8.11.06

      Thanks for all the birthday attention, it's been a great week! Last weekend I went camping on Mt. Hood with my friend Jon. It sure is beautiful up there... We hiked up a trail called "Cooper Spur", the trail climbs the East side of the mountain, and had splendid views of the Elliott Glacier. This is the second largest glacier in OR, and it's pretty darn big. This was in fact, the closest I have been to a glacier. I would have liked to have gone down and touched it, but didn't. The next day, the mountain was on fire. As I was gearing up for my B-day BBQ, I noticed some very dark clouds overhead, turns out, there was lightning in them thar clouds! Set the mountain on fire! As of midday today, the fires on the East side of the mountain were still burning.

      Monday the 7th, was of course my birthday. As per usual, I didn't ask off at work, and had a fine day there. I had tentatively been planning to ask some friends over for a BBQ, but didn't even call anyone until about noon. I must admit that I thought maybe noone would show up. However, luckily I was mistaken. Nearly everyone I called came, and we had a nice evening. Maggie even got me a ice cream cake with a MOTORCYCLE on it! It was the best cake since Mom made me the blue choo-choo train for my fourth birthday!

    My 31st B-day

    Photos of Cooper Spur, on Mt. Hood

      My SECOND geocaching experience....

     

      I must say, this was a fantastic hike, albeit a strenuous one! I've done plenty of hiking, all over the country, and that was a doosie! We started around four o'clock, arrived at the cache at about six fourty five, and got to the bottom at around eight thirty. I just use an el-cheapo etrex my dad gave me when he upgraded, but it got me to within ten feet of the cache today and yesterday, before becoming confused. It had fine reception under the canopy near the cache. I moved here from the Colorado Rockies, and I just love being in highland meadows like those! I had to look up acrophobia, but yeah the heights were a little unsettling. Mosty I get nervous about the folks I am with, not so much myself. On the way down, I got stung by a bee, as did my friend OUCH! it really hurt, it has been a really long time since I got stung, like fifteen years or more. I read about the nice stuff in the cache, I could have really used one of the mini-tools, but had nothing comparable to put in the cache. Honestly though, I was surprised they were still there. This is only my second cache find, we went yesterday to whoop-ti-doos in Hood River. We didn't have any parking coordinates, and ended up doing some real bush whacking, great fun for a first cache!

     




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7.29.06

      My first geocaching experience....

     

      This was my first cache! Well, the first one I found on purpose anyway! I reccomend it, it wasn't difficult to get to (well, it shouldn't have been) and it has great views. I didn't have luck getting parking coodinates, and had been in the vicinity before. So we just drove along the road till we saw what looked like something that could be a trail. Well, to make a long story kinda short, it was the wrong place, and we just bushwhacked up the hill. And I mean BUSHWHACKED! It was only a half mile from the car to the cache, but it was a harrowing half mile! We got scraped up a little aong the way. It was a great first geocache, much better than using that dumb trail we found at the top! STUPID TRAILS! Who needs em?

     




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6.28.06

      Images of the Oregon Coast

      Betsy Bus

     

      Here are some photos from Hikes the Last couple of weekends, with my friends Kendra and Travis at Falls Creek, and Jon, at Multnomah Falls. All of these folks live in my building by the way...

            Falls Creek Falls

            Multnomah Falls to Wakeenah Falls




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      5.21.06

      This is a photo taken last weekend at Falls Creek. This is a little known hike on the Washington side of the Columbia river Gorge, called Falls Creek. I did this hike with some friends who just moved to town.

      A quick update for those of you I haven't spoken with as of late... Anna Stancil Cumbow has a new baby on the way, who is to be named Hadley (boy or girl) after my Grandfather, David Hadley Stancil, who passed away recently. I understand that her Husband, Matt may very well become a Police officer like his father in the near future. One of my good friends Dave B. in Louisville, has a new addition to his family, Madeline. She came into their family this winter. Mom and Dad are spending the week at the Outer Banks, in N.C. I was invited, however I could not manage to get away.

      I am still working for National Glass as a truck driver. I have a good schedule with weekends off, and I get to see much of the area, which I enjoy. I am still enjoying living in Portland, and have no plans to leave. I have been here for nearly two years now, which is hard to believe. My location in the city on Hawthorne, is very pleasant. Nearly everything I need is within a few blocks, many restaurants, a bakery, a local produce market, local watering holes, a 7/11, and so many other things. My apartment building I like, the management has been repainting and such for a while now, and it is coming along quite nicely. My friends here in the building are great folks, as spring turns to summer, we have been getting together more. Several times now we've had barbeques in our modest back yard, which is most enjoyable.



