power in change

As a school-girl, I loved the fall.  New pencils and notebooks ready to be put to use, new teachers and classrooms, a wide-open year of learning ahead.  Even the air in the fall smells new, so crisp and clean.  I loved that the changing school year brought with it so much opportunity.   

Since those early years, I have come to truly believe that incredible optimism comes with change.  Not knowing what lies ahead can be scary, but that is also what makes it so exciting:  you have the power to shape this new venture into whatever you want!  And while you are at it, you may as well make it amazing.  The clean slate and jumping board are ready for you.   

As you know, my sweetie and I have made a move to the mountains.  We find ourselves giddy when we wake to fall-yellowed aspens and sunlit granite peaks.  This change was something we pursued for the balance it brings to our lifestyles and the proximity to the activities we love.

However, in this change, I needed to find a new job (I will wait to tell you the details, but I am super excited to share the news soon!).  In this new position, I will be doing something I have never done before.  And the company I am working for has never done it either.  Sure, I have experience with a good portion of what will be required, and both my employer and I think I am qualified (whew!), but I will be learning a lot as I go.  

It can be pretty terrifying to leave something you know how to do, you do it well, and it feels comfortable, to go to something completely unknown and therefore very uncomfortable. But that is precisely why I am so excited about this new position (sure, part of it is the fact that the company, people and job are all super awesome!):  that discomfort will push me to work harder, learn more, and make sure this is successful for everyone.  No-one knows how this is supposed to go.  I get to be the one to figure it out.

movin'

I have piles of boxes in my living room that could make a pretty decent fort.  My counter has a collection of random things: spackle, magic eraser (it really is magic, have you seen what it can do?!), some snacks, a padlock, and a little plastic dinosaur I like to call Rawr.  These are all the signs of a move in progress.

After much day dreaming, and then some very serious thought and planning, my sweetie and I decided to make the move to the mountains.  We definitely feel most at home when we are surrounded by high altitude air, sweet pines, and inviting granite.  And now we are packing up our respective homes to combine our belongings and our lives (eek!) together in Tahoe.  We are pretty excited about it all and are looking forward to loading up that UHaul tomorrow. 

I'm kind of an old pro at moving.  Prior to coming to SF, I had moved something like 13 times in 10 years (its probably actually more, I lost track along the way).  There was a time when I could surely pack a UHaul in my sleep!  But this time, I've hired movers to load the truck.  No point in asking my friends to break their backs carrying my couch down the stairs in exchange for a six-pack.  I am sure the movers really probably CAN load a truck in their sleep, anyhow.   

In the past month, among our packing and organizing, we tried to take advantage of every SF thing we could: America's Cup racing,  Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this past weekend (nearly across the street from my house!), trips to our favorite places and restaurants, visits to the museums, catching up with friends.   As much as we are excited to be in the mountains, I am sure there will be plenty that we find ourselves missing about our SF home. 

 

But tomorrow, we get to load up that truck and head up the hill for the next chapter in our lives, creating new favorites along the way.  We hope you'll come visit!  

backpacking deliciously

When out on the trail, tired, sweaty, and miles from the closest take-out, everything always tastes better.  That jerky that was just so-so at home suddenly becomes the best. thing. ever!  But, that doesn't mean I want to eat dried foods and gorp for 4 or 5 days of backpacking (although there is a fair amount of that in the daily trail consumption).  I take pride in being a sort of trail gourmet, and thought I would share with you some of the tricks I used this time around.  I have a few more up my sleeve that I will share with you later; I can't give away all of my secrets at once!

Tricks and Tips:

(recipes follow)

Make a list of what you would like to eat and budget out your calories vs. weight.  We tend to eat a lot of nuts, jerky, etc because they are higher in calories for their weight than say, an apple.
 

However, we do like to have some fresh fruit along to help break up the monotony of dried foods. 

 

Plan to spend a weekend afternoon or a couple of nights after work preparing and dehydrating the food-stuffs.  I like to use fresh produce and ingredients and since they are mostly water, it can take awhile.  It is definitely worth the time, especially considering there isn't much active time.  Start the dehydrating, then pour yourself a glass of wine and catch up on "Game of Thrones!" 

You can dry just about anything:  Just set your oven to about 190F, evenly spread the items on a sheet pan, and let dehydrate until dry (for meats this will mean they are shriveled and almost hard; veggies and fruits will be leathery; sauces will be thick pastes).  This may take 2-3 hours, depending on the item.  

Precook some items to impart extra flavor and to help save on cooking time on the trail.  I saute my mushrooms for extra flavor and par-cook my pasta to reduce cooking time (and fuel usage).  But kale dries out really nicely (like kale chips) in the oven with no need for prior cooking.

