being packed, it would then be closed the rest of our time on the island for no apparent good reason. But I did get to enjoy some great calamari while it lasted and K has some tasty curry dishes.

On Tuesday we took a boat ride out into the bay to check out some of the other beaches, one named monkey beach that didn't have monkeys but plenty of dogs, as well as some rock formations, one that looked liked a whale, though was named dolphin rock, and one named crocodile rock that actually did look like a croc. We also cruised by Pangkor Laut which is a smaller island off of the main island that has exclusive access only to visitors staying in the resort that runs $300 a night. Though the rooms do look uber-deluxe as they are on stilts in the water and apparently the resort caters to your every whim. Our boat driver/guide told us it was a big honeymoon destination. After getting a view of the posh life, albeit from the cheap seats, we then got dropped off on a smaller island, maybe a half mile out in the bay from the beach we were staying, where we snorkeled for a couple of hours. We got to see plenty of great fish, green coral, and even a monkey that was checking us out from the rocks on the shore. Click here to check out a video that I shot of some of the fish we saw while snorkeling.

On Wednesday we decided to take a walk south down to a beach called Pulau Basir, which is the other big town on this side of the island. It was more resorty and the beach, in our opinion, wasn't as nice as ours, but it was good to get out and move around after a couple of days of sitting on the beach, even if we were scorching hot by the time we arrived. After a brief dip in the water to cool down we decided to get a taxi, another pink mini-van as all the taxis were pink mini-vans on the island, to head back to our beach for some lunch, assuming we could find a place open. Later that afternoon while relaxing on the beach, actually swinging on one of the many swings that hung from the trees along the beach, we bumped into the French woman and her two girls that we had initially met back in the jungle at Taman Negara. Despite the fact that only the mom spoke English, we had made friends with the two girls, especially the oldest girl, who was 10 years old, and really bonded with K. They were traveling for a couple of months, just the 3 of them, and this was not the first big trip she had taken with her daughters. It was very cool to see someone out traveling with their kids as we hope to be able to keep our travel exploration going even after we start a family ourselves. That night we took in a great sunset, listened to some locals having an impromptu guitar sing along on the beach, and made plans to head out that next day. We easily could have stayed a few more days on the island as the beach was great, the water was warm, the sun was hot and the pace of life was very relaxing. Though with our trip winding down we decided that if we did head out we could hit one more destination before we made our way back down to Singapore to fly home. That next morning at breakfast, as we were preparing to leave the island, we ran into the French woman and her two daughters again. The older girl, Alicia, was quite cute as she wanted to take photos with us and then when we were leaving, as her mother translated to us, "She wants to kiss you goodbye but she's too shy to ask." Followed by, "We're French, we kiss everyone all the time." So we said our European goodbyes with kisses on either cheek, and took another pink mini-van taxi ride back to Pangkor Town on the other side of the island to then catch a ferry back to Lumut. From there our next stop was a bus ride south to Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur, which would be quite a big change of pace from the island. More about KL in the next post.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS

2007-02-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

On Friday we left the jungle early in the morning and traveled via mini-bus west to the Cameron Highlands. The Cameron Highlands are comprised of 6 towns, and as the name implies, are elevated from the surrounding land. The region, situated about in the center, both north-south and east-west, of the country, is probably best known for its tea plantations, but it is also Malaysia's agricultural center. Given the cooler weather, due to the elevation, it is ripe for growing all sorts of vegetables and fruits. In fact, the area produces almost all of Malaysia's vegetables and about 70% of Singapore's.

We arrived into Tanah Rata, which is the town most people visit of the 6 that make up the Cameron Highlands, around 3p. That afternoon we took a walk around to get a lay of the land before dinner. The village is fairly small; more or less a one street town with plenty of shops and restaurants, and most of its residents seemed to be Indian. After cruising the main strip we headed out along the main road, which would eventually connect you to the other neighboring towns that make up the highlands, before turning back as it started to rain. Though, we were rewarded for venturing beyond the main drag as while we were out on our walk we did discover a very tasty treat. Along the roadside a local guy was selling a variety of deep fried bananas. We tried both what looked like a donut hole but was actually banana flavored deep fried dough, as well as an actual deep fried banana. Both were delicious. After our banana snack the rain started to pick up a little so we decided to duck into one of the local shops. We ended up picking up some new pants due to the fact that we both muddied up our only other pair in the jungle and it was much cooler here, though not cold by any stretch.

After making our purchase we headed back up the hill to our guesthouse, which looked as if at one point it was an old manor type estate. We had a great room that opened to a garden and also had its own shower, a nice perk. We actually lucked out scoring this room as we arrived at the same time as another couple who was also interested in the garden/shower room. We decided the only fair way to decide who would get the good room, there were other more dorm-style rooms also available, was to flip a coin. Thankfully K nailed the heads call, which I knew she would, and were set up with the garden vistas and our own hot shower. Combined with the rolling green hills in the backdrop and the architecture of the buildings in town, and Tanah Rata feels very British. It even has a golf course next to an English style pub & steak house. Unfortunately the other thing the town seemed to have in common with merry old England was the weather. At least during our stay it was especially foggy and rainy. As I mentioned back in my Singapore post, after we left Singapore we didn't really see blue skies for a while, and definitely not during our stay in the highlands. Talking to a French woman who we met back in the jungle and would later see again at our next stop at the beach, and apparently we just had bad timing as she was in Tanah Rata a few days after us and had glorious weather. Despite the rain and the dreary skies, the temperatures were still pleasant.

On Saturday we booked ourselves on a tour to see the local sites which consisted of a visit to a Buddhist Temple, a botanical garden, a tea plantation, a strawberry farm, a butterfly/insect farm, a bee farm and a local market. Before the tour, that morning we set out on a walk to the next town over. We made it as far as the before mentioned English pub & golf course before turning back around to refuel with some lunch before our tour.

Unfortunately it rained on and off the entire tour, though it was still scenic even if some of the vistas were obscured by the rain & fog. The highlight of the tour was probably the tea plantation. We visited the Boh Tea Plantation, which is one of Malaysia's oldest and well-known tea growers. After a brief tour and explanation of the tea growing and producing process we got to take in the views of the gorgeous rolling green tea fields. As our tour guide called them, the green carpet giants were definitely amazing. The strawberry farm visit yielded a tasty strawberry milkshake. The butterfly and insect farm was also cool. More so for some of the great insects that our guide was freely letting us hold, whether we wanted to or not including some scorpions that were piled upon a Scottish guy on our tour. As our guide explained, they were only a little poisonous. Not sure the Scot was too thrilled with that reassurance. The butterflies were also quite beautiful, though it definitely didn't feel quite right that they were caged, albeit with a net, not bars. But not exactly the carefree, running through a field chasing a butterfly image that you might conjure up. By the time we made it to the bee garden it was pouring, so we didn't really get to experience the bees and their hives in full force, though we did get a free taste of honey. The local market was also pre-empted due to the rain. Even though the entire day was fairly touristy and it was raining, it was still fun and we did get a good sense of the surrounding area.

Due to the weather, and the fact that we had more or less seen everything we came to see, we decided that 2 days and 2 nights would suffice in the highlands. So on Sunday morning we set out via bus, to continue our journey westward in search of sun, surf and sand on the island of Pangkor situated off the west coast of Malaysia. More on that portion of the trip in the next post.