      I have been enjoying my Suzuki 4x4, which I have had for over two months now. There was some stuff to be done at the mechanic, and now it is running great. I get around 27mpg compared to around 17 in the VW, so I can afford to be a little more mobile. Also it's a lot of fun off-road, I have been exploring the local area's backroads as of late, and it is great fun.

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______________________________________________________ 6.04.06

      My Suzuki was victim to a hit and run last night. It was parked at the curb, so no one was in it. It was hit by another car behind it, and in turn hit the car in front of it. All in all, I'd say it faired pretty well which is more than I can for the car behind it. It belonged to a girl in the building who hasn't even had it for a week, and get this, she only has liability'¦ Anyway, it is totaled, and I mean totaled. Mine in comparison, is still drivable, and the sheet metal isn't damaged, though the bumpers are, the tow bar is crunched, and the exhaust system is pretty crunched. The car (s) seemed to be racing, and kept driving without a pause. I saw the one that took the brunt of the impact and it was totaled, I'm not sure how they drove away'¦ We called the police, and the local news stopped by today, and I spoke with them by phone, I guess they are running a story about it, which seems to be about the only way we are likely to find who did it. All of my vehicles are fully insured, but my deductible is still $500, and I think it may be totaled; the frame is bent a little at the bumper. I think that the best I can realistically hope for is to get it back on the road cheaply, or well¦. find the punk who did this and sue them, and get the money from their insurance. I'm sure the value of the vehicle is drastically reduced with the frame damage, Yay, now I have a vehicle that I owe $2500 on that is worth $500! Life is the best! In the end though, no one is hurt and I'm insured, but this is still a pain. Thanks for reading, I just needed to vent.

      See photos of damage here.      

     

  3.26.06

      I don't know if I have mentioned it to everyone, but Maggie and I have been not doing so well for some time now, and the time has come that we are no longer together. We had some good times, but all things come to an end. Her email is maggiesokal@gmail.com if anyone has anything you need to contact her about. Times have been kind of rough for me since we called it quits a little more than a week ago, so keep us in your thoughts. Otherwise, life is getting along alright, I bought a Suzuki Sidekick well, basically on the day we called it quits, and it will probably prove to be a nice ride for the summer, 4x4, good on gas, and with a soft-top. Here are some photos from a little backcountry excursion I took with it last week. I have ordered some new tires though that are just a little smaller, and a LOT more aggressive, I'll post some pics of it with them when they arrive.... email me why don't ya?

     

  3.08.06

      I drove to Bend, OR today for work, a very long day... On the way home the pass at Mount Hood was an enormous blizzard! It was hard to drive in but it felt very familiar, like CO, BIG snowflakes! Maggie and I took nice hikes the last couple of weekends. We went to Silver Falls, S.P. and also to Opal Creek. The Opal Creek trip was about 13 miles, I am still feeling it! See photos here.

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"A Day in the Life of Joe Conservative"

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Dubai Harbored Hijackers? Big Deal, Bush Says: Margaret Carlson

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  2.13.06

Things are good here, sunny weather this week, etc. I have come across a video that you simply must see. It has to do with September 11, 2001. I heard about this on the radio, and was always skeptical, as were the radio hosts. It just isn't anything you would ever think might be true, it just can't be! After having seen these videos, I would like to get some feedback about them. One thing I can guarantee is that this film will make you very angry, either because you can't believe someone would make these accusations, or because, you see something that might seem true. Either you will be angry... Download it here,(be sure to save it and not just "open with") You will need high speed internet, and also need to download the "DivX" player here. Please email me about how angry you are! For balance, you should check out this site


"The Ministry of Truth -- Minitrue, in Newspeak -- was startlingly different from any other object in sight. It was an enormous pyramidal structure of glittering white concrete, soaring up, terrace after terrace, 300 metres into the air. From where Winston stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party:

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"

(George Orwell-1984)



  11-08-05


Hello, and Merry Christmas! Things get along fine here in Oregon. It has been quite cold, as of late, only in the 30's today. So far much cooler than last year. I recently got a new job, I am working at National Glass Industries. As usual I am a driver, I will be driving a large straight truck, putting my Commercial Drivers Liscense to work finally. It will pay better that my chauffeuring job. I am moving glass that is in some cases very large, we moved a couple of pieces today that were 130"x84" and 1/4" thick. This weighed probably over 300 lb and was quite unweildy! This was the first time that I used the suction cup to grip the glass, and it helped a lot! You have to put some serious faith in that little suction cup! Now I trust it in a big way. Much of the glass is managable though, the largest we have I think is 130"x96" and probably about 50 lb heavier. So I am getting my feet wet pretty quick.