While out on the trail, I don't tend to carry salt, pepper or spices, so I blend them into my "meal kit" at home.

I have found that making a kit for each meal is really helpful.  If you have all of your food for one dinner or breakfast together, you don't have to dig around in your pack for that lost package of pasta.  It also allows you to, in most cases, simply dump the entire kit into your pot to start cooking.

When making your pancake mix, don't worry about the addition of the vanilla and butter - it will still be a dry mix and will not spoil if used within a couple weeks.  However, if you don't plan to use it all, either store extra mix in the freezer or use shortening or canola oil in place of the butter. 

We take only one pot that has a lid that doubles as a skillet.  It is all coated with nonstick so it is super helpful for those pancakes and other sticky items.  

When using fresh cheese, choose aged cheeses over those that are softer.  They have less moisture and are less likely to mold over the course of a week or oil-out in hot temperatures. BabyBel or Laughing Cow cheeses also work great because they are self contained and processed.

Chicken-in-a-pouch is amazing for backpacking.  It has been cooked in the pouch similar to canned foods (retort processing) and is considered safe for storing at ambient temperatures until the pouch is open.  If you want to save a bit more weight, you can dehydrate either the retort chicken, or some that you have already cooked and diced.

To make my own taco seasoning mix, I use a combination of cumin, lime juice powder, Mexican oregano, paprika, granulated onion, dehydrated garlic, and salt. 

When it comes time to make dinner, start hydrating the meal kit 15-30 minutes prior to cooking.  The water won't be absorbed, but the pasta, beans, etc will start to swell.  This helps save time and fuel when you heat the dish.  And it allows time for a little swim.  Just don't forget to bring it with you to the lake - it would be a shame for the bears or squirrels to get your dinner.

We like to take a flask of whiskey, a tiny bottle of maple syrup, and a couple pats of butter.  These little indulgences really make the difference and don't add very much weight. 

M&Ms are great for those of you (like me!) that can't go a few days without chocolate.  The hard candy shell helps prevent a melted candy bar all over your pack.

Repacking everything (ie those M&Ms!) into zippie bags allows easier resealability and reduces packaging.  It is also nice to have the used zippies on hand since you need to pack out all of your waste.

Recipes:

Pancake Mix  

4 days worth of pancakes for two people with hearty appetites

4 cups flour

2 T nonfat dry milk

1 T dried egg powder (this can be hard to find, but King Arthur sells it online)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 t salt

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 1/2 t vanilla 

4 T butter, chilled, diced 

At Home:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand whisk) combine all ingredients, cutting in butter slowly.  It will resemble coarse meal when complete.   Store in a zippie bag. 

Cooking at Camp:

Combine filtered (or treated) water with pancake mix in a bowl, until batter reaches desired thickness.

Add blueberries or other desired additions (M&Ms, perhaps?  It IS vacation, after all!).

Warm a nonstick skillet over the camp stove or campfire. 

Working in batches, cook one or two pancakes at a time, flipping with your handy camp spatula.

Top as desired and enjoy a well fueled day of hiking.
 

Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound pasta, par-cooked and dehydrated

3 cups shredded aged sharp cheddar cheese
1T all purpose flour

2 T nonfat dry milk

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

At home:

In a ziploc bag, combine all ingredients.

Cooking at Camp:

Dump pasta kit into a saucepan.  Add enough filtered (or treated) water to just barely cover the pasta.  Let rest and rehydrate about 15 minutes.  Bring to a simmer and cook until pasta is done and water is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Pasta with Red Sauce

1/2 pound pasta, par-cooked and dehydrated

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce, dehydrated to a paste

1/2 bunch kale, dehydrated

10-12 mushrooms, sliced and dehydrated

1/4 pound Italian Sausage, cooked and dehydrated

At home:

In a ziploc bag, combine all ingredients.

Cooking at Camp:

Dump pasta kit into a saucepan.  Add enough filtered (or treated) water to just barely cover the pasta.  Let rest and rehydrate about 15 minutes.  Bring to a simmer and cook until pasta is done and water is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Chicken Burritos

chicken (I prefer retort chicken)

1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and dehydrated

cilantro, chopped and dehydrated

a couple shakes of chili flakes

1 T taco seasoning mix

aged cheese 

tortillas

At Home:

Combine all dehydrated ingredients in a ziploc bag. 

Pouch together retort chicken (if using), tortillas, cheese and dried ingredients to make a meal kit.