TAMAN NEGARA

2007-02-03T18:28:00.000-08:00

Picking up where I left off, on Tuesday morning we departed early from Singapore via the "Jungle Train" which goes to the central and eastern portion of Malaysia, as opposed to the other non-jungle train line that predominantly serves Kuala Lumpur and the west coast. We opted for the local train and it's 25+ stops that left in the morning and arrived in the evening, rather than the overnight express train that would have gotten us into our destination at 3a. We figured that since we were just getting adjusted to the right time zone that we wouldn't mess with an overnight train ride, plus a 3am arrival didn't sound too great either. And unless the ticket agent's math was wrong, the overnight express train was only 1 hour faster than the local. So long story short, we had 9 hours on the train and plenty of stops to see the countryside and local people.

As advertised, the jungle train netted some great tropical scenery. After first crossing the border into Malaysia, it was quite wet. This region, Johor, which is the southern most in Peninsular Malaysia, was hit by a monsoon and subsequent flooding a few weeks before we arrived and the effects were still quite apparent. The fact that it was raining on this day as well certainly didn't help. But since we had no control over the rain anyway, from our standpoint we didn't mind it so much, as after 2 days of sun and blue skies in Singapore, the overcast rainy weather was well timed given it was a travel day. (Little did we know at the time, but it would be several days before we really saw blue skies and the sun again). So, other than taking in the beautiful, albeit wet, scene from the train window, the ride was mostly uneventful.

We arrived to our destination, the town of Jerantut, which is the jumping off point to make your way into Taman Negara national park, about 6p that night. After settling into a hotel room that was not much larger than the double bed that it contained, we cruised the one street town for some dinner. The town itself was a little depressing, or put it this way, I was glad that it was a transit spot for us and not our destination. Though, that being said, I actually had one of my better meals on the trip here, a lemon chicken that was sweet and sticky but still crispy. As K's dad would say, "It don't get no better." As a side note I would point out that the Colonel has invaded Singapore & Malaysia full force. So beware. That would be the Colonial Sanders. As we would notice throughout the trip, KFC is everywhere, including this small rural town in Malaysia. Though I suppose fried chicken is universally well liked and in a predominantly Muslim country that doesn't eat pork, it makes sense. And in case you're wondering, the before mentioned outstanding lemon chicken did NOT come from KFC. After dinner we had a briefing on our impending departure the next morning - bus to the jetty and then a 2 hour boat ride up the river to the town of Kampung Kuala Tahan, which is the main access point to get into Taman Negara. We had a mini money panic that night as well, in that we had only changed what little Singapore cash we had left at the train station before we left into Malaysian Ringgits, however since this was our first stop in Malaysia and we knew there would be no ATM in the jungle, we needed to get some money to get us into the jungle and out as well. It was also 6p, so the banks were closed, and our bus left at 8a, before they would be open in the morning. A local told us of 2 banks that had ATM's and after an unsuccessful visit to the first, which had us thinking we were going to be spending another day in Jerantut, we hit gold with the second, ensuring our escape that next morning. Flush with cash, we decided to cruise the local market, which is always an experience in a foreign country, to pick up some snacks for the bus/boat ride. We also decided that given what we had read about the leeches in the jungle, that we would pick up some additional long socks for protection.

The next morning we departed bright and early on the bus to the jetty and then hopped into a long tail boat for what turned out to be a 3-hour boat ride up the river. It was actually quite beautiful and very reminiscent of the boat ride we took up the river in Bolivia on our jungle trip there. It rained off and on during the ride, but fortunately the boat was covered. The park itself is set up with a small 'village' of hostels and floating restaurants on one side of the river and then a more deluxe resort and the park on the other. According to our LP book, Taman Negara is one of the world's oldest preserved jungles, by that they mean it was not affected by the ice ages or burnt down by any volcanoes, so it has stood, as it exists currently, for an estimated 130 million years.

After finding a hostel and some lunch at one of the floating restaurants, we ventured into the park to check out the canopy walk, which is a series of suspended walkways in the tree tops. After navigating the first walkway, which is essentially wood planks over a ladder that rests on a series of mesh ropes and wired cables, very confidently we were somewhat shaken on the next 2 longer walkways as they were maybe 100-125 feet above the jungle floor and quite wobbly, though very sturdy and safe, at least we hoped. The views were great but it was definitely a mixture of exhilaration and fear, though probably more of the latter. Fortunately it wasn't raining when we were up there, though it did open up shortly after we touched down. It was already pretty muddy, as it is a rain forest and does pretty much rain on and off all the time, but we were getting quite wet. After the trail we were following petered out and we decided to head back to camp is when we first discovered the leeches. K, who promised to scream when she saw one, did oblige. They were actually quite small and brown, sort of like tadpoles, though they moved like inch worms. While small, they were relentless, as soon as you flicked off one, you could look around and see others standing on end, sensing your presence, and preparing to mount an attack towards you. Apparently the bigger black ones that you might be picturing, as I was, from movies and the likes, do exist, though we didn't fortunately see any. In our first encounter we were able to flick off the leeches on our shoes and pants before they had settled in for a drink, though it did thoroughly freak K out. I pretty much had to run to keep pace with her as she hightailed it out of the jungle. If we were in an alternate reality, in a spy drama perhaps, and one needed to elicit information out of her, one word: leeches. She would be singing like a canary in no time. After escaping the rain and leeches we then spent the rest of the evening just relaxing and soaking up the jungle atmosphere.

Malaysia is quite beautiful. It also proved cooler than Singapore, though Singapore was oppressively hot, so the slightly cooler temps were welcomed. It did rain in the jungle off and on, but as one of the locals said, "There is a reason they call it a rain forest." Malaysia is sort of the opposite of Singapore in terms of ethnic mixes - it's predominantly Muslim with Malays comprising the majority and Chinese the minority. Though not quite as well versed in English as in Singapore, everyone does seem to speak it for the most part. And everyone is quite friendly. In fact, one local treated us to a fruit taste testing. If you recall the photo of the theaters in Singapore, nicknamed after the fruit the durian, we had the real thing in Taman Negara. After lunch on Thursday a local implored us that when in Malaysia you must try the durian. Given how stinky it was, and it really does stink, I didn't have high hopes for the taste. The fruit itself is sort of like a pineapple in that it's spiky on the outside. However, it's very different on the inside. Instead of sweet mouth watering fruit, it contains 2 giant seeds that you suck the pasty exterior from. It was neither sweet, nor sour, just sort of thick and creamy but not good. The most disconcerting part was that the taste lingers even when you try to wash it away with your drink. K initially thought she liked them, but subsequently changed her mind. What's worse is that once you've tasted them, simply smelling them conjures the taste again. But hey, when in Malaysia...

Later on Thursday we decided to take another trek into the jungle, this time to a vista point that has some spectacular views of the surrounding jungle. This of course was after I did some gentle coaxing and reassurance of K that the leeches wouldn't be that bad this time. This in fact turned out to be a lie as they were worse, as it seemed like we were constantly fighting off leeches most of the 2 hour hike. Actually the hike up wasn't so bad, but coming back down the trail was quite wet and it rained intermittently, which didn't help our cause. But despite the leeches, the mud and the rain, the jungle was definitely a great experience. After our successful leech-free exit from the trail, and by leech-free I mean we didn't have any still on us, we had a celebratory beer. This was at the resort itself, as the village didn't serve alcohol given that it's predominantly Muslim. So we plunked down the $7 per beer, figuring we had earned it.

For K, I think the entire experience can be summed up in these two quotes:

A local upon our arrival in Taman Negara,

"Leeches can be overcome."

K as we are exiting the jungle,

"I still don't think leeches can be overcome."