      My Grandad has been in the hospital, and not been feeling well, so please pray for him.


November 2005

      I have just added a bunch of photos
(slideshow part I, part II) from a trip that dad and I just got back from. He came out for a week, and we took ole' Betsy bus for a road trip! We couldn't figure out where to go, there are so many things to see in the Northwest. So I looked at the weather forcast, and we decided to head south, to try to avoid the rain.
      We went first due west, out to Cannon Beach, which is the closest beach to Portland, and spent the night in Tillamook (where they make the cheese!). It rained all night! We decided to go to the Tillamook cheese factory in the morning, to watch the cheesemakers, and to eat some cheese! Afterwards, we decided to head out to the Tillamook Air Museum, which is housed in an old WWII Blimp hanger, which was enormous! We always enjoyed visiting that sort of museum... That afternoon, we headed south down the Oregon coast, and caught a nice sunset in a small port town called "Depoe Bay", which has the smallest harbor in the world. We stayed in Waldport, at a very nice campground I might add. Oh, and it rained again.....
      The next morning, it was quite beautiful, sunny and warm,(relatively), and we headed out to explore the area around Yachats. This is one of my favorite areas of the Oregon coast, it is very dramatic, and rocky. We first explored the "devil's churn" which is a narrow slot that the surf pounds into quite violently, and guess what, it started raining again! We also visited Cape Perpetua, which is the highest point to which you can take a car on the OR coast, found a secret sea-cave named "preacher's cave", spent some time at the Heceta Head lighthouse, and visited the "Sea Lion Caves", which is the worlds largest sea-cave(during the winter months lots of sea lions hang out there). Since it gets dark so early this time of year, we did a fair amount of driving after dark, and we spent the night in Coos Bay. It rained all night...
      Saturday morning we woke early and made time towards California, it was really stormy all the way, but we wanted to see the Redwoods, so we persevered... We arrived at the park at about three O'clock, two hours before sunset. We took in as much as we could in two hours. I thought that I might have to work mid-day on Sunday, so we thought that this two hours might be the only time we got to see the beautiful old trees.
      We were quite happy to learn that I did not have to work on Sunday, and we were able to spend the night and next morning there in the Redwoods. I love those trees, the oldest of them is over two thousand years old! They are ENORMOUS! Oh, and it rained...
      So if you haven't visited the Oregon Coast or the Redwoods, you should definetly come and visit, it really is unique and beautiful country! We took LOTS of pictures, some of the best of which are HERE. Today, I only had time to go through and post mine, but more will follow! The photos are in order, so you can get a good feel for the flow of the trip.
      Although it rained a lot, we had a great time, and I wish for everyone that they could have such a great time travelling with their dad...
            Mom, your next!!!


  9-21-05


      So I guess I have been slacking at keeping up my web site. I have been spending time learning more about computers, and fiddling with them. I have begun to use a new Operating System called Linux. This OS is Open source, or free, and is much more configurable that Windows. I will gradually begin to learn about the inner workings of computers, not just the graphical programs, but the code that makes them work. Being interested in such things, I think I will find it enjoyable, however this is much more of an undertaking than I have previously taken on. There are many different companies who provide the Linux software, all at least providing some version of it for free. It really is amazing what is available for these platforms, and nearly all of it is free. Also, I have gotten a computer for Maggie, which runs off of this software. I have been doing a little volunteer work at a computer recycling place, and they also sell some recycled computers. I got her a full desktop system for $90. It is an older pentium III machine, but the linux OS runs much leaner that Windows, so it works pretty well, for less than $100. The place I have volunteered, called "Free Geek", a non profit organization, earns money, by recycling computer parts, and use the proceeds to provide recycled computers and servers, to other non-profit organizations around the world. It really is a neat idea, to recycle something that is so prolific, and provide a necessity to organizations involved in positive causes. Another perk from the volunteer's standpoint is that after building five computers, they recieve a recycled computer for themselves. I don't have a real need for another computer, but I intend to set up my new one as an in home server, and then try to serve part of my website from it. Really there is no real need for this, since I can continue using the servers I use now, but I just like fiddling around with it, gives me something to do!