Cooking at Camp:

In a saucepan, add dried ingredients and enough water to just cover.  If you are using retort chicken, add it at this point as well.  You may want to cut down on water due to the water in the pouch.

Bring to simmer and cook until beans are done and water is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

Assemble your burrito using the tortillas, cheese and warm bean/ chicken filling. 

mountain streams

Three weekends in a row have been spent in the mountains, a place my heart feels most at home.  Chirping birds and cool morning air greets us when we wake.  The smell of pine trees and dirt accompany us on our bike rides and trail runs or even on our trips to the market.  The local barista asks what we are up to with our day and is truly interested (and not at all surprised by our ambitious response).  The stars come out at dusk and sparkle in the black night sky all night long.  The next day, it all repeats.

I know that you are aware of how I feel about city life, with its traffic and lack of trees;   so it probably comes as no surprise to you that the mountains are so special to me.

How did I fall so deeply in love with the mountains?  I wasn't raised in them, per se, but they were always there (5 are visible from my parents' house, when they are "out," anyway).  In fact, my hometown was named for one of those nearby mountains, visible from nearly everywhere in town. 

My family tends to be more water-people, than mountain, though.  Each Wednesday, my parents raced their sailboat on the Columbia River, while my sister and I cheered from our grandparents' river-front deck.  We ventured across the bar and into Canada on "The Pixie" (a small wooden yacht/ fishing vessel my grandpa helped build) and learned to row a small aluminum dingy while out fishing and watching for bears in the sloughs.  Summers were spent picnicking on Sand Island and being pulled around the river in inner-tubes.  Being on the water was a way of life for us.

 

But really, mountains and rivers are not very different at all, especially when you consider the mountain rivers, streams, and lakes available to play among.   They both provide that sense of happiness and freedom, sweet aromas and sounds of nature, and a chance to truly play. 

However, my outdoor activities have evolved from inner-tubing to hiking, sailing to kayaking, fishing to, well, fishing (but now it is with a fly rod in a mountain stream as opposed to a trolling the river in an aluminum boat!)

With any luck, I will be back in the mountains again this weekend. 

goal of the century

When the new year began, I created a list of goals for 2013;  "A year of big ideas," I called it. This list is not long, but it contains things like "practice Spanish" (which I am not so good at remembering to do!) and "ride a century."  The century addition to the list seemed like a good idea at the time: a goal that was likely challenging, but attainable.  Besides, it is something I have always wanted to do.  The problem with ideas like this is that I find myself afraid to actually do it; one of those ideas that pop around in my head for years, but I have a hard time acting upon.

Why was I so scared?   Perhaps it is a little bit of the unknown:  I am not a 'real' cyclist and 100 miles seemed really daunting.  Maybe it was a bit of the known, too.  I had run marathons and suffered; I figured the century was cycling's version of a marathon, so therefore suffering was likely. 

Early this spring, friends were talking about this beautiful bike ride around Lake Tahoe that they were planning to do (America's Most Beautiful, in fact!) and suggested we join them.  I thought, "yeah, that'd be great" but hemmed and hawwed and was afraid to pull the trigger.   Then one day, my sweetheart sent a text saying "you are signed up for the ride in Tahoe!"

Alright!  I needed someone to do that for me; now I had myself committed.  I certainly couldn't waste his registration money and I wanted to minimize the suffering, so I set out to create a little training schedule.  Knowing next-to-nothing about training on a bike, I loosely modeled my schedule after my marathon training: trying to ride at least a couple of times a week while building up in mileage over the weeks.  Continuing to run and do yoga would certainly help round out the fitness, I hoped.

Able to more-or-less stick to my training plan, I learned about what to eat on long rides (NOT a Snickers bar!) and how to manage hours in the saddle.  The day of the ride arrived quickly and I was nervous about the altitude, the hills, and the adequacy of my training.  Luckily, all of those fears quickly dissolved as I pedaled along with the company of 6 friends (and 20,000 others!).  The miles passed quickly with the help of beautiful scenery, ample rest areas, and the energy of race-day enthusiasm.  Soon, I found myself at lunch with only 30 miles to go and feeling great (granted, I didn't push myself as hard as I would, had I been running)!  My sweetie and I finished the ride feeling like we could both do 20 more miles if we needed.  But I didn't really want to - I was looking forward to that post-ride beer!

Now, 3 days later, I am already finding myself excited for the next one.  Could I possibly turn into a cyclist?!  I'm not sure, but I am definitely adding a tick mark next to "ride a century" on that year-of-big-ideas list!

wedding mexication

My sweetie and I recently returned from celebrating two friends as they joined their lives (for better or for worse!) among the jungles and white sand beaches of Tulum, Mexico.  More than a wedding, more than a vacation,  it became known as the "Wedding Mexication."