As she would accurately explain, leeches are too crafty to be overcome. Which is true, they are crafty. So maybe we didn't overcome them, but we survived.

Friday morning we left the jungle to head out west to the Cameron Highlands and the tea plantations, which will be detailed in the next post in a few days. Again, if you want to be automatically sent new posts via email, just drop your address in the box on the upper right.

SINGAPORE

2007-01-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

The following is a running dialogue from our recent trip, comprised of notes and photos taken while we were there and some commentary that I�??ve added upon returning home...

Our arrival into Singapore was perhaps the easiest arrival to a destination we've experienced. While it may have taken virtually 24 hours of travel to get there, once we arrived, the airport and subway, both modern and easy to navigate, which is a running theme in Singapore, delivered us to our hotel's doorstep in no time at all and for about $1 US. Certainly a far cry from landing in Lima, Peru and trying to sort out a taxi ride with relentless drivers coming at you, most looking to rip you off. Some people derisively call Singapore a sterile city. And while it doesn't have the frenetic pulse (or pollution) like other Asian cities we've visited, such as Bangkok or even Kuala Lumpur, which we visited later in the trip, it does have a lot going for it. In many ways Singapore is the prototypical modern 21st century metropolis. It has the before mentioned modern transportation system, the modern skyline, and the general cleanliness not seen in any other urban setting. Mix in the colonial architecture that contrasts with the uber-modern designs, the tropical temperatures and greenery that juxtapose the urban landscape and the diversity of the people - a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian - and it's really unlike any other city. For some it's the right mixture and for others they are put off. For me, I�??m clearly the former as I took to it right away, feeling comfortable and very at home with the surroundings. Of course you still have to be careful not to litter or chew gum, lest you get the cane. Actually, despite its reputation as having many rules and strictly enforcing them, we hardly saw any police and we did in fact see some people littering. So either they are surveilling their citizens using high-tech and these people were rounded up later, or things are a little more easy going than the reputation. We decided not to push our luck by testing that theory though, as we were law abiding visitors.

After our seamless arrival, unpacking, and a brief sigh from the 18+ hours of plane flights (SFO to Taipei to Singapore), we rallied and took a walk around Little India our first night. As you would expect it was replete with plenty of Indian shops and Indian people. Though mostly Indian men. In fact it became a running joke, as K was virtually the only woman we saw for hours and I was the only man without a mustache. The only way we did fit in was that we were holding hands, which oddly enough most of the Indian men were as well. It was sort of like an Indian version of the Castro, complete with the brightly colored buildings, though I don't think the implied meaning of the hand holding gesture was the same. We did eventually discover that all the Indian women were in fact around, simply inside the air-conditioned malls shopping. Seeing as it was sweltering hot and humid outside, a strong case could be made, using this as an example, that women are in fact smarter than men. As we would discover, shopping, as well as eating, are practically the national pastimes in Singapore. Speaking of eating, we ate at one of the many food courts, called hawker stalls, our first night. Basically a sort of hybrid of a farmer's market and food courts at the mall, though more along the lines of farmer's markets in that everything is homemade and clearly mom & pop shops. We steered clear of the turtle soup, but did have some tasty bites nonetheless. We managed to make it up to about 10p that first night, trying to stay up late enough to get ourselves on the right time zone, as Singapore is 16 hours ahead of SF, so we essentially lost an entire day flying.

On Monday, we set out on another walking excursion, which is more or less how we see big cities when we travel. Between walking around Singapore and then later Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, we literally probably walked at least 20 miles between the 2 cities. On this day we first headed to the Colonial area of town, which is situated near the waterfront downtown. We somehow stumbled into an underground mall, which was massive. Most of the stores were closed it was so early, but because it was air-conditioned, people were using it as a thruway to get around the city. We then again stumbled into the Esplanade, the large modern theater in Singapore nicknamed "The Durians" for it's resemblance to the spiky (and stinky) fruit by that name (more on durians in the next post). At that point we sort of had a stop and start to our walk as K had to give up on the flip flops (her feet weren't quite ready for the lack of support given the miles we were putting on) and head back to the hotel so she could grab her sneaks. The jet lag sort of caught up with us as the return trip (and the sight of a bed) necessitated a brief nap, but we soon rallied, heading out again this time to Chinatown. After cruising some of the shops, which remarkably had very similar junk to what's sold in SF's Chinatown, we found a great place to get some dim sum (again keeping with Singapore's pastimes of shopping + eating).

Later that afternoon we made our way back downtown to the waterfront area to check out the Asian Civilization museum, which features art from SE Asia, China, and India. In addition to some interesting art from the region, it had some pretty cool interactive video displays, and it was also very air-conditioned, which made it a nice (cool) break from all the walking. Singapore's population is about 75% Chinese, with the rest being Malay and Indian. Despite being an Asian city, everything is in English - street signs, billboards, directions, etc, and everyone speaks English. It is in fact their unofficial official language. So in that way it doesn't feel so foreign, and is probably one of the things people cite when they knock the city as too sterile, but from a traveler's perspective, or at least a traveler who speaks English, it makes it quite easy to get around. That is if you bother to figure out where you're going. That night we were attempting to visit the night safari out at the zoo but, no thanks to our Lonely Planet guide, we didn't allow enough time to get out there and see the safari before turning around to catch the last train home. So instead we ended up taking a very long subway ride around the city before aborting and heading to an ex-pat indie rock pub in Little India for a beverage. As a side note I would just say that the 2003 Malaysia/Singapore Lonely Planet guide is crap. LP is our travel book of choice and by and large has always done us right, but this one really didn't pass the test. It's lousy on so many fronts it's not worth detailing. They just released a new version this month, unfortunately too late for us, so hopefully it's better than the one we had.

Tuesday morning we set out on a train for Malaysia with our destination being Taman Negara, a large national park in the rainforest. More on Singapore when we return at the end of the trip. More on Malaysia in the next post in a few days. If you want to be notified automatically when I add the next post, simply add your email address into the box on the upper right, or subscribe to the feed.

NFL RECAP - AFC PICKS

2007-01-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

As promised, the AFC recap of my preseason picks.

AFC EAST

The pick: NEW ENGLAND
The winner: NEW ENGLAND

What I got right: "While Miami has a nice squad...Culpepper won't be the difference maker for them...even without Branch, Tom Brady is good enough to figure out how to get it done."

What I got wrong: "The Jets have issues at QB and could very well be in the mix for the worst record in the league."

Grade: A-
I got the pick right, predicted that Culpepper would flop and Miami wasn't the chic pick to win the division that everyone seemed to think they were. The Jets, like New Orleans in the NFC, were a big surprise so I won't penalize myself too much for not predicting their wildcard run.

AFC NORTH

The pick: PITTSBURGH
The winner: BALTIMORE

What I got right: "Cincinnati has more talent than Pittsburgh...but will they live up to the high expectations? In Baltimore this is the make or break year for Brian Billick. In Cleveland they are still a team looking to assemble some building blocks for the future. This team won't be good but could catch a few people by surprise if they take them too lightly."

What I got wrong: "I don't think the arrival of McNair will make the difference...The Ravens will be in the mix for the wild card but won't get over the hump in the deep AFC. I think Pittsburgh will take the division but an injury here or there and this team very well might not even make the playoffs to defend their title."

Grade: D-
In my defense I did note that I could see Pittsburgh missing the playoffs entirely. Though I somehow stupidly still picked them to win the division. I had Cincy pegged for a wildcard slot so that wasn't too far off (more on that below). But I get the D because I didn't see the 13-3 season from Baltimore. I was thinking more along the lines of 9-7 and missing out on the last wildcard.