 8-27-05


      This week Maggie and I discovered a wonderful hike across the Columbia River in Washington. We had taken a motorcycle ride looking to find the "Indian Heaven" wilderness area. We rode for a long time without finding what we were looking for. Eventually, we decided to turn around and head back. On the way back, we saw a sign for a hiking trail. Anyway, the hike started along a gurgling stream, and meandered through some second growth forest, with enormous stumps remaining from an ancient forest. It always makes me kind of sad to see the remnants of the old growth, but it was fun to imagine what it must have been like. A little further up the trail, we came upon a suspension bridge, that spanned a small gorge, about 20 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. I imagined that it had taken the small stream many millenia to carve this out of the volcanic rock. Aftrer we crossed the bridge, I guess we entered into an area that wasn't logged at all, or at least not as heavily. We began to see the trees getting larger, and the canopy higher. Before we knew it, we were standing amidist a grove ofancient trees . Old growth trees are really some of my favorite things! Further along the path, we began to hear the distant rumbling of the waterfall, it becam gradually louder and louder as we neared. Then through a break in the forest canopy, I saw something that rook my breath away, one of the most beautiful waterfalls I can remember! It must have been nearly three hundred feet tall, cascading in several smaller falls of about one hundred feet. The landscape was such that from any one vantage point, I really couldn't see all of it, but it was quite spectacular. The falls we called Falls Creek Falls, and neither of us had hears of it previously. I do however highly recommend visiting if you are in the area.


 August 27,





      This has been a long week, working the early shift, at 4am is getting to me. The weather has been really nice here, not too hot, sunny, etc. I have been riding my motorcycle a lot, not really driving betsy bus much, the gas prices now are out of control, and the future looks bleak. I hope we have an indian summer, since our summer started so late, (mid June). Maggie is doing well, busy working. We had a great time at Dave Matthews last weekend. One of the hi-lites of the trip for me was a drum circle that I joined after the show. It's been a really long time since I was a part of a raging drum circle like that! A crowd gathered of over 50 people, and they were really getting going, dancing and whooping at about 3am, and the campground crowd management came and closed us down. :o(     It was great fun to play so intensly and to have all of the onlookers so in tune with us and cheering and all! More drum circles are in order soon!

      Also, I got some new parts for my motorcycle, handlebars, forward controls, a patch and some studs for decoration. I will post some photos of it soon. These additions have really changed the attitude of the bike, although not inexpensive, I think they were worth it!


 August 19,


     

      I am leaving today to go to meet Maggie at "The Gorge" amphitheatre to see Dave Matthews. It is a great venu, it's gorgeous!(google it!) The weather is great here, and I will probably ride my motorcycle, it is the same distance as the trip I took last weekend, 300 miles each way. Afterwards Maggie will return home to Portland at long last! It's great to have a few days to get out of town!


 August 18,


      I went to see Maggie last weekend, she is in central Washington at the Grunewald Guild, where she volunteers during the summer. It was a spur of the moment trip, I was just going for a ride, and decided to take along my camping stuff. I ended up 300 miles away in the middle of Washington. It was a nice ride, and it was great to see Maggie, and this place that is so special to her.

      This has been a busy week for me at work, I will have a 3 1/2 day weekend coming up, and I am planning to get out of town for a while. Mags and I are going to go and see Dave Matthews on Sunday, I'm sure that will be a great time! I will post some pics from my last trip here.

      You may have heard that last night 8/17, there were anti war vigils around the country...lots of them, I attended one in my neighborhood. This whole thing surrounding Cindy Sheehan, whether you agree with her or not, is really gaining some momentum. I think lots of Americans are looking for some straight answers about this war in Iraq. That's what this is about, honesty and transparency.



 August 11, I'm 30!


            So I guess I've been alive 30 years now... It's been coming a long time, and now it's here. I'm OLD! The big three-0, one foot in the grave as they say. Just kidding! I feel great, Thanks to all of you for the phone calls, Birthday cards, emails, gifts and kind thoughts (You are having kind thoughts towards me AREN'T YOU?).   It is all greatly appreciated.