A beautiful bride, handsome groom, heartfelt speeches and palpable love, it was surely a special wedding.  But add to it barefoot guests, mariachi serenading, bottomless margaritas, and flan as the wedding cake, it had a uniquely Mexican touch.

While the weekend was primarily about our friends, we extended the "weekend" to Tuesday, allowing a fair amount of time to create our own version of Mexication.  Beach vacations aren't typical for us, but we quickly found we could be tempted to change our ways!

We lounged on the beach with books and layers of sunscreen, far longer than I imagined two active people could.  The lounging was often interrupted by the draw of the turquoise surf to cool down and attempt body surfing (his skills FAR exceed mine!).  Renting bicycles, we were able to find our way to the Mayan ruins of Tulum and stumble upon public playas along the road.  But what we did best as vacationers, was find delectable food and drink.

It was pretty hard to go wrong, though.  Fresh pressed juices, hours-old seafood, and refreshing ceviche were all ubiquitous.  Even though we were indulging in vacation foods, most meals still felt light and relatively healthy.  The casual open-air dining added extra ambiance to the meals and made it feel truly vacation-y; it isn't often that we are able to dine comfortably out-of-doors in SF (especially after the sun has gone down!).  The tropical cocktails didn't hurt, either!

Our favorites:
Mateo's - "World Famous" fish tacos with freshly made tortillas.  A welcome lunch, alongside a cold Mexican beer, for hot and hungry bicyclists. 
Casa Banana - Here, we enjoyed fish and shrimp skewers in a break between rainstorms.
La Luna y Estrella - Ocean views and an over-hanging jungle canopy accompanied our delicious breakfast of huevos rancheros.
El Tabano - Upscale Mexican cuisine - we enjoyed tamarind meatballs and mole shrimp while watching the cooks in the open kitchen. 
Casa Violeta - Beach-side dining with seafood pizza and inspired ceviche. 
La Zebra - Order the 'Lina's feast' for a taco bar that gets an personal and delicious upgrade.
Hartwood - Fresh fish and meats prepared in the wood-fired oven alongside creative cocktails.   Their octopus and ribs were some of the best I've had.

filling the calendar

"Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon" Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild 

I don't sit still very well.  Every weekend, every holiday, every chance I get, I am out playing; A weekend warrior of sorts, I suppose.  Often, I even have an adventure scheduled before I return home from the latest one (it helps with the going-back-to-the-city-and-work blues).   Luckily, I have found a partner in adventure that feels the same way.  

An Ansel Adams calendar hangs on my sweetheart's wall, filled with our grand plans and weekend trips (not to mention an inspiring training journal). Since it is still sort of winter, there is a ski trip written into nearly every weekend square.  Those that aren't already reserved for skiing, we plan to climb, hike, and cycle our way around our local area, venturing our way to wine country, the coast, or warmer inland climes.

                  





















With something always penciled into the calendar and so much to see and experience around us, there is no need to ever sit in one place. 


 

valentine's day love

I've never really cared much for Valentine's day.

I really like the concept of expressing your appreciation and love for those important to you, I just feel like it should be done more frequently than the one day a year, surrounded by pink and red hearts, prix fixe dinners, and velveted boxes of chocolates.  To me, the Valentine's day with which we are most familiar is a bit contrived and very heavily marketed.

That said, I still like to make a nod to the spirit of Valentine's day.  Some years, I have sent "valentines" to my friends and family, sharing with them some of the things I love (like the smell of freshly ground coffee, or the sound of rain on the rooftops), asking them to consider what they love around them.  Other years, I send a simple text to those important to me, simply wishing them a happy day.

This year, my sweetheart and I headed to a place that has a very special place in both of our hearts. There, we spent time with family and friends, played in the mountains, and simply enjoyed being together.  The fact that this fell on Valentine's day is purely coincidence.

the year of big ideas

When the new year rolls around, the term "resolution" is a bit of a turn-off to me.  Something about it makes me think of crowded January gyms and dwindling good intentions.  In recent years, I have preferred to think about my goals for the coming year, as opposed to things I hope to change.  This year, my sweetheart and I have referred to this new year optimism as the "year of big ideas," crediting the inspiration we have gained from many a Dirtbag Diary.
This blog was created out of the resolve to become a better photographer, and today, I come back with similar intentions.  While I do not intend to post a photo every day, I do intend to continue sharing with you some of my everyday observations, both in images and in words. 

 

Happy New Year, Friends.  I look forward to this journey into 2013 with all of you.