AFC SOUTH

The pick: INDIANAPOLIS
The winner: INDIANAPOLIS

What I got right: "The Colts should again run up a nice regular season record as Peyton Manning proves he's the best QB at winning in the regular season. Even without Edgerrin James in the backfield they are still loaded offensively. In Houston...all the talk is about why they drafted Super Mario instead of Reggie Bush. The two will be linked this year, as people will be watching to see just how big of blunder the Texans made by passing on the Heisman winner. This team is...not ready for primetime."

What I got wrong: "In Tennessee it could be a couple of years before we see Vince Young be as effective and electric as he was at UT. The fact that Jeff Fisher brought in Kerry Collins, presumably to start, means Vince is nowhere near ready yet. The Titans are another squad that looks to be in the running for worst record, as they are clearly in rebuilding mold."

Grade: A-
Much like the AFC EAST, I got the pick right, but like the Jets I didn't see the Titans surprise season coming. Granted they didn't get into the playoffs, but 8-8 was a breakout year for them considering the low expectations. Vince Young proved he's a winner at the pro level as well. Unlike in Tennessee, 8-8 in Jax was a disappointment. I thought they would nab a wildcard spot, but they were more unsettled at QB than I expected and they couldn't get it done on the road this year (2-6).

AFC WEST

The pick: DENVER
The winner: SAN DIEGO

What I got right: "The West in my opinion could be wide open. Clearly Denver is at the head of the class, but question marks about which Bell will be in the backfield and whether Jay Cutler could potentially supplant Jake Plummer as starting QB could disrupt the squad...San Diego rolled the dice and let Drew Brees go to New Orleans so they could make way for the Philip Rivers era. If he's the real deal San Diego could be the sleeper pick to win the division or a wild card berth...KC will be in the wild card mix. The team not in the mix is the Raiders...this team will stink."

What I got wrong: "In the end Denver is too talented not to win the division..."

Grade: C-
Other than the pick, I actually had a lot right here. I was sniffing out the SD surprise but didn't go with my gut and pick them. I thought Denver was a playoff team, and perhaps if they had gone with Cutler from the start of the season they might have at least won a wildcard. The low grade is based on San Diego's NFL best 14-2 record and the fact that I had them out of the playoffs. Ouch.

WILDCARD

The picks: JACKSONVILLE & CINCINNATI
The winners: NEW YORK & KANSAS CITY

What I got right: "Whichever 2 teams do notch the wild card will have to put up a good fight that could go down to the last weekend of the season. The teams I expect to be in the mix are Miami, Cincy, Baltimore, Jax, KC and San Diego."

What I got wrong: "I think Jacksonville will earn the first and based on their talent alone Cincy will figure out a way to get the second and last berth."

Grade: D
This grade would have been much better had Cincy not missed kicks (a game-tying PAT in week 16 and a game-winning FG in week 17) that cost them an eventual wildcard berth. Even with the missed PAT that could have forced OT two weeks ago, they had a 39-yard FG to beat Pittsburgh, which as they found out later when Denver lost to SF, would have put them in as the last wildcard. I did think KC would be in the mix, but again had no clue the Jets would get it done.

AFC record: 2-4

Overall record: 4-8

Only 4 teams right isn't great. If you just look at division winners (I was 0-4 in the wildcard slots) I was 4-4 or if you look at overall playoff picks (counting that I had both Philly and Dallas in the playoffs, just flip-flopped as the division winner vs. wildcard seeding) my record was 6-6. In both cases .500 is tolerable. So grading on a curve, I give myself an overall C+ grade.

Revised playoff picks later this week.

NFL RECAP - NFC PICKS

2007-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Since the NFL regular season is in the books, time to take a look back and grade my preseason picks, starting with the NFC.

NFC EAST

The pick: DALLAS
The winner: PHILLY

What I got right: "The Eagles, coming off a disastrous 6-10 season, have shed T.O. and Andy Reid has turned over the roster. Most pundits are writing them off...but the team looks like they have something to prove and all signs point to them making their statement. The Skins now have plenty of playmakers but they are still hinging their success on the arm of Mark Brunell. Unfortunately for them Brunell is done, which means so are the Redskins. A trendy pick to win the division, despite their dismal preseason, in my book they'll finish last."

What I got wrong: "New York won't make the playoffs...at the end of the day defense will rule and the big D in Dallas will clinch the title."

Grade: B
I didn't get the pick right, but I did get a lot more right than wrong. I wanted to go with my heart and pick Philly to win the division outright, instead I softened and just gave them the wildcard berth. Happy to be wrong in this case.

NFC NORTH

The pick: CHICAGO
The winner: CHICAGO

What I got right: "Everyone's hands down pick, the Bears, have the defense that makes them a lock for the division, but looking beyond that they have some big questions on the other side of the ball, most notably at QB. Is Rex Grossman their long-term answer? While the Bears have some questions the rest of the division has no answers."

What I got wrong: "Of the 3 bottom dwellers Detroit seems to be headed in the right direction..."

Grade: A+
Pretty much all over this one. Green Bay sported a better record than I thought they would, but in the immortal words of Dennis Green, "they were who we thought they were."

NFC SOUTH

The pick: CAROLINA
The winner: NEW ORLEANS

What I got right: "...the wheels officially haven fallen off the Michael Vick bandwagon...The acquisition of Drew Brees, a great signing if he stays healthy, gives them a trio of Bush, Brees and Joe Horn that will make some plays."

What I got wrong: "The Saints will become America's team this year, but the feel good story will stop there as despite the arrival of some big name stars in town the rest of the talent isn't there, especially on defense. This team won't win much, but should be fun to watch and root for. Most have anointed Carolina as the team to beat in the NFC and for good reason."

Grade: F
Like most people, I missed the boat with the Saints. I thought they would stink and they were great. I thought Carolina would be great and they stunk.

NFC WEST

The pick: SEATTLE
The winner: SEATTLE

What I got right: "An injury to Shaun Alexander or Hasselbeck or a slow start and we could see this team unravel...I just think the rest of the division is too weak to let that happen. The chic pick to challenge Seattle is Arizona. The fact that the o-line was down right horrible last year should put a wet blanket on the party."

What I got wrong: "And in SF the only good thing that can be said is that they should be looking at another high draft pick this year, which given their lack of overall talent is a good thing."

Grade: A-
Like the NFC North I was pretty much all over this one. I expected Seattle to struggle, and they did. I though St. Louis might sneak up and challenge and they almost did. I thought people were overrating Arizona and I was right. SF was the miss, as they were better than I expected, hence the A- grade.

WILDCARD

The picks: PHILADELPHIA & TAMPA
The winners: DALLAS & NEW YORK

What I got right: "Depending on how the chips fall the East could boast both wild card berths and 3 playoff teams."

What I got wrong: "And in the other slot look for Tampa Bay to edge out St. Louis and slide into the second berth."

Grade: C- I was sniffing this one out but didn't have the gumption to slot the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the East as the Wildcard winners. I picked Dallas to win the division and Philly to snag the top wildcard, which was close but no cigar as they were flip-flopped. With Tampa I was just dead wrong as they looked lost even before Simms got hurt. That and the fact that I thought the Giants would miss the playoffs determined the C- grade.

NFC record: 2-4

AFC recap tomorrow.

LIVE FROM THE ARCHIVES

2006-12-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Just in case you've missed any illustrations along the way, I wanted to point out i've added an Illustration Archive on the right nav bar. This has all the illustrations that have appeared in various posts, so check it out if you joined the Stringdom late or just want to flip through them again. Enjoy.