      I rode my motorcycle down to Eugene,OR the day before my birthday, and spent the day with friends. My friends Paul and Jonique just moved there from Vail. It is nice to have someone I know from another time in the area. (Also, I have a friend in my building that lived in Vail during the same time I did.) We went out to the Oregon coast on Sunday (my b-day) and hiked thru some old growth. Taking a long ride on my motorcycle was a nice way to spend my thirtieth. On monday night, my friend Coleen invited some friends from the building over to her place to celebrate my b-day. We had cake! Again, it was nice to have folks put up a fuss over me, even if it was just a little one.

      I have finally been getting enough hours at work, which is a nice change. I do however, have unusual hours, I have to be there at four o'clock.....AM! It is starting to seem like this job might work out for a while. My last couple of checks have been of an acceptable amount, and it is nice to have a lot of daylight after work, although I feel a little funny after three days or so of that schedule! The schedule isn't one I would want to be permanent, but it is probably good to have the experience of waking up really early, I'll be able to look back on this and chuckle someday   (I hope!). I enjoy chatting with the varied guests that I encounter, folks from all over. Meeting people from different places and stations in life can be a learning experience.

      The weather here has been rather moderate this week bordering on cool. I wouldn't mind having some more hot weather. Anyway, email me I would like to hear form you.


 July 30, 2005


            Up in Washington there is a beautiful river called the Washougal, there are deep plunge pools, and the water is clear and cold. Yesterday, I went there with some friends to soak in the sun and jump in the river. I wondered why we were driving so far (an hour) to jump in a river when we have a lot of them closer. Well, it was because it was a gorgeous location, and the water was great. Later we went to the zoo to see Bruce Hornsby, it was a nice summery, "bring the family" style event, and quite enjoyable.
      I just got Betsy back from the body shop. This certainly was not the way I wanted to go about getting her fixed, but now she is looking really great, the shop I used did and excellent job, they work mostly on Jaguars, and there was even a Ferrari getting work done! Needless to say, they were more than qualified to work on a 28 year old Volkswagen. My motorcycle got me thru the time I needed it to, then the day before I got Betsy back, it stopped starting, I think it just needs a new battery. Maggie called today, she had a nice time backpacking with her family, and is now waiting to get her truck starter replaced. Darned vehicles!
      Mom is going to begin a lactation consulting business this week, I'm sure she will do really well, and I am exited that she is pursuing this. Before long she will probably be the premier service in the Tri-Cities area! She's already the best lactation consultant. Keep her in your thoughts.

 July 23, 2005


            Well, summer grinds on here in Oregon...
It's not really so bad here though, I hear from travellers that it is really hot elsewhere, and truthfully, it helps me to appreciate the weather here a lot more. We may have a lot of cloudy days, but at least the tempurature is moderate. During the heat of the day, we are probably looking at something like 85 degrees or so as an average, in the evening it can be light jacket weather. I hear in Phoenix it has been around 110 for a while! Maggie left today to do some travelling, she will spend about a week camping and backpacking with her dad and sister, then she will spend another three weeks volunteering at a christian art guild, the Grunewald Guild in Washington state. I'll miss her, but it may be nice to have some time to myself too.
      It's been almost three weeks since the accident, and I'm doing pretty well. I really appreciate all of the support that I have recieved from everyone, really I do.
Betsy Bus, my van is still in the shop getting repaired, I think I am supposed to get her back sometime next week. I contacted the son of Mr. Robert Beloof (who lives here in Portland), via e-mail, and he promptly replied with a very understanding letter, stating that "it was an accident, plain and simple" and also that his family had been concerned with how I was doing. I needn't say how that reply made me feel...   I believe I may have more correspondence with the family at a later date.

If you visit my web page, I would like to hear about it! I don't have a counter yet, or a forum, (I intend to have both soon) but email me, to let me know you visited! I know I haven't been updating it, but I intend to soon, and I will email you when I do.





 July 13, 2005


      As you may or may not be aware, I was involved in a very unfortunate turn of events last week. I was driving home from work, and a man ran out in front of my bus. I swerved as hard as I could, but I couldn't avoid hitting him. His name was Robert Beloof, and he was 81 years old. Shortly thereafter, he died during surgery. This has been a terrible experience, one I would not wish on anyone, however I am very grateful that it was not not my fault, it was simply a horrible accident. I know I did all I could to avoid hitting him, I would certainly be in a terrible mental space if I had been at fault. If you haven't, I would appreciate it very much if youwould pray for his family. I cannot imagine the pain that they must be experiencing, I pray that they may be at peace.
If you would like to talk to me about this more, then please e-mail me, or call.