My wife and I just returned from another trip down to Hood River and the “Gorge”. She had some wind surfing lessons to finish up, while I used the opportunity to jump back on the water after a long multi-year hiatus and continue my desperate attempt at jibing and tacking with the rest of the neophytes. As is typically the case on this section of the Columbia Gorge, the winds were howling. Today I’m very sore…

But upon our arrival back in Seattle, I was anxious to continue editing some SE Asia photos and scan through images from our first destination outside of Saigon and the Mekong River delta region: Mui Ne. It’s a small village only a couple hours E – NE from Saigon on the South China Sea, and was supposed to be the ‘adventure capitol’ of Vietnam. Our plan here was simple: let’s spend 3-4 days learning how to kite surf, talk with the locals and ask other travelers about their adventures in Vietnam & SE Asia. Unfortunately our intentions were foiled by a departing typhoon, which just happened to take any and all wind with it.

So instead we used the opportunity to partake in the (mis)adventure of motorbike riding, by wandering up and down the coast, getting lost in the tiny alley-ways meandering through the older parts of town and pausing to photograph the large, colorful fleets of fishing boats.

Mui Ne didn’t have the amenities of Hood River, nor the hundreds upon hundreds of kite and wind surfers. There was no one saying dude and there weren’t any Naked Winery tasting rooms. And for just that reason, it was the perfect way to begin our ventures north into the rest of Vietnam.

More SE Asia photography coming soon…including central and northern Vietnam, Laos & Thailand images.

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There’s something special about black and white photographs. This one is no exception. Taken on a backcountry ski tour in the Oregon Cascades, it captures the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

For a short time I am offering 12 x 24 prints for only $100. Just in time for the holidays.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say again: we (those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest) are blessed with so much natural beauty within relatively easy reach, that it can be really difficult to decide where to go on the weekends. Do we go sea kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, backcountry skiing…ah, the choices!

This past weekend was no different, so on Sunday it was up early for the drive out to Newhalem for the beginning of an overnight bike tour on the North Cascades Highway. The goal was to finish in Winthrop, meeting up with a large group of friends who had ridden over the day prior. For those who have yet to visit this stunning national park, I highly recommend you go now. Less than three hours from Seattle, it’s actually one of the least visited national parks in the country and believe it or not, there are folks in Seattle who have no idea this much rugged beauty is so close to home.

The North Cascades highway offers awe-inspiring views combined with leg-busting climbs. Matter of fact, the total elevation gain from Newhalem to Washington Pass is nearly 6000 ft. Sweet. Once you crest the pass, the long winding Alps-like descent brings you into the high and dry Methow Valley.

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It was quite difficult for me to stand by and watch as the gun went off during this past springs Spearhead Passage Backcountry Ski Race at the Whistler Backcountry Freeride Jam. I’m typically not the one to watch such epic events. Fortunately, some last minute networking with the media folks found me arriving atop Whistler Mountain with the racers not for the race but instead as a photographer. My goal for the day: snap some ski photographs. Easy enough right?!?!?

First, the reason I wasn’t racing was because I felt like shit (and rightly so, because I was sick for the next two months!) Secondly, I wasn’t necessarily prepared for the frigid temps found atop Symphony Bowl, Flute and further points east (on the race course.) So I did all I could do to snap some inspiring backcountry ski photographs before my batteries died and my hands froze solid. Well, apparently some of those photos were good enough to  show to the public, because a couple are on display at the home page of the Freeride Jam website HERE (or click on the images below for a short slideshow)

So my advice to all those photographers out there: NEVER be afraid to ask the media if they need a photographer for an event! Don’t expect to get paid initially, but I can (almost) guarantee that if you offer your services in exchange for something that doesn’t necessarily cost them money, you will find your services are very welcome. If they aren’t paying you, ask for a link on their website or at least credit wherever your images get posted.

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After much deliberation and the cancellation of my eastern Europe bike tour (which I just realized I would be in the middle of at this very moment,) I can finally look forward to packing up the B.O.B for a short bike tour in just over a week.   Beginning on or around the 11th I’ll have my brother drop me off at Whistler, BC, where I’ll hop on the bike and begin the adventure north.

Within minutes I’ll find myself climbing into the beautiful coastal range as I pedal my way NE towards Williams Lake, about 250 miles distant. From there it’s time to head west on Bella Coola Highway 20, which apparently is the gateway to a vast wilderness. Mostly paved and hopefully only lightly traveled by RVs and logging trucks, it’s Heckman Pass that I anticipate being the high point of the journey (no pun intended here) as it drops 5,000 ft to the sea. With grades as steep as 18% it should be pretty interesting how a fully-loading skinny-tire bike handles the dirt roads (unlike my Chile bike tour, which consisted of endless "ripio" too but I was riding a mountain bike.)

If time permits I hope to venture off the main road to allow time for exploring some of the remote areas south of HWY 20, including Ts’yl-os Provincial Park , which is home to Chilko Lake, the largest, natural, high elevation lake in Canada as well as prime grizzly bear habitat. Hmmm…not sure if bear spray will do much here!

Once I reach Bella Coola, about 600 miles from Whistler, I’ll hop aboard the Discovery Coast Passage ferry heading south through Inside Passage to the tip of Vancouver Island. With enough time I should be able to bike down the island to Nanaimo, (passing, unfortunately, Alert Bay, a place I recommend everyone visit via sea kayak to experience the thrill of being face-to-face with the orcas) a short ferry ride back to the mainland, Vancouver and life as we all know it.

Besides the simple joy of exploring a new area and dealing with the unexpected mishaps that are part of wandering in more remote areas, my goal is to photograph this natural landscape to the best of my abilities. So check back in a couple weeks and I should have, what I hope, will be some pretty cool photos and stories of the area.

Below is a very simple map of the general route I’ll be on, although as I read more and more about the area there are what appear to be some pretty spectacular dirt roads I can take instead of section on HWY 97.

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