NEW ILLOS

2006-12-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Some new illustrations that I did as a Christmas present for my niece. Click on the image to see both of them. Enjoy.

O CHRISTMAS TREE

2006-12-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

The past few years we've been out of town for the holidays, so we haven't bothered with getting a tree. Even though we're going to be out of town again this year, we were feeling the holiday spirit. So with the help our niece, Tess Louise, we picked out and decorated this small giant, all of 4 feet, which is about all our apartment can handle. We even threw on some Christmas music and made cookies just for good measure. So for the next few weeks we'll be basking in the fresh pine scent of our tree and vacuuming up fallen needles.

NOW DEPARTING FOR...

2006-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

We've been belaboring the destination of our next trip abroad for a few weeks now. Seeing as we're trying to travel the middle 2 weeks of January, we're getting a bit of a late start on the planning. Originally we had intended on going to Argentina using airline miles, which didn't end up working out. Airline miles are vexing that way. Our next choice was buying tickets to New Zealand, but that proved wildly expensive. So with our first two choices off the table, we broke out the atlas and started playing the where should we go next game. We dabbled with some other destinations in South America, but since our last 2 trips were to Costa Rica and Peru & Bolivia, we decided to head to a different part of the world. I was intrigued by Moscow, but after a check of the weather we ruled it too cold. Kristin zeroed in on Egypt. I then became fixated with the South Pacific. Basically we were all over the place. So last night we broke out the wine and the laptops and invited our friend Andy over, who in his own right is a walking & talking atlas, and started searching the globe. About a bottle of wine down, we finally zeroed in on south east Asia and then after finding cheap tickets and hearing a good sales pitch from Andy we ultimately decided to get tickets to Singapore. We're also planning on checking out Malaysia. So should be a good mix of uber-modern city and then jungles and parks. Assuming we can avoid a caning it should be great. Can't wait.

TEDDY THE TURTLE

2006-11-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ask and ye shall receive! I mentioned in my post last week that Kristin and I were hoping that our newest nephew (my sister being the expectant) would arrive a week early so we would be in town over Thanksgiving to welcome him. Well, the kid has great timing as he entered the scene last Monday right on cue for our arrival the next day. Above is a photo of the little guy, named Theodore. Cute little guy. So in addition to visiting with everyone while back in PA we got to hang out with Teddy. Congrats to the new parents. Job well done!

M.I.A.

2006-11-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well, first off my apologies for the lack of blog activity lately. Since I last posted about my postcard endeavor it's been a hectic 2 months. So by way of catching up here is a quick recap of the doings in the Stringdom as of late:

As I mentioned in the last post (Birth of an Artist) I had some promo postcards printed and so many a night was spent pouring over and compiling a mailing list. So far i've sent out about 150 with plans to send out a couple hundred more in the next month or so. While it hasn't resulted in any inquiries or jobs I have seen a lift in my web traffic to my illustration site (mattstringer.com). So hopefully those visits are art directors checking out my illustrations and filing away my name for their next great project.

In addition to the postcard push, we hit wedding season full on with 2 family weddings back east. The first being my Aunt Hannah's in September in Boston. She and her husband Steve got married at the Boston Yacht Club with the highlights being a guided cruise out on the Boston Harbor, a great ceremony on a bluff over looking the marina and some serious dancing featuring the prominent use of life-sized Miller Light bottles as guitar props (you had to be there). The low lights being a post-rehearsal dinner scuffle with one of the locals. If you're in Boston and see a drunk masshole nicknamed The Worm, let him know that we're still looking for him. The following month in October we headed to Wash DC for my brother's wedding. Great city, great couple, great job by Pastor Plimpton and again plenty of dance floor antics by all, though no Miller Lite bottle inspired guitar solos. Congrats to both sets of newlyweds - Hannah & Steve and Thad & Kim. Good luck!

Upon our return to SF we were enlisted in the Haunted House construction over at Kristin's brother's place in Noe Valley. This is now our third year running and was by far our best effort, both in terms of style points and scare factor. The increased scare factor was thanks in large part to a local butcher shop that provided a real liver (a cow's) and real bones (again cow's). I'd like to think I convincingly played the part of the dismembered head. I'm hoping to get a copy of some of the video that was shot to post here for people to check out. The plotting for next year has already begun. This crew is serious.

Then the next weekend we were down in Chino for a late Oktoberfest at Kristin's dad's house. Germany beer, sausages and a ride in her dad's new Porsche. Though not necessarily in that order.

As a side note, with all the jet setting of late the running regime has suffered big time. As I look at the ticking clock that now reads 32 days to go it's going to be a long shot to get back in shape. I'm still hoping to run the race but I think I bit off more than I could chew when I pronounced back in July that I would be running a race at the end of December. And if that sounds like a cop out or me throwing in the towel, well, it is. The truth is I was in great shape over the summer and in the early part of the fall, but as I suspected might happen the weather turned cold, the clocks turned back and the running regime was virtually toppled. I'm hoping to muster enough resistance to mount a final charge to at least make it to the starting line to run in the race. And then i'll be looking for a mile to run during the warmer months as a make good for this attempt. Maybe.

Some good news to pass along on the real life front - last week I scored a nice promotion at work. Hopefully the fact that my new title, Director of Advertising, abbreviates to D.O.A. won't be an omen for my success on the new job.

Lastly, next week we're headed back east again, this time to Philly for Thanksgiving. In addition to the usual turkey and football, i'll be celebrating with my traditional pigs in a blanket fest. And then we're also celebrating with a baby shower for my sister and her husband, the before mentioned Pastor Plimpton. They are expecting their first child, and my parent's first grandchild, on December 4th. Both Kristin and I are secretly, or not so secretly since i'm posting it here, hoping she has it a week early so we'll be in town for the birth. So that's the latest and greatest from the Stringdom. Hope everyone has a happy holiday season since that time of year is now upon us. More (frequent) posts to come.

BIRTH OF AN ARTIST

2006-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

The title of the post is not as presumptive as it sounds. Rather, i'm hoping this month will the launching pad to get my illustration career started. So in that sense a more fitting title might be: ARTIST FOR SALE. As most people know, or at least those reading this blog, i've had my illustration website up for a few months now (if you haven't checked it out at all or lately, take a look. For those who have been there before there's a new animated intro with sfx that I just set up last week).

So now that the site is up I need to get it out there and promote it to the public at large. I've signed up for a few free portfolio sites where you get to post a handful of images and provide links back to your site. So that's a good start, but this month is going to be all about self-promotion. The main form of this promotion is a postcard that i've created and had printed. Click on the image to check out both the front and back. So i've now got a box of 500 of these sitting on my desk and for the last week or so i've been working my way through my copy of my Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market book compiling a mailing list of publishers, magazines, greeting card company's etc...So hopefully in the next week or so my postcards will be traveling far and wide and maybe some will find accepting homes. We shall see. If you know someone I should be sending one to, please post a comment and let me know and i'll get one out in the mail.

AFC ROUND UP

2006-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Need to sneak this in under the wire before tomorrow's games. I give myself an asterisk for not getting it in before Thursday night's game, but unlike the experts, I wasn't going to pick Miami for the playoffs anyway, so their loss didn't sway me. Shorter write-ups as I haven't done as much reading on the AFC as of yet. But here goes:

AFC EAST

As I mentioned above, the popular pick here is for Miami to finally move past New England as the beast in the East. While Miami has a nice squad and should be in the mix for the wild card hunt, as Thursday's night match up against the Steelers showed, Culpepper won't be the difference maker for them. People forget before he went down with the knee injury last year he was stinking it up in Minnesota before finally giving way to Brad Johnson who ignited the team's second half run. To think that a year removed from a major surgery, which will limit his mobility, and on heels of his worse season, that he was some how going to be the team's savior was overly optimistic. New England does have their own problems with Deion Branch's contract dispute. Belichick probably won't cave, which either means Branch will have to come back to the team with his tail between his legs and play under his current contract or hold out the entire season. My guess is the latter. But even without Branch, Tom Brady is good enough to figure out how to get it done. Look for an MVP type season from him. The Bills & Jets both have issues at QB and could very well be in the mix for the worst record in the league. The pick: New England

AFC NORTH

The North, like the NFC East, should be one of the other more competitive divisions this year. Defending division champs Cincy and defending Superbowl champs Pittsburgh both have QB health questions. At this stage Carson Palmer, despite his limited work in preseason, is looking to be the healthier of the two, as Roethlisberger seems snake-bitten since his magical run to the Superbowl last year. But from all indications he should be back as soon as week 2 and in his absence Charlie Batch proved that he is more than a capable back up as he filled in nicely against Miami, running his record to 3-0 when filling in for big Ben in the last 2 years. Willie Parker will have to pick up the slack for the retired Bettis, as when this team excels it is with a blue collar effort where they control the ball on offense and pound you with their defense, lead by Joey Porter. I think Pittsburgh will take the division but an injury here or there and this team very well might not even make the playoffs to defend their title. Cincinnati has more talent than Pittsburgh, and may be the most talented team in the league this year, but will they live up to the high expectations? This is the first year since the early 90's where some think the Bengals are Superbowl-worthy. But to make a run deep in the playoffs their defense will have to stop some teams. While winning 45-37 might fly in the regular season, as the Colts failures from the past few years have proven, the defenses are better come the playoffs, so you won't score as many points and you gotta figure out how to stop some people. A brutal schedule should prevent Cincy from repeating as division champs, but they should still slide into the playoffs if they can keep Palmer healthy and their players out of jail (5 players arrested this off season). In Baltimore this is the make or break year for Brian Billick. He's finally got his veteran QB, with Steve McNair replacing Kyle Boller, and Ray Lewis returns from injury to give the defense a boost. But much like in Miami with the high expectations with Culpepper, I don't think the arrival of McNair will make the difference here either. Had they picked him up 5 years ago before he was repeatedly pounded in Tennessee it might be a different story. But he's a warrior and even a 75% McNair should be better than a 100% Kyle Boller. The Ravens will be in the mix for the wild card but won't get over the hump in the deep AFC. In Cleveland they are still a team looking to assemble some building blocks for the future. Whether Charlie Frye is their franchise QB should be the question they are looking to answer this year. This team won't be good but could catch a few people by surprise if they take them too lightly. The pick: Pittsburgh

AFC SOUTH

Coming off the disappointing loss to the Steelers in the playoffs last year, the Colts should again run up a nice regular season record as Peyton Manning proves he's the best QB at winning in the regular season. Even without Edgerrin James in the backfield they are still loaded offensively. It may actually help them this year if they lose one early to deflate the talk of the undefeated season that I think drained them last year before finally losing in week 15. With a win tomorrow against Eli and the Giants they could get off to a fast start, which will make it tough for their only competition in the division, the Jags, to catch them. Jacksonville, buoyed by an easy closing schedule last year, finished 8-1 to close the season and make the playoffs. Their schedule is much tougher this year but they will still get 2 games each to beat up on Houston and Tennessee. If they want a shot at finally unseating the Colts, the week 3 match up in Indy will be a must win. They must keep Leftwich healthy and they are young and not very deep at WR. The defense is on the up swing and this team should be good enough to earn a return berth to the playoffs, again as a wild card. In Tennessee and Houston their hopes hinge on their draft picks. In Tennessee it could be a couple of years before we see Vince Young be as effective and electric as he was at UT. The fact that Jeff Fisher brought in Kerry Collins, presumably to start, means Vince is nowhere near ready yet. We could still see him in spot duty or if the season goes in the tank, full-time sooner rather than later this year. The Titans are another squad that looks to be in the running for worst record, as they are clearly in rebuilding mold. In Houston they have more weapons, but all the talk is about the one they passed on when they drafted Super Mario instead of Reggie Bush. The two will be linked this year, as people will be watching to see just how big of blunder the Texans made by passing on the Heisman winner. For Williams he'll need to put up numbers early to deflect criticism as well as help turn around the defense. This team is also not ready for primetime but could also sneak up on some teams if taken too lightly. The pick: Indianapolis

AFC WEST

The West in my opinion could be wide open. Clearly Denver is at the head of the class, but question marks about which Bell will be in the backfield and whether Jay Cutler could potentially supplant Jake Plummer as starting QB could disrupt the squad. If Plummer returns to his Jake No Mistake form of the regular season last year Cutler will be on the sidelines until next year. But if we see too much of the old Jake the Snake that reared his head in the 2 INT & 2 fumble loss against the Steelers in the AFC championship game last year Shanahan might look to Cutler sooner. Cutler is already a fan favorite, which means Plummer will have to play looking over his shoulder knowing his backup has the looks of a franchise QB in the making. In both KC and San Diego the teams are built around their MVP caliber, initials only, backs of LJ and LT. In KC much of the talk is whether Larry Johnson will reach 2,000 yards this year. I don't see it happening, though he will be a force again this year as he makes his claim to the best RB throne. And in San Diego, Tomlinson is already the weapon now that most think Reggie Bush could eventually become. Where they differ is their QB situations. In KC the Chiefs have veteran Trent Green, while San Diego rolled the dice and let Drew Brees go to New Orleans so they could make way for the Philip Rivers era. If he's the real deal San Diego could be the sleeper pick to win the division or a wild card berth. If not, they will struggle as teams gear up to stop Tomlinson and force Rivers to prove he can beat them. Look for an up and down season that will keep them on the brink but ultimately out of the playoff mix. In KC their defense will again be the question mark. Can they stop people enough to let their potent offense do its thing? Not enough in my book, but Arrowhead will be a tough place to play nevertheless and KC will be in the wild card mix. The team not in the mix is the Raiders. Apparently Al Davis is either getting too old that he forgot when he had Art Shell on the sidelines the first time that he couldn't get the job done despite coaching a team with much more talent, or maybe he's simply running out of coaches that want the job that he's desperate enough to give Shell another shot. Either way this team will stink, as Aaron Brooks is not a starting QB in the league. Should be a long year in Oakland. In the end Denver is too talented not to win the division but look for a stronger push from both KC and San Diego than most people expect. The pick: Denver

AFC WILDCARD

As I mentioned above, the wild card race should be a good one. The teams I expect to be in the mix are Miami, Cincy, Baltimore, Jax, KC and San Diego. But there are only 2 slots to fill. I think Jacksonville will earn the first and based on their talent alone Cincy will figure out a way to get the second and last berth. If Cincy proves they are the real deal and takes the division we very well could see Pittsburgh in this group fighting to get back to the playoffs (they only made it in last year as the #6 seed). Whichever 2 teams do notch the wild card will have to put up a good fight that could go down to the last weekend of the season. The picks: Jacksonville & Cincy

PLAYOFFS

WILDCARD
New England (4) def. Jacksonville (5)
Cincinnati (6) def. Pittsburgh (3)

DIVISIONAL ROUND
New England def. Denver (2)
Indianapolis (1) def. Cincinnati

CONFERENCE CHAMPSIONSHIP
New England def. Indianapolis

AFC CHAMPIONS
Even with the game played in Indy, New England still owns the Colts who will suffer yet another crushing playoff disappointment. The pick is New England

SUPERBOWL
Carolina def. New England

Rematch of Superbowl 38, but the difference will be no Adam Vinatieri to kick the game winner for the Patriots. Carolina will have superior talent on both sides of the ball and Tom Brady's unblemished 3-0 mark in the big game will fall. Look for a big game from Jake Delhomme and Superbowl MVP Steve Smith. The pick for Superbowl XLI is Carolina

Disagree with my picks? Post a comment and let me know your Superbowl match up and winner.

READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

2006-09-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

So in my first post when I started the blog I promised that I would have some sports rants. So far it's been mostly illustration and travel related posts and I know Steve Plimpton is jonesing for me to get some sports talk going, so in honor of his birthday here is my NFL preview & predictions for the upcoming season. The NFC today with the AFC later this week if I get to it.

NFC EAST

Should be the most competitive division from top to bottom. Features 4 teams that all arguably have a legit shot at the playoffs. The Eagles, coming off a disastrous 6-10 season, have shed T.O. and Andy Reid has turned over the roster. The defense looks renewed, McNabb fully healthy and the late summer pick up of Donte' Stallworth from the Saints should give them another playmaker. Most pundits are writing them off but their 6-10 record was somewhat deceiving in that both McNabb and Westbrook missed most of the second half of the season. The team looks like they have something to prove and all signs point to them making their statement. Both the Cowboys and Redskins made high-profile moves on the offensive side of the ball (adding T.O. and Randle El respectively). The Skins now have plenty of playmakers but they are still hinging their success on the arm of Mark Brunell. Unfortunately for them Brunell is done, which means so are the Redskins. A trendy pick to win the division, despite their dismal preseason, in my book they'll finish last. In Dallas the T.O./Bledsoe connection could be prolific or we could see T.O. carve up his third QB, that is if he doesn't start a beef with Parcells first. I'm guessing the T.O. honeymoon is good for one season and they will all play nice. The o-line must keep Bledsoe upright and healthy for T.O. to make a difference. Lost in the shuffle are the defending division champs, the Giants, who don't seem to be getting any pub going into the season. This is probably for good reason, as despite winning the division they got rolled in the playoffs, at home no less. Their success will hinge on whether Eli can improve on his consistency, which I don't see happening. With a defensive unit that should be better this year, but still probably only the 3rd best D in the division, unless Eli elevates his game to his brother's level (that would be the Peyton Manning of the regular season, not the playoffs) New York won't repeat let alone make the playoffs. It will be crowded at the top as the 4 teams beat up on each other and 9-7 could win the division but at the end of the day defense will rule and the big D in Dallas will clinch the title. The pick: Dallas

NFC NORTH

While the NFC East could boast 4 playoff caliber teams the North is lucky to have one. Everyone's hands down pick, the Bears, has the defense that makes them a lock for the division, but looking beyond that they have some big questions on the other side of the ball, most notably at QB. Is Rex Grossman their long-term answer? They say yes but the fact that they brought in Brian Griese to back him up makes me think the coaching staff sure is hedging their bets. Look for a lot of 10-3 wins this year as the offense will struggle but the defense will be one of the best in the league. If the NFL had a minor league the rest of the division would be in danger of being demoted. In Minnesota, gone are Mike Tice, Daunte Culpepper and Koren Robinson. Enter Brad Childress and returning for another turn at QB is the rejuvenated Brad Johnson who led them on a tear after Culpepper went out last year. While the Vikings are doing a good job of cleaning house from a PR stand point following the love boat cruise era, Brad Childress' squad still won't have enough weapons to compete. And the fact that their hopes hang on Brad Johnson, who will be the oldest starting QB in the league this year, gives you a sense of how tenuous their situation is. Speaking of old starting QB's, in Green Bay Brett Favre announced that this is one of the most talented teams he's been on. While there is some young talent, mostly on the defensive side of the ball, Favre has slipped to the point that it won't matter. His arm is still live so he'll rekindle the magic for a few games that will remind us of the Favre of old, but look for another 20+ interception season as he again tries to make too many plays on an offense devoid of playmakers. Favre should be finished in Green Bay after this year. Whether it's his choice or not will be the question. Of the 3 bottom dwellers Detroit seems to be headed in the right direction with the hiring of Martinelli. However, they made some interesting moves bringing in Mike Martz to run the offense and Jon Kitna as his QB. And by interesting I mean suspect. Martz won't want to play second fiddle to Martinelli and Kitna at best is a second fiddle QB. Both spell disaster once the team starts to tank. While the Bears have some questions the rest of the division has no answers. The pick: Chicago

NFC SOUTH

With the wheels officially haven fallen off the Michael Vick bandwagon, the division looks like a two team race between Carolina and Tampa Bay. Most have anointed Carolina as the team to beat in the NFC and for good reason. With a super athletic defense featuring former UNC standout Julius Peppers and the return of Kris Jenkins, and an offense that upgraded when it added Keyshawn Johnson to its already formidable trio of Steve Smith, DeShaun Foster, and Jake Delhomme you can see why people like the Panthers to represent the NFC in the SB this year. Insuring they don't get caught using a 5th string RB in the conference championship game like last year they drafted DeAngelo Williams to spell Foster. In Tampa Bay the Bucs still have a solid veteran defense and emerging stars on offense in both QB Chris Simms & RB Cadillac Williams. The question will be whether both take a step forward or regress. And defensively the question will be whether their 'veteran' players are crafty and smart or start to look old. Given Carolina's tough schedule Tampa will be up there, but they won't sneak up on teams like they did last year, which will cost them a shot at repeating as division champs. In New Orleans all the talk is about Bush, though the focus has shifted from blasting George W. to praising Reggie. The acquisition of Drew Brees, a great signing if he stays healthy, gives them a trio of Bush, Brees and Joe Horn that will make some plays. People will tune in to watch Reggie Bush zig and zag and put on a show and he won't disappoint. The Saints will become America's team this year given the plight of New Orleans' residents post-Katrina, but the feel good story will stop there as despite the arrival of some big name stars in town the rest of the talent isn't there, especially on defense. This team won't win much, but should be fun to watch and root for. The pick: Carolina

NFC WEST

The Seahawks should shake off the Super Bowl hang over that has seen the last several big game losers go on to miss the playoffs the following season. But whether that's an indication of how good Seattle is or how bad the rest of the division is remains to be seen. An injury to Shaun Alexander or Hasselbeck or a slow start and we could see this team unravel, much like Mike Holmgren did with his tirade about the officiating following their SB loss. Lost in the hype of last year's run was that they had one of the easier roads to the Super Bowl in recent history and then getting there failed to beat a Pittsburgh team that played mediocre at best in the big game. The warning signs for a let down are there so it would not surprise if they flopped, I just think the rest of the division is too weak to let that happen. The chic pick to challenge Seattle is Arizona. And with a new stadium, the free agent signing of Edgerrin James, the best group of young receivers, Kurt Warner showing flashes of his former MVP self, and Matt Leinart waiting on the sidelines to boot the future does look bright. Or it could just be the desert heat getting to people's heads. There is some talent, the most they've had in years, but it will be a tall task to ask the offensive line to both pass protect for the lead-footed Warner and also be nimble enough to get out and open some running lanes for James. The fact that the o-line was down right horrible last year should put a wet blanket on the party. If Seattle does fall apart St. Louis could be the beneficiary. Once the greatest show on turf, the Rams still have some talent offensively but unfortunately they will need to perform some circus tricks to cover for their still too-young defense. Getting rid of the Mike Martz drama was a plus and Stephen Jackson is a stud so if Bulger can stay healthy and they can shore up some holes and Seattle finds a few leaks in their ship it could be an interesting race. And in SF the only good thing that can be said is that they should be looking at another high draft pick this year, which given their lack of overall talent is a good thing. The pick: Seattle

NFC WILDCARD

Look for the 2nd place finishers in both the East and South to snag the wildcard berths. Depending on how the chips fall the East could boast both wild card berths and 3 playoff teams. But that scenario is unlikely given the inter-division match ups and the fact that the 4 teams will beat up on each other and their records. A healthy Philadelphia team should receive a modicum of redemption as they survive the slug fest and emerge with a good enough record to win the first wild card berth and a trip back to the playoffs. Only a grueling schedule down the stretch will prevent them from winning the division out right. But they will be the wild card team no one wants to face given their playoff experience. And in the other slot look for Tampa Bay to edge out St. Louis and slide into the second berth. The picks: Philly & Tampa

PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD
Philadelphia (5) def. Dallas (4)
Carolina (3) def. Tampa Bay (6)

DIVISIONAL ROUND
Carolina def. Seattle (2)
Philadelphia def. Chicago (1)

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Carolina def. Philadelphia

NFC CHAMPIONS
On the strength of home field The pick is Carolina.

THE LOST COAST

2006-09-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

For our wedding anniversary, which always falls right around Labor Day weekend, we try to take advantage of the extra day off work and get out of town. 2 years ago we went to Santa Cruz and last year we backpacked in the Trinity Alps. To celebrate our 3rd anniversary this year we decided to make a brief visit to Arcata, to take a walk down memory lane and visit the spots Kristin frequented while at HSU, and then head south to go backpacking for a few days on the Lost Coast.

After we escaped the Friday afternoon holiday traffic that dotted the highway from SF to Santa Rosa we made it up to Arcata Friday night to (barely) find a place still open for dinner. Arcata is a small college town with plenty of bars but apparently not many late night restaurants. By the time we finished eating at 10p the owners of the Chinese restaurant were locking up right behind us as we exited. Saturday we slept in, seeing as we were on vacation, and then cruised up to Trinidad, just a short drive north of Arcata, to have a late breakfast at a restaurant called The Eatery where Kristin worked while in school. There she bumped into one of her long time customers turned pen pal friends, an older man named Bruce, who was a regular at The Eatery back in the day and apparently still in the present day. He very graciously offered to pay for our breakfast upon hearing we were visiting for our anniversary, which was a nice way to kick start the weekend. After lingering over a feast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns & coffee we cruised back to Arcata to load up with some food for camping and head out of town. After an unsuccessful visit to the Co-op where neither one of us could quite make a decision on what we wanted to eat, perhaps because we were still full from breakfast, we ended up taking a spin around the farmer's market instead. We were sort of in slow motion at this point, just enjoying having no place to be, which fittingly was kind of the theme of the trip.

Eventually we made it out of town and traversed the King Range making our way to Mattole Beach, which is the northern trailhead for The Lost Coast Trail. As we stood with the contents of our car's trunk strewn on the ground waiting to be packed up into our bags, blankly staring at the map at the trailhead (not having a map ourselves) we couldn't help but overhear a conversation of a mother/daughter team as the woman dropping them off double checked that they had both their trail map and their tide chart. We had neither. We had packed some what in haste Thursday night, printed some generic directions off the web, randomly grabbed food at Safeway in Arcata and were now feeling a bit unprepared.

The Lost Coast Trail as a whole is a 24-mile stretch that snakes along the Pacific Ocean with the trail alternating between walking right on the beach to winding its way above the coast via the cliffs for scenic views of the ocean below. In addition to rampant poison oak, not much fresh water and potential encounters with rattle snakes & bears, there are also stretches of the trail that are impassable at high tide, hence the need for a tide chart. Furthermore, even though the trail is only 24 miles long it's a several hour drive via car from one end to the other which requires either planning ahead and dropping a car at both ends or securing a ride from one of the local transports, such as the woman who was diligently double checking with the mother/daughter team about the maps, to drive you back to your point of origin. In other words, you have to have some things planned out before you get there. While we had no intentions of hiking the entire stretch, and therefore had the transport covered ourselves, we did want to pack in a few miles and find a good spot where we wouldn't be washed away by the high tides.

Deciding that at this point we were just going with the flow and winging it we stuffed the contents of our car's trunk into our bags, both of us casually noting forgotten items in the process. Our heavier sleeping bags, beanies & gloves, newspaper to start a fire, coffee for the mornings. All would have been nice. Clearly now at the coast and looking at the fog and feeling the ocean's breeze, the thought of staying warm was on our minds. We did have plenty of water (and wine), long pants to avoid the poison oak, and a bear canister for our food, so we set off figuring we'd make due with what little else we did bring. The new 'go-lite' camping movement was being ushered in ready or not.

We ended up packing in a modest 3 miles or so and found ourselves a ready built fortress at which to make camp. Along the way we did happen to cross paths with the mother/daughter team which we used for a brief Q & A session about the high tide times and where the good, as in we won't get washed away, spots to camp at were. The hike itself is quite nice albeit more strenuous that you might expect. Spoiling what is otherwise a scenic walk on the beach, with the ocean on your right and a relatively flat trail in front of you, is the sand beneath your feet. Walking on sand, with a pack, is actually more difficult than you would expect. Every step you sink into the soft sand and then must extricate yourself is a mini-work out soon felt in the quads, calves and hips. Even the sand at the water's edge is not solid enough to provide firm footing. But then again you are hiking along the Pacific Ocean with nary another soul in sight, so slogging through some soft sand is really a small price to pay.

Along the way in we passed by the Punta Gorda lighthouse which is, depending on your definition, the farthest point west in the continental United States. A cool bit of trivia compliments our friend Andy. By the time we had set up camp and made dinner it was about 7p on Saturday night and quite overcast and a bit chilly. But we survived the night and the next day the fog blew off a little after noon and we were treated to a great sunny day as we took a day hike further south down the coast. We figured we hiked another 2 or 3 miles south from our camp site and at one point on the trail we hit a stretch of beach that is one of the before mentioned portions of the trail that becomes impassable at high tide. It was low tide both coming and going for us so we were not left high & dry or in the case, low & wet.

Though of note, there is a rocky tip that requires you to not only scale the oceanside rocks but also time your trip to avoid getting wet from the splash of the crashing waves. It turned out the bouldering was fairly easy to traverse but it did turn back another group that was unsuccessfully sorting out the path right ahead of us. On the way back we were greeted by a sea lion who was quite startled by our presence as we both had to jump down from the rocks right next to the one it was sun bathing on and then hit the beach running to avoid the rising surf. You can see it here eyeballing Kristin as she makes her speedy getaway.

We spent the rest of Sunday afternoon back at our campsite lounging on the beach soaking up the sun, our respective books and some wine. Monday we slowly made our way back to the car after breakfast and then cruised down the 101, stopping in Garberville for lunch, before rolling back into SF Monday night. More photos from the trip can be viewed here.

NO LABOR, DAY

2006-08-31T19:19:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone has a nice long holiday weekend and enjoys their day off. Kristin and I are headed up to Arcata Friday night and then going backpacking on the northern end of the Lost Coast Saturday - Monday. Probably will have some photos from the trip up next week.